Workshop combines movement, poetry, support for food shelf

Nov. 11, 2022  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

A free workshop at the Grange Hall Cultural Center on Sunday, Nov. 20, will combine poetry, movement and meditation, and support for the Waterbury Area Food Shelf as it enters the holidays. 

The Embodied Poetry Workshop, 10-11:30 a.m., aims to be a “celebration of gratitude, community, and spoken words,” according to organizer and Mindful Movement practitioner Becky Widschwenter. 

Widschwenter and local poet Mary Rose Dougherty plan a guided session of breath awareness, spoken poems, writing, and gentle movement.

Their description of the workshop explains: “Before we have the words to say it, we must experience what we feel in our body. Expressive creativity when merged with a felt sense, has the power to shift heaviness to a lightness of being, nourish the body, ignite the imagination, and center the soul.”

No prior writing or movement/meditation experience is necessary. There is no charge to attend but participants are asked to contribute a food or monetary donation for the food shelf. (Suggested non-perishable items: coffee, tea, hot chocolate mix, oatmeal, canned meals) 

Attendees should dress comfortably, bring a journal, or use materials provided) and organizers ask that all wear a mask. Register for the workshop online. 

The Grange Hall Cultural Center is located at 317 Howard Ave. in Waterbury Center.