Suzanne Edison, MA, MFA

Poet • Educator

By

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.

By

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.

By

Writing as a Righting Journey Workshop @ Seattle Children’s Hospital

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Seattle Children’s Hospital–RC.3.906–River entrance

11am – 2:30 pm

Free

Join me and other parents as we explore how parenting children who live with an ongoing physical or mental health issue affects our lives.

No writing experience necessary. This is an exploration for you.

For information or to RSVP: su************@****jm.org

By

Healing for Caregivers

Recently, I re-read an article that Catherine St. Louis wrote in The New York Times in 2014. She presented research about coping techniques for parent caregivers of children with chronic health needs. This paragraph stood out for me.

“All parents endure stress, but studies show that parents of children with developmental disabilities, like autism, experience depression and anxiety far more often. Struggling to obtain crucial support services, the financial strain of paying for various therapies, the relentless worry over everything from wandering to the future — all of it can be overwhelming.”

The research focused on two coping approaches. “The first group practiced meditation, breathing exercises, and qigong practices to hone mental focus. The second received instructions on curbing negative thoughts, practicing gratitude and reclaiming an aspect of adult life. Both groups were led by specially trained mentors, themselves the parents of special-needs children.”

Not surprisingly, both groups reported reductions in stress and anxiety and even “how to redirect their anxiety into positive action.” The group given the meditation techniques seemed to report greater reductions in anxiety.

When my child was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder I also experienced high levels of stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation and fear. It was then that I refocused my writing journey to include all of what was happening in my life. I found great relief and new wells of creative energy. I became a better advocate for my daughter too.

I have had similar reports from parents in my Writing as a Righting Journey workshop where we use writing and body awareness to help reduce anxiety and find ways to channel it into creative, and more productive thinking and action.

Next week I’ll be presenting my work at an international health humanities workshop in Spain and in November, I’ll share some insights of my work at a Mayo Clinic conference in Phoenix, Humanities in Medicine. Stay tuned.