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Celebrate National Poetry Month: Poetry in Action: Artists wrestled here!
April 01, 2026
April is National Poetry Month, and it’s the perfect time to pick up a pencil or quill and start flexing those creative muscles to write. Don’t worry about any writer's block- use the GVAM collection as the starting point for your literary creativity!
Throughout time, artists have been inspired by others’ art to create and find inspiration within their own pieces. Ekphrastic poetry is an example in which poets find inspiration from artwork. Derived from the Greek word “ekphrasis,” meaning description or interpretation, ekphrastic poems use the artful interplay of words and imagery to offer a fresh perspective and bridge the gap between written and visual art.
Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Artists wrestled here!” is a mix of ekphrastic poetry and drawing inspiration from other artists.
Artists wrestled here!
Artists wrestled here!
Lo, a tint Cashmere!
Lo, a
Rose!
Student of the Year!
For the easel here
Say Repose!
GVAM has also collected art inspired by poetry through the form of broadsides. Broadsides are typically a poster-sized print of a poem accompanied by a drawing. They are printed on only one side of the paper and are limited edition to be collected. Mixing art and poetry isn’t a new concept, and broadsides were being produced as early as the 16th century.
GVSU has encouraged poets to write and create broadsides. The Grand
Valley Writers series highlighted a broadside of award-winning author
Sean Prentiss, who came to speak to students in 2010. Along with that,
there was the First Annual Grand Valley State University Poetry
Competition hosted the same year, which highlighted the broadsides of
local and student poets. GVSU continues this tradition of promoting
poetry and broadsides among its students through its annual Poetry
Night, an evening that celebrates poetry and highlights written and
visual art.
Are you a poet looking for inspiration for your next writing adventure? Explore the entire GVAM collection online!
Are you an artist curious about connecting visual and written art forms? Explore our collection of GVSU broadsides!
This guest blog was written by GVSU student Elias Gemmen, Student Gallery Assistant for GVAM.
Julia Raye Osterhouse & W. Todd Kaneko, Naked, poetry
broadside, 2021, 2021.37.1.
Kat Bell & W. Todd Kaneko, Devotion, poetry broadside,
2010, 2010.28.2.
Patricia Smith & W. Todd Kaneko, Only Everything I Own,
poetry broadside, 2009, 2009.146.2b.
Jessica DeWent & W. Todd Kaneko, A Hummingbird, poetry
broadside, 2010, 2010.28.3.
Aleigha Kely, Longevity, poetry broadside, 2019, 2019.32.2b.