Thursdays, February 11, March 11, April 8, and
Poetry is a prophetic vessel through which the truth of any moment may be tended and brought to the surface where it can inform those changes that are calling us to action. Come and savor four evenings with poets returning to Wisdom Ways. Each will engage in conversation about the place and importance of poetry in our time, share poems of their own and others that have inspired and spoken to them this past year, and answer participant questions.
Their words will tend to our deepest longings and be a prophetic witness within our uncertain times.
FEBRUARY 11: NAOMI SHIHAB NYE
Tuning In-That Poem is Trying to Find You
Listen to Naomi read Kindness when she was at Wisdom Ways in March 2016.
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MARCH 11: SAGIRAH SHAHID
Contemplative Poetry and Resistance
Read Sagirah’s poems that appeared in the Fall 2019 Wisdom Ways catalog.
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APRIL 8: GWEN NELL WESTERMAN
Listening to the Land
Listen to Gwen read Wicaŋḣpi Heciya Taŋhaŋ Uŋhipi (We Come from the Stars) when she was at Wisdom Ways in April 2018.
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MAY 13: MARK NEPO
The Wisdom of a Broken-Open Heart
Listen to Mark speak about why Every Kindness Matters when he was at Wisdom Ways in April 2019.
COST: $35.00 for the four-part series; $10.00 for each individual session.
These sessions will be held via Zoom and each session has a total contact time of 1.5 hours.
Online Course Expectations + Details:
- Register as individuals.
- After registering and approximately 24 hours prior to the start of the session, you will receive an email from Wisdom Ways with the Zoom link and other information. Please check your Spam folder or Promotions tab if you don’t find the email in your inbox.
- Have the technology and internet connection that allow for stable video and audio connection through a computer or a hand-held device (e.g., tablet or smart phone).
- Each Zoom session will include a facilitator from Wisdom Ways who will help navigate the small groups, and the questions and comments that are shared through the chat function.
Poets:
Sagirah Shahid is a Black American Muslim writer and educator from Minneapolis, MN. She is a recipient of a Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series award in poetry and is a featured artist in Shangri La’s American Muslim Futures exhibit . Sagirah is one of the curators of the Sunflower Room, a Facebook group devoted to shared communal art and self-expression. Her debut collection of poetry “Surveillance of Joy” is forthcoming from Half Mystic Press.
Sagirah was the featured poet in the Fall 2019 Wisdom Ways catalog.
Like her Dakota ancestors, fiber artist and poet Gwen Nell Westerman lives in southern Minnesota. Her roots are deep in the landscape of the tall grass prairie, and reveal themselves in her art and writing through the languages and traditions of her family. An enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate, she teaches at Minnesota State University in Mankato. Her award-winning quilts are part of many permanent collections.
Gwen’s poems, essays, and short stories appear in numerous publications, including the Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry (2020); the Minnesota issue of Quiltfolk (January 2020); and New Poets of Native Nations (Graywolf Press, 2018). Her poetry collection Follow the Blackbirds (2013) was published by Michigan State University Press.
Gwen was the featured poet in the Spring 2018 Wisdom Ways and did a reading in April 2018.
With over a million copies sold, Mark Nepo has moved and inspired readers and seekers all over the world with his #1 NYT bestseller The Book of Awakening. Beloved as a poet, teacher, and storyteller, Mark has been called “one of the finest spiritual guides of our time,” “a consummate storyteller,” and “an eloquent spiritual teacher.” His work is widely accessible and used by many and his books have been translated into more than twenty languages.
A bestselling author, he has published twenty-two books and recorded fifteen audio projects. In 2015, he was given a Life-Achievement Award by AgeNation. In 2016, he was named by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People, and was also chosen as one of OWN’s SuperSoul 100, a group of inspired leaders using their gifts and voices to elevate humanity. And In 2017 Mark became a regular columnist for Spirituality & Health Magazine.
To read the rest of Mark’s bio click here.
Mark visited Wisdom Ways in April 2019.
This Program’s Calendar Entries
Use the “Subscribe to filtered calendar” button at the bottom of this event list to add each date to your calendar. For questions about this event, please contact Wisdom Ways at 651-696-2788.