May is Mental Health Awareness Month. We are taking this opportunity to share with you some of the IPM Community Partners and their programs with mental health focus. May 1-31st Poetry and Horses Crescent Moon Center IPM's collaboration with Crescent Moon Center focuses on bringing free poetry and wellness workshops to adults in recovery, veterans, BIPOC mothers, disabled adults, LGBTQ+ community members, immigrants, refugees, and suicide-loss survivors throughout the Bay Are

March 10, 1939 to March 1, 2026 “I am sure most of you would agree – my mother was unique. Some of you have shared wonderful notes and words to describe her many qualities. One that stands out to me is her determination. When she was determined to learn something, she never gave up. In the late 1960’s she wanted to learn more about meditation.” Debby McIsaac - McRock from her Eulogy on April 18, 2026 Self Realization Temple, Encinitas, CA I am writing to you in appreciation

Part of the Poetic Medicine Summit 2026 year-long series The Expressive Art of Poetry Thursday, July 16, 2026 12:00 - 2:00 pm Pacific Time Register/RSVP for this Summit session: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026July16 Registration for the full series of events, including recordings of all previous sessions is here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026April This workshop explores how Poetic Medicine’s creative approach to self-expression can deepen chaplaincy practice — especiall

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this. ~ Henry David Thoreau Dear Friends of Poetic Medicine, Is there a moment today you especially paused to treasure? By “treasure” I mean that a precious moment and what was happening within it met your heart space and you felt lifted, even expanded, infu

Part of the Poetic Medicine Summit 2026 year-long series The Expressive Art of Poetry Thursday, June 11, 2026 1:00 - 2:30 pm Pacific Time ​ In this Poetic Medicine workshop, you’ll be invited into a process that weaves poetry, creative expression, reflection, and writing as pathways for exploration, discovery, and self-awareness. As we write and reflect together, we’ll access and give voice to the mysteries and challenges that shape our lives, deepening authenticity and creat

A video replay of this event is available here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026May23Replay Part of the Poetic Medicine Summit 2026 year-long series The Expressive Art of Poetry Saturday, May 23, 2026 9:30 - 11 am Pacific Time How can poetry help us face cruelty, and begin to heal its lasting impacts? Together, we’ll consider poetry as a form of medicine: a practice of speaking, witnessing, and affirming the inherent worth of every person. ❧ ❧ ❧ The greater scope of this wo

Zoom sessions will be on Tuesdays at 10:00am Pacific Time on the following dates: May 14 and 28, June 11 and 25, July 9 and 23, August 6 and 20. Cost: There is no cost for this program due to the generous support of The Institute for Poetic Medicine (IPM). IPM offers tools and support to heal body, mind and soul through the creative and therapeutic process of hearing, speaking and writing poetry. Registration: Advance registration is required as space is limited. Register

Iona Poetry Community Field Trip Writing Together as a Celebration of Mary Oliver The poet Mary Oliver once wrote, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” And surely that is true for her many readers who have been inspired by her close observation of nature and her living relationship with the woods, ponds, marshes, birds and wildlife where she lived on Cape Cod. To celebrate her, the Iona Poetry Community sponsored its first Mary Oliver Day this year on February 14 by ta

​​ A video replay of this event is available here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026April26Replay Opening Weekend of IPM's Online Poetic Medicine Summit 2026: The Expressive Art of Poetry Amanda Johnston Sunday, April 26 9 am - 1 pm Pacific Daylight Time ​ Have you ever wanted to celebrate someone in your life or mark a special occasion with a poem? During times of joy and great challenges, people turn to poems that connect us through our shared human experience. Praise poems

A video replay of this event is available here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026April25Replay Opening Weekend of IPM's Online Poetic Medicine Summit 2026: The Expressive Art of Poetry Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer Saturday, April 25 9 am - 1 pm Pacific Time In the dark times will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing about the dark times. —Bertolt Brecht, “Motto” In every moment there is the chance to witness the ever-unfolding story of our own lives and the st

A video replay of this event is available here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026April24Replay Opening Weekend of IPM's Online Poetic Medicine Summit 2026: The Expressive Art of Poetry Registration for a video replay of this event is here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026April24Replay John Fox Friday, April 24 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm Pacific Time "Bless the spirit that makes connections, for truly we live in what we imagine. Clocks move along-side our real life with steps that are

Dear Friend of Poetic Medicine, I hope that you are well enough. Thank you for being interested in us. I can’t know but I can imagine you may be troubled, even very troubled, by what is happening on national and international dimensions. We the People , are people who treasure justice and inclusivity. We do our best to practice compassion and kindness. We are intent on being sensitive to the real needs of people – especially sensitive to the needs of the most vulnerable among