A Poetic Life
In A Poetic Life, we explore the creative process, our relationship with the natural world, the connection we have with ourselves, our inner realm and our capacity for vitality through attention, reading, note-taking, discussing, writing and, when/if the time is right, sharing our written work.
Poetic writing is a salve for the writers, and the readers of our time. Anyone who is called to join this series is welcome. You do not have to consider yourself a writer. You do not need to enjoy poetry (as you know it, now) or know a single thing about it.
A Poetic Writing, Creative Living Workshop Series.
Poetry is waking up early and noticing the scent of seasonal change in the air. A hot herbal bath in the dead of winter. A tablespoon of whipped cardamom cream in strong coffee. The smell of the rain. A moment you know will become a memory.
Poetry is not an outdated, stuffy literary form, it is a lens through which to see the world. A way of living. A powerful, nutritive source. Poetry teaches us to pay attention. Poetry teaches us seasonality, sensuality and subtlety. The magic of in between spaces. The words unsaid. Poetry teaches us to hold life, and ourselves, with extreme tenderness and care.
Maybe you’ve always loved to write, but were told by teachers your narrative lacked form, your punctuation was wrong. Poetry doesn’t care about any of that. In a world of AI, rage-bait, short form and content farms: poetic writing is a balm for us all. Poetry is an ancient art form, a healing practice, the felt space between words and worlds.
If you desire to write, but feel like you’re not good enough, or doing it wrong, poetic writing is a place to break free. If you want to live in more attentive, connected life, poetic writing will teach you how. In a world devoid of romance and beauty, where grayscale and conformity rule the world, poetic writing brings us back to a time where beauty was quite literally etched into the mundane.
Commences on the Equinox Sept 24th, 2026. Early bird discount until Sept. 1st with the code MORNING-POEM. An additional $50 discount is available for active members of tdr studio.
chapter two, the self.
Writing as Healing Work, Returning Home
From the river and the body we move inward. Here we explore the written word as a therapeutic, healing and artistic practice that can help us return to the roots and the bones of who we truly are and remember we all have stories to tell.
Poetic writing is powerful because it trusts the reader. It leaves space for the other to bridge the gap. Here, you become an archivist of your existence. Collect words and ideas for your writing from the world around you. From life, art, your experiences and your inner world: simply as a healing and documentation practice and/or to form it into finished written pieces for yourself, future familial generations or to share with the world
In The Self we take solace in the personal essays, storytelling and note-taking practices of modern and ancient literary figures, from Joan Didion to Sei Shonagon, while also exploring the power of writing to return us home to the self.
Four workshops (and one bonus!)
chapter one, the river.
Tending the body, the water and the earth
We start at the bank of The River. This is the source of our creative life. The movement of ideas, art and language through our veins. The River is the whole cycle: the starting point, the journey, the waterfall. The rain that falls, sinks deep into the earth and bursts back up, full of life. Here, we learn to trust the current, no matter it’s pace. In the River, we look at all the ways you are afraid to fail, believe you’re not enough to live a creative life. We remove debris blocking the flow. We nurture our river, our creative life, with extreme reverence, the same way you would any living being, wellness or work pursuit.
In The River we explore nourishing the creative life from women who run with the wolves as well as the work of Mary Oliver, in particular, her essays from Upstream. We consider the lifeline of writing and the creative process as wild and cyclical, as well as the physical body and the natural world as a conduit for the written word.
chapter four, the mountain & the mist.
Patience, reverence and refinement
In the mountain and the mist, we climb to the peak; here is where we get into practical creative refinement and alchemy, specific to poetic writing.
In this chapter, we build reverence for the inherent slowness of writing, and learn how to find nourishment and healing within it, essential in the arms of a world forever screaming our pace will take us nowhere / we’re not doing enough.
Here, we learn how to climb through resistance and frustration to find a clearer view with our writing and creative work, and how attention to the natural and our inner world can be alchemised into the subtle, fragrant realm of poetic writing
This is where we learn that skill and resources can only take a person so far — it is devotion alone that makes creative work alive in the world.
shunbun
Divine timing
Our cocoon takes place on the Autumn Equinox or 秋分 Shūbun. According to the traditional Japanese Lunar Calendar (a collection of 72 micro-seasons) this is the time of the turning point from the season of 玄鳥去 Tsubame saru (swallows leave) to 雷乃収声 Kaminari sunawachi koe o osamu (thunder ceases).
In Japan, this is considered one of the four sacred balance points of the year and is a national holiday for the purpose of honouring nature and the ancestors; to celebrate the liminality of the changing seasons.
I have observed this time of year to be extremely potent, almost like a cosmic turning point, ripe for reflection, new beginnings and creative work. This date last year marked the beginning of a new story for me. I cannot wait to share this time together.
chapter three, the sun & the moon.
The daily practices of writing and creativity, finding lunar consistency.
In this chapter, we explore an earth based, feminine take on discipline and consistency (if those words make you want to run in the opposite direction, you’re in the right place). We consider the moon as the first poetic muse, and visit moon poetry from various corners of the ancient world.
In this chapter, we explore how attention to the natural world and all the cycles that spiral within it, create an awareness, a celebration and an allowing of our own rhythmic, cyclical dance of moving through creative work and the world.
The sun and the moon chapter is not only about the cycles of the moon, the seasons and the land but also learning how to strengthen the instinctual knowing of where we need more yin and where we need more yang in our creative practice and life in general.
A Poetic Life is a workshop series for weaving poetic living and writing into the everyday. Each workshop serves as a chapter, telling a story in herself, and will last approximately two hours, including time for communal storytelling, questions and discussion.
Every chapter is accompanied by suggested resource list, rituals and writing exercises, leaving you with a rich resource pool to dive back into at anytime. You are welcome to join the course live, or tune into the recordings in your own time. Recordings are available for six months.
A Poetic Life is not about the business of creative writing (but it is a pre-requisite for an upcoming small group writing intensive in 2027). It is about the joy and the devotion. It is about reading and research and prioritising the written word for the art and the craft of it, but also for the love of it, from the healing that comes through creative decadence.
Early bird discount code MORNING-POEM for $75 off until September 1st. TDR members receive an extra $50 off.
A workshop series on the joy and the pleasure of poetic writing; an intimate space for creative decadence
Schedule
ALL SESSIONS TAKE PLACE ON THURSDAYS 7PM AEDT
꩜ Session One
September 24th
The River: Tending the Body, The Waters & The Earth
꩜ Session Two
October 8th
The Self: Writing as Healing Work, Returning Home
꩜ Session Three
October 22nd
The Moon & The Sun, the daily practices of writing and creativity and lunar consistency.
꩜ Session Four
November 12th
The Mountain & the Mist, patience, reverence & refinement
꩜ Bonus (!!!!!) && optional sharing circle (this may be split into two sessions dependant on group size!)
November 19th
