Introduction Recently, I asked the members of the ASCNYC Creative Writing Workshop to jot down a word or phrase representing their thoughts about the role of poetry and creative expression in their lives. Here’s a sampling of their responses: Power. Healing. Cleansing. Heart-delighting. Freedom. Self-discovery. Beauty in motion. A summer’s buzz that runs through my soul. The replies to my question were as varied as the styles and substance of the poems you’ll find in this, our 15th issue of Situations. The participants’ responses capture the fundamental purpose of the ASCNYC Creative Writing Workshop, which is to offer a contemplative and vibrant space for exploration, reflection, and self-expression. By partaking of the weekly opportunity to read, write, and talk about poetry together, the workshop’s participants reinforce their own efforts toward recovery, health maintenance, and overall wellbeing. Their poems reflect these journeys with clarity and courage. The poems in these pages cover enormous ground: addiction, HIV, familial issues, aging, neighborhood life, friendship, philosophy, love, loss, the pleasures of reading, self-reinvention—and yes, the transformative potential of poetry itself. Inventiveness and “making things new again” are what poetry is all about. I hope, as you read the wonderful poems by the 22 poets included here, you’ll find plenty to be inspired by. Gerry Gomez Pearlberg Workshop Leader
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