416Z Spring 2026 Accessible Poetry for Hope Today

416Z  Accessible Poetry for Hope Today
Four sessions
Instructor: Marcy Heidish Dolan
Mondays, 11:50—1:15, Apr. 20—May 11
In today's challenging times, accessible poetry can offer us needed support and reassurance. The varied voices of selected poets help us make sense of ongoing changes and conflicting perspectives. In this complex era, we listen for words that bring enlightenment and understanding. Here we will find them in the works of Louise Gluck, Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, Wendell Berry, and many others. As we read, reflect, and discuss their insights, we will find the power of the creative spirit to confront what may now seem overwhelming. Poetry has an eternal ability to help us view what author Gerard Manley Hopkins called "the inscape" of our surroundings. Together we can revisit those inscapes and find new ways to interpret change—and challenges—with hope.
Marcy Heidish Dolan is an award-winning author of 18 books: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. She has taught at George Washington, Georgetown, and Fordham Universities. Winner of an NEA Grant, Marcy earned a BA with honors from Vassar College and an MA from American University.