The following post is sponsored by All Things Writing

BRISTOW, Va. – “It’s everything you don’t talk about at the dinner table,” says award-winning author and poet Katherine M. Gotthardt describing her book D.C. Ekphrastic: Crisis of Faith. Now available in an extended hardcover version, the book originally released in late 2020 features even more poetry based on black and white street photography by Ethan Meurlin and delves deeper into aspects of politics, religion and failed relationships.  

Gotthardt says her poems were written as responses to Meurlin’s evocative shots of the D.C. metro area. Telling the imagined stories behind the photos – an ekphrastic approach that uses art as inspiration for writing – the poems include “Discussion Topic,” which took first place in the free verse category in Loudoun County Library Foundation’s 2020 annual contest. Photography includes Meurlin’s work regularly featured by Capital Photography Center.

Many of the poems harness the literary power of persona, Gotthardt says. “That’s how the storytelling comes about – I put words in the mouths of the people who are experiencing the world Ethan has captured. And a lot of what they have to say echoes the sentiments of the past few years in response to the presidential election, social unrest, COVID-19 and overarching bigger questions for which there are few definitive answers.”

Meurlin says, “When you think about it, we are creating stories in our minds all the time, even when there is limited information. We study a piece of art, or we see a person on the street, and then we develop our own stories about them. While I have a story in mind that I try to tell through my photos, I also try to leave enough space for the viewer to create their own. I’m both humbled and amazed by the stories Katherine has created using my photos.”

With eight other books to her name, including an Amazon #1 New Release and a Silver Award winner from the Nonfiction Authors Association, Gotthardt was recognized as Inside Nova’s Best of Prince William author in 2019 and 2020, and she took home the outstanding poetry project prize from the Prince William County Arts Council’s Poet Laureate Circle in 2020. In 2021, Gotthardt received the regional Seefeldt Award for Arts Excellence in the category of Individual Artist. She was recognized as a PW Perspective 2021 DMV Best Business award winner in the category of author. Gotthardt uses proceeds from her book sales to support local non-profits and community-centric initiatives.

The extended hardcover edition of D.C. Ekphrastic: Crisis of Faith is available through Amazon, other online retailers and Northern Virginia independent bookstores and galleries. For more information, visit KatherineGotthardt.com.

Contact:   Katherine Gotthardt

Poetry@AllThingsWritingLLC.com