Honoring the Life and Service of Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen by John Fox, PPM The Institute for Poetic Medicine offers a deeply felt gassho* bow to the life and service of Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen. Surrounded by loved ones, Rachel passed away peacefully on August 8, 2026. She was 88 years old. Commonweal, the Cancer Support Place and Community she founded with Michael Lerner in 1976, writes: Join us in celebrating the life of one of Commonweal’s most beloved voices: Rachel Naomi Rem

Dear Poetic Medicine Friends, Gathered here are essays, poems, photographs given to me by those who in very significant ways helped with the visit of Diné Elder, Lupita McClanahan from Canyon de Chelly in Arizona to Mountain View and Carmel Valley, CA. Lupita’s talks, The Path of Hozho-Teachings of the Beauty Way In Difficult Times, brought together many people thirsty for sane, spiritual reflections and direct experience of what it is to live on this earth in a conscious and

Dear Poetic Medicine Friends, The call of poetry-as-healer has such deep roots in my life. I suddenly remembered a particular root the other day. I want to share with you that connection/root from 1975 of reaching the marginalized with poetry. Please read on! Stephen Levine, Joy Shieman & My Path of Poetic Medicine Usually, I say that it got going in 1981 when I first met Stephen Levine as a participant in his Conscious Living, Conscious Dying retreats. I became more than a p

Part of the Poetic Medicine Summit 2026 year-long series The Expressive Art of Poetry The MERI Center for Humanity in Healthcare; Because Every Story Matters Thursday, September 17 1:00 -2:30 pm Pacific Time ​Registration for the full series of events, including recordings of all previous sessions is here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026April ​​ This workshop centers on the feelings and experiences of grief and loss, and the healing that can emerge when those feelings are s

Dear Friends of Poetic Medicine, How is your summer? I hope summer is bringing uplift and flourishing green. For millions of people, however, especially in the American East, Mid-West and in Europe, summertime is bringing extreme, life-threatening heat. The fires in Canada have sent intense smoke into the northeast part of the country. That level of heat and smoke aren't anything to mess around with. Please keep yourself hydrated and as cool as you can be. Please find safe an

Part of the Poetic Medicine Summit 2026 year-long series The Expressive Art of Poetry Saturday, August 22, 2026 9:00 am - 11:00 pm Pacific Time Register for this event here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026August22 *Registration is NOT required for those who purchased a Summit Full Year Ticket. Registration for the full series of events, including recordings of all previous sessions is here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026April ​ Almost everyone experiences moments of lon

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 for this Summit session: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026July16 *Registration is NOT required for those who purchased a Summit Full Year Ticket. This workshop explores how Poetic Medicine’s creative approach to self-expression can deepen chaplaincy practice — especially the sacred disciplines of listening, silence, and presence.

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

A video replay of this event is available here: https://givebutter.com/Summit2026June11Replay 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 giv

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