Do you love poetry? Hate it? Write it? Don’t get it? Think it’s weird? Think it’s amazing?

Rev. Sean will lead a poetry writing workshop on Thursday evenings at 7 pm beginning January 22 and continuing for seven weeks. We will discuss how poetry works, what it’s for, and why it matters. Participants will be asked to read weekly assignments, write a poem on a provided theme, and share their writing with the group for constructive feedback in a supportive environment.

Rev. Sean taught this class at Starr King School for the Ministry as both a student and as Visiting Minister, as well as at three different congregations. Each time, the members of the class have had a tremendous amount of fun, gotten to know each other more deeply, and learned a lot about poetry and themselves.

Rev. Sean says, “My favorite memory of the class is the year that a member of the congregation came to church for another meeting, only to learn it was canceled. He told me he hated poetry, but was bored and his wife was in the class, so he stayed. He ended up writing some of the most amazing poems in the class, expressing his love of sailing and the sea. In the end, he became a poetry-lover and my best salesman for the class.”

You must call the Tree of Life office at (815)322-2464 to register and pick up the readings in advance. A donation of twenty dollars to Tree of Life is requested to cover the costs of materials.