Retrospective

Jim,

I certainly do remember you! … I'm so happy to hear from you. I'd love to hear more. The short version of news is that I'm extremely happy and living in south Louisiana, The past 20 years I've been an independent educational consultant on poetry writing in the public school classroom. In 1986, I became part of the team of artist-educators with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Through their programs and my own Inner Writer Program, I've taught poetry writing to over 40,000 young people and to several thousand teachers. I've also taught poetry writing to hundreds of other adults, mostly in weekend retreat settings. It has been a richly rewarding life. I've traveled a great deal, have taught workshops from Maine to Florida to Wisconsin, Texas, Montana, and Hawaii. I'm in a wonderful, peaceful, happy and loving relationship with Fran Clarke, a woman I met here in Louisiana (moved here in 1998). Fran is a psychotherapist, and we also do combined work using music, art, and poetry writing. We just presented our work with breast cancer survivors at the Society for Arts and Healing national conference in Florida. Last August, Fran and I bought a Cajun-style cottage on a beautiful little lake, right on the water. We wake each morning and watch herons and egrets land on our lawn. We also have a little boat. Last February, on the night of the full moon (a warm balmy night), we had a dinner of roast chicken and potatoes and red wine, with candlelight, on the boat, in the middle of the lake. The moon was full and the lake like glass, magical. So, it's a restful haven after years and years of travel. That's the nutshell version. Let me hear more, and tell me about your interest in resuming writing.

Warmest regards,

Sandy Lyne