Every social movement of health consequence has been backed by songs, poems, and dance to codify resistance, galvanize community, inspire imagination, and testify for more just futures. For those of us “at the margins,” creative modes of expression have always been critical to our learning and survival. For us, “poetry is not a luxury” (Lorde). Poetry offers a necessary space for healing, resistance, and resurgence as public health continues the struggle towards health justice. It has the power to push boundaries and reimagine narratives of health equity—opening new dialogues that (re)center the voice and agency of those most burdened by social inequality.

In a time when LOVE *and* RESISTANCE must be simultaneous acts, this “lab” will continue the work of illuminating the necessity of both STATS *and* STANZAS to create public health futures of radical possibility. Through engaging poetry as praxis, we’ll explore the epistemological, ethical, and material imperative of remixing/reimagining public health knowledge production, expression, and curation practices to more fully—and unapologetically—”center the margins,” with poetry a necessary format of health equity discourse for resistance, refusal, and healing.

A space and community of/for poetic health justice at the intersections of poetry & public health, created & curated via:

• Reading poetry
• Reading/critiquing public health literature
• Writing & workshopping poetry
• Poetry workshops w/ guest facilitators
• Open mic nights / poetry reading events
• Poetry contests
• Poetry chapbooks
• Publishing poetry
• Lectures, panels, & invited speakers

PI (Poetic Instigator): Dr. Ryan J. Petteway, Associate Professor, SPH

Co-PIs: Looking for 1 undergraduate and 1 graduate student…

Members/Participants/Poets: Students, faculty, & staff in SPH

Questions: petteway@pdx.edu