About This Course

Poetry is not only a powerful healing tool but also a stunning art form that was lauded during the time of the Prophet (saw). As we know, the miracles that Allah sent down were crafted specifically for the people and what they were known to appreciate and have as a foundation of their culture. For the people of Isa (as)'s time who were gifted in medicine, Allah gifted Isa (as) with the miracle of healing. For the people of Muhammad (saw)'s time who were skilled and versed in poetry, Allah sent down the Qur'an. We are literally from the people of poetry! The poetry space of today is dominated by several types of voices but a key one seems to be missing: the Muslim voice. How ironic given our history!

This poetry class will take place over a period of 4 weeks. Students will begin by journaling, and we will do a short lesson, activity and/or discussion that is relevant to the topic at hand. Lastly, we will focus on the tangibles: crafting our own poetry pieces that we can perform, read or submit to contests. At the end of this class, students will be more engaged with a writing practice that they are comfortable with, have crafted pieces of varying styles, and get feedback in a brave space from their fellow classmates and peers as well as learn how to give effective feedback when workshopping poetry together.