Are you carrying emotional baggage that you can’t seem to drop? No matter how much you unpack it, is your past still weighing you down?

Poetry heals. Poetry transforms. Poetry is a balm to the wounded heart and a lullaby for the troubled mind.

Like any art form, poetry is a powerful tool for transforming emotional pain into something beautiful, constructive and soothing. An intentional poem can also be a potent manifestation method, and a technique to reprogram the subconscious mind, bringing the wispy fragments of desire into the physical realm. You don’t have to be an expert to wield the alchemical powers of poetic verse.

Writing changed my life, and poetry may have saved it. As a teen, I was chronically depressed. For years, I struggled to find the tools that would set my spirit free from the lonely cage my fear and grief constructed. I withdrew from my family. I distanced myself from existing friends and blocked potential new ones. I even engaged in self-harm. I was a prisoner to my own young mind. Then, I learned to write poetry.

On January 18, 2025, I will meet you at the Waves of Renewal Retreat in South Haven, MI for a hands-on exploration and demonstration of poetic power.

In this 2-hour, in-person workshop we will:

• explore the benefits of creative writing for psychological healing and wellbeing

• learn and analyze the language that gives shape to our formless emotions

• understand the basic tools needed to craft a poem

• practice writing poetry to transform reality