LBCC’s Student Health Services held a poetry workshop entitled “Affirmations and Poetry” on Monday, Feb. 24 in the T-1300 building of the LAC campus.
The workshop was led by nurse and poet Alex Petunia who guided students in journal making, writing and supplied the event with various art supplies, typewriters, and writing templates.
Petunia, who works as a registered nurse, began her poetry journey through studying in a 10 month writing program with the Community Literature Initiative.
She has published poetry works which include her book, “Tending My Wild,” a collection of poems about Petunia’s own self reflection and personal experiences.
“While working in healthcare during COVID-19, writing was a pathway to stay grounded and a mode of self care,” Petunia said.
She continued sharing about why she writes, and said, “I really love to build connections, I write personalized poetry for people on the spot and I have been able to meet a lot of great people that way, I want to encourage writing poetry because I find it to be healing.”
Petunia started off the workshop by greeting students, introducing herself, and proceeded to start her warm up writing exercise by setting a two minute timer so students could write about whatever came to their mind.
Petunia designed the environment to feel open and relaxing, playing soft music and approaching students with an easygoing attitude.
She encouraged attendees to share their poetry depending on what they were comfortable with, making for a low pressure atmosphere.
Many attendees such as LBCC student, Eric Crayton, expressed feelings of relaxation after the workshop.
“The workshop was fun and one of the first times I’ve felt calm in a while since college is so stressful. I want to use what I learned today and share this calming experience with my friends and family who are stressed,” Crayton said.
Workshop leader Alex Petunia (right) hands out stationary and journal making supplies to students Marja Needham (right), Eric Crayton (left), and Jacqueline Evans (left) during the “Affirmations and Poetry” workshop on Monday Feb. 24, 2025. These materials were personally supplied by Petunia. (Penny Lott)
Petunia passed out an assortment of stationary and supplies such as blank journals, stickers, and decorated paper which she let students take home to continue working on their writing.
The attendees, such as LBCC student Jacqueline Evans, seemed excited about making the journals and using a typewriter, which she had never done before.
“I enjoyed the event and found it really inspirational. My favorite part was getting materials for creating my own journal and using all the cool stickers and stuff,” Evans said.
The workshop had students leaving with new skills and a sense of self reflection as they spent the time learning and reaching within to experiment with a new mode of self expression.