poetry

[ann colton]

Hello, my name is ann colton im a facillator in creative writing, I live in Omagh in N. Ireland and use poetry as a form of therapy. I have published poetry on the net as well as small presses, I am working on a first novel. i would like to network with other writers who incorporate writing as therapy, what do you think.

[Linda Frye Burnham]

Hey, Ann, good to hear from Ireland. Many of us in the southern U.S. have visited there and worked with community projects there. You should be talking with Laverne Zabielski, who runs the Working Class Kicthen in Lexington, Kentucky, and is a writing maniac. Click to "members" and you will find her there.

[Megan Barton]

Hello, folks! I'm a new member and I'm interested in developing creative writing programs in low-income communities (SF Bay Area) that support community-building by helping disempowered people find their own creative voice. I am focused on the reflective aspects of writing and reading/listening within a sustained group experience versus the more competitive, performance-oriented poetry jam approach. I'm
inspired by the work of Amherst Writers and Artists (www.amherstwriters.com), originally started with low-income women. Is CAN a good forum connect with others in this area? Any suggestions (I'll contact Laverne Zabielski to start). Thanks!

[Linda Frye Burnham]

WritersCorps is a good place to start, http://sfac.sfsu.edu/WC/. You might also contact Judith Tannenbaum, http://www.judithtannenbaum.com. She has worked with writing in a variety of settings in the Bay Area, including San Quentin. You might enjoy the research project we did with the Irvine Foundation on community-building narrative performance, Connecting Californians, http://www.communityarts.net/concal/concal.php. And finally, don't forget to check the Literature category on the CAN Reading Room page.

[Jen Benka]

Here's another resource for Megan... Poets & Writers, the nation's largest nonprofit organization for creative writers, has a program called Readings/Workshops, which funds writers to give readings and conduct writing workshops in community settings. Special attention is paid to events that reach audiences that would not otherwise have access to literary events (people in prison, homeless shelters...). While P&W funds are limited to events that take place in New York, California, Chicago and Detroit, participating writers can come from any state. While the funds offered are meager, they're a start.

Here's the address for more information about this P&W program in California: http://www.pw.org/rw/caguide.htm

Good luck!