So, how did I "get" to be a poetry therapist? It's one of those stories that look like all roads led to this place, and finally crystallized in a moment of serendipity. But, let go backwards a "bit"...

Love of words, love of books, love of writing. I can't remember a time when those were absent. Does anyone remember those Scholastic Book order forms from school? Getting to choose my own books was a heady experience. I even wanted, and got, books as presents. Not only did I love reading, I loved (and still do) the form of the book itself. The heft or lightness of it, the cover art, the graphics, they all enticed me. I feel the same way about pens and paper. The physicality of them; the way a certain pen feels in my hand, the way the ink flows, the color choice. And the paper; whether it's a special notebook, or a plain composition book, or a post-it note to jot down a fast idea or fragment. Stationery stores and bookstores are my favorite haunts.

Bookstores especially. A "down" day can be transformed once I am absorbed in the stacks. This too, has an early beginning. My parents divorced when I was young, and my father, a big reader himself, took me to bookstores on the weekends and let me get anything I wanted! We'd go back to his house and he'd read the Sunday New York Times, while I lay down on the couch with a book. (So parents, plant those seeds early!) It's an indelible and comforting memory.

When I was in the fifth grade, I found the book, Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzgerald. If you haven't read it - you must - even as an adult. I still have my Dell Yearling paperback -75 cents!   In the story, Harriet has a secret notebook, which she fills with writing about her family, classmates and people in the neighborhood. I bought an identical composition notebook, and thus began my entry into keeping a journal, which I have continued to this day.

Zooming to the college years, I was a psychology/education major, still writing in my journal and dabbling now and again with what I called "poems."   But at that time, I thought I really wanted to work with children, and eventually become a child psychologist. While that was not the route I finally chose, my educational background would provide me with the groundwork for future training as a poetry therapist. The National Association for Poetry Therapy requires many psychology courses as a pre-requisite to certification, and I had taken them in college. My educational background was also invaluable and informative to the work I now do with children and poetry.

After college, (after the numerous weird and totally unrelated jobs we all seem to fall into), I did a long stint at an advertising agency. First as a secretary to get my foot in the door, and then as a copywriter. There I had the opportunity to hone my creative talents by writing national print ads and television commercials.

After many years in that field, I left, and turned my attention towards my writing life. I took classes in fiction writing, and storytelling. I also did a lot of volunteer work, such as recording books on tape for the blind (words!), working with the elderly, and getting involved with several community projects. During the summers, I volunteered with the New York Therapeutic Riding Center, where I was trained as a sidewalker, and helped physically disabled children with their horseback riding lessons.

Something else happened too, and it was momentous. Free of the regular nine to five, I had more time to explore what role spirituality played in my life. I found a greater connection and delved into questions of faith. This would become another key for my later work in developing my Divine Inspiration Workshop.

I became aware that "April is National Poetry Month." As much as I loved reading, and books of all kinds, I wondered why I was not drawn to reading poetry. I began writing poetry more seriously, and attending all kinds of poetry events. In a short time I was hooked; completely taken in.

Then, the serendipitous moment I mentioned in the beginning. In a bookstore I saw a copy of Poets and Writers magazine. There was an article about John Fox, noted Certified Poetry Therapist, as well as a poet and writer. There were descriptions of the field of poetry therapy, and The National Association for Poetry Therapy! I couldn't believe they existed! I went on the Internet, quickly found them and requested a training manual.

I remember sitting outside, in the courtyard of a New York City high-rise. It was summer, my favorite time of year and I had found this nice quiet place, with my very own table and umbrella. I sat there reading the manual, and I must have been smiling and bobbing my head up and down in a "yes" motion. This was for me!

That "yes" feeling never left me. Throughout the training, I constantly felt I was in the right place, the place I was always meant to be. There I could take all my interests and talents - writing, reading, working in groups, psychology, creative pursuits, spiritual concerns and most importantly, the desire to help others, and combine them into a new career.

My work is a gift, and it feels like a calling. Sometimes I think it took too long to get to this place, but now I realize it could not have happened any other way.