The Backwards Book - Eisteach Review

Eisteach, IACP magazine,Vol 15, Issue 4, has reviewed The Backwards Book by Niall Hickey (Boland Press). Here is a selection of comments from the reviewer, David Keane:
'The reader is immersed in Poetry Therapy from the get-go, albeit in a gentle manner'
'This book explores a wide variety of symbols, metaphors and text that can be used in Poetry Therapy . .  samples of experimental and experiential work are also provided . . . it serves as a primer, whetting the appetite. For anyone interested in Poetry Therapy and therapeutic arts it will make a good read.'
'The book itself, not merely its content, serves as a lesson in Poetry Therapy.'

Poems from Rhythm of Life Workshops

Thank you to all those who attended our 4th annual Poetry Therapy Conference 2015. The feedback from participants has been very positive and we would like to share some of the poems composed on the day. For confidentiality purposes, authors are not listed:




The Secret Garden


I wandered along the way,
collected seeds and bulbs.
gathered pebbles,
bright and dark
small and big.
While walking on a path,
a door opened on a secret garden.
I stepped in and unravelled a thread.
Slowly and consciously.

Unravelling

Stopping.


Planting seeds
Putting a stick in the ground
and tightening the thread around it.


I kept moving in different directions
going straight
Forming a circle

Stopping

Planting seeds
Putting stick in the ground
and tightening the thread around it.


Then, I displayed the stones around it
creating a carpet.
I sat down
contemplating
breathing
As I looked at each seed growing
at each buds opening and blooming.
I heard my own heart beating
"Thank you" and "Kindness"
I opened the door,
I invited others
to pick my growing flowers
to collect seeds from it
to plant their own garden.



Rhythm

Recognising the rhythm of life.

Happening in ourselves.

Yelling it to the world.

Taping it on our heart.

Hoping to keep it while

Moving amongst other beats.

Rhythm of Life

My drum sits silent

for long stretches, gathers

a layer of dust, and waits

until my energy stirs, rises,

lifts, becomes the tingling fingers

that must touch skin, must tap,

must make their mark on

the silence, must pull the sound

from the air, must call the blood

to keep pumping, keep pumping,

must make the feet start

to move and move.

My drum calls me, tells me my

name, over and over, it calls

out my name, and says Here I am,

again and again. Here I am, it says.

Yes, here I am.

Say to them

Say to them,

the people who call you to battle,

the crisis-shouters, the ones who won’t

believe there is a future

brighter than today:

say to them that your heart is what

you will give; your breath, and your salt tears

if they want them, but not your hand,

and not your hardness.

Say to them that

there is no battle, because we all want to sleep

the night through with the breathings of our babies,

safe under our roofs, and we all want to put our bones

down, in our own time,

in peace.

Say to them that your breath is not theirs,

your blood is not theirs,

your heart is not theirs.

Rhythm of Life

Rhythm of Life : Sunday 11/10/15

Rhythm of Life
We are delighted to announce that IPTN's 4th Annual conference will, once again, take place in Hotel Kilkenny in the city of Kilkenny. This year, the one day workshop of self-discovery is on finding your rhythm of life through poetry.
Facilitators, all qualified Poetry Therapy Practitioners, are:
Morning sessions: Carol Boland and Theresa Kelly
Afternoon session: Ger Campbell

Cost of event: €70 pp/€60 IPTN members/students - t/c is included

To register, and for further details, email: irishpoetrytherapynetwork@gmail.com or phone Ger on 0868182261

Congrats toTheresa Kelly PTP

Theresa Kelly (L) with IPTN committee

We are delighted to announce that yet another IPTN committee member, Theresa Kelly, has qualified as a Poetry Therapy Practitioner with iaPOETRY, mentored by Niall Hickey.
Congratulations Theresa from all at IPTN.

IPTN Peer Group Session

Carol Boland (PTP) facilitated a Self-Discovery through Poetry group session on Sunday 26 July at her home in Hollyfort, Gorey. The theme was 'Self Love' and the poem used for discussion was  'Love After Love' by Derek Walcott. We began with each person looking into a hand-held mirror and naming one feature of their face that they liked about themselves. This feature was then used as the title of each person's cinquain poem. Following a lively discussion surrounding  personal reactions to 'Love After Love', the writing prompt 'The time will come' was used to elicit further feelings brought to the fore by the group discussion. Feedback from the attendees was very positive. Here is the group poem written at the end of the session, with lines contributed by each of the twelve woman:

For Molly

We need empathy not sympathy
only the brave
feast on life
take down the love letters from the bookshelf
do as you choose not as you should
give back your heart to yourself
faultless to a fault
sitting in a circle laughing, feeling free
uplifting senses will fulfill the heart.
I feel blessed and grateful
the rain has turned into sunshine,
from under the last rainbow shower
will form diamonds of every hue.
Freedom.

Ger and Michael Murphy at IPTN
Conference 2014

We are delighted to announce that Ger Campbell, chair of IPTN, is now officially a Poetry Therapy Practitioner (PTP) having qualified with iaPOETRY under Niall Hickey, PoetryReach.
Many congrats from all at IPTN.

There will be celebrations!