Describes the benefits of combining poetic expression with computers in promoting positive mental health. Discuses prescriptive poetry, composition, computerized poetic exercises, computers and poetry for groups and families, computerized poetic records, and poetic communication. (JAC)

Provides a framework and suggests tools to assist the grieving for loss of dreams. Discusses distinguishing which losses are loss of dreams, grieving the loss of dreams, putting shattered dreams in perspective, and having new dreams. (SR)

Examines the four existential realities of isolation, meaninglessness, death, and freedom as a framework for understanding Dante's "Divine Comedy." Argues that studying this text and its metaphors offers an enriched understanding of the dilemmas of human existence which can refine the understanding of the therapeutic relationship.…

Present an overview of the field of poetry therapy, discussing definitions, goals, applications, theory, and method (describing a typical session). Notes that this report was originally submitted for testimony on Capitol Hill. (SR)

Examines poetry written by a South African political prisoner (including verses found in his possession at the time of death) who died in custody under suspicious circumstances. Concludes that suicide (the official explanation) was a most unlikely explanation for his death, which was far more likely to be due to murder or neglect. (SR)

Examines the place of poetry within five major schools of psychotherapy. Presents the process of self-creation as a final common pathway for poetry and therapy. Applies specific principles of poetry therapy to schizophrenic patients. Concludes with an identification of key issues pertaining to the role of the therapist and the field of poetry…

This report outlines the extent of the problem of adolescent suicide in the United States, noting that suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents in this country and that the rate of suicide by adolescents is expected to continue to increase in the future. It examines one adolescent suicide, using the case study method, to…

Argues that English folk verse is tightly patterned at the level of the quatrain, and rhythmic cadences are arranged in nonrandom, essentially strategic fashion. Examines why 26 truncation patterns are adhered to consistently through multiple stanzas. Explains the relevance of optimality theory to the study of quatrain types, developing an…

Explores the challenges of performing children's nonsense poetry with, rather than to, an audience of children. Discusses different nonsense operations and offers a broad-based scheme for making performance decisions about what kind of nonverbal emphasis to use in performance. Includes examples with suggestions for performance. (SR)

Examines features that make Wole Soyinka's poems bilingual and bicultural. Four linguistic strategies revealing features used in Yoruba poetic discourse are identified across Soyinka's four anthologies: literal translation, creative translation, transference, and stylistic translation. The study reveals that the native language and literary…

Explores the context within which the early masterpieces of Tennyson and Picasso were created, the style and substance of the work themselves, and the possible relationships between their young and old selves as mediated by their own artistic creations. Notes similarities between Tennyson and Picasso. Contends people may also transcend their…

Offers a brief look at articles in the field of nursing that deal with poetry therapy in healthcare training programs. Argues that all individuals in the field can benefit from an expansion of the imagination and of empathy which poetry can provide, and calls for more writing on the topic. (SR)

Displays the essays and poetry of the first-place winners of the first Michigan Social Studies Olympiad, a competition for fourth through twelfth grade students which had as its theme the celebration of the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution and Michigan's sesquicentennial. (JDH)

Discusses the use of poetry therapy, utilizing poems composed by the bereaved, as a creative vehicle in grief counseling with adolescents and young adults. Suggests additional strategies for those involved in the assimilation of the death of a parent. (SR)

Describes several practical ideas for using poetic expression in an elementary school. Notes that counselors can promote increased sensitivity and insight among children while assisting them in achieving greater cognitive, emotional, and behavioral awareness of themselves, others, and their environment, by using poetry. (ABB)