Revisionary Arts

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS OF REVISIONARY ARTS (RA) FOR 2022. COMMUNITY WORKSHOP SERIES -BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER 2020, OUR MONTHLY OPEN-TO-THE-COMMUNITY THERAPEUTIC POETRY WORKSHOPS WAS RA'S FIRST PROGRAM. IT MEETS ON THE THIRD SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH VIA ZOOM AND SERVES ANYWHERE FROM 12-25 PEOPLE. WE ROTATE OUR FACILITATORS (AND INTERNS) FOR THIS SERIES SO THAT EACH SESSION IS DIFFERENT AND NEW. SOME WORKSHOPS ARE THEMED, SOME COMBINE POETRY WITH OTHER COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES SUCH AS MUSIC AND DRAWING (EVEN ANIMALS/PETS) TO AUGMENT THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS. WE'VE COLLECTED DATA FROM THESE WORKSHOPS SINCE DEC. 2020, AND PARTICIPANTS HAVE REPORTED A GREATER SENSE OF WELL-BEING FOLLOWING OUR WORKSHOPS, A SENSE OF FELLOWSHIP - I.E. A SHARED COMMUNITY OF SUFFERERS - GREATER INSIGHT INTO THEIR GRIEF/TRAUMA AS WELL AS THEIR RELATIONSHIPS, AND A HEIGHTENED ABILITY TO FIND PEACE AND HEALING. UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE-PHOENIX - THIS PARTNERSHIP WAS FORGED BY RA'S FOUNDING DIRECTOR BEFORE RA WAS INCORPORATED, SO RA WAS "GRANDFATHERED" INTO SEVERAL PROGRAMS AT UA INCLUDING GRAND ROUNDS, THE SHARE YOUR VOICE DRIVE, THE LIVING LIBRARY, THE FIRST/SECOND YEAR NARRATIVE MEDICINE COHORT, THE JOURNAL OF THE NARRATIVE MEDICINE PROGRAM (CHART), AND THE MEDICAL POETRY JOURNAL, GREY MATTER, WHICH IS RUN BY RA'S DIRECTOR. THROUGH THIS PARTNERSHIP, RA HAS INTERACTED WITH OVER 200 PHYSICIANS AND NUMEROUS MEDICAL STUDENTS, INSTRUCTING THEM IN THE PRACTICES AND APPLICATIONS OF NARRATIVE MEDICINE. IN 2022, RA BECAME THE SPONSOR/CREATOR OF THE PHARMACY OF POEMS INSIDE THE COMPASSION CENTER AT BANNER UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. THE PHARMACY DISPENSES PRESCRIPTIVE POEMS TO PROVIDERS, STAFF, AND TARGETED PATIENT POPULATIONS. MARICOPA REENTRY CENTER (MRC) - THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH MRC, A LOCKDOWN FACILITY RUN BY THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND DESIGNED TO FUNCTION AS A 90-DAY REHABILITATION AND REENTRY FACILITY FOR FORMERLY INCARCERATED PEOPLES WHO HAVE RECENTLY VIOLATED THEIR PAROLE, SPANNED 8 MONTHS, AND INVOLVED TWO INTERN ROTATIONS. THERAPEUTIC POETRY WORKSHOPS (AVERAGING AROUND 2 HOURS) WERE FACILITATED WEEKLY FOR THE 90-DAY PROGRAM. FOR THE FINAL 2 MONTHS OF THE PARTNERSHIP, WEEKLY WORKSHOPS WERE ALSO FACILITATED FOR THE SHORT-TERM RESIDENTS. ONE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY STUDENT AND ONE NURSING STUDENT SHADOWED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE ASSUMING FACILITATION RESPONSIBILITIES. DURING RA'S TENURE AT MRC, WE WORKED WITH 4 90-DAY COHORTS AND WITNESSED NUMEROUS SUCCESSFUL "GRADUATIONS" FROM THE PROGRAM.