Poetry as Prayer for Change Workshop

Whether we pray or not, it is in our nature to find solace in ritual. This generative workshop focuses on the invocatory touch of poetry, and it serves as an invitation to meditate on those moments when we seek such ritual and solace. The session focuses on poetry for change. During the introduction, we will discuss what place prayer - or our different concepts of prayer - has in our lives. We will discuss expectations and our individual and collective needs. The session will be held in a secular manner, intending that each participant can either curate a collection of poetry discovered during the session, or written during the session, or a mixture of both, as their own 'prayer book.' The session begins with a visualization and a meditative exercise related to the day's topic. This will be followed by some minutes of free writing. The rest of the session is generative. Participants will have 3 detailed prompts and time to share and discuss their first drafts. Participants are given a poetry pack on the theme (around 6-8 poems). Two or three of the poems will be used during the class, while the others are for further reading and contemplation.