From those in the field...
“Jacinta White has a special way of bringing people and words together to galvanize creativity and practical wisdom. She uses solid techniques of group work and writing therapy techniques to create programs and groups that are a delight.” Sherry Reiter, PhD, LCSW, Registered Poetry Therapist, Director of The Creative Righting Center and author of Writing Away the Demons: Stories of Creative Coping Through Transformative Writing “I have witnessed how Jacinta’s poise and deep respect for people create an environment within which healing and growth can occur.” John Fox, CPT, Director of The Institute for Poetic Medicine and author of Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making “Jacinta White has been such an inspiration to me and so many others at our hospice. She has a natural ability to provide a safe and comforting space to others. I have seen participants, in one of her presentations to our staff, process very challenging and painful feelings in a supported environment and move toward healing in the process of writing poetry and sharing about the experience. I have also experienced this in a one-on-one poetry writing session with Jacinta and found it to be very powerful. She has a profound gift that is quite rare.” Donna L. Anthony, LCSW, Medical Social Worker, Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro “I have contracted with Jacinta White for several years to assist me in various ways with poetry programs—including LifeVerse which has received national recognition—sponsored by the Greensboro Public Library. I have found her to be an extraordinary project leader, a congenial and thorough volunteer coordinator, and an inspiring poet. She is remarkably good with teens, older adults and everyone in between. Her ability to engage audiences through poetry is a gift. She is particularly good with folks who initially think that they do not like poetry. After a session with Jacinta, there are inevitably new ‘converts’ to poetry.” Steve Sumerford, Assistant Director,Greensboro Public Library “It was so nice to work with Ms. Jacinta White as she developed the Poetry Program at the Guilford County Juvenile Detention. Her skills and abilities to teach poetry helped the young men she worked with to become more expressive in their personal letter writing, and their vocabularies increased tremendously. Several of the young men stated to me that writing poetry helped them to relieve stress and release deep emotional burdens from their past. At the end of the poetry program a couple of shy and reserved youth gained the confidence to present their written poetry work to a full audience of staff, family members and their peers.” Doug Logan, Director of Court Alternatives/Juvenile Detention Division | From workshop participants...
[children/youth participants] "I wasn’t good at poetry, now I am." "My writing has improved because of taking this workshop." "I thought this was going to be boring but it wasn’t." "These workshops helped me a lot with dealing with my anger." "My self-esteem has improved." [college student participants] "She [Jacinta] was great and made me have a different outlook on poetry." "It made me get in touch with my feelings." "It was great! Definitely stirred my emotion for poetry. "Thanks for pushing the limitations in my mind." "Awesome." [adult participants] "Loved the exercises." "This workshop exceeded my expectations." "Continue to have more workshops." "I came with dread of the task but it proved to be an enjoyable and enlightening time. Thank you." "This workshop was not only about creativity and written expression; it was also about dialogue, friendship and growth. Thank you for a truly beautiful experience." "A feeling of understanding and peace took place. " "I don’t write poetry! Today, I learned to think of images, colors—I helped write a poem! Thank you." "Today, there were moments when I felt tears wail." |
