Writing workshops and book clubs aren’t uncommon along the Central Coast, while self-care groups that focus on the therapeutic power of words are fewer and farther between.
Once a month, the Santa Maria Public Library brings in local poet Dot Winslow to host a poetry facilitation meeting for adults, at no charge to attendees. She leads a similar monthly series, for ages 60 and over, at the Orcutt Area Seniors in Service (OASIS) Center.
Winslow is not a licensed psychologist, nor is poetry facilitation considered a form of therapy. But practitioners of the concept regard both poetry reading and writing as tools to help promote emotional well-being.
“Where people get intimidated is, ‘I don’t want to learn how to write poetry,’” said Winslow, who explained that a poetry facilitation meeting shouldn’t be confused for a creative writing class, and writing isn’t a mandatory part of her sessions.
For those who choose to write during Winslow’s meetings, they don’t need to follow any specific format, she added.
“When you’re writing it for yourself, there aren’t rules. You can do whatever you want,” the poet said. “I tell them to forget everything they’ve ever been taught about poetry—throw it all out the window.
“You don’t even have to write poetry, you can write stream of consciousness,” Winslow added. “I’ve had people sit there and draw instead, which I love.”
Near the start of each of Winslow’s facilitation sessions, the group reads a poem that she selected beforehand. Two, three, or more attendees are asked to read a line or stanza. After the full poem has been recited, the floor is open to anyone who wants to respond to it.
“Whatever you’re going through at that moment is what you bring to the poem,” Winslow said. “Everyone has a different feeling response, and it sparks up all these conversations.”
Cross talking, sidebar conversations, and other interruptions are discouraged at each speaker’s turn during the response period. While participants are encouraged to interpret the poem for themselves, they’re advised to avoid interpreting other attendees’ feelings.
“Whatever you’re going through, somebody else is going through that as well, but it’ll never be exactly the same,” said Winslow, who described the poem examination part of her meetings as a jumping-off point to fuel conversation and self-expression, without judgment or criticism.
“We’re going to enjoy poetry for fun, for our own feelings,” Winslow said. “Leave everything else out.”
After the group discussion period, attendees of the facilitation are invited to either write in response to some prompts Winslow suggests or anything at all, in the form of a poem, journal entry, or any desired format.
“Writing is a way of putting your thoughts into a canister, so they’re out of your head and on paper,” Winslow said. “It’s about getting your feelings out on the page.”
When everyone is finished writing, or drawing as Winslow mentioned, the floor opens up again for more discussion. This time, attendees can share about what they’ve written or created, and how it felt for them to do so.
The session closes with a takeaway idea or theme for participants to reflect on between then and the next meeting. Winslow said that new members are always welcome at either of her two current groups. Her next facilitation at the OASIS Center is slated for Jan. 11, while the Santa Maria Public Library group meets next on Jan. 21.
Registration info can be found on Winslow’s website, where the public can also inquire about individual one-on-one poetry facilitation sessions and virtual opportunities over Zoom as well.
An MFA-holding alumna of Antioch University Los Angeles, Winslow was introduced to the concept of poetry facilitation during grad school, but she’s been using poetry as a form of self-expression since childhood.
Winslow credited her mother as an early supporter of her poetry and recalled writing a poem past her bedtime one night and immediately showing it to her afterward.
“Instead of being mad that I was up late, she thought it was so cool,” Winslow said. “So right off the bat, she was fostering that.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is a fan of people who foster people and a fan of Foster the People. Send pumped-up comments to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 21-31, 2023.