Embracing Poetic Expression: Creative Pathways for Self, Community, and the World

NAPT held its 29th annual conference, “Embracing Poetic Expression: Creative Pathways for Self, Community, and the World,” April 15-19, 2009, in Washington DC at the Crowne Plaza Washington-National Airport hotel.

Conference highlights included:

Opening Event: The Washington Word Waggle:
This was a sequel to last year’s Minneapolis Mingle, a fun night of social interaction prompted by a variety of poetic word games. Creative pathways were open to all as we kicked off the conference by embracing language in a playful way.

Featured Poet:Linda Pastan, poet laureate of Maryland from 1991 to 1995 was our featured poet this year.

Linda has published 12 volumes of poetry including, The Five Stages of Grief, Waiting for My Life, Carnival Evening: New and Selected Poems, The Last Uncle. Linda’s most recent collection is Queen of a Rainy Country.

Keynote Speaker:
Evelyn Torton Beck, PhD. Professor Emerita of Women’s Studies at the University of Maryland. Her keynote talk focused on the myriad, unexpected ways in which poetic expression has been embraced. She offers workshops combining poetry with dance, focusing on health and healing, creative aging, integrating mind, body, and spirit.

Poet Gregory Orr made a special appearance!

Closing Event:
Kent Gustavson and Dejan Ilijic performed Macedonian-American worldbeat music with a political twist.

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