About
About
We are all poets.
Writing poems can help us bring attention and curiosity to ourselves and the moments we inhabit. Reading and listening to poetry allows us to glimpse new perspectives and deepen empathy.
Emilie Lygren is a poet and educator who has a special passion for working with youth. Her writing enlivens commonplace moments with the meaning and depth they deserve. Her teaching focuses on curiosity and reflection as practices to deepen relationships. Emilie calls us to sit for a moment, to look, to listen, to feel. She believes poems bring us closer… to ourselves, to one another, and to the world we inhabit.
Bio
Introducing Emilie at an event or reading? Use one of the two bios below.
Emilie Lygren is a poet and outdoor educator who holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Maharishi International University’s Soul Bone MFA Program and a Bachelor’s degree in Geology-Biology from Brown University. She has published poems in several literary journals and anthologies, and her first collection of poems, What We Were Born For, was selected by Young People’s Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye as the Poetry Foundation’s monthly book pick in February 2022. Emilie has also developed dozens of publications focused on nature journaling, outdoor science education, and social-emotional learning through her work at the award-winning BEETLES Project at the Lawrence Hall of Science. In her writing and teaching, Emilie calls on awareness and curiosity as tools to bring people into relationship with place, self, and community. She lives in San Rafael, California, where she wonders about oaks and teaches poetry in local classrooms.
Condensed bio:
Emilie Lygren is a poet and educator who has published poems in several literary journals and anthologies and developed dozens of publications focused on outdoor science education. Her first collection of poems, What We Were Born For, was selected by the Young People’s Poet Laureate as the Poetry Foundation’s monthly book pick for February 2022. Emilie lives in San Rafael, California, where she wonders about oaks and teaches poetry in local classrooms.
Work with Emilie:
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Poetry readings. Live poetry readings and performances for community events, festivals, conferences, and gatherings. (Read Emilie’s poetry)
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Community poetry workshops for all ages. Supportive workshops focused on reading and writing poetry in service of self-reflection, creative expression, connection, community building, and joy.
- Craft talks & lectures. Interactive and dynamic presentations on topics such as moving beyond description in nature writing, connections between writing about place and identity, and writing poetry to support mental health.
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Outdoor education experiences for youth and adults. Inclusive, learner-and-nature-centered outdoor learning experiences for classes, groups, or community organizations that support participants to connect and develop a sense of place. Focus areas that match your learning goals, could include community building, nature connection, social-emotional learning, and science.
Projects and Collaborations:
“From Emilie’s poetry workshop, I took away the surprising delight of knowing how much creativity I have bubbling around in my head. I thought that poetry required effort. But it turns out that… with guidance, poems can spring up from prompts naturally. Emilie made it very easy to relax back into looking at a tree as a friend, or the clouds passing across a pair of sunglasses as tremendously lonely as well as peaceful…. Emilie’s passion for poetry comes so clearly.”
– Kim, a student in Emilie’s poetry class
