Poetry Programs

The Poetic Life and Hope on the Rize 

Through the rhythmic ripples of poetry, people of all ages are able to come together in new and shared appreciation of the beauty, inspiration, and wisdom present inside each of us.  The stories we can tell through the words and silences of poems have the capacity to give rise to new visions of what it is to be a human being, and the confidence to be fully who we are.

Inspired by poet Dedan Gills, and scientists and poets across the centuries, even more than something that can be written or spoken, a poem is a way of being: it is an attitude that can be brought to every moment so that the wonder and creativity of life finds true expression.

Through the portal of poetry, every breath is a poem, every moment is a journey, and every journey leads us home to our heart.

Blue Skies, Bright Star – The Beginning

Among scientists, “Blue Skies" is a term for curiosity-driven research that leads to outcomes not envisioned at the outset.  As a way of exploration and discovery, it is also a way of poetry.

The Blue Skies, Bright Star Poetry Project began nine years ago, has generated more than 70,000 student poems, and laid the foundation for the Hope on the Rize Poetry Program, which aims to deepen and enhance the spirit of exploration and sense of possibility and aliveness at all ages. In collaboration with students, teachers and administrators, the Hope on the Rize Poetry Program is designed to develop writing, thinking and communication skills that transfer across the classroom curriculum and cultivate a sense of self-confidence and contribution for all students.

Hope on the Rize Poetry Program

With a series of standards-integrated and interconnected lessons that can be adapted in length and duration and customized to the needs and goals of specific districts, schools and classrooms, the Hope on the Rize Poetry Program enriches and enlarges pathways for student engagement, and brings aliveness to teachers and communities.  Every student is treated as a capable poet with wisdom and gifts that are singular and enrich community.

Workshop sessions integrate directly into classroom learning and weave stories, reflection, writing, science, history, practices for listening and sharing, and celebrations of student voice.  Students are encouraged to listen for what moves, inspires, or surprises them in what classmates have to share and to know their peers in new ways.  Final sessions are devoted to revision, projects, and the power of voice.

Celebrating What’s Hopeful

All Pseads programs are intended to encourage attitudes toward learning that help students at every age succeed and make connections across subjects, and draws on the rhythmic quality of language to bring out the music and magic of a moment and the jazz of conversation.  Even revision and feedback are treated as joyful and curious expeditions into new frontiers. They are journeys that everyone can participate in together, and that are strengthened by each person’s unique perspective and way of experiencing the world moving through them.