The National Association for Poetry Therapy Presents
Alchemy: Poetry's Power to Transform
facilitated by Jon Sayers, Psychodynamic Coach
Workshop Description:
Carl Jung believed the ancient art of alchemy was perhaps the ultimate expression of the nature of the collective unconscious and the richest, most complete guide to the workings of the human soul.
In this deep dive into the links between alchemy and biblio/poetry therapy we will look at the three main stages of the alchemical process: nigredo (blackening), albedo (whitening) and rubedo (reddening) and explore how poems we know and use in our work - by Bishop, Larkin, Olds, and others - reflect this sequence, acting as unconscious carriers of alchemical ideas. We will learn to identify alchemical patterns through seeking and linking images of fire, earth, bathing, water, and dawn.
It is hoped that participants will leave the workshop with a basic knowledge of alchemy, its potential applications to group facilitation, curriculum design and session structure, and its ability to transform the work we do into gold.
About the Facilitator:
Jon Sayers is a poet, psychodynamic coach and journal facilitator based in London. His poems have been published in leading UK magazines, he has served as chair and co-editor of the leading UK poetry magazine, Magma, vice chair of The Poetry Society, and as a trustee of the Winchester Poetry Festival, for whom he has interviewed poets including Christopher Reid, Jo Shapcott, Annie Freud and Paul Muldoon. His play, A World Full of Weeping, a supernatural thriller whose plot revolves around a poem by WB Yeats, was twice broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and was a Radio Times Pick of the Week.
As a journal facilitator, using a biblio/poetry therapy model, Jon has worked with a variety of populations, from older teens transitioning out of the care system, older women care givers and church communities to newly qualified life coaches, members of the British Guild of Travel Writers, and inmates of His Majesty's Pentonville prison. Jon draws on a range of psychological models in his work, with a particular interest in the ideas of Carl Jung. He is a contributor to Writing for Wellbeing: Theory, Research, and Practice (Routledge 2023), teaches for TWI, and is UK representative for NAPT.
Time: 1:00pm - 2:30pm (EDT)
Venue: Zoom
Host: Ashley Schaaf ashley@poetrytherapy.org
Registration:
Members — $10 Non-Members — $25
* Funds from our virtual events support our conference scholarship fund.
Citizen Writers: Responsibilities in Turbulent Times
facilitated by Bart White
Using Walt Whitman’s “Democratic Vistas” as a starting point, the presenter will guide participants in reading, discussion and writing with emphasis on our role and responsibility as “citizen writers.” Discussions will spring from both “Democratic Vistas” and from selected poems that treat themes of social justice, systemic oppression, cultural resistance, environmental degradation and, finally, our ideas of “beauty.” Focus will be on the dynamic interaction between our practices as writers and as citizens tasked with, in Whitman’s words, “terrible duties.” Throughout our conversations we will speak and listen thoughtfully and respectfully to each other and strive to build a sense of community. We will sustain our new community through writing to consider beyond the workshop’s end.
Date: Sunday, July 5, 2026
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm (EDT)
Host: Cynthia Holloway Kelvin cynthia@poetrytherapy.org
REGIONAL REP ASK AND SHARE
Let’s Gather!
Date: Monday, July 27, 2026
Time: 7:30pm - 8:30pm (EDT)
Registration: Members — free Non-Members — free
When Poems Come Alive
facilitated by Dr. Magdalene Jeyarathnam
Dr. Magdalene Jeyarathnam is an expressive arts therapist, psychodramatist, trainer, supervisor, and group psychotherapist from India with over 32 years of clinical and experiential practice. She is recognised as India’s first trained psychodramatist, trainer, and supervisor, and has worked with more than 15,000 individuals through therapy groups, workshops, training programmes, and community interventions. She started the first psychodrama training institute in India.
Her work integrates psychodrama, poetry, storytelling, movement, art, and other expressive arts approaches, with a strong focus on healing, spontaneity, creativity, and human connection. Magdalene has worked extensively with marginalized and vulnerable communities, while also training therapists, educators, students, and mental health professionals internationally. She worked as a WHO consultant to the South east Asian region for 3 years. She has conducted psychodrama workshops in approximately 14 countries. She is also a TEDx speaker.
Date: Sunday, September 13, 2026
Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm (EDT)
Host: Yun-Jen Lin yunjen@poetrytherapy.org
2026 International Research Symposium
An International Research Symposium for Biblio/Poetry Therapy will be held virtually on December 4th, 2026, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm (EDT). This event will feature voices from across the world sharing their insights on Biblio/PoetryTherapy and its use in creating a global community. Together with representatives from European associations of poetry therapy, we'll be uniting with a shared purpose: the belief in the power of language, symbol, and story to heal and foster unity and community. FREE - We will be hosting this event free and live for all. Recordings will be available for a limited time following the event and a Certificate of Attendance may be purchased for a fee. All participants must register to receive the zoom link. PRESENTERS - WE ARE LOOKING FOR PRESENTERS. To be considered, submit resume/CV, abstract of four-five hundred words. Our theme is building a world community, and will focus on how bibliotherapy is used to bridge cultural gaps, highlight and affirm minority voices and cross cultures both locally and internationally to create healing. We ask that submissions stay closely tied to this theme. SUBMIT HERE: https://forms.gle/pngDh5pXXC9tRmPe6
An International Research Symposium for Biblio/Poetry Therapy will be held virtually on December 4th, 2026, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm (EDT). This event will feature voices from across the world sharing their insights on Biblio/PoetryTherapy and its use in creating a global community. Together with representatives from European associations of poetry therapy, we'll be uniting with a shared purpose: the belief in the power of language, symbol, and story to heal and foster unity and community. FREE - We will be hosting this event free and live for all. Recordings will be available for a limited time following the event and a Certificate of Attendance may be purchased for a fee. All participants must register to receive the zoom link.
PRESENTERS - WE ARE LOOKING FOR PRESENTERS. To be considered, submit resume/CV, abstract of four-five hundred words. Our theme is building a world community, and will focus on how bibliotherapy is used to bridge cultural gaps, highlight and affirm minority voices and cross cultures both locally and internationally to create healing. We ask that submissions stay closely tied to this theme. SUBMIT HERE: https://forms.gle/pngDh5pXXC9tRmPe6
Date: Friday, December 4, 2026
Time: 8:00am - 12:00am (EST)
Host: Tim Kelly tim@poetrytherapy.org
Members — free Non-Members — free
* Any donations from our virtual events support our conference scholarship fund.
"NAPT" The National Association for Poetry Therapy
is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
19001 S Richfield Ave, #20
Green Valley, AZ 85614
