Learn, and try out, some of the many ways poetry can help to free the writer.
Trauma can shut us down; writing poems can help free us to open up again. This workshop will present some of the many ways poetry has helped writers both heal trauma and prevent post-traumatic stress syndrome. Guided by an internationally published poet, you will explore the science behind this and learn a range of techniques, immediately putting several of them to use in drafting new work. The workshop includes reading and discussion of time-honored poems, close attention to emotional and sensory aspects of poetry, several class writing exercises, and feedback on poems for those who wish to share them. (Note: All sharing is optional. This workshop is not a substitute for therapy.)
Live video conference: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. You can view brief tutorials on using the platform here. On the start date or the day before, participants will receive an email with login info (please check your spam if you don’t see it).
In this workshop you’ll learn:
- Individual and societal healing through poetry
- Writing to help prevent PTSD
- Emotional and sensory aspects of poetry
- Feedback on participant poems (optional)
Time requirements
- Up to 1 hour/week
Materials
- All reading materials will be provided.
Who should take this workshop?
- This workshop is designed for participants who would like to learn new ways of using poetry to help free themselves or others from trauma.
If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.