Visual and Verse was one of my many civic projects that I conceived of for Greenville, South Carolina for my Poet Laureate Fellowship 2023 Grant that I received through The Academy of American Poets. It was my honor to partner with the Metropolitan Arts Council to bring this project to fruition. It was an Ekphrastic project. Ekphrastic poetry is derived from an ancient poetry practice of poets writing to another art form, such as dance, photography, music, or visual arts. In this project, we paired 14 poets with 14 visual artists. The visual artists were asked to paint, sculpt, or make a piece related to a sense of place. They submitted works depicting landscapes, objects, or portraits that tell a story about the past, present, or future. Then, we paired each artwork with a poet. They were asked to respond in verse. We held an exhibition of the art and a poetry reading on March 21st.

I was pleased with each piece of artwork. Each piece surpassed my expectations. Then, the poetry created another layer. It was a stunning testament to creativity and robust imaginations. This is where I want to live amongst memory, imagery, and lore. We crossed many lines of gender, race, culture, thought, idea and so many other lines. In this presentation, many ideas were addressed. This exhibition could be taught at the college and university level. The intersections are plentiful and palpable–from landscape, abstract, and portraiture to sculpture–making personal and societal statements. I was moved by these expressions. Adding the poetic response gave it a further layer of meaning. Then, audience members were invited to view the artwork and hear the poetry. My favorite part of the project/program was the conversations afterward. The night was full of discussion that people lingered after the event and talked to the poets and the visual artists. This is community engagement at its best, bringing facets of our shared city together that might otherwise have never met. This is how we grow our humanity. The arts have always done that for me as a poet and a teaching artist.

I also want to express my gratitude to the entire MAC staff. First of all the Director, Alan Etheridge for being open and willing to shepherd this project. Also, thank you to Liz Cotner, Alice Ratterree for the administrative support that made this program successful. They helped make this program possible directly and indirectly. I would like to acknowledge Kimberly Simms for being a participating poet and recommending other poets from Wit’s End and beyond, I am incredibly grateful for Anna Huff’s co-leadership and vision. We make an excellent team. Thank you to Ashley Crout. I delight at your joy in the editorial process. You are a wonder.

This project lives on within these pages. There is one additional poem in this collection; it is by my daughter, Amber Sherer. She wrote a poem about April Harrison’s artwork, One Eye Open. Please view the artworks and read the poems individually. Then, absorb the book as a whole and know that there is a conversation between the poetry and the art poems as there is between artists and poets. Then, you, the reader/viewer, also enter into the conversation. I most appreciate this about these intersections-the call and response is a gift to us and our community. I hope you enjoy these creative interactions, as you are the other element.

Yours-in-Verse,

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Bios of Visual Artists and Poets

Claire Bateman is the author of nine poetry/prose poetry/flash fiction collections, most recently Wonders of the Invisible World with 42 Miles Press and Scape with New Issues. Her hybrid collection, The Pillow Museum, is forthcoming with FC2 Press in January 2025. She has been awarded Individual Artist Fellowships by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission, as well as two Pushcart Prizes and the New Millennium Poetry Prize (also twice). Claire has taught at Clemson University, the Greenville Fine Arts Center, and various workshops and conferences. She lives in Greenville, SC, and is the poetry editor of Hubris.

ShAy Black is a highly versatile and expressive artist who specializes in acrylic, oil, and mixed media paintings on canvas. With a background as a 30-year retired US veteran, ShAy brings a unique perspective to her artwork, often focusing on themes of black girls and black culture. Having obtained a BFA in ceramics and sculpture, ShAy’s artistic skills are diverse and exceptional. Her studio space at the renowned Greer Center for the Arts allows her to fully immerse herself in creating captivating pieces. It was during her time at Helix Hair Academy that ShAy discovered her passion for art, and she has been dedicated to her craft since 2004.

Sarah Blackman is the Director of Creative Writing at the Fine Arts Center, an arts-based public high school in Greenville, SC. Her poetry and prose have appeared or are forthcoming in The Yale Review, Conjunctions, Zoetrope, and Georgia Review, among other journals. She is the author of two books, Mother Box and Other Tales, and the novel, Hex, both published by FC2.

Calvin Blassingame was born and raised in Greenville, SC, and moved to Myrtle Beach, SC, in 1991. He remained there and drew caricatures for 25 years, establishing himself as a freelance artist. He became president and co-founder of the Roundtable Art Group, which produced art shows and provided local artists with a platform. His works have been collected by men and women of all ages in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, New York, and California. Forever reinventing himself, he returned to his hometown of Greenville to pursue a career as a respected painter of modern style and design, as well as an admired muralist.

Emily Cinquemani’s poetry has most recently appeared or is forthcoming in Southeast Review, NELLE, Poetry Northwest, Ploughshares, Colorado Review, Southern Indiana Review, Indiana Review, 32 Poems, Meridian, Nashville Review, and Cherry Tree. She teaches poetry in the Creative Writing Department at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

Briana Danyele is a South Carolina native who navigates life through the creation of fine art. After graduating as Salutatorian with a BFA in Fashion Design from Savannah College of Arts & Design in 2019, Briana has been creating good trouble in the world. She has design experience working for companies such as Prada, Mattel for Barbie, Abercrombie & Fitch, Badgley Mischka, and more. Her self-titled fashion brand has collaborated with Levi’s and Bephie’s Beauty Supply. Her work has been featured in Beyonce’s “Black Parade,” The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture, Nordstrom, Artsy.net, Fashionista, and Hypebae. She has also been included in many publications, including PAPER Magazine, Teen Vogue, and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

Dove Dupree is a national spoken word champion, TEDx performer, music artist, and much more. Just as in his life, his goal in his music and poetry is to impact and inspire. He is a teaching artist, who goes into schools as an artist-in-residence and teaches students educational content through arts integration workshops. Dove also performs and leads workshops across the country’s colleges, conferences, churches, and more, while managing to blend spoken word and audience dialogue together on topics such as faith, mental health, and social justice issues.

Marty Epp-Carter was born in Nebraska and lived in Boston and Provincetown, MA, before relocating to Greenville, SC, in 2006. EC has undergraduate degrees from both Boston University and Massachusetts College of Art and Design, as well as graduate degrees from Lesley University and Clemson University. In June 2023, EC retired from full-time teaching to become more engaged in their studio practice at the Marty Epp-Carter Studio. In addition to expanding their studio practice, this new direction will include private and small group instruction in etching, woodcut, linocut, and movable-type typesetting. EC’s work has been shown nationally and internationally and can be found in both public and private collections. Gallery representation includes Wilkinson Art in Greenville, SC, and the Schoolhouse Gallery in Provincetown, MA.

Diana Farfán is a ceramic sculptor, educator, and cultural agent originally from Bogota, Colombia. She now calls Greenville, SC, her home. Diana has a BA in Graphic Design, a BFA in Ceramics and Printmaking from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and an MFA in Ceramic Sculpture from the University of South Carolina. She has also studied as an exchange student at the University of Anchorage in Alaska and the National Taiwan University of Arts. Diana is passionate about animal welfare and the environment and uses her art to raise awareness and to inspire empathy and respect for people, animals, and nature. Her figurative sculpture is known for creating surreal, dramatic-poetic narratives that address social, political, and environmental issues.

Julius Ferguson, born and raised in the vibrant city of Greenville, SC, is a talented artist with a deep passion for painting, body art, and various other forms of artistic expression. From a young age, Julius displayed a natural inclination toward creativity and a keen eye for aesthetics, which ultimately led him to pursue a career in the world of art. With a unique blend of traditional and contemporary influences, Julius’s artwork is a reflection of his rich cultural heritage and personal experiences. His paintings are known for their vivid colors, intricate details, and emotional depth, capturing the essence of his subjects with remarkable clarity. In addition to his skills as a painter, Julius is also an expert in body art, using the human form as a canvas to create stunning and thought-provoking designs. His body art creations combine elements of beauty, symbolism, and storytelling, leaving a lasting impression on all who behold them.

Kisha Edwards-Gandsy is a poet, author, and the Co-Founder & CEO of World Explorers, a community-focused educational organization that provides preschool, camp, after-school and family enrichment services to children in New York and South Carolina. The hallmark of World Explorers is The Explorers Method Curriculum, a developmentally appropriate global studies curriculum that offers a whole-child approach to learning, which includes both the celebration and respectful exploration of our planet’s myriad cultures and the unique contributions of their people. Kisha is an alumnus of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and is currently working on her middle-grade novel, The Mattress Chronicles: Book Two.

Lynn Greer, a Greenvillian since the age of eight and former Fine Arts Center student, is a 1979 UGA graduate with a BFA in Graphic Design. After eight years as an Art Director, she left to join the ranks of “poor starving artists.” For over 30 years she has made a living as a working artist—painting commissioned works, participating in solo and group exhibitions, taking part in outdoor arts festivals, and entering juried competitions. Lynn is a member of the excellence of the South Carolina Watercolor Society, a signature member of the GA Watercolor Society, and a board member of the Metropolitan Arts Council (Greenville, SC). She has been featured in several national publications, including Watercolor Magic, The Palette Magazine, and American Artist Watercolor Magazine (highlighting 20 emerging artists across the US). Lynn was a member of the Open Studios planning committee and has participated every year since its inception in 2002. She also exhibited during Artisphere from 2005 through 2018.

Jo Watson Hackl grew up in the piney woods of Mississippi where storytelling is a major form of entertainment. She is a prose writer, poet, and a corporate attorney with Wyche, P.A. Her novel, Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe (Random House Children’s Books), received the Southern Book Prize and is an Amazon Teacher’s Pick and a “Read Across America” selection. Jo is also the founder of https://Outdoorosity.org, a free resource for information about nature.

April Harrison is a Greenville, SC, native and a God-gifted self-taught artist who has been professionally involved in art for 20-plus years. She is also an award-winning illustrator whose work has garnered various prestigious awards since she began illustrating children’s picture books in 2019. April has achieved a great measure of success and popular acclaim via her fine artwork and has been featured at numerous venues nationwide, including The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum (the Rhodes Collection), The Morris Museum of Art, The Hampton University Museum, and The Spartanburg Museum of Art. Her work was also selected by the late David C. Driskell for the Romare Bearden Juried Invitational at the Mint Museum of Charlotte. For her full bio, please visit www.april-harrison.com

Faith Hudgens is a self-taught painter and mixed media artist whose creative works extend to public art and body art. Born and raised in Greenville, SC, Faith believes that art can be used as a portal into alternate dimensions to tell untold stories of the past, shine a light on the present, and manifest the future. Her artwork is bold, bright, and vibrant, layered in fantasy and spirituality. She captivates her audience by empowering the powerless, inspiring those who need to be lifted, and restoring the faith across generations. Faith is very involved in her community, working with nonprofit organizations such as Miracle Hill Ministries, PRIDE, and Upstate Pride. Her overarching goal is to cultivate positive change, healing, and unity through her art.

Marream Krollos has taught in many places, including Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Albania. She is a writer of hybrid works of prose and verse. Her volume of poetry, Sermons, was published by VA Press. Marream’s novella, Stan, was published by Meekling Press. Most recently, her short fiction collection, Big City, was published by FC2 Press.

Kathleen Nalley is the author of the prose poetry collection, Gutterflower (winner of the Bryant-Lisembee Editor’s Prize), as well as the poetry chapbooks, Nesting Doll (winner of the SC Poetry Initiative Prize) and American Sycamore. Her poetry and book reviews have appeared in journals across the country, and her poetry has been anthologized in several collections. She received her MFA from Converse University and teaches literature and writing at Clemson University.

Destiny Oliphant is from Greenville, SC. She grew up in an environment that valued God, the arts, and community. She has worked with students in various capacities for over 13 years. For two years, she has taught small art workshops with some of her favorite nonprofits. Although she is new to the art world, she’s been enjoying it. Destiny hopes that through her paintings she inspires others to discover and nurture their God-given gifts and to create beauty.

John Pendarvis loves using his hands, brushes, knives, and other objects to create collages, wax/dye mixed media paintings, and textured pieces on multiple types of paper and canvas. They depict a celebration of life inspired by a love of music, a love of the outdoors, and a need for exploration which drives his creativity. Lately, John has been looking at the painting rags used for cleaning his brushes and wiping off paint and building on the accidental images without losing what has been given to him.  For John, it’s about opening your eyes and allowing yourself to be taken on a journey. For as long as he can remember, he’s had an interest in creating.

 Jenice Pleasant was born in Sumter, SC, and raised in Atlanta, GA, until the age of nine. She migrated to Greenville, SC, by way of Knoxville, TN, with her family and began the journey of finding herself with song and poetry.  Jenice found her voice and has blossomed into a dynamic force in upstate SC. Jenice embodies honesty, sincerity, and passion with a beautiful jazz-type flow in her poetry. She has been writing since she was a teenager and has grown into an outstanding performer. Jenice has also participated in several poetry slams across the Southeast and was a part of the Upstate Poetry Slam Team, Poetic Rockstars (2012), and the Upstate Poetry Slam Team, Say Dat (2013), where she competed in the 20th and 21st Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam (Tampa, FL, and New Orleans, LA, respectively).

Amy Randall, a storyteller from upstate SC, weaves captivating tales through her favorite mediums of photography and poetry. With a BA in Art and a minor in English from Winthrop University, as well as postgraduate studies at King’s College London, she has led poetry workshops at the Peace Center, co-founded the Upstate Poets critique group, and been published in Emrys and Dodging the Rain. Amy’s talent shines through her business, Amy Randall Photography, where she specializes in crafting compelling branding and corporate images.

Glenis Redmond is the First Poet Laureate of Greenville, SC. She is a 2023 Poet Laureate Fellow selected by the Academy of American Poets. She has published seven books of poetry. Her latest books are The Listening Skin (Four Way Books), Praise Songs for Dave the Potter, Art by Jonathan Green, Poetry by Glenis Redmond (University of Georgia Press), and The Song of Everything: A Poet’s Exploration of South Carolina State Parks (Good Printed Things). The Listening Skin was shortlisted for the Open Pen America and Julie Suk awards. Glenis received the highest arts award in South Carolina, the Governor’s Award, and was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors in 2022. She has been published in The New York Times, Obsidian Literature in Review, and North Carolina Literature in Review, and Callaloo.

Amber Sherer is a poet and teaching artist. She burst onto the poetry slam scene in 2007. She was the first winner of the WordSlam in Asheville, North Carolina. She has dedicated her mission to youth poetry outreach. She is a much sought after performance poet and has read her poetry for various non-profits, churches throughout the city of Greenville for Juneteenth, MLK, Jr. celebrations and various conferences. Amber Sherer is a Master Herbalist. She believes that health and wellness should be at one’s core. She facilitates both poetry and healing workshops. She wears many hats in life, but being a Mother to Julian Priester is her crown and glory.

Kimberly J. Simms’ literary voice is rooted in the Southern tradition of storytelling. Her passion for poetry, from both the page to the stage, has led Kimberly to garner titles such as former Carl Sandburg NHS Writer-in-residence, National Poetry Slam “Legend of the South,” TEDx speaker, co-founder of CarolinaPoets, former Southern Fried Poetry Slam Champion, and award-winning teaching artist. In her first full-length collection from Finishing Line Press, Lindy Lee: Songs on Mill Hill, Kimberly chronicles the lives of textile workers in the Carolinas with historical accuracy and imaginative insight. Ron Rash, the award-winning author of Serena, says of Kimberly: “She writes with eloquence and empathy about an important part of Southern history – too often neglected.” Kimberly has been published in over thirty literary journals, and her website can be found at www.kimberlysimms.com.

Meredith B. Skinner is a self-taught painter, printmaker, and sculptor. She is the owner of Woodbine Studio & Gallery in Greenville, SC. Her work varies from contemporary figurative to tonalist landscapes. She draws inspiration from the world around her. Among her awards and accolades, she won first place in the 2023 Flat Out Under Pressure (FOUP) juried artmaking event, eighth place in the 2022 FOUP, first place for the 2022 GCCA City of Women, and was named one of 2019’s Artisphere Artists of the Upstate.

Devon Taylor (aka Your Favorite Nurse) is a native of Greenville, SC. He serves as a Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist in Charlotte, NC. Much of his poetry is inspired by his life as a healthcare worker and centers around themes of mental health and family. Devon competes in Poetry Slam Competitions across the nation as an individual and a team poet. He is the 2022 King of the South Poetry Slam Champion and both the 2023 and 2024 SayWhat?! Grand Slam Champion of the team representing Greenville, SC.

Judy Verhoeven is a Greenville artist whose mixed media work brings goodness to the planet. Her work encapsulates both her personality and her understanding of life, love, and our shared humanity. You will always find a bit of “Judy Joy” in the details. She thanks (and sometimes curses) her parents for passing along the detail-freak gene. She feels incredibly lucky to live in a house and to have electricity, good safe drinking water, and a wonderfully imperfect family.

Darrell Wilson is a mixed media artist who has lived in the upstate of Greenville, SC, for 25 years. He is a graduate of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, where he obtained a BFA in Graphic Design. In addition to being a freelance graphic artist, he is also a K12 certified art teacher. Over the course of his teaching career, the students have inspired him to develop his artistic style using mixed media. As a public-school arts educator, he has received multiple grants and won numerous professional art contests over the years. He is currently retired from the public school system and now enjoys freelancing and creating commissioned artwork. His belief is that art should be approached with the mentality of using several mediums to produce all types of emotions and effects. Most of his works are meant to capture the viewer in his overall emphasis on stretching each medium to its limit.

Starry Walker was born and raised in Greenville, SC. She is a former Peace Voices Poet and a Berea College alumnus. She has won countless poetry slams. She enjoys traveling, hiking, and writing poetry.