For centuries, human beings everywhere have turned to poetry to commemorate hard times, shine light where little is available, and witness their and others’ suffering. Great poems have been written in the midst of, or in response to, fire, flood, war, and other scenarios that threaten the social and natural order we depend on.

In this workshop, we will start with reading poems from writers past and present who have responded to hard times, including the unprecedented threat of climate change. We will then use techniques–meditation, collage, freewriting–that help us drop into the still, silent place from which poetry arises. Finally, we return to words to devise responses–poetry, artwork, or performance–to conclude the afternoon.