Kayla Geitzler

Join us!

We can't wait to hear you at our open mic night this Thursday! More info here: https://facebook.com/events/s/artists-open-mic-night-writing/629263316830981/

The Power of Poetry & How
The year, this difficult year for myself and many many of us, is coming to a close. As the snow falls and the winds shake the spruce outside my window, I am grateful to be who and where I am. That my passion and skills, and the power of poetry, can be used in the service of others.
For almost two years I have been working with the Miramichi Literacy Council and the NB Women's Correctional Centre offering a six-week poetry, at first once, and now twice a year, at WCC in Miramichi. A four-round trip from Moncton, I drive up once a week and watch, from week 1 to 6, how The Women empower themselves with their words.
Although I believe in How not What, when I pitched the idea of a chapbook, a small annual anthology of The Women's poetry, I expected to hear a resounding "No." However, amazing program officer Tammy said, "I think we can do that." As did Maria, the superintendent, and the incredible Nadine and Pat of MLC. It was even printed locally by Newcastle Printing.
There are many people and organizations behind this book, including ReadNB, and I am grateful to them all.
I am most grateful to The Women dor their trust, their talent, and their dedication.
All purchases of We The Women go to fund future copies.

Nearly two years ago I began working with the Miramichi Literacy Council, offering a six-week poetry course for clients of the Women's Correctional Centre of New Brunswick (WCC).

I had no idea what to expect or if the course would be a success. What surprised me most was the abundance of talent. That nearly every participant could pursue a writing career, if they chose.

When I pitched the idea of a chapbook, or an ongoing publication with an ISBN, professional printing, etc. that would be written and titled by The Women, I expected to hear a resounding "No." But our dedicated Program Officer, MLC, WCC, Read NB, and many others stepped up to make this happen.

"We The Women - We Strive" is our first edition of poetry written by The Women. A nonprofit publication, all funds will be used to print further editions of We The Women.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy, visit www.readmiramichi.ca or email [email protected].

Seats are limited! Only a few spaces left.

So excited to be creating and co-hosting this workshop with the fabulous Margo Wheaton!

Intimate Negotiation: The Art of Writing Family in Poetry workshop will look at the art, and challenges, of writing family in poetry. We will discuss poetry and how to write about family (style, technique and some unique approaches), try out a few writing exercises and workshop participants' poems.

Hosts: Margo Wheaton & Kayla Geitzler
Date: Sunday, September 29, 2024
Time: 1-4pm AST
Where: on Zoom!
Cost: $59 CAD you register before Sept. 15th, 2024
$69 CAD after September 15th.
$30 for BIPOC participants
Writers of all levels are welcome in this safe and supportive space!

Margo Wheaton is the author of The Unlit Path Behind the House (Gerald Lampert Award) and Rags of Night in Our Mouths (amazing book!). Margo has won many awards for her writing and is well-regarded for her superior workshop facilitation skills.

Kayla Geitzler is the author of That Light Feeling Under Your Feet and co-editor of Cadence: Voix feminines Female Voices. She was named a Rad Woman of Canadian Poerty and was Moncton's first Anglophone Poet Laureate.

Worried you missed it? There's still time to join us on this 8-week journey for the love of poetry or to enhance your skills and meet your publishing goals!
This isn't just a course on poetry, it's a community of passionate individuals. Poetry isn't what you learn in grade school and it definitely doesn't have to be a painful experience to grow. These classes are safe and respectful spaces. No nasty comments about your work, and no anxiety to have the "right" answers.
All are welcome.
Curious? Ready to launch yourself into your writing? Msg or email me.

And so begins a week-long writing retreat in Great Village, NS with fellow writer Elizabeth Blanchard! Imagine, writers getting a whole week to devote to their writing. No TV, no internet, no interruptions.
Margo Wheaton joins us tonight! We are so grateful to be in this writing haven.

Shady lady Sei Shonagon has inspired generations of artists with her diary, her Pillow Book. For centuries it was copied by hand and passed from reader to reader until publication for the time in the 1600s--600 years after Shonagon made her last entry.

Full of beautiful poetry and prose, this book has become a lifetime companion for many. When I teach excerpts of the Pillow Book on a writing course or in a workshop, no one asks why Sei Shonagon is relevant today or to them. This is pretty exceptional, as the customs of Heian Japan take the concept of the past as a foreign country to a whole new level.

So, what has made the Pillow Book such a beloved volume for 1000 years? Captivating writing notwithstanding, Sei Shonagon's authenticity, whether kind or catty, is easily relatable. Her intelligence, and the mystery of her personal life add to the allure of her writing.

The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon is one of my very favourite books. I have been reading this enlightening, cheeky and moving diary for more than half my life now. Everytime I share Shonagon, she inspires others. So, I teach a creative journaling and writing wellness workshop based on the Pillow Book. We explore everything that makes her Pillow Book rich and unique.

What is a Pillow Book? In ancient Japan, many used hollow wood blocks, padded with fabric as their pillows. Women of priveleged classes kept their makura no soshi, their diaries, inside them.

Sei Shonagon's world is so richly detailed and beautifully written, but that's not all. She can be one catty B. But I love that about her!

I am so grateful for translation and those passionate individuals who dedicate what is often years of their time so that readers can visit worlds, like Sei Shonagon's, that would otherwise be incredibly difficult to access. Here's to translators!!

I love to collaborate! I'm so proud of the friends I made, as well as the projects we accomplished by combining our drive, talent and love for the written word!
It does take courage to approach another writer, and not everyone may be available, but they may know someone else who can't wait to hear from you! Bravery and sincerity are always rewarded by those who try again. Trust yourself and write you!