The Healing Word – a poetry workshop with Seth Allard

Grief is a powerful and intimate experience that is unique to each person. So too, is poetry. For thousands of years, humans have explored grief and loss through poetry and writing. Within the creativity, fluidity, a variety of form, metaphor, and word play, we can find catharsis and rich understanding. Poetry gives us space and freedom to express and inscribe our emotions in an aesthetic, nonjudgmental, and accepting way.

This 1-hour workshop will guide you through a series of exercises designed to help you connect with and express grief through the process of poetry. This workshop is not a therapy session, but an opportunity to use poetry to explore grief experiences in a supportive group environment. No prior experience with poetry or writing is needed and sharing your writing is voluntary. You will need paper (small pad or at least several full-length sheets), pen or pencil, and a quiet, comfortable space. The poem used in our workshop will be sent upon registration.

The workshop occurs in three ‘acts’: Act One, complete a warmup exercise and learn about poetry and writing as a practice for understanding and expressing grief; Act Two, as a group, read a poem on the theme of grief; and Act Three, use the acrostic method to identify aspects of the poem that resonate with you, resulting in your own poem. We close out the workshop by reflecting on the poetry process and completing a brief mindfulness exercise.

This workshop is FREE to attend but registration is required. A Zoom link will be sent once you register below.

About the workshop facilitator: 

Seth Allard (MSW) is a Native American (Ojibwa) author, researcher, social worker, and lifelong reading and writing enthusiast. Seth was drawn to poetry and creative writing to better understand grief related experiences that occurred throughout his life, including military trauma, personal loss, and lived experience with mental health challenges. He includes poetry within his personal, professional, and academic writing, and is currently pursuing a Credential in Applied Poetry Facilitation (CAPF) through the International Federation of Biblio-Poetry Therapy.