Presenter Biography

Poet-forager Jen Lighty teaches workshops founded on her commitment to soul growth and spiritual transformation. Author of two poetry collections, Siren and Bluebell: The Apocalypse Diary, with numerous poems published in national journals, she has been a work-study scholar at The Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and studied with many of the finest poets in the country. She holds a Certificate in Permaculture from Earth Activist Training where she studied with Starhawk. As a permaculturist, she is dedicated to social justice and sustainability and incorporates these themes into her workshops. A certified JourneyDance™ instructor since 2006, she guides students into the unknown depths of their bodies through dance and movement in order to embody their writing practice more fully. In addition, she is a Reiki Master/teacher with a private practice on Block Island. She has taught a series of innovative workshops at the Block Island Poetry Project for the past five years reflecting her many passions. From plant foraging to the medicine wheel, she is a teacher committed to guiding her students through the initiatory process as they develop their poetic craft.