Claire Holmes, age 17
My time at The Poetry Studio] has been crucial to my development as a human being. I’m so glad I started at the studio at such a young age and then continued to take classes as I grew up, because what was taught at the studio also applied to the greater world. Not only were we learning how to become poets; we were also learning how to become people. We expressed so much daily gratitude for nature, each other, and ourselves, most of which I don’t have time for or make time for in my daily life at school or in general society. I feel at peace in the studio. I was never worried about what others would think of me. I felt safe and accepted, and I was always amazed by how hard everyone worked to create a space full of creativity, appreciation, and love. It feels remarkable to have been able to spend so much time in such a beautifully sacred place.
Ella Bathory-Peeler, age 18
I started attending the summer workshops at The Poetry Studio when I was 7 years old without a clue as to the role poetry would play in my coming years. I am now 18 years old and use poetry to process my most intense and seemingly unexplainable emotions. The pressure of adolescence and the complexities of mental/emotional growth are greatly underestimated. Children and teenagers are expected to be constantly producing: taking tests and exams, turning in papers, projects, and reflections, yet there is no time factored in for genuine reflection. Poetry has become my medium by which I reflect and dive into myself when the outside world fails to give me the time and space I need to do so. I would be a less centered person without poetry. Without The Poetry Studio, I wouldn’t have the tranquil, open, and respectful relationship with poetry that I do now. Ann, Tony, Trey, and the many other adults I worked with at The Poetry Studio opened their hearts to me in a way that showed respect and honest curiosity to the anxious and scared 7-year-old who hesitantly followed her Mama into the studio doors. Because of their transparency and open-hearts, that worried little girl grew into the confident young woman I am proud to be today. The Poetry Studio is my oasis and my place of breath. It is my home I never want to leave and will always return to. It is my place of comfort, introspection, strength, vulnerability, and growth.
Frida Rosner, age 20
Going to poetry classes at Ann and Tony’s poetry studio has been a really special and valuable part of my life throughout my childhood. I’ve been able to take with me a love of language and an interest in creative self expression. There’s also numerous positive memories that I carry with me. I spent so many happy and cozy afternoons writing, doing art, and bookmaking in the poetry studio and in the beautiful gardens. I got to explore language and try out techniques of embodying inanimate objects or painting an emotion-based landscape with my words. Poetry has been an incredible tool for growth, creativity, and bonding. The environment that Ann and Tony foster is one of community and mutual support. From the very beginning, as a 6-year old entering the studio for a summer session, it was both a welcoming space where there was this incredible amount of creative freedom and a space with certain expectations that we participate in certain practices to maintain such a warm and productive space. Through the use of tools like sitting like a mountain to listen to other poets, and raising hands to share positive feedback on other’s poems, we established a sense of respect for each other and a sense of unity. I am so grateful to have had the privilege to grow up as a part of Ann and Tony’s poetry community.
Aashna Kinkhabwala, age 22
The Poetry Studio is such a magical place. It brings together so many people in a place of beauty and joy. I remember feeling like being there rejuvenated my soul before I had to go back to school. I was able to see friends I didn’t see any other time of the year and just be in the gardens soaking up the sun. It was so easy to write out in those gardens because there was no judgment or stress, only love and nature. The energy surrounding The Poetry Studio was always calming, even at the end of the week when we were wrapping up everything. I wish I had spent more time there as a young adult while in high school and college, but somehow there was no time. Time seems to move faster as one gets older and there never seems to be enough of it. I think one of the best parts of The Poetry Studio is that time feels like it moves slower, it is easier to just be in the moment and breathe without feeling the pressures of the outside world. I’m grateful to be a part of this amazing studio and that I am able to always carry a small piece of it wherever I go.
Em (Hexe) Batchelder, age 31
Ann and Tony gave me permission to be a poet and artist. It has been one of my greatest gifts in life. They took my work seriously, always: through over a decade of their mentorship I learned how to prioritize my commitment to being a maker and writer of things. They have given hundreds of children of all ages the opportunity to believe in themselves. All children deserve to know that they each possess a unique ability to make beauty in a world that desperately needs more of it. I hold the deepest gratitude for Tony and Ann for their lifelong commitment to this work, and for creating a community of young poet-artists that allowed us to feast on the bounty that comes when cultivating mutual respect, joy, and wonderment. All at the perfect speed of beauty at The Poetry Studio.
Rhys McGovern, age 31
The Poetry Studio was a part of my life for many years, and those weeks are still strong in my memory 15 years later. I have only grown in appreciation of all the skills Ann, Tony, and Lara imparted to me — not just the writing and bookbinding, but the practice and effort of introspection and quiet reflection. I learned so much about myself, who I was with others, and who I could be in the world, under the gentle guidance and inspiration of the space Ann and Tony created with each other and throughout their magical gardens.
Harry Poster, age 32
When I was a smaller little boy I was very worried that everyone could see what I was feeling, or hear my opinions before I spoke them. I knew that if that were true, no one would understand or like me. Because of this I worked hard to not betray myself. Luckily there was a protected space very close to where I lived – where I was invited to be specific and put all of my fear of being misunderstood into words. I was asked if a word I didn’t know sounded like what I meant, and if not, implored to find the word that did. I was told that I could be ambiguous now, but later I had a chance to use poetry scissors to remove the unnecessary language. I was taught a craft of writing on terms that didn’t intimidate or condescend. Along the way I discovered the unique voices of poets from around the world – one of them being my own. I was given agency to speak; at seven, at twelve, at sixteen, and I was given a studio where I learned how to create. The poetry studio was my first professional residency, and I started working there in first grade. I am a lucky alum of a studio for growing poets and artists of any age. I cannot imagine where I’d be without that home. Thank you, Ann. Thank you, Tony.