Healing power of poetry

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February 27, 2012 — Poetry can give shape and voice to our darkest feelings of suffering. Research shows writing about difficult moments can be an extraordinarily freeing experience, leading to a sense of safety, renewed energy, and restored order. Dr. Dan Gottlieb talks with author and teacher Ellen Bass about poetry as a tool for healing.

Bass teaches in the low residency MFA program at Pacific University and has taught poetry and creative writing nationally and internationally for nearly 30 years. Her non-fiction books include: “Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth,” “I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse,” and “The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse.” She has earned numerous awards for her poems, which appear in hundreds of journals and anthologies. The San Francisco Chronicle named her collection of poetry called “The Human Line” A Notable Book.

Photo by Flickr user Shannan