Poetry on Prescription: Healing with the Arts

Should a doctor prescribe poetry-writing, or visiting an art gallery, as an alternative for medication? The fact that medical professionals are increasingly doing so in a range of countries provides the context for this two-day event. Could this be a case where Western medicine is catching up with practices First Nations communities have enacted for millenia? How are health and wellbeing impacted by creative art?  

Sessions will range from a discussion of current policy settings, papers on the relationship between poetry and wellbeing, panel-discussions among artists and community workers, along with hands-on poetry writing and creative arts workshops.  

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The first day’s activities will culminate in the award of the 2024 Vice Chancellor’s Poetry Prize and the 2024 Health Poetry Prize.  The second day will include two creative workshops, starting with a morning haiku walk on the UC Campus.​

This is a free event, hosted by the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research (CCCR) and the Health Research Institute (HRI), University of Canberra.

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