Poets & Art: Ekphrasis at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
Two Days in June
Three made the trip from California. Two from Texas. Two were already in South Bend. One flew in from Denver. One started his journey in New York City. Another in Portsmith, New Hampshire. And one…drove down from Milwaukee. In all, ten poets joined the Poet Laureate of Wisconsin to take her master class—held in the new art museum on campus. This particular gathering was another manifestation of, “Poets & Art: Ekphrasis at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art,” a multi-year initiative at the University of Notre Dame. Brenda Cárdenas, the Poet Laureate in question, had inaugurated this multidisciplinary gesture with her week-long visit in September of 2025. Adela Najarro (who just won an American Book Award) followed suit in March of 2026. In those instances, each gave a public presentation in the museum's atrium on their ekphrastic practice; each met with students; and each led a community workshop on site. What took place last June was different, was meant to be different. Classes were not in session. One cornerstone of Letras Latinas’ mission is to create spaces and opportunities for writers to form micro-communities and bond with one another. I’ve been directing Letras Latinas for twenty-two years and it isn’t a given that this will happen, despite our efforts and intentions. But on this occasion, what unfolded over those two days in June was, simply, magical. What follows, below, are testimonios and a photo gallery to give readers of Letras Latinas Blog 2 a sense of what transpired. A highlight, among highlights, was the impromptu reading at the end of the second day, each poet reading a piece—written and workshopped there—while standing beside the artwork that inspired it. We aspire to connect with a literary journal to publish a folio. In the meantime, Letras Latinas would like express deep gratitude to the poets for saying Yes to Letras Latinas' invitation, and to Brenda Cárdenas for her masterful teaching. Gratitude, as well, to Letras Latinas associate Brent Ameneyro for his curation of these images, which were selected from the photos provided by Midwest Photographics (Multimedia by Steve Toepp). And, of course, our thanks to the staff of the Raclin Murphy Museum for their exquisite hospitality.
Director, Letras Latinas
Group shot on the ground floor/atrium of the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
with the neon installation, "I Belong Here" (2013) by Tavares Strachan
Testimonios & Photo Gallery
After teaching for 35 years at every level from 7th grade to doctoral students and having had many rewarding experiences along the way, I can honestly say that facilitating the Letras Latinas/Raclin Murphy Museum of Art ekphrastic poetry workshop was among the most inspiring of such experiences. I was able to share with a group of especially talented and thoughtful fellow poets the knowledge I’ve gained through much research into ekphrasis as well as the questions, aspirations, doubts, and affirmations I’ve had and discoveries I’ve made working in the mode. The group engaged in meaningful discussion that complicated the questions in fruitful ways and in generous and constructive critique of each other’s work. In doing so, they formed a supportive community of poets who were collaborating both with the visual artists who inspired their poems and with each other. They appeared to embrace the process, taking deep dives into the art, rather than merely focusing on the end product, yet at the workshop’s conclusion, they presented drafts of some of the most insightful, imaginative, and intriguing ekphrastic poems I’ve yet read, allowing me to notice what I had previously passed by, to see the art anew, to learn more about it, to extrapolate from it something about the larger world, and to contemplate the conversations between poets and artists. And isn’t this what ekphrasis should do? It was a gift to lead this workshop.
When I first arrived in Indiana, I was nervous at my being able to produce work, not knowing whether I’d be up for the challenge, or whether the anxiety of meeting new people would trump the kind of ease I would have to feel in order to be inspired. However, immediately upon meeting the group, there was an instant sense of ease and giddiness. Francisco Aragón and everyone involved in picking the cohort seemed to have considered how temperaments and personalities would mix, how the varying aesthetics would complement each other, because upon finally starting to work together, there was a spirit of encouragement and collaboration, a respect for one another’s craft and a refreshing lack of ego. This, of course, could not have flourished without Brenda Cárdenas’ brilliant, exemplary teaching, her years of experience and knowledge constantly and vividly visible in her lecturing and in our group conversations. All of this effort is what allowed for a real sense of permission to be granted, and for me to feel a sense of camaraderie and comfort in walking through the beautiful Raclin Murphy Museum of Art and to begin writing my poems. In what can often be a lonesome art, this ekphrastic workshop was an invigorating jolt to my practice and an affirming reminder that poetic fellowship is never out of reach.
Having worked for Letras Latinas for almost four years now, I continue to be in awe of the magic that’s possible when bringing poets together. We spent two days in the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, two days writing, meditating, laughing, learning, and connecting. I will continue to look back at this experience fondly, especially the friendships that were built or strengthened: Laura Villareal bought a sparkling water for me when my stomach hurt; Diannely Antigua provided menthol pain patches for my back; Karla Cordero listened patiently as I talked about the difficulty of traveling without my wife and daughter. I remember poets smiling in an ice cream shop playing Connect Four as much as I remember the museum, the writing, and the afternoon workshop session. Workshopping poems with Maryam Parhizkar and Francisco Márquez was invigorating, and provided a much needed moment of reflection after spending time alone with the artworks in the quiet halls of the museum. I’m grateful for all the poets in this cohort, for their kindness, their brilliance. Thank you to Brenda Cárdenas for leading the workshop, and Jim Wilson for funding this experience for everyone.
Convening with the collection bright poets and thinkers assembled for this workshop was a much-needed salve. Being in a community of poets who were earnestly and critically interfacing with visual art and transcribing their experiences through their poetry and in casual conversation was a joyous and fruitful time for me. I loved chatting with Aerik Francis and Diannely Antigua on post-dinner walks about the artwork we spent time with in the museum and how it correlated with our work or challenged our poetic conventions. I also appreciated my time with Brenda Cardenas as well, who was a generous and kind workshop leader.
I’ve always loved going to art museums, but have rarely written ekphrastic poems. Brenda Cardenas’ workshop showed me the varied ways we can approach ekphrasis and encouraged me to experiment with that mode of poetry. Everyone in the cohort is someone whose work I deeply admire so it was a gift to watch them work in the galleries and hear them read what they created during our short time together. Perhaps most importantly, I’m grateful that we were brought together to be in community. I loved playing Bananagrams and joking around with Aerik Francis, catching up with Cloud Cardona at dinners and watching part of the Spurs game on their phone, writing with Roda Avelar in the Indigenous Art of the Americas gallery, meeting Karla Cordero in the mornings for breakfast, spending quality time with Diannely, learning more about Karla Maravilla’s PhD work, chatting with Francisco Marquez, and playing games in the nearby ice cream shop with a group of folks. Thank you to the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art and their staff for hosting us with such generosity and genuine excitement for our work.
As a poet who also happened to spend the last year as a researcher at Notre Dame, I often walked past the Raclin Murphy Museum but never found the proper time to spend with its collection. It had also been a busy year in which I barely managed to write any poetry at all. So what a gift it was, to be invited to slow down and write with the art! I learned so much from Brenda Cárdenas about ekphrasis as a practice––and I surprised myself with how many drafts had come out of two days at the museum. Even better to have been in the company of so many wonderful poets! My favorite part of the workshop was our final reading, where each participant would read one of their poems beside the work that inspired it. After all those hours passing by and lingering near one another, it was so satisfying to actually listen to the language that had emerged from our respective points of contact. Thank you to Brenda for the energy and guidance, thank you to the museum for the space, and thank you to Letras Latinas for bringing us together through this shared practice.
As an English Ph.D candidate who has worked closely with Letras Latinas the past three years, I was very happy and very fortunate when Francisco Aragon extended an invitation to participate in this two-day workshop, taught by Brenda Cárdenas. I had introduced her when she was a visiting poet in 2025, was a participant in her community ekphrastic workshop, and had even conducted an oral history interview with her. In short, I was more than happy to see Brenda again. And yet one may also imagine how excited (and a little intimidated) I was to participate in this workshop surrounded by phenomenal poets whose verses I have read aloud to my cat in my apartment; these wonderful poets that I follow on Instagram (and yes, I bombarded a few of them to sign my copies of their poetry collections). Amidst my shyness and intimidation, I found myself able to gradually and easily shed my scholar’s husk and slip into my poetic skin through each participant's shared love of art, memory, and intimate reflection. I will never forget when I picked up Diannely and Aerik from the South Bend airport and shared little tidbits about South Bend and the Notre Dame campus as I dropped them off at their hotel (the wrong one I might add, but they found their way), nor will I forget our shared curiosity of bones and bricks (if you know, you know). I will never forget the times I would turn to Roda and demonstrate the goosebumps on my arms as we each read our poems in front of the artwork that inspired us, nor will I forget how Laura listened patiently to my prose poem during workshop to look for and mark all my natural line breaks, which I still struggle to find on my own. I will never forget all the consejos Maryam gave me as she headed off for bigger and better things, nor will I forget the conversation I had with Brent about life, newfound parenthood, and family after we all left the ice cream shop as a group. Looking back, I never wanted it to end. In a way, it still hasn’t with all the writing that has come out of it for me this summer. I only have Francisco, Brenda, and all the writers who wrote alongside me, as well as the staff of the Raclin Murphy, to thank for this newfound fire and friendship, and for teaching me how to harmonize once again with the beautiful historical threads of the universe that we all collected in that museum. I hope to continue tracing those threads when I return for the Fall semester!
So much gratitude for Francisco Aragón and the team at Letras Latinas for inviting me to participate in this amazing experience. Even in the midst of so many accomplished writers, I was never made to feel singled out or intimidated or lesser. Rather, what I found in this time was curiosity, inspiration, playfulness, friendship, collaboration, and belonging. Convening with this group of brilliant and warm poets was such a special treat. The poems we crafted together during our time at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art felt so thoughtful and adroit that one may have easily believed these were pieces worked over for years rather than days. Brenda Cárdenas is such a gifted instructor and poet, so it was particularly wonderful not only to learn about ekphrasis from her thorough instruction and amazing poetry, but to also spend time together and talk about life and art. I am still buzzing with energy from the connections and memories and poetry we all made together.
What a joy it was to spend two days with Brenda Cárdenas and this group of incredible poets. Everyone created such a warm and welcoming environment and I loved getting to know all the poets in our cohort. We spent our afternoons under the brilliant guidance of Brenda Cárdenas at the Raclin Murphy museum, and our evenings sharing laughter and skincare rituals over ice cream and bananagrams. It was like a dream! It was so special to watch poets doing their thing in front of various artworks. I especially loved hearing everyone read their poems by their chosen art pieces. I left feeling inspired by these poets and their brilliant poems with such an array of varying aesthetics and styles. Thanks to Brenda’s leadership, I continue to feel motivated to look at the art around me and write ekphrastic poems.
It was incredible to witness the collaborative community-building work that Latinas Latinas in action. I am so grateful to be a Letras Latinas team member. A big thank you goes to Francisco Aragón, Brenda Cárdenas, Letras Latinas, The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, for making this workshop possible.
I arrived at the Raclin Murphy Museum with only a novice understanding of ekphrasis poetry. After Brenda Cárdenas’s welcoming workshop and thoughtful leadership, I now see the craft as a dynamic relationship between artist and poet, a third space that can expand, transform, celebrate and even challenge an existing work of art. The poem becomes a key that unlocks agency, invites questions, and opens portals to new possibilities. This was the magic of Brenda’s workshop.
At the heart of the experience was the collective learning, generous dialogue, and workshop process shared with a remarkable cohort of poets. Together, we cultivated a deep respect not only for ekphrasis poetry, but for the power of creative community. Writing original work in a short timeframe was less intimidating because of the encouragement, insight, and brilliance of this group.
I left this retreat with immense gratitude for Brenda Cárdenas, Francisco Aragón, and the incredible poets who made me feel both empowered and supported, free to play, take creative risks, and leap into worlds of imagination without the weight of self doubt.
My time spent at the Raclin Murphy Museum felt transcendent in how visual art and poetry met to create moments of wonder. I’ve written ekphrastic poetry before, but Brenda Cárdena’s instruction took the practice to a different realm, one that made space for play and surprise. And while walking in the sculpture garden, I was indeed surprised by the way nature had interacted with the tall bronze figures towering over me. A bird had pooped almost perfectly in the center at the base of a concave sculpture, the white dropping stark against the deep russet metal. I laughed initially, but then became mesmerized by this quotidian blessing from the sky. This bird had declared its presence, forever changing how I viewed this sculpture. It reminded me that ekphrasis moves beyond simply looking at art. It’s also about noticing what has entered the frame unexpectedly. Through this workshop, I was invited to pay attention more deeply, to let the world interrupt the poem and make it stranger, funnier, and more alive.
