Call it ekphrasis. Call it Vermeering. Call it stealing. It’s a time-honoured tradition in the history of verse, and one that thrives in contemporary Canadian poetics: the composition of a poem or series of poems in response to a specific work (or works) of visual art.

Arc Poetry Annual 2011 will explore this poetic habit in-depth, with essays examining the best (and perhaps the worst) ekphrastic Canadian poems; content exploring the lure, the payoffs, the pitfalls and the impacts of this poetic method; and a selection of new poems on works held in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada.

That’s where you come in: Send us your new ekphrastic poems to be considered for this special issue of Arc.

Rules:

• Poems must relate specifically to a work of art held in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada.
• Poems must be previously unpublished and not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• The work of art that relates to each submitted poem must by identified by artist, title, medium and year made.
• Please otherwise follow our regular submission guidelines

Send submissions to:

Arc Poetry Annual 2011: Poet as Art Thief
Arc Poetry Magazine
Box 81060
Ottawa, ON K1P 1B1

Deadline: Submissions must be postmarked by December 31, 2009

Tip: If you can’t visit the National Gallery in person in Ottawa, you can view the National Gallery collection online at CyberMuse:
http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/home_e.jsp

Send proposals for prose pieces on ekphrasis in Canadian poetry to editor@arcpoetry.ca by September 30, 2009. All prose contributions will be due by March 1, 2010.