Poetry workshop at a place that celebrates work

Posted March 4, 2025 by Judith under Uncategorized

As we turn our attention towards work, interviewing people about their work and helping with other work-related projects, we must tell you about this place.  It is just outside our area, and so we do not post about it often.

It is the American Mural Project, in Winsted, CT.  Well they can tell it better:

“AMP is a five-story, collaborative mural that celebrates American workers on a grand scale.”  But it is so much more.  Artist Ellen Griesedieck started making this mural in 2001, inside a former factory building in Winsted.  Then she started traveling to engage students around the country as they worked on pieces of it, painting, using ceramics, and building with various media. The result is a massive, wildly textured and evocative mural that depicts farmers, firefighters, surgeons, sailors, musicians, and more.

Their site has images of course. This is one, if you look for the person doing an installation, will give you a sense of scale and power:

 

And this post is about a workshop in this unusual place:

Art-Inspired Poetry Workshop: The Mural as Muse—with Poet Ed Lent

Join Madison CT’s Poet Laureate Ed Lent for an inspiring journey where art meets poetry at the American Mural Project. This immersive two-part workshop invites you to create poetry in response to the world’s largest indoor collaborative mural—a breathtaking five-story celebration of work, creativity, and human connection.

Moving from free verse to haiku, you’ll discover how to express more with less while exploring the mural’s powerful imagery from multiple perspectives.

Your registration also includes full-day admission to AMP’s exhibit, potential inclusion in the special National Poetry Month exhibit at AMP, and an optional guided tour.

Last year’s workshop sold out quickly—secure your spot today for this opportunity to enhance your creative writing in a truly extraordinary setting.

Key Benefits

  • Immerse yourself in artistic inspiration. Create poetry in an innovative space, drawing inspiration from the world’s largest collaborative mural, a five-story celebration of work, creativity, and human connection.
  • Explore two distinct writing forms. Progress from expressive free verse to the refined precision of haiku in one dynamic workshop.
  • Connect with a vibrant, creative community. Share your work and receive feedback in a supportive, encouraging environment.
  • Receive expert guidance. Learn directly from Madison CT’s Poet Laureate Ed Lent, an experienced educator and award-winning poet.
  • Showcase your talent. Have your poetry featured in AMP’s special National Poetry Month exhibit.
  • Enjoy full access to a unique artistic venue. Your registration includes all-day admission and an optional guided tour of the mural exhibit.
  • Participate regardless of experience level. Whether you’re a published poet or a complete beginner, this workshop welcomes all writers.

Workshop Structure: Two Distinct Parts, One Inspiring Experience

Participants must take part in both sessions—the second part builds on the first, deepening your writing process.

Part 1: Free Verse Writing – Responding to the Mural

Part 2: Haiku – The Art of Saying More with Less

By experiencing both parts, you will have a full-spectrum writing experience, unleashing your creativity freely and then shaping it into something intentional and powerful.

About Ed Lent – The Mural as Muse II Workshop Leader

Perhaps best known as the host of the statewide open-mic poetry event “Ezra Lovecroft Presents: The Unexpected Poet,” which has featured poets from laureates to beekeepers for more than a decade. Ed Lent is a recognized talent in his own right. He is the recipient of the 2020 Connecticut Arts Hero Award for his work in poetry and the author of As Above, So Below and the 2023 chapbook Perceptions.

A visiting poet/educator in CT public schools, cohost of two art scholarship programs at Nazareth University, and a frequent creator of art-and-poetry contests for college students, Ed has a deep love of working with all ages and abilities—especially in the ekphrastic realm.

In 2023, Ed was a featured poet in the Connecticut Poetry Society project, “Poems Illuminating Art,” a video collection of poetry created for the New Britain Museum of American Art, in response to works of art in the museum’s collection.

This year, Ed will bring his passion for the intersection of art and poetry to the American Mural Project (AMP), Winsted, CT, where he will facilitate a poetry workshop in response to AMP’s five-story, collaborative mural that celebrates American workers on a grand scale.

Here is a link to their calendar of events and registration information:

Written by Judith