Institute for Poetic Medicine

08/01/2026

Happy August!
See more about upcoming Poetic Medicine opportunities at poeticmedicine.org

07/10/2026

Joy Harjo is an American poet, musician, playwright, and author. She served as the 23rd United States poet laureate from 2019 to 2022, the first Native American to hold that honor. She was also only the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to have served three terms (after Robert Pinsky). Harjo is a seventh-generation Monahwee daughter (also known as "Menawa"). Additionally, Harjo is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation (Este Mvskokvlke) and belongs to Oce Vpofv (Hickory Ground). She is an important figure in the second wave of the literary Native American Renaissance of the late 20th century. She studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts, completed her undergraduate degree at University of New Mexico in 1976, and earned an MFA degree at the University of Iowa in its creative writing program.

Her signature project as U.S. Poet Laureate was called Living Nations, Living Words: A Map of First Peoples Poetry; it focused on "mapping the U.S. with Native Nations poets and poems".

- Wikipedia (wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Harjo)

07/04/2026

This July 4th, Independence Day:

06/22/2026

Happy Summer Solstice to those in the northern hemisphere and Winter Solstice to those in the southern hemisphere!

"This solstice marks the official beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring when Earth arrives at the point in its orbit where the North Pole is at its maximum tilt (about 23.5 degrees) toward the Sun, resulting in the longest day and shortest night of the calendar year. (By longest “day,” we mean the longest period of sunlight hours.) On the day of the June solstice, the Northern Hemisphere receives sunlight at the most direct angle of the year."

-The Farmer's Almanac

06/21/2026

On my mind ... and heart ... is honoring and sending love to my father Jim Fox.

Because he smoked, and could not quit, he died from serious emphysema in October of 1996.
He was 74 years-old.

Dad and I had a contentious relationship for much of our lives. I could have done better. I could have opened my heart.

I am posting Planting Larch that captures this contention – and names a sacred moment of profound connection just before he died that happened between us.

Dad was who he was. Looking past my difficulties, so much of who he was is a man of care, integrity, compassion and a dedication to help people -- especially his daughters who both had special needs.

Pictured are my late sister, Shelley and Holly, as children and then as adults. In the first photo, Holly is on the left and in the photo of them as adults, it is reversed.

He extended that commitment to his daughters to take helpful action for many others with special needs. Jim Fox, Corporal honors that way of living his life.

06/20/2026

We are pleased to honor Juneteenth by posting this poem by Jacinta White. This national holiday of celebration, with the roots it brings, evokes a deep response. We are deeply concerned about injustices in this country, which are rife these days, injustices happening to Black and Brown people — to limit or eliminate their voting franchise, to erase the dark history of slavery in public places, to stop the active practice of diversity, equality and inclusiveness, to terrorize, imprison and deport refugees and immigrants, to normalize hatred and discrimination.

We are speaking up to call out and name what is wrong. We believe it is possible for our greater Poetic Medicine community to also speak up — or we can say to write up your voice — on what is happening.

05/25/2026

05/16/2026

Congratulations to Crescent Moon Center's volunteer facilitator in training Marley Brandenburg for completing the Peer-Support Certificate Training Program for Poetry as a Tool for Wellness with The Institute for Poetic Medicine.

Clever, distinctly curious, and a weaver of words, Marley Brandenburg hails from a long lineage of artists and wordsmiths. His creative passions span fabricating custom jewelry, making traditional Native American crafts, exploring myriad styles of painting and mediums, and writing various forms of poetry, including haiku. Deeply influenced by his upbringing in a family and community steeped in Zen Buddhist and Native American traditions, he integrates these teachings into his art.

Marley will be co-facilitating a free series of online Poetic Medicine Circles every 3rd Sunday, 3-5PM PST, April - December. 100% of donations support Crescent Moon Center's mission of creating a community for people in recovery through Equine Assisted Learning and Expressive Arts.

Sign up for a Poetry Circle or join us for the monthly series: https://www.crescentmooncenter.org/schedule-programs

05/04/2026

Dear Poetic Medicine Friends,

I have posted this poem before on May 4th. That was the day in 1970 when 4 students were murdered at Kent State University for protesting the Vietnam War. Nixon had just invaded Cambodia and people, including students rose-up in protest.

One of the students was Allison Krause. The other students killed were Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder.

There is a Wikipedia page that says about Allison Krause:

The day prior to her death, Krause observed a single lilac within the barrel of the gun of a guardsman on the campus of Kent State University;[5] upon hearing an officer order the guardsman to remove the flower, she caught the flower as it fell to the ground, stating, "Flowers are better than bullets."[6][7] This quote—inscribed upon Krause's gravestone—has become synonymous with Krause's legacy of peace activism.[8]

I was 15 at the time of this tragedy. I had been protesting the war in Vietnam for about a year prior. Yet the killings of innocent people at Kent State was a thunderstrike to my conscience and world-view.

This became personal. My parents, along with eight other couples in the Cleveland area, including Allison’s Uncle and Aunt by marriage, Jack and Lynn, had worked for years together to create a summer camp called Y. E. S. Camp – Youth Enrichment Services.

These parents did this for their children and other young people with Down syndrome or other developmental challenges. My parents wanted to create this summer place of play and community for my eldest sister, Holly – and so many others.

I am not sure when Y.E.S. began exactly; I learned that Allison was a camp counselor at Y.E.S. in 1969.

This poem Allison by Alex Glidzen – read more about its origin here:

04/22/2026

At The Institute for Poetic Medicine, we are grateful for Earth Day. For IPM, every single day is Earth Day. We offer this poem by our dear Diné friends from Canyon de Chelly, Jon and Lupita McClanahan