Doctors, nurses, health, or hospice workers–as well as many other professionals and caregivers–are always called to heightened service in their line of work, especially in the current climate of global pandemic. Because so much of what we are asked to deal with is out of the bounds of human control, the challenge to be authentic is intense. Serving others involves not only great physical labor, but also emotional and intellectual labor. At the end of the day, after we have given so much of our care to others, what are some ways we can attend to our own need for rest and/or healing?

In this creative writing seminar, we will focus on the ways in which poetry and medicine/the caring arts require us to practice deepened forms of attention (observing, listening, witnessing) to the world around us. We will share curated reading selections and guided writing prompts, and find our way to the fundamental metaphors we need–which will allow us to take stock of experience, navigate complexity, and offer respite.

Participants will decide what/how much of their own experiences and contexts to bring into their writing. But this workshop will be an empathetic space in which poetry can be used as a means to explore and articulate what is often difficult to put in language: human encounters related to the body with all its flaws, beauty, failures, and promise.

Please note: This class or event is in-person and will be held at our center.