Suzanne Edison, MA, MFA

Poet • Educator

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Writing Workshop for Parents of Kids Living with a Chronic Illness

For any parents of kids living with a chronic illness, I’m teaching a 3 series writing workshop via zoom, beginning this month. See following for details.
• Managing trauma, stress and grief
• Building resilience
• Finding hope and gratitude
Through these workshops participants will:
• Explore
• Engage
• Creatively replenish themselves
• Find peer support
Expressive writing workshop UCSF Chronic Illness Center is partnering with Suzanne Edison, a writer, a parent, and a former psychotherapist to offer 3 virtual expressive writing workshops. When: Saturdays from 10:00am-12:00pm, February 26th, March 26th, and April 23rd How it works: You will have the opportunity to explore different aspects of your experiences with your child’s medical journey. Each workshop will involve reading selections in poetry and brief prose, writing prompts and homework offerings. Who can come: Parents/caregivers of children living with chronic conditions https://redcap.link/cicwriting Questions Contact us anytime: Bh*************@**sf.edu 
Testimonials:

“The workshop was so well designed and facilitated. I LOVED and benefited greatly [from] the variety of activities – the mindfulness and body scans, the writing prompts and sharing, the poems, and the reflections. Suzanne, your warmth and experience and organization are so appreciated.”

“It was great to share what we had bottled inside- and see it transformed into an art form.”

“I liked the poetry and how relatable it is.  Suzanne always does a great job.”

“…thank the host, she did an amazing job.  It was such a healing class.”

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The Words To Say It: Reading and Writing Poems about Illness, Trauma, & Healing

I’ll be teaching 2 sections of this 6 week course at Hugo House starting September 14th and September 15th. All of it on Zoom.

Registration is open.

https://hugohouse.org/store/class/the-words-to-say-it-reading-writing-poems-about-illness-trauma-healing-zoom-section-i-suzanne-edison/

https://hugohouse.org/store/class/the-words-to-say-it-reading-writing-poems-about-illness-trauma-healing-zoom-section-ii-suzanne-edison/

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The Words To Say It: Writing & Reading Poems about Illness, Trauma, & Healing

Suzanne Edison portrait

I’ll be teaching a 2 day workshop in Port Townsend. Come join me at The Writers Workshoppe.

Dates: Saturday and Sunday, April 4th and 5th
Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm
Cost: $170
Limited to: 10 participants

“Story [or poetry] is both a primal, concrete way of ordering experience and also a way of opening the self to disorder. When lyric ceases to hide behind abstraction…and descend down into the chaos and specifics of the physical world to seek its meanings, it is another way that it has of making itself vulnerable to disorder.  …One of story’s primary purposes is to lay claim to experience. Autobiographical storytelling can take personal experience back from silence, shame, fear, or oblivion… By telling his or her story, the poet overcomes isolation and silence.” — Gregory Orr

​“The only way through pain…is to absorb, probe, understand exactly what it is and what it means. To close the door on pain is to miss the chance for growth…”- May Sarton

In this two day intensive workshop we will read and write poems about our experiences with illness, trauma and healing. These experiences are held in our bodies and we will engage in an initial centering exercise to help us focus. We will read poems with an eye and ear to understanding how emotions and experiences are captured and held in images, metaphors and narratives. I will provide you with prompts and structures for writing. There will be time to share and receive feedback on the second day of the workshop. You will come away with a better appreciation for how poetry can hold the often unspeakable and ineffable, and a couple of your own new drafts of poems or stories.  Some experience with poetry or writing is helpful but not required.

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Writing Poems about Illness, Trauma & Healing–HOW TO

I plan to teach a 3rd session of my class The Words to Say It: Writing and Reading Poems about Illness, Trauma & Healing at Hugo House starting April 17, 2019.

I’ve taught this 6 week workshop before but thought I’d share one of the many approaches I use to start writing for those of you who may be interested in the class but wonder how it goes.

Writing Poems about Illness & Trauma-How To.

If you think this class interests you, you can register here.