Live Virtual Group Session: 6PM EDT August 14th 2023

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this session!

For this session we read a poem “All the Words I Can Remember Are Poems” by Michelle Peรฑalozachelle, posted below.

Our prompt was: โ€œAsk a question about the world.โ€

More details will be posted on this session, so check back again!

Participants are warmly encouraged to share what you wrote below (โ€œLeave a Replyโ€), to keep the conversation going here, bearing in mind that the blog of course is a public space where confidentiality is not assured.

Also, we would love to learn more about your experience of these sessions, so if youโ€™re able, please take the time to fill out a follow-up survey of one to two quick questions!

Please join us for our next session Monday September 11th at 6pm EDT, with more times listed on ourย Live Virtual Group Sessions.


“All the Words I Can Remember Are Poems” by Michelle Peรฑalozachelle

Source: Poetry (July/August 2023)


Live Virtual Group Session: 12PM EDT August 11th 2023

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this session!

For this session we read a poem For What Binds Us” by Jane Hirshfield, posted below.

Our prompt was: โ€œWrite about what is contained in a scar.โ€

More details will be posted on this session, so check back again!

Participants are warmly encouraged to share what you wrote below (โ€œLeave a Replyโ€), to keep the conversation going here, bearing in mind that the blog of course is a public space where confidentiality is not assured.

Also, we would love to learn more about your experience of these sessions, so if youโ€™re able, please take the time to fill out a follow-up survey of one to two quick questions!

Please join us for our next session Monday August 14th at 6pm EDT, with more times listed on our Live Virtual Group Sessions.


 "For What Binds Us" by Jane Hirshfield

There are names for what binds us:
strong forces, weak forces.
Look around, you can see them:
the skin that forms in a half-empty cup,
nails rusting into the places they join,
joints dovetailed on their own weight.
The way things stay so solidly
wherever they've been set downโ€”
and gravity, scientists say, is weak.

And see how the flesh grows back
across a wound, with a great vehemence,
more strong
than the simple, untested surface before.
There's a name for it on horses,
when it comes back darker and raised: proud flesh,

as all flesh,
is proud of its wounds, wears them
as honors given out after battle,
small triumphs pinned to the chestโ€”

And when two people have loved each other
see how it is like a
scar between their bodies,
stronger, darker, and proud;
how the black cord makes of them a single fabric
that nothing can tear or mend.

Jane Hirshfield, "For What Binds Us" from Of Gravity & Angels. Copyright ยฉ 1988 by Jane Hirshfield and reprinted by permission of Wesleyan University Press.

Source: Of Gravity & Angels (Wesleyan University Press, 1988)

Encuentros virtuales en vivo: Sรกbado 05 de agosto, 13:00 EDT

Nos reunimos 6 personas desde Nueva York, California, Argentina y Espaรฑa.

Compartimos una Poesรญa Purรฉpecha, de autor desconocido. Tras leer el poema, comentamos lo que nos habรญa llamado la atenciรณn. La importancia de estar atento a la experiencia cotidiana de la vida. Reconocer la vida como proceso, como camino, como presente. El poema como compendio de la vida, material e inmaterial. La vida como hecho biolรณgico. Lo รบnico que queda es informaciรณn.

Se hablรณ de la capacidad del poema para, en su ambigรผedad, su uso de lo impersonal, poder ser adoptado por todas las personas. En que al ser impersonal se vuelve personal para cada uno. Se hablรณ de la personalizaciรณn de la รบltima estrofa, y debatimos sobre lo que podemos y no podemos, debemos y no debemos acumular para llevar. El poema oscila entre lo universal que es particular para cada uno.

Para otro participante el poema habla de la vida como materia e inmateria, una vida similar. Solo somos recuerdos emocionantes. Comentamos que el poema habla de un punto de ruptura. Para que ocurra โ€œese dรญaโ€ es necesario estar presente. 

Hicimos dos propuestas de escritura. Dejamos que los participantes escogieran entre: En la vidaโ€ฆ y El dรญa que comprendรญโ€ฆ

Se escribiรณ sobre esos dรญas que nos hicieron comprender cosas fundamentales de la vida. Sobre la relaciรณn con la muerte como modo de vivir la vida. Sobre las experiencias que queremos guardar para llevar al final de la vida. Del presente como regalo para disfrutar. Y nos regalaron poemas que fueron escritos en otro tiempo.

Aquรญ, ahora alentamos a los participantes que, si asรญ lo desean, compartan lo que escribieron a continuaciรณn. Deja tu respuesta aquรญ, si deseas continuar la conversaciรณn sobre la Poesรญa Purรฉpecha, autor desconocido. Pero antes, les recomendamos tener en cuenta que el blog es un espacio pรบblico donde, por supuesto, no se garantiza la confidencialidad.

Por favor, รบnase a nosotros en nuestra prรณxima sesiรณn en espaรฑol: El sรกbado 16 septiembre a las 13 hrs. o a la 1 pm EDT. Tambiรฉn, ofrecemos sesiones en inglรฉs. Ve a nuestra pรกgina de sesiones grupales virtuales.

ยกEsperamos verte pronto!


Poesรญa Purรฉpecha por autor desconocido.

En la vida ni se gana ni se pierde,
ni se fracasa
ni se triunfa.

En la vida se aprende,
se crece,
se descubre,
se escribe,
se borra.

Y se reescribe otra vez,
se hila,
se deshila y
se vuelve a hilar.

El dรญa que comprendรญ
que lo รบnico que me voy a llevar es lo que vivo,
empecรฉ a vivir lo que me quiero llevarโ€.

Live Virtual Group Session: 12PM EDT August 4th 2023

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this session!

For this session we took a close look a the painting “Round Hill, 1977” by Alex Katz, posted below.

Our prompt was: โ€œWrite about a conversation that never happened.โ€

More details will be posted on this session, so check back again!

Participants are warmly encouraged to share what you wrote below (โ€œLeave a Replyโ€), to keep the conversation going here, bearing in mind that the blog of course is a public space where confidentiality is not assured.

Also, we would love to learn more about your experience of these sessions, so if youโ€™re able, please take the time to fill out a follow-up survey of one to two quick questions!

Please join us for our next session Friday August 11th at 12pm EDT, with more times listed on our Live Virtual Group Sessions.


Round Hill, 1977″ by Alex Katz

ยฉ Alex Katz/Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY