Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa all remember the dawn of light in darkness. This poem-writing workshop asks us to sit with our own darkness so we will also be able to sit with our own poetry transformation, which comes from our own internal light. When we enjoy the works of such strong poets as Mary Oliver, Jennifer Chang, Robert Frost, Susan Cooper, Wendell Berry, Claude McKay, Hayden Carruth, and others, we are igniting that fire that means for us to go inward. The winter solstice reminds us as we get closer to the light of that fire, we also come closer to the sun. When the light of day seems to shorten to its end, the practice of writing can remind us of the light within and around us.

This three-hour class for beginning or seasoned poets will be divided into two 90-minute segments. The first segment includes women poets whose light in poems has always revived us, inspired us, lit the way to our creative self, AKA, our Muse. Poets like Oliver, Chang, Cooper, Louise Erdrich, Nikki Giovanni, and Roberta Hill may light your inner fire and bring the writing process of inspiration, motivation, imagination, and contagion to fruition.

The second class segment features male poets equally talented. Men with fire and light in pen and paper. Frost, Berry, McKay, Carruth, Duane Niatum, and Robert Bly bring the essence of winter solstice light to the class. Jim Moreno will never bring a poem to his classes that doesn’t inspire him. The combination of a diverse mix of cultures in the poets he brings to this class reminds, as June Jordan once wrote, “What’s important about poetry in the context of leadership is that most of the time power has to do with domination. Poetry is powerful but it cannot even aspire to dominate anyone. It means making a connection. That’s what it means.”

The opposite of racism is when one culture heals another. The diversity of poet cultures in this class are meant to counter hate and ignorance and increase unity, respect, and peace.