AARP Write to Thrive Virtual Class - Gratitude Poems (Week 2)

Research on expressive writing shows that writing can have myriad benefits for mental, emotional, and even physical wellbeing.

Join AARP Wyoming and attendees from across the U.S. for this free virtual event on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 9:00 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. CT | 7:00 p.m. MT | 6:00 p.m. PT - AARP Membership not required.

Join AARP  for this four-week creative writing class for mind, body, and soul! (Registration is required for each individual session).

The Write to Thrive, Instructors, Matt and Lucy, want to help people live more fully, more joyfully, and elegantly, using reflective and creative writing to foster new growth and self-nourishment. This is a brand new course and AARP members and their guests will have first access!

This four-week online program incorporates expressive writing practices, as well as practices from the fields of gratitude, mindfulness, self-compassion, and the science of stress and burnout, all with the hope of helping you flourish, even in the midst of challenging times.

Sessions

• June 14, Gratitude Poems In this session, we will focus on the little moments in a day that we are grateful for. Our practice with sensory writing from the first session will infuse our observations of gratitude with a sense of individuality. We will then use brief and uncomplicated poetic forms to shape our expression of gratitude into a message we can share with others. Registration coming soon.
• June 21, Sharing Your Wisdom Sharing Your Wisdom - Wisdom might sound serious, but this session is playful and fun. We will follow a regular writing practice of the American poet, William Stafford, that generates short, dynamic phrases to express our wisdom using images and metaphors. Once we generate several wise sayings, we will craft short poems or narrative statements with that wisdom at their core and infused by their imagery. Registration coming soon.
• June 28, Leading the Way In our final session, we will focus on vital moments in an experience of personal emergence, growth, and transformation. We will look at the skills and talents that came to the forefront to guide our transformative actions. Then we will imagine ourselves leading others through a similar transformation, and we will write a “prow of the ship” inspirational speech to be offered to others setting out on their own journey. Registration coming soon.

Class Goals

• Mental and emotional wellbeing
• Connection 
• Being with grief and vulnerability
• New understanding and perspective on challenges and stress
• Changing your narrative of a difficult time
• Understanding your values.

Meet the Instructors
Lucy and Matt have been writing partners, coaches, and friends for over a decade. While teaching and coaching others, in their own writing partnership they discovered that guided reflection and creation helped each of them live and work more fully. They have developed Write to Thrive in order to share the work that they know--from their first-hand experience as well as research into expressive writing practices--can help you feel better equipped to emerge from recent challenges with a sense of well-being, joy, and enthusiasm for the next chapter. They live in Wyoming and Colorado.