Voice into Poetry – 7-Week Poetry Writing Workshop
with an exploration of public speaking (Online)

Free intro session: Mondays, October 7th 2024 from 5:30-6:30pm PT

When:
Every Monday, October 21st – December 9th 2024 (No class Nov 11th)
from 5:30- 7:45pm PT

How do you feel about your voice? How does it feel to speak out loud what resides within your internal world? When you apologize, speak up for what you believe in, use your voice to be playful… what arises within you?

Join five other participants for a rich and compassionate exploration of voice using poetry as your tool and companion.

Pop! After Hours Poetry Night at Lot 19

When: Thursday, Sept 12th from 5-9pm PT
Cost: Free
Where: Lot 19, 855 W Hastings

I’m been working with DowntownVan over the last two months to produce an evening of poetry, all on a theme that is close my heart: our relationship to being witnessed in the expression of your gifts and strengths. 

The evening will feature a poetry writing workshop (facilitated by me), an activation by New West poet laureate Elliott Slinn (provide him with a word, feeling, or idea, and he’ll write you a custom poem on the spot on his typewriter), and an evening performance featuring 6 local poets with open mic spots. The performance starts at 7:30pm.

5-Day Writing Retreat in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

When: September 17th – 21st, 2024
Where: Whilewoods Retreat Centre in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
Cost: $1,777 CAD (all meals are included).

Over these 5 days, you’ll be supported to flow into the work of writing your first (or second, third, etc) book.

Deep breaths. This is not a nose to the grindstone sort of retreat. You will not be expected to ‘power through’ and get that word count at all costs. When the body is included in the writing process, you may discover that writing can be an easeful and even nourishing experience. It’s also more sustainable.

Breathexperience Breath Class – 4 Weeks (online)

When: TBA

In this style of breath work, we bring our awareness to the sensation of the movement of our breath, and learn to allow it to come and go on its own, without our control.

Too often the focus is only on how to control the breath to get a specific result. There is a place for this. But Ilse Middendorf, the founder of this work, felt there should also be a place to explore our relationship to the allowed breath; the breath that moves as it will, so long as we soften our judgement on whether it is right or wrong, are willing to meet our patterns of holding (the ways we habitually hold and control the breath), and bring to any discomfort our patience and curiosity. In this work, we also discover our capacity for ease and well being.

In its essence, this style of breath work is all about reacquainting you with this moving, consistently changing breath that has always been with you.

As your facilitator, I won’t be teaching you how to breathe, but will rather offer you entrances to experience your breath as it is now, and now, and now. 

Whether your child is a little shy and wanting to break out of their shell, or full of confidence and looking to develop as a performer: Speech Arts public speaking classes for kids and teens will support them to achieve their goals.

• Fall Term: September 24th – December 20th 2024 (13 classes)
• Winter Term: Jan 8th – March 14th 2025 (10 classes)
• Spring Term: April 1st – June 27th 2025 (13 classes)

“Every time I hear the laughter and conversation from her and my daughter in their class, I feel we are so blessed to have her as one of my daughter’s learning guides.”
– Yew