Time Simultaneous: A Man Staring At Himself

 

“By the time I figured out that I was me, it was too late to do anything about it… Someone said my name was an enigma, the best I could do was scream or shout it…

I am left with the unenviable task of still trying to make sense of my life and yet shed my mask

Malingering clouds may come to pass But what keeps me going In forever time Is my desire To be closer to my dreams…” ~ J. Brown

 

For the Young

As a young person coming into consciousness, I began writing seriously, in large part, because I didn’t feel there was anyone with whom I could discuss life issues and issues of identity. Writing provided an outlet and allowed me to avoid the pitfalls that many of my peers encountered. Poetry and artistic expression provided the safe space for me to develop and mature into a well-adjusted adult. In essence, the pen and paper became my best friends.

Poetry allows people to deal with their emotions without engaging in destructive behavior. With that in mind, we work with at-risk youth (particularly African-American and/or Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth, but not exclusively these groups) by facilitating poetry workshops, clinics, and presentations. We work with any group, school, or organization that manifests a serious desire and a demonstrated ability to service the needs of young people. We at Souletry have been honored to work with the following groups, schools, and organizations:

• Willow Creek Academy. (Sausalito, CA)
• The Wyandotte County Boys and Girls Club (Kansas City, KS)
• The Jackson County Boys and Girls Club
• Passages Youth Group
• The University Academy
• Gordon Parks Elementary School
• The United Church of Religious Science
• The Center for Spiritual Living – Seattle
• The Center for Spiritual Living – Kansas City

 

For the Young at Heart…

 

 

 

Souletry Presents:

The Divinity Within the Creative Experience

 

 

 

Poetry is defined as the art “of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.” At the heart of this definition is the basic premise that poetry is a creative exercise, and that such creativity leads to an enlightened and conscious human experience.

As spiritual beings, we understand that our thoughts are creative, and that what we create is instructive. Yet, even though we understand those principles and their correlation, we may forget how to be artistic as we shape and mold our experience. In other words, many of us ignore the notion that in being creative, there is creativity! Creativity, and more specifically writing, is not just an intellectual discipline, but a spiritual ritual. The key is to “unlearn what we have learned” – not only about art, but about spirituality – and to engage ALL of our senses in spiritual practice. Poetry is not just a rote way to express oneself; it is an exuberant and naturally intuitive way to commune with God and our higher selves.

My workshop is designed to help people awaken their creative energy, and to find their own distinctive, artistic voice. It is open to poetic neophytes as well as veteran artists of the written word.

God lives in and exists as all of us. And as God is nothing more than the supreme authentic poet, my quest is to find the living poet within you!