NAPT Special Event: A Doorway to Understanding and Alleviating Loneliness with Geri Chavis, LP, PhD, CPT
In this workshop, we will explore various ways in which the poetry therapy field is uniquely suited to addressing loneliness. We will experience how facilitated discussion of selected poems along with the sharing of expressive writing can foster empathy for those suffering from loneliness, can help build a much-needed sense of community, and alleviate loneliness caused by a variety of external and internal factors. Our “warm-up” writing activity will provide an illustration of how a sense of community can be generated, and participants will be introduced to a selection of poems, each of which addresses various life situations or experiences that often cause or deepen feelings of loneliness.
As past president and board member of NAPT, licensed psychologist, certified poetry therapist, mentor-supervisor, and humanities professor, Geri Chavis, LP, PhD, CPT, has been fostering growth and healing through literature and writing since 1979. She has presented a wide range of workshops in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland and written numerous books and articles. She is the author of Poetry and Story Therapy: The Healing Power of Creative Expression and co-editor of The Healing Fountain: Poetry Therapy for Life’s Journey, both of which are required reading for CAPF, CPT and PTR trainees. She also edited a short story anthology entitled Family: Stories From the Interior.
Open Mic: Rowyda Amin
Join Zach Katz MHC-LP, MSED on Sunday, August 1st at 7:00 ET for a fun night of poetry, spoken word, music, and/or storytelling from the comfort of your own home! Each night of NAPT's Virtual Open Mic will begin with a featured poet or musician, followed by an open mic. Our featured poet for this month is Rowyda Amin.
Rowyda Amin grew up in Canada, Saudi Arabia and England, lived in London for eleven years and now resides in the Bronx. She is the author of the pamphlets Desert Sunflowers (flipped eye, 2014) and (Sidekick Books, 2017). Rowyda’s poems have appeared in anthologies from Bloodaxe Books, Sidekick Books and Cinnamon Press, as well as in magazines including The New England Review, Poetry Review, Magma and Wasafiri. She has performed at the Royal Festival Hall, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Ledbury and Brighton festivals.
Are you interested in sharing some of your original poetry or covering someone else's? If so, please email Zach at zachrkatz@gmail.com
Sunday, August 1, 2021, 7:00 PM ET
NAPT Special Event: Body & Soul: Integrating Elements of the Self through Poetry & Movement with Diane Allerdyce, Ph.D. and Rob Merritt, Ph.D.
Title of workshop: Body & Soul: Integrating Elements of the Self through Poetry & Movement
Purpose of the workshop: To celebrate connections among mind, heart, spirit, and body through yoga-inspired movement and poetry; to increase awareness of the layers of our consciousness and to facilitate a greater integration among the elements that make up ourselves. Flexibility of thought, awareness of the breath, appreciation for the expressive and evocative use of language, and ease of movement are potential benefits of a yogapoetic practice!
Approach: Through a series poetic readings, writing and sharing exercises, in combination with gentle physical movement and breathing, we'll move into deeper layers before emerging at the end of the workshop with renewed life force.
Who should attend: Anyone who enjoys words and gentle movement! This workshop is designed for all bodies at any stage of life and any level of physical fitness. Familiarity with yoga or with poetry therapy is not required.
Diane Allerdyce, Ph.D., past president of NAPT, is Chair and Professor of Humanities & Culture in the Ph.D. Program in Interdisciplinary Studies at Union Institute & University. She is also cofounder of the Florida-based non-profit Center for Education, Training & Holistic Approaches, Inc. (CETHA), which operates Toussaint L’Ouverture High School for Arts & Social Justice and Teaching by Heart in Haiti, a support program for teachers. Her creative publications include a chapbook, Whatever It Is I was Giving Up (Pudding House, 2007), House of Aching Beauty (EditionsPerleDesAntilles, 2012), and “The Gift” (North American Review, 2019). Diane received the NAPT Distinguished Service Award (2007), the NAPT Outstanding Achievement Award (2009), and the Jennifer Bosveld Award for Poetry & Social Justice (2015). A nearly lifelong yogi, Diane completed her Hatha Yoga Teacher Training in 2019.
Rob Merritt, Ph.D., Chair of the English Department at Bluefield College is the author of the poetry collections View from Blue-Jade Mountain (2019), The Language of Longing, and Landscape Architects and the critical book Early Music and the Aesthetics of Ezra Pound. He has taught poetry in China and often writes “under the influence” of the Chinese “Rivers and Mountains” poets.
A former vice-president of the National Association for Poetry Therapy, he works to share the healing power of expressive writing.
Author's Corner: Mike Bernhardt
Date: Sunday, September 12 , 2021
Time: 4:00 PM ET
The National Association of Poetry Therapy’s Author’s Corner hosts a wide array of writers and poets who will share their latest and favorite works and collections. In addition to a delightful evening of readings, interviews, and discussions, participants will be treated to a writing prompt inspired by the featured author’s works. We are thrilled to be able to bring to you Mike Bernhardt this month.
When Mike Bernhardt’s wife died, he turned to writing poetry as a tool of healing. He later solicited the poetry of other people whose loved ones had died and received hundreds of submissions from around the world. The result was Voices of the Grieving Heart, first published in 1994. In the midst of the pandemic, Mike decided to republish the book. He set out to obtain a few new poems, but the submissions again poured in. This new edition contains over 160 selected poems, essays and images by 83 contributors who share their journeys through loss, grief, and transformation. Mike lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his second wife and their two cats. Visit Mike at https://mikebernhardt.net.
To purchase --> https://mikebernhardt.net/order/
click here to register
NAPT Special Event: Seduce Your Resistance, Celebrate Your Inner Critic & Galvanize Your Magic: The Voice Dialogue Approach to Writing Your Part Out with Bridgit Dengel Gaspard, LCSW
Writing is a full-bodied creative endeavor ensnaring and inspiring many different aspects of life, including the Final 8th phenomenon of coming to an abrupt halt – especially when you’re close to nailing your composition. We’ll jump into direct action exercises inspired by the Voice Dialogue method which reveal and release hidden inner blocks as you discover the wisdom of your golden Alter Egos. Added benefit? Fun for all!
Bridgit Dengel Gaspard, LCSW, is the author of The Final 8th: Enlist Your Inner Selves To Accomplish Your Goals, published by New World Library whose authors include Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Shakti Gawain, Joseph Campbell and Jean Houston. Bridgit is a former performer who earned a master’s degree from Columbia University and is a Master Trainer and Founder of the New York Voice Dialogue Institute. She has taught Voice Dialogue and Creativity Practices at numerous professional settings including Omega Institute, Expressive Therapies Summit, New York Open Center, Conscious Life Expo/LA and many more. She lives in New York City, where she maintains a thriving private practice. For more information: www.nyvoicedialogue.com
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NAPT Special Event: ALLOWING EMPTINESS TO FILL THE PAGE – MINDFULNESS & WRITING with Beth Jacobs, PhD
Mindfulness and writing practices have a lot in common. This workshop will give a depth view of mindfulness and the connections between mindfulness and personal writing. We will explore the history and applications of mindfulness, and we will use writing exercises to bring the ideas to life.
We will discuss the original Buddhist ideas that defined mindfulness and use writing to illustrate the difference between perception and thought. We will write with ‘choiceless objects’ of awareness to examine the background of an empty mind, and then we will write with objects that serve to focus consciousness. We will also discuss obstacles to mindfulness and think of writing techniques that use those obstacles themselves to further awareness.
Participants will gain a well-rounded view of mindfulness and learn several writing exercises that train different mindfulness skills.
Beth Jacobs, Ph.D. is a writer, clinical psychologist in private practice and transmitted lay teacher in the Soto Zen Buddhist lineage. She is the author of Long Shadows of Practice: poems, A Buddhist Journal, Writing for Emotional Balance, Paper Sky, and The Original Buddhist Psychology. She facilitates expressive writing groups for children, teenagers, and grandparents.
"NAPT" The National Association for Poetry Therapy
is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
19001 S Richfield Ave, #20
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