Mike Bernhardt

Editor • Poet • Travel Writer

Talks

Sadie Beyl and I Discuss Grief

Sadie Beyl, founder of  From Mourning to Light, hosted a Grief Summit in October 2022, and she interviewed me as one of her guest experts. We discussed my book Voices of the Grieving Heart, but we also spoke about something that’s rarely discussed: After our life partner has died, and after all of the time and effort it takes to grieve and keep living, how do we know when it’s the right time to consider a new relationship?

You can learn more about Sadie here.

Expressing the Inexpressible: Writing Poetry for Our Grief

Come to my workshop with Reimagine on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 from 5:00-6:30 PM Pacific time! Experience creating poetry that gives words to images and experiences that can be so hard to express. Reading and writing poetry has power to heal and transform our grief. This workshop is a place for writers and non-writers to experience creating and sharing the poetry of our loss in a safe space. In this interactive workshop, we’ll use readings and simple exercises to explore your own grief journey through poetry. We’ll create poems and share them with other participants in a safe, non-judgmental space (optional). No writing experience or poetic talent required.

Register here! You can pay $15 to support me, or just come for free, your choice!

I Spoke about Grief and Poetry for NAPT Author’s Corner

On September 12, I was honored to present a talk about Voices of the Grieving Heart at a monthly Author’s Corner event for the National Association for Poetry Therapy. The audience was primarily mental health professionals who use poetry to support their clients. We talked about grief, what people who are grieving need, and how reading—and writing—poems about our grief can be a mirror in which we can see ourselves with more understanding and compassion.

I read eight poems from Voices, and I led a writing exercise that participants found helpful. This edited video is about 38 minutes long.