Writing For Wellness - Group Poem

This is the group's first attempt at a group poem following the first day of Writing For Wellness:

Poems like birds flying around the world
I have never had the patience for knots
the muscle of broken words engulfed
in misunderstandings
warm to my good nature
to self-sabotage and self-flagellate
praising dandelion petals comes easy
when I learn to be.

How long does the tide take to transform glass
the inner grain of gold
the gold is deep within
from the silence comes a cacophony of wisdom
the complex whole, the wet mass of veins
verbs, nerves, brain cells, words
rhythmic crescendo lusty in gale
she's just responding to the signals from the deep
greedy satiated.

Be a tree, remember your sapling days
being grateful
letting go is the hardest
accept difficulty and change is essential for growth
enjoy the gifts of the sensual world.

Writing for Wellness Conference

We are delighted to announce that IPTN 7th annual conference, in collaboration with iaPoetry and Lapidus International, has been a resounding success. A full report on the conference will be published in our next Poetry Therapy Journal and, in the meantime, here is the first of our group poems composed over the weekend.

A group poem is one written by each participant adding a line on the spot, as they feel moved to do so.

Not of the wild sea

Into the blue, blue of the ocean
where the gardens are lush and
the trees sag with mango
my dyspraxic hands fumble
crushing the fragile fruit
I watch with my dream eye
and the world is drowned in tears
for our joy is but one
massaging out the unwanted
like time within a dream
you need to finish out your song
where half-written works of art are complete
the wish-keeper they called me
this is the saddest kiss
I sit here on my patchwork cushion
and float skywards
igniting spider web.

Poetry Therapy Ezine Autumn 2018

7th Annual Conference: Writing For Wellness: Accentuate the Positive

Irish Poetry Therapy Network

7^th Annual Conference

in collaboration with

Lapidus International and

iaPOETRY 

This year, IPTN’s Conference is in collaboration with Lapidus International and International Academy for Poetry Therapy. These two international organisations will bring their experience of writing for well-being to Ireland for, what promises to be, an innovative and exciting weekend.  

Writing for Wellness: Accentuate the Positive    

Join us on a weekend of personal development through the inner world of dreams, poetry, and oral and written story-telling.

Qualified and experienced facilitators working in Ireland, UK and Wales will lead these experiential sessions. No writing experience is necessary and work will not be critiqued.

Mike Hackett

Key Speaker

We are delighted to welcome Mike Hackett, psychotherapist and oneironaut (dream traveller). Facilitator of the Dublin Dream Appreciation Group, he is also a member and patron of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.

Venue: Ashdown Park Hotel, Gorey, Co. Wexford, Ireland

http://www.ashdownparkhotel.com/

Date: Weekend 13/14 October 2018

Fee : €70 per day (€60 IPTN & Lapidus members)        
        €120 weekend (€100 IPTN & Lapidus members)                                           Meals can be purchased in the hotel 

Fees payable in € to Irish Poetry Therapy Network by cheque or P.O. 
and posted to:
Bernie Walsh, Treasurer IPTN, 
60 Hazelwood, Gorey, 
Co. Wexford, 
Ireland.

Places are limited, so to ensure you will not be disappointed, please reserve your place by emailing  irishpoetrytherapynetwork@gmail.com

See Events page for more information on conference programme

Poetry Therapy Ezine Spring 2018

Tripartite Conference 2018

At the ‘Breathing Space’ conference I had an opportunity to meet Clare Scott, chair of Lapidus, a UK based network for people interested in writing and creativity for personal development.

Recently, Clare contacted IPTN to discuss introducing Lapidus to an Irish audience and we are pleased to announce that IPTN will facilitate this request by extending their annual conference to a two-day event. In addition, we are delighted to welcome Jill Teague, Executive Director of The International Academy for Poetry Therapy (iaPOETRY), and Master/Mentor, as the third member of the tripartite, introducing a ’Treading Softly’ element to the weekend.

We are excited by this inaugural collaboration between IPTN, Lapidus and iaPOETRY and details of our October 2018 conference will be published on our blog and Facebook as the programme is developed.

IPTN AGM 24/2/18

CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS

IPTN's AGM will take place  on Saturday 24th February 2018 in the Glenview Hotel, Co. Wicklow
at 2pm.
Meet in the main lounge.

All are welcome to attend.
Refreshments.

Click here for directions.