Poet • Educator
Poetry helps me find “the place beyond words.” We poets use words to point ourself and others toward those ineffable places. When this water of 'being' is running through me, I write for the joy of participating and the hope of learning something new. If my words then touch others I am rewarded a second time.
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.
On a sunny Saturday morning in Burien, WA, about 20 residents of Merrill Gardens, along with a half dozen more friends, gathered to hear me read poems and discuss the project upon which my recent book, The Body Lives Its Undoing, is based.
They were attentive listeners and asked great questions about the poems and about autoimmune disease in general. One question was about the difference between infections and autoimmune disease. Another person was curious if there were any “bright spots” that emerged from people living with pain. I said I heard often about people letting go of things that no longer seemed important and learning to live in, and celebrate each moment.
We also showcased some of the artwork and Anna Hooser, artist, book designer and BRI Tech Assistant, was also on hand to talk about how her artwork was a reflection of the interviews I conducted and which she videotaped.
Optimism Brewing, 1158 Broadway, Capitol Hill (come early to get a seat)
4:30 – 6:30 pm
I am excited to announce I have a poem in this issue of Michigan Quarterly Review, curated by Heather McHugh a nationally known poet and MacArthur Genius Award recipient who started Caregifted with her award.
You will also find in this special Caregiver issue pieces by Elizabeth Aquino and Irma Pinedo (translated by Wendy Call.)
I hope you’ll purchase a copy (or PDF) and support this great literary magazine.
Please find the poem, “On a Scale of 1 -10” online at SWWIM, published in August. It is one of the poems in my soon to be published poetry and visual art book dealing with autoimmune diseases called, The Body Lives Its Undoing.
Other poems included in the book, are forthcoming in the Michigan Quarterly Review and the Canadian Medical Association Journal. “Sick Girl in the Wilderness” was published online by Isacoustic in July.
The book, published in conjunction with The Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) has been almost 2 years in the making. The visual art is stunning, with contributions by Julie Trout, Anna Hooser, Shelley Lowenstein, and others, some of whom are scientists that work at BRI.
