This weekend, I will be traveling to the Hockley Valley, about 45 minutes north of Toronto, for a reunion. It’s been two years since I became certified in facilitating writing groups through Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA). On Friday, I will be attending an AWA Professional Development and Writing Retreat.
Two years ago, I applied to a facilitator-training session in Boston, and I was accepted, but I found myself on the waiting list. I chose to change my registration to the next session, held in Canada. I was one of two women from the US in the group of thirteen trainees and three trainers.
Being bumped to the Canadian group was fortuitous. The chemistry of the group was magical. The two Americans were proud to be dubbed honorary Canadians for the week.
This weekend the reunion group will be larger than at my training. A total of 22 writers will gather for learning, writing, good food and lots of laughter. We will be treading on the tail of the newest graduating class of trainees as they depart the retreat centre (note the Canadian spelling).
AWA Groups and Narrative Medicine
Since all attendees of the reunion are experienced group facilitators, we have been asked to share our newfound knowledge and skills in short presentations. I will be presenting on the topic of Narrative Medicine.
The power of careful listening and storytelling in the patient/caregiver relationship is the basis of Narrative Medicine, and it’s a natural adjunct to the supportive philosophy of AWA groups. Since the AWA was founded, writing groups have met in diverse settings, including housing projects and prisons, and of course, they are a support for healthcare-workers-in-training.
The therapeutic value of expressive writing lends itself to any setting where someone might need to recover from stress or trauma. The practice of Narrative Medicine entails close reading of medical literature followed by expressive writing. Pieces of literature vary in length from full-length books all the way to short poems, with short stories and essays in between.
Selected Poems and Essays
When I was a Hospice Medical Director, I began a tradition of starting our weekly meetings with a poem. Over time, I’ve collected over 150 evocative poems. Although longer pieces of writing won’t work as prompts in the AWA-group setting, poems are the perfect length.
I will be sharing a baker’s dozen of my favorite poems (including one of my own), along with a couple of short essays with the other facilitators. Rather than take 22 copies of everything with me in my carry-on bag, I will be setting up a resource page on my website for anyone interested in using the prompts I have collected.
I hope you will take advantage of these resources, especially if you have an interest in combining Humanities with the practice of medicine. If you are a patient or a caregiver, I know you will get some support from reading these short pieces.