Practicing Poetry with Ryan Flannigan

Poetry practices for healing, awareness, and growth. Give your emotions an outlet, grow your self-awareness, and build sober, creative community.

Poetry is one of the most accessible art forms—all you need is a heart and a pen. In this workshop, you’ll learn poetic forms and techniques, a process for writing poetry, and how to push through creative blocks by giving value to your voice.

Open to all levels of experience. No expectations. No pressure. It’s about self-expression, having fun with words, and getting them on the page. 

About Ryan:
In sobriety, Ryan discovered writing as an outlet for emotions, a path to self-discovery, and a method for building community. Primarily a spoken-word poet who performs at open mics, he also writes short fiction and professionally as a copywriter. He has a BA in English and has been teaching workshops at CAiR for several years. 

Improvisation and recovery share many of the same principles and ideals. Consider these: UNITY, TRUST, BOLDNESS, TRUTH, DISCOVERY, and even JOY. 

Improvisation and recovery are unique in that both require a group of people to trust themselves and each other to create a reality from nothing except the willingness to work together and discover something that has never existed before.  This six week course will explore how recovery and improvisation are alike while learning the basics of improvisation.

Absolutely no experience required for this, no pressure class. Join us!

Keith Rains Bio:

Keith has been improvising in Denver for over 24 years. He trained with Theater Sports, Bovine Metropolis Theater, Rise Comedy, and scores of workshops and intensive sessions with artists from around the country. He has coached and instructed at Bovine Metropolis, Rise Comedy, and Boulder Improv Collective.  Keith regularly performs with Makeshift Shakespeare at Chaos Bloom theater, Hit andRun Musical Improv at Rise comedy, and Once upon a Genre at What If Theater in Lakewood.  Keith believes that improvisation is an expressive art that enhances skills that are part of successful recovery. It fosters being present in the moment, open to what is possible, and full cooperation and trust of oneself and other member of an ensemble.

This is a Virtual Workshop and will take place on Zoom.

Description: In this 6-week class, we’ll explore the 7 chakras—the body’s energetic centers—using expressive artmaking and journal writing. We’ll learn a little about each chakra and translate these insights into intuitive artwork.

Weekly Themes:

1. Root Chakra (Muladhara) – Grounding & stability
2. Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana) – Flow & creativity
3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) – Confidence & personal power
4. Heart Chakra (Anahata) – Love & compassion
5. Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) – Expression & truth
6. Third Eye & Crown Chakras (Ajna & Sahasrara) – Intuition & Connection to Higher Power

What to Expect:
● Mini-discussion about chakras
● Creative prompts
● Sharing 
● Materials:
          ■ You will need a journal and your favorite art-making supplies.

About Quána:

Quána Madison is an artist, mindfulness teacher, healing arts workshop facilitator and self-leadership coach. She combines inner wellness practices with expressive arts to promote creative expression, community and holistic well-being. A graduate of New York University and Colorado College, Quána holds a MA in Education and a BA in Philosophy. More information is available at www.quanamadison.com