Germantown community members of all ages are invited to attend this free poetry workshop as part of Healing Verse Germantown: The Streets Are Talking, a poetry and public art project cultivating peace and resistance against gun violence in Germantown and throughout Philadelphia. Light bites and refreshments will be served. Participants will receive a stipend for their participation in this workshop.  This program runs from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Stewarded by lead artists/curators Trapeta B. Mayson and Yolanda Wisher and a licensed social worker/trauma specialist team, the workshops offer a safe and creative place for participants to translate their experiences with gun violence into healing verses of poetry.

This workshop will provide all the tools needed to guide you through the creative writing process, including interactive prompts, props, and worksheets. All participants will also receive writing utensils, a notebook and a tote bag with helpful mental health resources.

Registration to the workshops admits 1 participant. Each participant should register individually. Use this link to register.

Healing Verse Germantown: The Streets Are Taking (HVG) is a new poetry and public art initiative addressing the mental health impacts of gun violence on the Germantown community. The project begins with a series of 10 community poetry workshops in Germantown between October 2024 to February 2025.

From November 2024-November 2025, the 24/7 toll-free Healing Verse Poetry Line will feature poems by Germantown residents. Workshop participants who are interested in having their poems featured will have an opportunity to record their poem at the end of the workshop. A selection of poems created in the workshops will also be featured as poetry public art displayed throughout Germantown in 2026.

More information about Healing Verse Germantown is available online.