Connie Banta
Morgantown, WV

My first NAPT conference started on Wednesday with the “Writing the Labyrinth” day trip. It was the perfect metaphor and a great way to start getting to know people. We were told, “A walker leaving the labyrinth is not the same person who entered it.” This proved to be true. I especially appreciated volunteering in the registration area because I got to meet many interesting people. I was impressed with Sheila and Lianne’s competence and grace. I loved the workshops I attended, with the perfect ending being the post-conference with John Fox and Elaine Sullivan. The themes of healing and wholeness and peace made the experience rich, as did Gregory Orr’s reading and the friendliness of members to first-timers.

Val Bowman
Oakland, CA

I thoroughly enjoyed the conference. Prior to the event, my background as a poet led me to see NAPT as supporting poetry-writing as therapy. I was delighted to find out that the choosing, reading and exploring of richly textured contemporary poems is also a key piece of the process. I kept hearing William Carlos Williams: “It is difficult/ to get the news from poems/ yet men die miserably every day/ for lack/ of what is found there.” Perhaps fewer of them as poetry therapy becomes more widely practiced.

Marta Ferguson
Columbia, MO

Had I known just how good NAPT conferences were, I’d have somehow made it to the other twenty-four! St. Louis was a joy from start to finish. I went to the top of the Arch, saw the Mississippi for the very first time, visited the museum and tasted the nightlife. The conference was so friendly and courteous that I immediately relaxed, sensing I was part of an intimate family. The workshops, award ceremonies, keynote speeches, I thoroughly enjoyed. But it was the verbal interaction between events that most touched my heart. That is why I shall most certainly be back.

Niall Hickey
Kildare, Ireland

The conference in St. Louis was a wonderful experience. It was well organized and well run. The workshops I attended were interesting, engaging and inspiring. I met lots of new people and really felt welcomed into the NAPT community. I came back even more committed to the potential of this work. Thanks so much.

Bruce Johnson
Longmont, Colorado

Can I just say WOW? I had no idea what to expect as a first-time attendee, but within a day of arriving I felt completely enraptured by the love, generosity and openness of everyone involved in poetry therapy. It was absolutely amazing and a much-needed spiritual, emotional and physical rejuvenator from my stressful job. The city was a perfect location, as well. I am thankful I was able to explore the cultural side of St. Louis with my newfound friends and supporters. Many thanks to all the warm, open arms, and I am counting down the days until Boston!

Brandi Willis
Lubbock, Texas

The conference proved to be a benchmark experience for me. Indeed, I was humbled by the warm welcome and fellowship of like-minded poets, educators and poetry therapists. I learned innovative ways to use poems and other literature not only for academic analysis in the classroom, but to use the printed word as a tool for healing. In fact, the conference workshops such as “Hope: the Critical Element in Poetry Therapy,” “Keeping the Pulse of Poetry Alive in the Classroom” and “Bibliography in the Classroom” validate the use of journal writing in my English classes. Having the opportunity to publish a poem “on the spot” was a bonus. Thank you!

Aressa Williams
Upper Marlboro, MD