The 2008 conference was held Sept. 11-15 at Goddard College, bringing together close to 110 people for an indepth exploration of TLA in their lives and world. Keynoters included: 

• Julia Alvarez, author of many books, including In the Time of the Butterflies, Saving the World, and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent.
• Kelley Hunt, award-winning rhythm and blues singer-songwriter, who has performed around the world, released four critically-acclaimed CDs, and who, according to one participant, "has a Ph.D. in boogie-woogie."
• Rick Jarow, founder of the anti-career movement and author of Creating the Work You Love.
• Bread and Puppet Theatre, doing social change, grass-roots theatre.
• Barbara Bethea, aka the Afrikanna Madonna, performing her gospel soul spoken word and song.
• Sherry Reiter, poetry therapy pioneer and drama therapist.
• Lewis Mehl-Madrona, author of Coyote Medicine, Narrative Medicine and Coyote Healing.  
• Janet Aalfs, martial artist and poet
• Facilitators-in-residence Kristina and Callid Keefe-Perry.
• Artist-in-residence Cynthia Ross.

The conference began with a pre-pre-conference workshop, "The Unfolding Path: Making the Work You Love Come True," an all-day workshop led by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg and Kelley Hunt.  Pre- and post-conference workshops included "Creating the Work You Love" with Rick Jarow, "The Power of the Trickster" with Lewis Mehl-Madrona, "Poetry Therapy Medicine: Ten Prescriptions That Could Change Your Life" with Sherry Reiter, and "Canastoria: The Original Form of Street Theatre from Ancient Times to Today," with Bread and Puppet, a workshop that led into a rollicking performance during the opening night of the conference.  Other opening night dazzlers were Janet Aalfs, performing martial arts poetry which left us all breathless, a talk on "Paying it Forward in TLA" by Caryn Mirri am-Goldberg, a song by Kelley Hunt, an artist talk by Cynthia Ross, and an introduction of holding the space by Kristina and Callid Keefe-Perry.  

Among the highlights of the conference was the closing evening events: a spectacular open mic that included over 25 people performing poetry, stories, song, rap, chants and more followed by a closing ceremony led by Kristina and Callid Keefe-Perry that brought us all outside in a large circle in the moonlight where we sat in silence, and spoken -- when any of us felt so called -- of what moved us during the conference.  The circle culminated in a dance led by Evi Torton Beck.

Workshops were varied and plentiful, including:

• "But I Used to Live in a Different Place": Fostering Empathy in Children Through Animal Stories -- Alexa Mergen.
• Finding "Write" Livelihood: Strategies on the Path Toward a Joyful and Sustaining Writing Life -- Valerie Harris
• Becoming th Warrior Poet: Transforming Fear into Courage -- Jill Jepson
• Writing the Shadows: An Illuminated Exploration of Archetypal Images -- Scott Youmans
• Declaring Our Erotic: Transformative Writing About Sexuality -- Jen Cross
• The Goddess of Speech and Resonate Word -- Rick Jarow
• Community Radio and Television: Resources for Transformative Language Arts -- Mary Rothschild and Cara Lisa Powers 
• "All My Life's A Circle: Integrating Life's Journey Through Poetry, Song and Dance -- Evelyn Torton Beck
• Writing from the Roots: Exploring Cultural Identity -- Marianela Medrano-Marra
• Witnessing Ourselves: Writing Our Owned, Disowned and Transcendent Voices -- Reggie Marra
• True Stories: Finding Freedom at the Intersections of Personal and Cultural Myths -- Stephanie Wade
• Life Manna for the Soul: A Survivor's Journey Through Domestic Violence -- Barbara Bethea
• Dramatic Structure as Work and Life: Create a Happy Ending -- Letitia Sweitzer
• Adi Song of Agan: Working with the Long, Poetic "Other" -- Regina Ress
• Return to the Source: Breath, Gesture, Word -- Janet Aalfs
• Opening World with Word: Theopoetics and Imaginging the Divine -- Callid and Kristina Keefe-Perry

The 2007 conference was held Sept. 28 – Oct 1 at Goddard College, gathering close to 120 people from around the world, including Australia and the Artic Circle. Keynoters were:

• David Abram, author of The Spell of the Sensuous.
• Allison Adele Hedge Coke, Native American poet, writer, storyteller, mentor and educator
• Nehassaiu deGannes, poet, playwright and actress, presenting her one-woman show, “Door of No Return”
• Artist-in-residence Devora Neumark, who presented film of her installation art around Montreal and the world, and then worked one-on-one with participants to create installations and ceremonies throughout the conference on the theme of finding home.
• Taina Asili, singer-songwriter singing from her show, “Bend with the Wind” 

This conference featured a panel on spirituality, social action and the word, which featured Quakers Callid Keefe and Kristina Perry, spiritual seeker Elizabeth Ann Hin, David Abram, Allison Hedge Coke, conscious studies scholar Francis Charet, and minister and educator Bill Beardslee.  The open mic brought together wonderful talent from among participants. Talking circles, held each morning for all participants, allowed participants to better integrate their conference experiences.  A witnessing circle, led by Kristina Perry and Callid Keefe, gave everyone who participated a chance to sit in silence together and speak when moved. Pre- and post-conference workshops included the body and breathing earth with David Abram, writing about the horrendous and the beautiful with Allison Hedge Coke, sacred circle dance with Evelyn Torton Beck, narrative medicine with Lewis Mehl-Madrona, poetry therapy with Perie Longo, and breath and movement and writing with Janet Aalfs. 

The conference workshops this year were very rich:

• Get it Out There: Tips and Strategies on Writing, Editing, Marketing & Promoting Your Book – Adele Nieves
• Narrative Strategies: Perspective Taking and Point of View – Margaret Blanchard and Sowbel
• His-Story, Her-Story, Our Story: Life Story Through Phototherapy – Leland J. Bryant
• Children at the Well: Peace-ing Together Diverse Groups Through Storytelling – Jyoti Swaminathan and Paula Weiss
• Cellshock: Prisoners Writing About Live - Dominique Robinson
• Writing the Cross-cultural Experience: an Embodied Approach -- Marianela Medrona-Marra
• Emily Dickinson’s Power Book, or Why the Freedom Writers Read Homer - Barbara Mossberg
• Disability and Performing Arts: An Appeal to TLAers – Karen Campbell
• Voice Yoga: You Are Your Tone – Nanette Perrotte
• Grounded in Community: A Quaker View of the Creative Word – Callid Keefe and Kristina Perry
• Shadow Express: A Quick Trip from Me to You and It, and Back to Me - Reggie Marra
• I am Not a Juvenile Delinquent - Sharon Charde
• A Living Poetics - Elizabeth Anne Hin
• Dancing at the Crossroads: Mentoring Youth through Story and Metaphor - Lorna MacDonald Czarnota
• Integral Writing: Engaging the Wisdom of our Bodies – Jill Jepson
• Readers’ Theatre as Cancer Education in Alaska: Awakening Possibilities in a Living Spiral of Understanding - Melany Cueva
• “A Gift from the Unconscious”: The Common Processes of Poetry & Dreaming – Jan Hitchcock 
• Nothing is Created in a Vacuum: Drawing on the Blues to Understand and Create Art and Community - Rochelle Pyne

The TLA Network also met at the council and continued to grow, and this conference also included a book release party for the TLA Network’s first publication, The Power of Words: A Transformative Language Arts Reader.

The Power of Words 2006 Conference

The Power of Words conference, held Oct. 6-9, 2006 at Goddard College, brought together over 80 storytellers, musicians, educators, health professionals, activists, clergy and community leaders at the height of fall foliage. But the leaves weren't the only thing blazing across the sky. Keynote performances brought down the house, including Gail Rosen's astonishing interwoven stories that comprise, "Choose Hope," which told the story of a Holocaust survivor interspersed with Gail's tales of telling the story in German and the U.S. and finding her own hope. Greg Greenway's concert lifted us up and took us on a musical road trip through songs of personal and social change in Greg's unique blending of gospel, folk, rhythm and blues, and rock. Cheryl Savageau's poetry reading was filled with humor, tenderness, daring and many wake-up moments as she spoke of growing up as a mixed blood Abenaki woman and finding her art and commuity. Laura Secord's well-written "Sanapia's Courage Medicine" told the story of a strong and vibrant medicine woman's life. The open mic held on the final night of the conference was "simply amazing" as one participant put it. Peter Hocking, our artist-in-residence, both read from his novel in progress that accompanied the magnificent show in the gallery, "Spittin' Image," which explored issues of adoption and identity. See Peter's website, www.clarklane.com. The conference also featured daily talking circles in which all participants shared thoughts and insights in a small group, and free time to explore the woods and gardens. And the conference launched the Transformative Language Arts Network, and drew together more people focused on increasing opportunities for networking and right livelihood through TLA.

Pre- and Post-conference, and conference workshops included:

• The Interplay of Word and Image --Heidi Darr-Hope
• Grantwriting and the Power of Storytelling to Fund the Work You Love -- Lynn O'Connell
• Darkness and Dawn: Storytelling in Support of Grieving -- Gail Rosen
• The Art of Caregiving: An Appreciative Inquiry Workshop -- Dorothy Lander & John Graham-Pole
• Mother/Land: Witness, Vision & Transformation -- Cheryl Savageau
• Who Do You Thi nk You Are, and What (in the World) Are you Doing? -- Reggie Marra
• The Care and Feeding of the Artist: Taking Care of Yourself While Making Art, Making a Living & Making Community -- Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg
• Healing Ourselves with Words: Lessons from the Dying -- Larry Greer
• Transformational Revisioning: Moving Toward Full Expression Through Word, Image & Movement -- Denie Whalen
• Strategic Storytelling: The Art and Science of Putting Stories to Work -- Jo Tyler
• Unlocking the Melody -- David Warner
• Bringing People Together: How to Create a Successful Community Arts Program -- Katherine Tower
• Transforming Toxic Feedback: How Writers & Artists Can Survive and Thrive Through the Creative Process -- Joni Cole
• Visualizing Insight: Personal Transformation Through Words and Images-- Kris Frykman
• The Poetry Lab: Helping At-Risk Youth Find Their Voice Using Group Work & Spoken Word Poetry-- Mary Tinucci
• Wisdom Poetry & the Medical Healing Wisdom Tradition -- Robert Carroll
• Stories of Illness, Stories of Health -- Chris Fraser
• Revisioning: Empowering Your Words -- Joy Sawyer, Renee Ruderman, Cate Wiley
• Liberating Mind, Body & Spirit: Exploring the Metaphor of the Labyrinth -- Viki Levitt
• Unmasking Whiteness Through Racial Memory Whiting -- Margaret Cronin
• The Wheel Keeps Turning: Working with Community Bereavement Groups -- Laurie Kutchins
• The Very Act of Moving -- Paule Bezaire
• Making Theatre/Making a Difference -- Katt Lissard
• The Power of Songs, The Language of Music -- Greg Greenway
  

The Power of Words 2005 Conference 

The Power of Words conference: Liberating Yourself and the World Through the Spoken, Written and Sung Word, held Aug. 6-9, 2005 at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont brought together 80 writers, educators, counselors, activists, artists and storytellers to dwell together in liberation and language. The conference was luminous with moving moments, including a heart-felt tribute to Grace Paley, our keynote speaker who, because of illness, was unable to attend...or so we thought. That was until Grace and her husband Bob let us know that Grace was feeling well enough to drop in, and the whole conference gathered to give Grace a standing ovation, and listen to her wisdom about language, politics, and life.

Other highlights included an energetic performance by singer-songwriter Deidre McCalla who sang powerful and moving songs about social change, love, parenting, making and keeping community. She told stories of her life as an African-American, lesbian, single-parent doing home schooling while on the road, and sang us into greater community with each other. A magical spoken word performance that combined poetry of great tenderness and humor with stories, dancing and even sound from Thandiwe Shiphrah brought us all to our feet again. Many of us felt that it was simply the most amazing spoken word performance they had ever seen.

Visiting artist Heather Doyle-Maier’s installation, “99 Reasons for Silence” drew enthusiastic response from participants as well as the artwork of Carol Ray Philip, a display of paintings called “Transformations.” Novelist Katherine Towler read us portions of her novel, Evening Ferry, which captivated us and transported us to life on a coastal New England island in the 1960s.

Workshops were plentiful, and included the following rich mix of theory and practice in many forms of transformative language arts:

• Writing, Healing and Emotional Well-Being: The Theory Behind the Practice – Francis X. Charet – a workshop on theories of writing, expression and emotiona l disclosure.
• Opening to Sacred Feminism: Literature and Writing as Doorway for Teenaged Girls – Suzanne Ehst – focusing on tools and approaching for helping teens explore spirituality.
• The Passion of Inanna: Following Her Journey in Participatory Performance – Sharon Mathis – a performance followed by discussion
• Po*Art*ry – Anne Sheffield -- creation of illuminated manuscripts which were then displayed at the conference.
• Empowering Difference Through Story – Meg Gilman – hands-on tools for exploring diversity through storytelling
• Found Words, Found Intimacy – Nancy Shapiro – drawing on poetry therapy for writing and self-discovery.
• Writing Into the Woods: Ecopoetics Here and Now – Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg & Danielle LaFleur Brooks -- a talk, walk and then time to write from the earth.
• Grant-Writing and the Power of Story to Fund the Work You Love – Lynn O’Connell – tools and approaches for grant-writing and storytelling.
• From Art to Word: Natural Transformations – Carol Ray Phillips – Collecting natural found objects to make art and writing.
• Writing on Air: Reaching for Our Dreams – Joannah Merriman – drawing on dreams awake and asleep for writing.
• Transforming Words: An Interdisciplinary Experience of Poetry and Psychology – Jan Hitchcock – Insights on theory behind how poetry can transform.
• Body Poetry: An Exploration of Meaning and Creative Impulse – Traci Childress – A blend of yoga and writing to find meaning.
• Toward An Integral Perspective: Some Things to Consider as We Liberate Ourselves and the World – Reggie Marra – Drawing on Ken Wilbur’s integral theory as it relates to creating art from words.

Pre- and Post-conference workshops:

• Journal to the Self: A Journal Therapy Appetizer – Kathleen Adams, LPC, RPT-MS – a Journal therapy introduction.
• New Stories, New Lives: The Role of Narrative in Transformative Practice – Jim Sparrell, Ph.D. – New ways to use narrative therapy to make sense of our lives.
• Beyond Poetry Therapy – Joy Sawyer, RPT – How poetry therapy, and going beyond traditional therapies, can help us make and keep meaning and community.

The Power of Words 2004 Conference

The 2004 Power of Words conference was held June 26-28 at Goddard College. The conference also included panels on Right Livelihood, “TLA Forms of Delivery in the Field and Certification Options,” “Troubleshooting: Opening Doors with Compassion and Care”; a meeting to begin developing a TLA association; an open mic; and special opening and closing ceremonies. What most of us may remember, however, are the double rainbows over the campus one late afternoon after we dined alfresco together in the garden. This conference was partially funded by the National Association for Poetry Therapy Foundation, and the United Parcel Service Foundation.

Featured presenters were:

• Sherry Reiter, Ph.D., pioneer of poetry therapy, and drama therapist presented the workshops “Where I’m From: First Stop on the Poetry Therapy Express” and “Seven Sensational Poems of Transformation” along with the keynote address, “Geography Lessons: Mapping the Poetry Therapy Experience.” 
• Juanita Johnson, MA, storyteller, presented the workshop “Maps into the Soul,” and performed “A Tapestry of Life: Stories of Love, Laughter and Tears.”
• Enid Santiago Welch, from the Amherst riters and Artists Institute, presented the AWAI method in her workshop, “Writing with Women of Color.”
• Nancy Morgan, MA-TLA, arts and humanities director of the Lombardi Cancer Institute, presented the workshops “Finding Your Way Home” and “When in Rome: Speaking the Language of Medicine to Make the Case for TLA.”
• Danielle LaFleur Brooks, MA-TLA, MED, presented workshops on “Immerse Yourself in Color: From the Paint Brush to the Pen” and “Reflections: Queer Vo ices and Your Role as Facilitator.”
• Yvette Hyater-Adams, MA-TLA, and director of Renaissance Muse, presented the workshop “Metaphors, the Erotic and Survival.”
• Kathleen Cecelia Nesbitt, MA-TLA, MFA, presented “A Walk and Write with Nature.”
  

The Power of Words 2003 Conference

The inaugural Power of Words conference was held Aug. 15-17, 2003 at the college. Because of the power outage in much of the northeast, some of our main speakers were unable to attend, but we improvised by opening the doors for many participants to share their skills, stories and approaches. The conference also included an open mic, moving opening and closing ceremonies, wonderful walks through the woods and around campus, and a moonlight swim at a nearby lake for those ready to dive in. The conference was partially funded by a grant from the National Association for Poetry Therapy Foundation. The conference included:

• Gayle Johnson, MA-TLA, and a well-known grass-roots playwright and actress, presented workshops on “Trust: The Key to Disclosure” and “The Other Side: Self-Revelatory Performances” along with a theatrical performance, “Healing a Community with Voices of the Past.”
• Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Ph.D., CPT, presented “Write from the Earth” and “Write from the Soul: A Poetry Therapy Exploration.”
• Francis Charet, Ph.D., presented a mini workshops on dreamwork, and also participated in a panel discussion on Right Livelihood and TLA.
•  Many cited the TLA fair, held on a whim, as the highlight of the conference. The fair allowed conference participants to both share and experience others’ writing, storytelling, drama, yoga, and expressive arts exercises and approaches.
• Over a dozen participants presented short exercises on everything from dreams and writing, to body image and how we use imagery, to even yoga and writing.