Four Muskegon Community College students earned awards in the Art Talk Regional Ekphrastic Poetry Competition sponsored by the Muskegon Writers’ Center. Additional support for the recently concluded event was provided by the Poetry Society of Michigan.
The juried Art Talk competition was open to writers throughout West Michigan and 67 entries from all across the region were received by the March 28 contest deadline. Writers were invited to enter original poems, each poem inspired by one of 10 selected works of art from the Muskegon Museum of Art’s permanent collection. A panel of judges selected the winning poems.
The MCC student award winners were:
2nd Place: Hannah Forner, Muskegon, “Between There and Here” inspired by New York Restaurant by Edward Hopper
3rd Place: Jennifer Lance, Holton, “Tea for Two” inspired by Tea for Two by Artist Unknown
Honorable Mention: Robyn Lehner, Muskegon, “New York Restaurant” inspired by New York Restaurant by Edward Hopper; and Gary L. Grayson, Muskegon, “Filling Her Cup” inspired by Tea for Two by Artist Unknown
The public is invited by the Muskegon Museum of Art to attend a free poetry reading and awards ceremony for its first Art Talk Regional Ekphrastic Poetry Competition. The event takes place on Thursday, April 25 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the museum. Awards and readings of the winning poems will begin at 6 p.m. in the auditorium. Musical entertainment will be provided from 5:30-6 p.m by GVSU performance music majors Ashley Stanley on flute and Adam Brennan on the clarinet