Poetry for Mental Health

Sharing ways of engaging in poetry and community

Shared 5/22/24

During Mental Health Month, we lift up Poetry. Adding some science to what we probably appreciate, a 2023 study found that “Reading, writing and sharing poetry can help people cope with loneliness or isolation and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.” There are some terrific opportunities coming up to bring poetry into your life.

  • Go to the new Woodstock Poetry Festival, June 21 and 22nd. Read Susan Apel’s May 7, 2024 Artful Blog about the transformation of “Bookstock”, Woodstock’s annual literary festival, into a weekend to share poetry. At the North Chapel, 7 Church Street, Woodstock, Vermont.
  • Gather on Zoom with Lori Fortini of Dartmouth’s Aging Resource Center two Fridays a month for “Food For Your Soul“, reading poetry together. See the full calendar of Aging Resource Center Arts & Culture upcoming vents here, and sign up for an event to receive the Zoom link.
  • Receive a poem every day, chosen by Stephanie Carney, by subscribing to her blog, “Words that Fly.” Email Stephanie or subscribe yourself here.

This is a poem by Rupi Kaur, a young poet who has changed the poetry landscape and its accessibility via social media. We encourage you to follow her on instagram @rupikaur_ which is where she shares much of her work.

“From a young age, Kaur exhibited astonishing artistic talents. She was an avid reader and painter who enjoyed drawing and drafting poems. After moving to Toronto, Canada at four years old, she continued with her craft, inspired by her equally-creative mother. Kaur truly honed in on this passion at the University of Waterloo, where she studied rhetoric and professional writing. It would be here that Kaur’s rise to fame as an internet personality, posting her short poems on Instagram and Tumblr, began. The popularity of her Instagram posts gave way to a new genre of poetry known as, ‘Instapoetry.’ “

Read the full article from Inkspire to learn more about this inspiring poet.

Works Cited:

• Poetry and COVID-19: the benefit of poetry and the poetryandcovidarchive.com website to mental health and wellbeing – is published in the Journal of Poetry Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/08893675.2023.2250921.

• Sara, S. (2021, February 8). Rupi Kaur: The takeover of the insta-poet trend. INKspire. https://inkspire.org/post/rupi-kaur-the-takeover-of-the-insta-poet-trend/-MCMr3M92Y45wSdaApe-

Every Wednesday, CommunityCare of Lyme lifts up a wellness topic, embracing the widest possible definition of individual and community well-being. We include local and national resources, individual and group programs and practices, and personal stories, videos, or songs that have something to teach us all. We are always seeking guest contributors! 

If you have a wellness-themed topic you would like to share or learn more about, please reach out to shelby@cclyme.org

Shelby Wood
Manager of Volunteer Participation
CommunityCare of Lyme
Shelby@cclyme.org
802-468-7776 (cell)
603-795-0603 (CCL office and help line)