What is poetry facilitation?
Poetry facilitation is the use of poetry to promote emotional well being. It is an interactive process, recognizing and discussing participants’ feeling-responses to the poem and writing. This is a nonjudgmental and criticism free space for people to self-express through talking and writing.
Code of Conduct
- Be respectful of everyone
- Judgement and criticisms are not permitted in facilitation
- Be supportive of fellow participants
- Speak for yourself and avoid interpreting others’ feelings
- No cross talking, interruptions, or sidebar conversations
- Meetings will start and end on time
- Respect virtual and physical boundaries
- Everyone’s phones should be silenced or off
- What is shared in this group, stays in this group
Session Outline
- The group takes a few minutes at the beginning of every session to personally check-in.
- We do a brief warm up as a group. This may be in the form of a breathing meditation, brainstorm session, quick write, reflection, or similar activity.
- We read the session poem that the facilitator selected. This is done as a group, each person reading a line or stanza, or the poem may be read in full by two or three individuals.
- The group is invited to respond to what stuck out to them in the poem, what feelings came up, what they like or do not like about the poem, etc.
- After discussion, the group is then invited to write in response to prompts created by the facilitator, or to write as they feel moved. This may be in the form of a poem, journal entry, or drawing.
- After the writing time, the group is invited to share what they wrote, or share how it felt to write.
- The group closes with a take away idea for the week, and a reminder of the next session
Dot Winslow 