The incumbent host of the weekly Poets’ Dive Open Mic and the Virtual Hotel Chelsea, the host venue for Klannex Northmead’s Sunday Spoken Word, are happy to invite all poetically inclined art appreciation fans and scribes to attend the Virtual Chelsea’s Birthday Art Walk event and be inspired to write a Poetic Ekphrasis* on displayed work at this year’s art walk.
Wondering what “Ekphrasis” means?
Rebecca Olson, Oregon State University Associate Professor of British Literature has an excellent article explaining Ekphrasis at this link:
https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-ekphrasis
If you should become inspired by one or many of the ART WALK displays, we would like to encourage you to write an ekphrastic poem for each work you’d like to muse on and drop a final copy into the EKPHRASTIC Dropboxes found beside the Chelsea Plaza and Strawberry Fields Amphitheater on Lanestris sim where you will find many participant galleries as well as the Art Walk Display pieces.
Be careful! There are other drop boxes so don’t become confused.
The sole winner of the L$5000 Merry’s Choice Ekphrasis Contest will be chosen by the sponsor of the prize
Here Be The Rules
1. The poem is to be longer than 10 words and shorter than 50 lines and be placed on a FULL PERMISSIONS notecard. The notecard name MUST include art work name, poet’s name, and 2024. for instance “the rat who died” Merope Madrigal, 2024
2. Poems should be evocative of the art by which they are inspired. Write a word vision and help me see your interpretation.
3. Please submit completed poems in the drop boxes placed near Strawberry Fields and Blue Angel Poets’ Dive, by 7PM SLT on the 7th of July to allow time for meaningful thought about the poem.
4. Only adults may enter.
5. Poems not chosen for the prize will not be returned to the poet.
6. Any poem that includes racism, cruelty, is distasteful and/or outside of the Linden Labs Terms of Service will be disqualified and the poet may be reported to “Linden Lab” and, possibly, legal authorities.
7. Winner will be announced on July 14th and read aloud during the open mic event at the BLUE ANGEL POETS DIVE, the closing day of the Art Walk, and notified via notecard in Second Life no later than 7PM SLT on July 15th. We will let the artist know that their art inspired the winning poem.
8. Queries about the status of the Merry’s Choice contest will be ignored.
9. The winner will be paid via a $L5000 transfer to the avatar in world at the time of the announcement on July 14th, 2024.
These rules and limits will by no means implicate Merope Madrigal in any wrongdoing committed by or to anyone involved in the production of the submitted ekphrases. Any comments by Merope Madrigal express solely her opinion.
