Vicky has been teaching poetry as a tool for learning about ourselves and the world for the last 34 years. She has presented at conferences for the National Association for Poetry Therapy and the National and International Expressive Arts Therapy Associations; has been published in numerous books and anthologies; and worked with children, adolescents, adults, at-risk populations, special needs groups, teachers, counselors and parenting groups for years.

Vicky shares a bit more about her inspirations in this quick Q&A:

What draws you to poetry?

To me, it’s a way to distill all the conversations we have in our head and gain meaning from them, gleam the beauty from out of the storm, distill the meaning from everything. Even the difficult things reveal beauty – like those seeds that only open during a forest fire.

How does nature inspire your work?

I go to it for comfort when I need to rinse the world out of myself. It always inspires me in all it gives so selflessly — I want to be like nature, giving everything I have selflessly.

What do you hope students in the School Overnight Program take away from their experience with art?

I hope it deepens their relationship with nature, to feel the shared experience and to take a moment to appreciate it and become stewards for the rest of their lives.