How did you become involved with The Good Listening Project?
Frankie Abralind and I have a mutual friend who introduced me to The Good Listening Project. I had been using poetry and graphic visualizations to make meaning and learning visible within groups for many years. I am also passionate about the practice of witnessing, so I was immediately drawn to the work. I reached out to Frankie and we had a great conversation in a very small sitting booth, which inspired me to want to be part of the team bringing this work to life! We wrote poems together in The Portrait Gallery atrium a few times, and I’ve been involved ever since!
About how many poems have you written for people?
80ish
What’s your writing process like?
My process is quite non-linear. I rely on inspiration and embodied awareness so that my writing can emanate from the heart based on what elicited the strongest feelings as I listened. I usually start by thinking about how I want the poemee to feel when he or she reads the poem (sometimes I ask how the person wants the poem to make him/her feel before the conversation ends), and then I flow from there. Like many of our poets, I love to use the poemee’s own words as much as possible. My intention is to capture the essence of the story in as few words as possible.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?
This isn’t quite advice, but I love this sentiment from Ram Dass: “We’re all just walking each other home.”
What’s your favorite poem that someone else has written?
“Beannacht” by John O’Donohue
What’s your favorite poem that you’ve written?
An untitled poem I wrote for a dear friend:
I’ll hold in my hands
the whitest,
brightest,
fluffiest of clouds
and reach them toward you
so that your heart
may land softly,
always,
in the comfort
of our friendship.
What makes you laugh out loud?
When my sisters and mom are all laughing at something together! We have been known to have a few family laughing attacks in our day!
