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Living with Heart in a Conflicted World
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Truthfulness,
honor,
is not something which springs ablaze of itself,
it has to be created between people.
--Adrienne Rich
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How do you live in the world?
How do we recognize and return to a sense of hope within ourselves and others, in the presence of violence and conflict?
How do we work towards a more humane world?
How do we teach our children to hold to a vision of joy, peace and social justice in the midst of so much strife?
It is a challenge to find language in our culture that offers a humane and noble way of responding to seemingly intractable problems like social injustice, economic inequity, environmental destruction, oppression, terrorism and war. Media focuses on surface issues and fear while politicians often rely on this and other divisive tactics, none of which encourages our hearts to truly examine life or open to something new.
How can we learn a language that helps us to bear witness to the real needs of the world? How can we listen in a way that allows for fierce honesty, deep trust and playfulness? How do we recognize and return to the heart that beats again and then again, within ourselves and others, even in the midst of conflict?
[Witnessing] is a state
in which you remain
constantly detached and untouched,
simply watching everything that happens,
without the interference
of the mind and its thoughts.
--Ammachi
We will draw upon the experience of using the healing and transformational power of poetry to build community, attend to wounds and reclaim a language of the heart. We will draw upon the poetry of Marge Piercey, Pablo Neruda, Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, Nazim Hikmet, Yehudi Amachai, Naomi Shihab Nye, William Stafford, Maya Angelou, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Thich Nhat Hanh, Mary TallMountain,
Odysseas Elytis, young children from around the world and Denise Levertov, among others.
This workshop is designed to promote and encourage poem-making and sharing that shows the beauty and solace inherent in wrapping our heart's truth in words and images around the pain of dishonesty, injustice and the violations to our humanness. We will explore how deepening a connection with this awareness empowers us to treasure differences and stand together on common ground.
This workshop will explore the question: How do you live in this world?
To find a Poems of Witness Workshop, check the Classes & Workshop Schedule
Go to the next workshop title, The Nature of Poetry-Annual Canyon de Chelly Retreat
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