Writing the Here and Now: Mindful Writing // with Marianela Medrano

“If you only take one thing from this class, let it be how poetry is the metabolic process of emotions.”

The whole world can rest in the comfort of words and the vastness of poetry. Poetry is a portal to higher consciousness; it opens up doors both inside and outside our connection with others.

In this one-day writing workshop, the practices will include mindfulness meditation, writing, and other contemplative activities.

Each practice is intended to solidify mindfulness in the general sense and specifically for writing.

Mindful writing is this process of using writing to externalize one’s consciousness and tie together the inner and outer worlds.

Mindfulness allows people to get in touch with the body and the mind, facilitating creative writing.

What You Will Experience

Each practice is intended to tap into body, mind, and spirit to awaken parts of the self to render it whole.  We’ll explore four pathways illustrated by poems that can help generate integration. The practice of meditation and the seeking of wisdom lead to what is called a wholesome human being.

We’ll get to know each other and discuss in depth the central tenets of the pathways to wholeness in Mindful Writing.  The kind of writing we’ll do together has the potential to open new pathways in the brain to help us venture into the vastness of being focused on the present moment and free from fragmentation.

In summary, the day will include:

1. Reading poems and responding to them
2. Meditation of many sorts
3. Group interactions
4. Mindful movement

Who Should Take This Workshop?

Anyone interested in the power of words! 

The TLA Network offers scholarships based on income as well as some partial scholarships for people living with serious illness and/or disability or people of color. Please fill out this scholarship application form so that we can find the best way to make the class accessible to you.

What people are saying about learning with Marianela:

I am beyond thankful for Dr. Marianela Medrano’s generosity. She was my mentor and supervisor during my CAPF (Certified Applied Poetry Therapy Facilitator) training with the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy. I cannot think of anyone better than her for this process. Her knowledge and experience greatly impacted my work as a bilingual Poetry Therapy facilitator. We have co-facilitated several bilingual poetry therapy workshops in North Carolina, and all our participants keep asking me to bring her back. She is my Maestra forever.— Irania Patterson, CAPF 

Where and When Does the Workshop Meet?

This is an online workshop. It will meet live via Zoom on Sunday, March 29, 2026 for four hours from 1 PM - 5 PM ET | 12 PM - 4 PM CT | 11 AM - 3 PM MT | 10 AM - 2 PM PT | 6 PM - 10 PM UTC. The workshop will be recorded and the recording shared only with registrants.

About the Facilitator

Marianela Medrano was born in the Dominican Republic and has lived in Connecticut, USA, since 1990. She is a poet and writer of nonfiction and fiction. She holds a PhD in psychology. Her work appears in anthologies and magazines in Latin America, Europe, and the United States. Her poetry has been translated into Italian and French.    She cares deeply for the Earth and dreams of a healthy planet. Her research focuses on Afro-Taino peoples, the impact of historical trauma, and the spiritual roots of these traditions. Dr. Medrano’s work is also centered around building and supporting Ecodharma initiatives.  She is a certified Mindfulness meditation teacher and leads efforts to build libraries and writing workshops for children in her native country. In 2023, Dr. Medrano received a grant from the Bess Family Foundation, which she is using to investigate mindfulness as a vehicle to advance ecological initiatives focused on interspecies care in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Medrano has lectured in many countries, including Spain, India, Colombia, El Salvador, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. She has worked with various populations and on various mental health issues, including drug and alcohol addiction, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and family/marriage counseling. Dr. Medrano’s books include Oficio de Vivir (Buho,1986), Los Alegres Ojos de la Tristeza (Buho,1987), Regando Esencias/The Scent of Waiting (Alcance,1998), Curada de Espantos (Torremozas, 2002), Diosas de la Yuca (Torremozas, 2011), Prietica (Alfaguara, 2013), and Rooting (Owlfeather Collective, 2017). Some of her articles can be found in the Journal of Poetry Therapy (Taylor & Francis), the Sandplay Therapy Journal, and Sisters of Caliban, among others.