Poery Reading with Jane Shoenfeld and Donald Levering

Join us for a reading of ekphrastic poetry at Strata Gallery. Ekphrastic poetry explores visual art by addressing the imagery in a painting. The reading will include slides of art, followed by a Q&A and refreshments.

Donald Levering will read several ekphrastic poems, including those inspired by Shoenfeld’s paintings.

Here are a few lines from Jane’s ekphrastic poem No Van Gogh, written in response to The Yellow Scale by Frantisek Kupka:

“The painter yearns to radiate sunflower. He always admired those fringed globes by Van Gogh.” – Jane Shoenfeld

Jane Shoenfeld’s poem No Van Gogh was a finalist in a recent competition through Frontier Poetry. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals, including the Tulip Tree Anthology: Stories that Need to be Told, where her poem Angel in the Dark won an honorable mention. Her first book of poetry, Petals in the Tunnel, was published in 2021. Jane has taught art at SFCC, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and Esalen Institute. She founded Art Adventures in the SW in 1998, teaching art to many visitors and private students.

Donald Levering has received honors including the Literal Latté Award, the Tor House Foundation Robinson Jeffers Prize, and the Carve Contest Winner. His book, The Water Leveling with Us, placed second in the National Federation of Press Women Creative Verse Book Competition. His seventh book, Coltrane’s God, was Runner-Up for the New England Book Festival Contest in poetry. Levering’s poems have appeared in journals such as Bloomsbury Review and Southern Poetry Review. He volunteers as a species preservation activist and a US citizenship tutor with Santa Fe Literacy Volunteers.

There is no charge for this event. Gallery doors open at 5 pm for the 5:30 pm reading. Please arrive early to be seated before the reading begins.