Stephen Levine on the Healing Spirit of Poetry - A New Book of Poems & YouTube Series
I want to urge Institute friends to check out Breaking the Drought: Visions of Grace, a new book of poetry by Stephen Levine, published by Larson Publications.
Stephen, friend and teacher, encouraged me in the early 80's to pursue this calling of poetic medicine. After so many years of working with the poetry of the heart, I am so glad to see his return to the making of poems. I urge anyone involved in a spiritual quest, in healing or medical practice, who cares for others, anyone who is keen for insight and does not take spiritual practice too seriously, who is a teacher, a hospice volunteer, anyone who loves poetry (especially poems that ask us to listen), loves the natural world, who wants a gift for a lover, for a friend, anyone who wants surprise and levity in their life, who knows sooner or later they'll die, who grieves for and celebrates a loved one, who are thirsty for words that feed the heart and soul. . . I hope you will pick up this book. Rooted in the questions that act as a spark to awakened consciousness: Who am I? What am I here for? These poems grow out of deep love for the Beloved, the Friend and stewardship of the Earth.
As the poet Kabir said:
"His poems amount to one soul meeting another. These songs are about forgetting dying and loss. They rise above both the coming and the going out."
SPECIAL OFFER FOR INSTITUTE OF POETIC MEDICINE FRIENDS: $16/book includes US/Canada shipping (NY residents please add $0.96 sales tax per book); elsewhere - please email or call for shipping information ORDER DIRECT FROM THE PUBLISHER WITH MC/Visa: 1-800-828-2197, 9-5 Eastern time. Or by check / money order to Larson Publications 4936 Route 414, Burdett, NY 14818.
Ecoversity Features Stephen in YouTube Presentations
In addition to the publication of Breaking the Drought: Visions of Grace, you can listen to Stephen explore the possibilities of poetry to heal and transform consciousness in a recent series of inspiring presentations on YouTube offered by Ecoversity in Santa Fe, NM. Stephen describes this series:
"Ecoversity is a group in Santa Fe that is working/teaching/learning about sustainable lifestyles for the individual, the group, the planet. Beside water conservation and organic gardening techniques, and a number of other ecologically aware practices, they believe that poetry is a necessity for balancing the mind with the heart.
They believe that poetry is one of our most precious renewable resources available to heal and sustain the world. The reading a few months back was the first I had done in 40 years, having devoted most of my time during this hiatus to working with the poetry of the heart in the process of dying and the grief that follows like a weeping beast. It was an absolute delight."
To View Stephen on YouTube and Learn More About Ecoversity: Click here!
Arts & Healing Network Podcast Interview of John Fox, CPT
I first heard about the Arts & Healing Network (AHN) the year it was founded in 1997. It was the same year as the publication of Poetic Medicine! I've always felt an affinity with this fine organization. Their website descibes their mission:
"Arts and Healing Network honors and supports the emergence of healing artists and recognizes them as essential catalysts for positive change." (Marion Weber, Founder)
"Arts and Healing Network is an on-line resource celebrating the connection between art and healing. Our web site serves as an international resource for anyone interested in the healing potential of art, especially environmentalists, social activists, artists, art professionals, health care practitioners and those challenged by illness. Our hope is that the information presented here will educate and inspire." (From the Arts & Healing web site)
Mary Daniel Hobson ("Danny") is the visionary Executive Director of AHN. With grace and persistence, she has done so much to raise awareness about the healing spirit of the arts. Last year Danny asked me if AHN could interview me for their podcast series. I gladly agreed. Britt Bravo, of Big Vision and Career Consulting, conducted the interview. The interview is a wide range sharing about my journey with poetry and healing, the practice of poetry therapy, and the vision I hold for the Institute for Poetic Medicine.
To Learn More About the Arts & Healing Network: Click here!
YouTube Presentation Filmed at Ashland Community Hospital in March, 2007
In March of 2007, Cynthia Meilicke, Director of Volunteers at the Ashland Community Hospital Hospice in Ashland, Oregon, invited me to give a public presentation as well as an inservice to the Ashland hospice care team.
In preparation for those programs, Debi Smith, a reporter, freelance writer and videographer working for the Ashland Daily Tidings contacted me. Debi asked to interview me before the public program and film the entire evening. That evening we received permission from all participants to do so.
My talk, very moving poems written and read by participants, portions of the soon to be released PBS documentary Healing Words: Poetry & the Art of Medicine (mentioned earlier in this announcement) -- you can see all of this on YouTube!
Check Out the Article in Ashland Daily Tidings ("Grief Brought to Numbers", 3/29/07): Click here!
View the YouTube Video:
5th (Almost Annual!) Conference - "Writing the Medical Experience" - Sponsored by David Watts, M.D., Sarah Lawrence College and the Center for Humanities in Medicine
This intensive weeklong program in the literature of illness and recovery will take place from July 27th - August 2nd at Sarah Lawrence College, just north of New York City.
The medical experience can lead to some of life's deepest moments and is thus a rich source of subject matter for literature but it is often difficult to write about. Bringing together individuals with a shared interest in a literature of the body, along with our diverse ways of handling the body's challenges will better equip us for writing the medical experience.
The program will consist of two concentrations: Poetry and Prose. The conference will feature lectures, workshops, panels, readings and informal gatherings on Sarah Lawrence's beautiful wooded campus.
Featured Keynote Speakers: Donald Hall, U.S. Poet Laureate and Richard Selzer, esteemed surgeon and writer.
Core faculty: Cortney Davis, Marie Howe, Sayantani DasGupta, Dave King, and Penny Wolfson.
The Workshops:
Poetry workshops will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily. Workshop members and leaders change daily to give a variety of styles and voices to participants and faculty.
Prose workshops meet from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily. Participants will meet with a new leader each day. Two to three manuscripts will be treated at each session.
Afternoon and Evening Events:
There will be daily talks and panel discussion on craft, editing, publishing, ethics, and other subjects that address the particular concerns of writers. Faculty readings, participant readings, and social gatherings will take place during the evenings.
Writing the Medical Experience is presented by The Center for Continuing Education's Writing Institute, and The Masters Program in Health Advocacy at Sarah Lawrence College in cooperation with The Foundation for Humanities in Medicine.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES:
Applications for the program will be considered in two categories: poetry and prose. Acceptance into the program is based on the quality of the application sample.
To View a Sample Daily Schedule, Review Speaker and Faculty Bio's and To Apply: Click here!
