We are about to embark on a poetry journey together. Why are we going? Because poetry changes us. Do you want to come with us?

If I look back on any of the hard parts of the last years, I will find a poem.

When I leaf through the pages of my journals, I find poems. Snippets and snatches of words, shadows crossing the page, glimmers of light.

When I am weary of everything, I open up one of my books of poetry: Jane Kenyon, Rainer Maria Rilke, Mary Oliver, Ada Limón.

Poems are like companions.

Sometimes I chop onions and tomatoes with the words of the Psalms in my ears, listening to my Bible app and letting the words rush over me. Sometimes I put away my work and lie in my hammock with a book of poems. I often start the day with random poetry from poetry websites.

The poets have a lot to say to us.

To be sure, there is a lot that the Stoics can help with. I learn from the Stoics that I can only focus on what I can control, that I should pay the taxes of life gladly, that my life has limits. Some good and faithful boundaries for the daily work of life.

There are things that mathematicians alone can teach me. I can even learn from productivity gurus. (A tiny bit, I can learn a tiny bit.)

But the poets teach me that my life bleeds everywhere, that I am a bird and the bird is me, that worms are closer to my selfhood than I know, that there is a place for the giant, overwhelming emotions of being human. That boundaries are fuzzy, and that is okay. There are always moments when you are impaled by beauty and when all your carefully laid plans crumble, and for that, for that, there is also a response.

Writing a poem is a relief from the transactional world. Writing a poem is an act of play and protest. Writing poetry is a gift to your community.

Let's immerse ourselves in poetry.

What is Living Poetry?

Living Poetry is an eight-week immersion in reading and writing poems, starting October 19, 2026, and going until December 10, 2026.

(Calls are at 5:00-7:00 pm PST on Mondays and Thursdays. If there is sufficient interest for a European/African-friendly time zone, we can try to do that as well!)

• Curated poems and prompts in your inbox five days a week for a true immersion.

• An invitation to write every day, gathering words and getting them down.

• Video calls twice a week with lessons, group writing, and workshop/question time.

• A group for sharing your writing.

Jump in to join a kind community of humans, living in poetry together!

What if I can’t make it for the video calls?

All calls are recorded and uploaded, so you can attend in person or follow along at your own pace.

Is it okay if I’ve never written poetry before?

100% !!!

This course is for those who have been writing poetry for years, those who have never written a poem, and everyone in between.

What is your cancellation policy?

We do not offer refunds, but you will be able to access and follow along with the videos if it turns out that you can’t make the classes.

Who am I?

I’m Rachel Devenish Ford, the author of eighteen much-loved books, including two volumes of poetry.

I’ve been writing and sharing on the Internet since 2005, and I have cultivated an honest way of writing as I seek and find joy in the ordinary things in life.

I am a mother of five children, and I understand the process of fitting writing into a busy life and the support we need to do it.

With my community, I run a meditation space in the Christian tradition and have guided hundreds of circles over the last fifteen years, gaining skills in listening and guiding conversations with people of many backgrounds and beliefs.

I have facilitated women’s circles and art meditations, devotion circles, and retreats.

I’m an intuitive artist, a lifelong journaler and poet, and a woman who always has a foot in different worlds. After living in Canada, the US, Nepal, and India, my family moved to Thailand. I’ve written thousands of poems and writing and reading poetry has held and sustained me throughout my life.

Here’s what students of my other courses have to say.

Ready to Reserve your seat?