ALL WORKSHOPS (which can be designed for youth, adolescents and adults), CAN BE DEVELOPED TO MEET YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS, OBJECTIVES, GOALS AND VISIONS.

1. Healing Her Hurts: Re-Versing the Violence:

Harnessing the power of words to change the world, this workshop explores how each of us can use our words to bear witness to the wounded-ness of our world, and to help to heal it. We will explore poems on themes such as war, the environment, and social justice issues, and then we will write and share our own.

2. Girls to Griots: Using Poetry to Gap Generations

Intergenerational activities are becoming increasingly popular as we begin to understand the benefits, not only for older adults and children, but for the community as well. This workshop will present a practical guide for developing an expressive arts intergenerational program including goals, benefits, methodology, discussion topics and activities. Using poetry to bring generations together

3. The Me I See: Expressive Arts to Help Youth Cope

In our communities today, so many of our young people are exposed to considerable violence, trauma and death. This workshop focuses on these potentially disruptive issues and how to intervene effectively by using writing and drawing to enhance coping. It is specifically designed to generate new revelatory work. Beginning with each participant crafting a map of the earliest neighborhood stories they can remember. Then a series of innovative prompts will help us uncover both the simple stories and those we've "forgotten" behind doors that we've slammed shut, bolted and walked away from.

4. Write to the Future: Expressive Writing for Growth and Well-Being

This workshop will introduce a way of connecting memoir, movement and other arts modalities to explore the impact of the past on the present and how the way we conceptualize and articulate these experiences, can provide, plan and shape our prospects for the future. Join us as we explore the concept of authentic voices through the perspectives of human interactions. In this workshop we will deepen our understanding of connection and relationship and the power of voice. We will also provide an opportunity to experience our authentic voices - both in expression (writing) and in listening (sharing). Using the stark reality of our own past to deepen our relationship to this life right here, right now we will take our next steps. Using selected poetry, journal writing exercises, meditation/guided imagery and group conversation, we will explore together what blocks us from living more deeply in the present.

5. Listening Between the Lines: Linking Language and Lyrics to Life.

In this workshop students use music as a prompt for writing poetry. After listening to a song, they write simple sentences describing the music and what it made them think of. They then use the strategy of sentence combining to write more interesting sentences that sound better to readers. This strategy involves an opportunity for students to practice manipulating words and sentences to improve their writing. Although we often focus on music that is pleasing, our awareness of music can become more active and generous. This workshop invites us to find our own ways and practices that allow more music in our lives. We will articulate what music means to each of us, how we find the music in ourselves, in each other, in our homes, in nature. Questions, appreciating the qualities of music, and poetry will be our tools.

6. Choices and Chances: Merging Emotions with Words to Make Better Decisions

So much has happened in recent years to shake our sense of safety and security. Many of us have been faced with unanticipated events due to natural disaster, personal loss, and unexpected twists of fate. Through the use of music, meditation, selected poems and writing, this workshop will offer an opportunity to discover ways to replenish, rejuvenate and re-energize the self in order to find hope and meaning in a changing world by rebuilding the self and finding the words to start over