SPRING 2019

COME TO THE RIVER OF YOUR IMAGINATION - Thursday, May 16th, 6 - 8 p.m.

To be held at Bundle, 60 Main St, Middlebury, Vermont. Call 518-232-6776 or email sjefts7@gmail.com

Poet Paul Celan spoke of poetry as being a message in a bottle, “sent out in the belief that it could wash up on land, heartland perhaps.” What might a poem have to say to you, if it washes up on your shore? Find out in this workshop of evocative poetry, guided response, and rich prompts to get your own words flowing. We will read a few pre-chosen poems celebrating water, spring, and the world we live in. You will be guided by poet Susan Jefts (writer of the Poet’s View in the Addison County Independent) into the poems' words and images that most speak to you, what they evoke, and what messages they have for you.  Rich prompts will be provided to get you writing your own words, in poetry or whatever form they want to take. No experience needed. Cost: $20.00

NAMING THE LIGHT - Tuesday, March 12th, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

This transitional time as we head toward spring is most potent. Spring is not yet here, but we can feel and see the change in light. Let’s explore this new light through poetry.  Feel into and name your own light in this moment and what it has to show you. What is it touching in you, around you, in your home, in the world, that you wish to pay more attention to?

Location: Illuminate Studio in the Marble Works, Middlebury. Call 518-232-6776 to register. $20 for each workshop.

WHERE THE WATERS FLOW - Tuesday, March 26th, 2019, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

What water ways are you aware of near your home this time of year? Are they flowing, stagnant, or pools of quiet? What is flowing inside of you right now? We will read poems that with themes of water and change, and explore how we connect to the literal waters around us, as well as the movement of our internal waters.

Fall 2018

TRANSITIONS - NAVIGATING THE VAST IN BETWEEN

Join us for some mining of poetry by Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, and some of the ancient masters as a way to explore the in between times of our lives and seasons. These have been called liminal places by Jung and others, times where we have a bit of time to pause, reflect, and focus on what we want to be putting our energy and attention on in our lives. What might be ready for expression in some form, and what might be ready to bring to the world in the form of service, work, art, or another form?

Spring 2018

WALKING INTO SPRING, WALKING INTO POETRY

May and June dates. Days and time TBA. Email or call for more info: sjefts7@gmail.com or 518-232-6776

We will use the poetry of Rumi and Hafiz to explore how themes of their poetry intersect with themes in our own lives. What are we being pulled toward? What are we resisting? Some sessions will include short walks in nature, to breath in the energy and scents of spring, and feel our connection to the deep knowing nature offers.

God picks up the reed-flute world and blows. 
Each note is a need coming through one of us, 
a passion, a longing-pain.

Remember the lips
where the wind-breath originated, 
and let your note be clear. 

From Each Note by Jelaluddin Rumi
  

Fall and Winter 2017-18

AUTUMN MOVEMENTS

Tuesday nights, November 7, 14, 21, 28, and December 5, 2017

 Time: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m., in Middlebury, Vermont, location TBA:

Autumn is a time for venturing inward, even as we revel in nature’s crimson red and gold. It is a time for reconnecting with the voice of our soul and our forgotten longings. What has been left unexplored in our lives, or remains unexpressed? Poetry is a powerful and rich vehicle for venturing into these places, and was used in early cultures for just these purposes. Its rich imagery and metaphor have a way of waking the sleeping parts of ourselves. Metaphor is the place where psyche (soul) and soma (body) meet, offering the potential for greater integration, and greater illumination. A perfect recipe for a cold autumn night!

Come explore a pre-chosen poem each week, be guided by the facilitator into deepening connections with its images and messages, and be invited to write in response, in whatever form. No experience with poetry or writing is needed, only an openness and willingness to explore.

Cost: First session (11/7) is by donation.  $20 per session thereafter. Save $10 if you pre-register by Nov. 14th for the four remaining sessions.

Contact Susan at sjefts7@gmail.com or call 518-232-6776 for more information and to sign up.

Below are additional workshops I have been offering over the past several years at schools, libraries, colleges, retreat centers, elder care settings, and other community settings using poetry as a tool as a tool for life exploration. Workshops can be offered as one time events or as part of an ongoing series. I am also available to create workshops for small groups and organizations for the purposes of exploring with people their Myers-Briggs types and life and work possibilities.