Pause, Reflect, and Renew
Poetic Medicine
Saturday, February 7, 2:00-3:30pm
Sunday March 8, 2:00-3:30pm
On Saturday, February 7 and Sunday, March 8 from 2:00-3:30pm (You can attend one or both.), you are invited into a welcoming creative circle where poetry becomes a pathway toward pausing, reflecting, and creating renewal — no prior experience or writing background needed.
Discover poetry not only as an artform, but as a tool for seeing below the surface, and opening fresh perspective with ourselves, others, and what we most truly value. The sessions will include time for reflection on poems and quotations, creative writing prompts, and space to write and share (as you feel comfortable.)
Grounded in Poetic Medicine and Guided with Care
This unique practice is grounded in more than 20 years of work by John Fox and The Institute for Poetic Medicine, an organization dedicated to healing body, mind, and spirit through the creative act of poetry and poem-making. The Institute’s mission is to help people connect deeply: to Spirit, self, community, and the world around them.
You won’t be asked to analyze poems or judge your own creativity — just bring your curiosity and an open heart. The poetry is an invitation to pause, notice, reflect, and express what is alive within you in a way that feels safe and illuminating.
What Participants Have Experienced
People who have participated in Poetic Medicine programs describe real shifts in how they relate to themselves and others. Here are some testimonials from past national Poetic Medicine offerings:
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“The workshop was cathartic … a non-threatening experience.” — Mai-Lon G.
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“We felt inspired … the discussion was fresh and spontaneous and potentially life-changing.” — Ralph D.
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Facilitators helped create a safe, brave space where participants of all backgrounds felt welcomed and affirmed.
Benedictine Familiarity
Poetic Medicine resonates with Benedictine spirituality, just as Lectio Divina invites contemplative engagement with the living Word, poem-making invites attentive engagement with the living experience of your life: moments of joy, challenge, wonder, and mystery.
The Benedictine tradition has long recognized the arts as companions to the work of prayer and self-awareness. In Benedictine settings around the world, poetry and contemplative arts are used not just as enrichment but as profound conduits for encountering the sacred in everyday life.
These sessions at the Benedictine Center offer a short, meaningful retreat experience that meets the reality of busy schedules while offering a taste of renewal, stillness, and creative expression that can ripple into your daily life and spiritual practice.
All Are Welcome
We are offering two non-sequential sessions. You may attend one or both without having attended the first. Anyone can step into this creative space. Sharing is optional and the sessions are cultivated toward a time of self-reflection.
Whether you come to rest your spirit, deepen your self-awareness, or simply enjoy poetry in community, this gathering offers a grounded, accessible way to pause and reflect without taking a great commitment of time.
