Speak Out: Poetry as Healing is a writing course facilitated by Ashley Cornelius, community organizer and spoken word performer, Kevin Mitchell community activist, poet, emcee, and executive director of Empowerment Solidarity Network (ESN), and Flannery Burdick, published writer and activist, with a masters in Rhetoric.

Ashley Cornelius, a Licensed Professional Counsellor Candidate with a masters in International Disaster Psychology, and co-creator of award-winning Poetry 719 created the 4-week curriculum focused on using poetry as a healing journey and creative expression. Speak Out aims to empower participants to use their personal experiences to not only rebuild and heal, but to promote social change. The participants created incredible and powerful works that gave voice to their struggles, joys, trauma, pain, successes, and happiness. In each class, the participants wrote 4 poems on average in less than an hour! This chapbook is a labour of love and showcases the talent and power of our participants.

1 (-) Speak Out: Poetry as Healing – Brianne Smith, Angelo Mari, Edward Keneski, Lindsay Maroney, Mark Korzeniowski, Stephanie Yu, Trey Bobo, Ashley Cornelius, Kevin Mitchell and Flannery Burdick (Independently published, 2019)

2 (2) The Smiling Tree – David Mar (Independently published, 2019)

3 (6) Sweet & Sour – Paula Jeffery (Harefield Press, 2019)

4 (1) Will You Still Love Me if I Love Her? – Elfie  (Independently published, 2019)

5 (-) The Cows – Lydia Davis (Sarabande Books, 2011)

6 (3) Pro Femina – Carolyn Kizer (BkMk Press of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2000)

7 (-) The Wedding Vows Chapbook: Sample Wedding Vows and Inspiration – Katharine Coggeshall (Independently published, 23 May 2017)

8 (4) On Imagination – Mary Ruefle (Sarabande Books, 2017)

9 (-) The Chapel on the Edge of the Marshes – DEMOX (Independently published, 2019)

10 (9) The Tightrope Walk – Charlotte Amy Smith (Independently published, 2019)