Beyond the Page: Ekphrastic Poetry with Nick Makoha

In his critically acclaimed collection The New Carthaginians, Nick Makoha, shortlisted for the 2025 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem, draws on Jean-Michel Basquiat’s ‘exploded collage’ style, using the artist’s fragmented, layered technique as a unique poetic device.
In this interactive workshop, Nick will guide participants through the process of using visual art to enhance and transform their poetry. We will explore how different art forms, whether abstract, collage, or representational, can inspire new creative pathways for writing. By moving between poetry and visual art, we’ll discover how these two mediums can inform one another and open up new possibilities for expression, structure, and rhythm.
Whether you’re struggling to finish a poem or simply looking for a fresh approach, this workshop offers a chance to break through creative blocks and find new perspectives on your work. Bring along a poem that could benefit from a new lens, and be prepared to experiment with visual inspiration in a supportive, collaborative environment.