Poetry is healing

I mentioned in an earlier blog that April was National Poetry Month. We did a few good ones and enjoyed sharing them with family. We wrote about our current season and our favorite season.

And thanks to inspiration of the book the 5th grader is reading, "The Secret Garden, " we have a poem about one of the characters.

Of course with anything, lessons spill over and I was able to sit in a conference with the Utah Division of Arts, Mountain West Conference. I went for the first time last year and I was met with two of my favorite things. Art and Equity Education.

After applying, getting on the waitlist, and by a small miracle, being accepted, I attended the Change Leader Workshops where I learned how to facilitate change in my community, especially surrounding the Arts. But that is not what this post is about.

It's about the virtual conference that was brought to us since the full day one had to be canceled.

The keynote was Glenis Redmond- POET, TEACHING ARTIST, IMAGINATION ACTIVIST. 

She shared her story. She began in education and due to health, had to leave the school counseling section early. So she begin writing poetry again. She shared many poems and I will be buying her books. Her poetry was healing for me. On a week where so much is happening in the world and stress is high. It reminds me to take the writing I have my girls doing in their Gratitude Journals and turn that into poetry. 

Ellen Weist wrote an amazing article on Ms. Redmond and it is true, "poetry is accessible, healing, and immediate." 

May we all continue writing and integrating literacy.