Poetic Intelligence: Poetry For Story, Connection, Healing
A virtual Community of Practice
Event details
November 10, 2026
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (PST)
Online via zoom
Event description
What can we learn when we consider poetry as it relates to stories, expression, and healing? Join Janna Lopez, Creighton University School of Medicine’s inaugural Poet-in-Residence and explore how words can help us notice what is spoken — and unspoken — within stories of illness, caregiving, loss, identity, and healing. Using Lopez’s innovative Poetic Intelligence framework and the principles of Observation, Curiosity, and Invitation, participants will gain practical tools to care for themselves and others with greater presence and nuance. No poetry or creative-writing experience is necessary—only a willingness to notice, wonder, and discover what words can reveal.
Facilitators
Janna Lopez, MFA, is an award-winning author, poet, educator, and the inaugural Poet-in-Residence for Medical Humanities at Creighton University School of Medicine, where she uses poetry and reflective writing to deepen human connection, empathy, self-awareness, and meaning within medicine.
She is the founder and creator of Poetic Intelligence, an innovative framework grounded in Observation, Curiosity, and Invitation that uses poetry to strengthen reflection, discernment, communication, and our capacity to remain connected to ourselves and others. Her work brings a distinctly creative dimension to Narrative Medicine and the medical humanities, inviting healthcare professionals and students to attend not only to the stories we tell, but to what may exist beneath, between, and beyond the words.
Lopez is the author of several books, including Medicine Needs Poetry: An Open Invitation to Cultivate More Self-Care & Compassion Through Words. Her work has been recognized with Willamette University’s Recent Alumni Leadership Award for Innovative Achievement.