Free Poetry Class: Forms of Attention


Dear Reader,

It's a beautiful, warm day here in New England. It almost feels like summer again, but the leaves are starting to change, and the days are getting shorter. As we enter this new season, which calls for more subtle forms of attention, poetry can be a companion.

I hope you'll join me next week live online for a completely Free Masterclass: The Poetry of Attention. I'm offering the class three times next week; sign up for the time that works best for you.

The Poetry of Attention: Free Masterclass

Can't make any of the times?
Sign up for Friday's session
(September 20th) to get the recording.

The poet Rainer Maria Rilke says about poetry:

“The work of the eyes is done. Go now and do the heart-work on the images imprisoned within you.”

The other day, I was spending time with a dear friend who had a life-threatening illness. On the outside, she looked completely healthy. But she and I both knew that there was a whole other story that she was living.

At times of great trial and transition, what do we turn to? I turn to my spiritual practices, and I also turn to poetry, which, for me, is both an art and a devotional practice. It helps me see underneath the surface of things, to what is really important. It helps me discover for myself, my own inner compass, my own heart-work, my own space of understanding and meaning.

With everything going on in our busy, struggling world, it's all the more important that we practice tuning into our inner vision and reconnect with that inner knowing.

I hope you'll join me in next week's free class as we explore how, through poetry, we can tune into ourselves. Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned poet, this class is designed to welcome you into the joys of poetry with new awareness and deepen your writing practice in any genre.

In next week's free Masterclass, we'll:

  • Use poetry as a guide to listen more deeply with our ears and also with our heart, body, and inner intuition.
  • Look closely at the ways in which poets such as Mary Oliver, Walt Whitman, and Lucille Clifton translate the work of the heart.
  • Explore techniques and skill sets that poetry teaches so that you write with more precision, and a greater ear to language, nuance, and meaning—whatever genre you work in.
  • Dispel some of the common myths and misconceptions about poetry.
  • Enjoy time meditating and writing together.
  • Have time for questions and answers.

If you have something in you that you are yearning to express and want more tools so you can attend to it more deeply and put it on the page, I’d love to see you in this (completely free) Poetry Masterclass. You don't need to consider yourself a poet to join! :)

This Masterclass will last 75-90 minutes (depending on the number of questions I get) and is for writers of all levels of experience. Choose the time that works best for your schedule, and if you can't make any of them live, sign up for Friday's class (the 20th) to get the recording. :)

  • Thursday, September 19th at 3pm ET / 12pm PT / 8pm England
  • Friday, September 20th at 12pm ET/ 9am PT / 5pm England
  • Monday, September 23rd at 7pm ET / 4pm PT

I'll hope to see you there next week. :)

As always, reach out with any questions. And invite friends to join us in the Free Masterclass by sharing this email or this link. :)

with love,
Nadia

PS: Want to go deeper and immerse yourself in the inner work of knowing and making? I'm so looking forward to being together in person with a small group of writers in myFinding Joy through Poetry Retreat. September 29th-October 4th.There's still time to sign up! This will be an Immersive 5-Day Writing Retreat at the beautiful Omega Campus in Rhinebeck, New York. Be inspired by poetry, write (in any genre), meditate, move, listen deeply, connect with nature, and join a small, intimate community of writers. This promises to be a space of transformation and magic that will last far beyond our week together. Learn more and register here (Space is limited, so sign up now).

Hi! I'm Nadia Colburn—writer, teacher, yogi, activist

At Align Your Story Writing School, we bring traditional literary and creative writing studies together with mindfulness, embodied practices, and social and environmental engagement. Join a community of over 25,000 other mindful writers. Get the tools and community to write your best work.

Read more from Hi! I'm Nadia Colburn—writer, teacher, yogi, activist

Dear Reader, I hope you're doing well! I want to thank you so very much for the outpouring of support and concern when I shared about my accident. Your messages meant so much to me! The surgery on my wrist went smoothly, and I'm recovering well (and doing my exercises and learning how to navigate with minimal use of my dominant hand). This is my birthday week! It's also roughly the one-year anniversary of the publication of my poetry book, I Say the Sky, and I have two special offerings to...

Dear Reader, How are you doing? The election news is big, and I’ve been taking time to process it. There are many people talking about and analyzing the election results, but I found myself feeling very quiet yesterday. I needed to go inward. I needed to slow down, to be with myself, and listen to my body. I encourage you to do the same. Take your time with your processing. Feel everything that you're feeling. Be gentle with yourself. Remember to breathe. Reach out to friends; hug people;...

Dear Reader, I spent last week canvassing in Philadelphia. For me, going out and canvassing is an act of love, an act of working for our world, for our country, and for all people in the ways I know best to do at this particular moment. Yesterday, when I got home, I spent some time trying to put my experiences into words and found myself unable to do it very well. Then my daughter, Simone, sent me an article she wrote about her experience canvassing in Michigan this month. I found it captured...