Never heard of an ekocento? That’s because it’s a brand-new poetic form, invented by poet Jen Karetnick. The name is a portmanteau that invokes the three conceptual roots of the form: ekphrasis, ecopoetry, and the time-honored cento. Each ekocento is inspired by a painting (ekphrasis), is composed of lines from another poet (cento), and confronts an ecopoetic theme. Karetnick defines the form as “a found ekphrastic poem, using only one poet’s body of work, that comments on visual art addressing the climate, environment, ecology, or social justice.”

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- Anne Cheilek

Editor, Midnight Chem