Poetry As Witness; Poetry For Change with Paulette Hansel

POETRY AS WITNESS; POETRY FOR CHANGE ------------------------- "In the dark times, will there also be singing? / Yes, there will be singing. / About the dark times". —Bertolt Brecht   "In a time of frontal assaults both on language and on human solidarity, POETRY CAN REMIND US OF ALL WE ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING—disturb us, embolden us out of resignation". –Adrienne Rich "Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before". –Audre Lorde Action can take many forms, writing being one. Cincinnati Poet Laureate, Pauletta Hansel, facilitates a morning of writing and sharing poetry as a practice of bearing witness to what is and what could be. No previous writing experience is necessary. Come with notebook and pen, a willingness to listen, and a readiness to write with an open heart and mind. "Contemplation In Action" is an ongoing series at The Hive, exploring the intersection of contemplative stillness and social action. These events are designed to put meditation’s withdrawal inward in connection with the activist’s expression outward in ways that are valued as beauty and justice in the world. Rather than merely resisting world events, this series seeks to engage in a sacred activism, insisting on the good, true, or beautiful among us.  Events open with a short guided mediation and end with an collective action or intention, usually of a political nature.