Poetry Classes begin at the Lydia Center

Poetry. It’s an ancient craft that has wooed us and confused us for centuries. From the Song of Solomon to Shakespeare to modern free verse, poetry is at once moving to some and illusive to others. So what is poetry? How do we define it? Is it an outpouring of emotion? A way to express oneself? A portal to the truth of life? Yes, yes, and yes - all of this and more according to the women participating in the Lydia Center’s premiere poetry class. We called out our ideas and wrote them on the white board. We were a class of eager beginners – me, a first time poetry instructor, and five Lydia Center women, having chosen this class as an elective, new to studying poetry.

Several weeks ago, we opened this poetry class with a reading and discussion of Walt Whitman’s “I Heard the Learned Astronomer.” We addressed questions about the meaning and significance of this poem, why the poet chose to write in a certain style, what he might have been feeling in order to write this piece. We came to understand that often poets draw relations between unrelated things making their words resonate with the audience.

Whenever creative writing, especially poetry, is brought to a classroom, it seems there is the expectation that raw emotion accompany it, the nitty-gritty, the dark stuff. When the time came for each of us to try our hand at writing, I was astounded by the candor these women were willing to place palms-up at our table of sharing. One woman wrote of her difficult and exhausting inner journey, ending with words of hope. Another wrote the beginnings of an ode to her deceased father. Still another wrote of the loss of her mother. Each piece of writing included phrases that drew murmurs of emotion from the audience. Each piece held within it shards of truth gradually forming into a reflection of the writer’s heart. All of this on the first night! Not only was this the mark of strength and bravery on the part of the writers (some of them had never written poetry before), but also an indication of WSM’s successful efforts to create an environment of safety and honesty. I’m so excited to discover the creativity lying within these women in our meetings to come! It was a good first class indeed.

By Jennifer Chunko, volunteer