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NB: Information about the TER-Arrowhead collaboration follows the student works below.  Three Coke Bottles by Andy Warhol (USA) 1962 Message in a Bottle Pop! Fizz bubbles over the bottle leaving your hands sticky with sweet syrup. The sparkly, red and white booths deliver comfort to friends. Hot dogs, cheese fries, milkshakes, cheeseburgers. The jukebox plays Elivs, yet not loud enough to cover the laughter of friends. A little red Corvette was admired in the parking lot. Men lean against the car with a bottle in hand. Clink! Here’s a toast to another beautiful summer day. Skin cooks under blazing sun.. Outside nine to five working day to night. Dirt decorates the fingernails, mulch decorates the beds. Sweat drips down the cooked skin, like a rainstorm from the pores. Time for a break? Pop! Fizz bubbles over the bottle leaving your hands sticky with sweet syrup. Nothing better than an ice cold Coca-Cola on a hot summer's day. The crowd roars, “Run! Run! Run!” Popcorn fills the stadium like pebbles on a sandy beach. The claps of high fives fill the air. “Home run!” On the edge of the seats, fans rave for the team. Third inning approaches—perfect time for a refreshing sip. Pop! Fizz bubbles over the bottle leaving your hands sticky with sweet syrup. Clink! Clink! Clink! What a beautiful day. Alexis Arbucias ** America's Real Choice Three nearly perfect glasses, with three perfect drinks. Slightly askew to show perfection without perfect. Refresh Yourself, because it's the Best Friend That Thirst Ever Had. Because Thirst Knows No Season. An aged sign with faded letters display a black and white back with the proud and bold letters, Coca-Cola. And now staring this box of sextuplets pulls you…me or anybody into its tight unrelenting grasp and asks you. No, tells you to Join the Coke Side Of Life, and Taste the Feeling of America's Real Choice, and Buy the World A Coke. Connor Crumer ** A New Look Strolling along the bustling streets of my hometown, the echoing thunder of war still reverberating within me. The sights and smell of blood and sweat remain etched into my memory as scars on my soul. Propaganda lined the streets like a sinister backdrop of a past life I once knew. But beyond the mass media madness, I paused upon a trio of green stained-glass bottles. These bottles had a steep contour upon the neck with round pillars lining the body with an ashy vignette for a vintage flare. The poster was held upon the old family diner, I headed inside to pick the owner's brain on the new decor. “Rocky! How are we doing old fella?” The diner cheered upon my entrance. “My boy’s back from the war!” said with his Italian flare, and greeted with a hefty hug. “Buddy, I have to ask you. What in Lincoln's green land hangs on the window?” I question. "Ah lad, that there's the latest ad for the new 'Coca-Cola' bottles created by the leading figure in the Pop Art movement, Mr.Andy Warhol, " said Rocky. “Andy Warhol? I've never heard that name in my life,” said with a southern curve. “Mr. Warhol created that poster because he criticized the consumerist idols and surface values of the “Postwar” culture. No matter where or when you bought it, it's paid the same.” “Well, what kinda help does that do for us? If it's always the same then what's the point?” “My fine lad, Coca-Cola has made more than Gatsby and that green light,” said sarcastically. I stood still absorbing Rocky's words, I couldn't help but feel a sudden ache of reminiscence mixed with peculiarity. Andy Warhol—a name I found so foreign, yet incredibly significant enough to embellish the exterior of Rocky's diner. I glanced back at the poster, studying the vibrant ruby dye on the trademarked “Coca-Cola” title and the seemingly tedious subject matter of those glass bottles, now understanding there was more than meets the eye. Rocky must have noticed my contemplation, he leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. “You see, son, Warhol’s art ain’t just about Coca-Cola. It's about the culture, the society we are living in. It's a reflection on how were all chasing after these manufactured ideals, these symbols of wealth and success, yet at the end of the day, it's all surface value.`` His words struck a chord within me, resonating with the conflict I felt between the wartime experiences etched into my very being and the consumer-driven world I found myself in this very moment. But before I could delve deeper into the philosophical implications of Warhol's work, a commotion at the entrance caught our attention. A group of young teenagers, dressed in the latest fashion chatting excitedly, entered the diner. Their eyes immediately pierced the Warhol poster, as one of them exclaimed, “Aye, isn't that the new Coke ad? That's sick!” “Sick indeed, kiddo. But remember, sometimes there is more to art than meets the eye. Let's take a closer look, and you just might find a whole new world of meaning behind those bottles.” As the young men continued to admire the poster, I couldn't help but smile. Perhaps there was hope for this generation, a new opportunity for them to look beyond the surface and appreciate the deeper layers that add to our lives. Leaving the diner, the repetition of Warhol's message reminded me… “A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking.” - Andy Warhol Arianna Daughtery ** The Green Bottle The green bottle, the hot summer day, the cute boy. All the things someone would want in their life. He hands me the coke bottle, he tells me he loves me, he kisses me. All the things I kept a memory of. My stomach fluttered, my cheeks got red, my smile got wider. All the things I remember. The memories kept safe, the emotions created, the experience I remember. All the things the green bottle kept. The green bottle, the hot summer day, the cute boy. All the things that Coca Cola gave me. Suzy Flynn ** Coca Cola Belize Coke, sweet, chilled, refreshing. Brings back memories from my time in Belize. Coke regularly sold in glasses that read “Coca Cola Belize.” My head is pounding. I just don’t feel right. I need something to Drink. What should I have? I know what! A “Coca Cola Belize.” Now what remains in the bottle is little drops. Something about those bottles and that shade of green makes them so iconic. Any bottle is always refreshing, so much so you’re at a point where you had three bottles of coke. Lucas Gibes-Pearl ** Mamaw
I remember the good old days like it was yesterday. Driving in the vintage Cadillac to her cottage, tucked under the willow trees. There’s no other place I would want to be in the world. Everyone wanted to go to her cottage. Mamaw was the sunshine in the clouds, she was the joy in the sadness. We knew how loved we were by her. Mamaw’s refrigerator was stocked full, so I reached for the Coca-Cola in the glass bottle; she made a special trip to the local market to get me these. That was the kind of person she was. That drink will always be memorable for me. It was something Mamaw and I shared. Every time I feel that ice-cold glass bottle in my hands and the refreshing taste of that fizzy drink, I think of her. Taylor Thimmesch ** Editorial Note For more than a year we have been working with teachers at Arrowhead Union High School who are using ekphrasis in their writing classes, and publishing selected works by the student writers. This has been an exciting collaboration in so many ways, being part of the invitation to students to contemplate art and discover the different ways that it can show us the human experience, near and far, past, present, or personal. Choosing from the student submissions a few to publish here for our readers is a painful process. Every single entry is a success story in our book, showing a facet of the communication that happens between someone far away or in another time, and a student today, and the creativity that connection can inspire. We are profoundly impressed by that creativity, and by your curiosity and by your courage. A big congratulations to the writers whose works are shown here this time. We hope all of you will continue to explore art, writing, and ekphrasis. Our readers and writers know from experience the extraordinary blessings they will bring to your life stories. Love, The Ekphrastic Review ** A Note from Liz Jorgensen and Terri Carnell We teach creative writing and advanced composition at Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. For the past year and a half, we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Lorette and The Ekphrastic Review (1/12/2023, 5/26/2023, 7/10/2023, 1/5/2024). We want to express our sincerest gratitude to Lorette. Providing this authentic opportunity, she has selflessly dedicated many hours, and we are honoured and humbled to again have our students’ work showcased in TER. This year, our 236 students responded to one of the following: · The Chess Game, by Sofonisba Anguissola (Italy) 1555 · Christina’s World, by Andrew Wyeth (USA) 1948 · Gold Octopus Frontlet, by the Moche people (Peru) 300-600 AD (photo by Thad Zaidowicz) · Blue Soap Bubble, by Joseph Cornell (USA) 1950 · Three Coke Bottles, by Andy Warhol (USA) Our classrooms buzzed as our students engaged with the pieces of art, creatively expressing their own identity, values and beliefs. We were impressed with our students’ interpretations, their interdisciplinary connections, and their emotional intelligence! Through descriptive language, vivid imagery and sensory details, our students explored joy and nostalgia, contemplation or introspection. The students said they felt inspired and creative:
The study of ekphrasis encouraged each of our students to develop an appreciation for art and to see what is possible when art inspires writing. We hope you enjoy their ekphrastic pieces as much as we do.
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The Ekphrastic Review
COOKIES/PRIVACY
January 2026
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