Alexandria Peary
Alexandria Peary (MFA, MFA, PhD) serves as New Hampshire Poet Laureate. She is the author of nine books, including Prolific Moment: Theory and Practice of Mindfulness for Writing and Battle of Silicon Valley at Daybreak. She is the recipient of a 2020 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship, and her work has received the Iowa Poetry Prize and Best of NH (for inspiring artist). She specializes in mindful writing, and her talks include her 2019 TEDx talk, “How Mindfulness Can Transform the Way You Write” (on YouTube). She is the Founding Editor of Under the Madness Magazine, a magazine run by New Hampshire teens, and a professor in the English Department at Salem State University.
Alexandria Peary's Programs
Present Moment, Prolific Moment: Using Mindfulness to Write
Writing can become much more fulfilling if we think of it as happening right Now. Much is lost when we overlook the present moment because we forfeit rewarding writing experiences in exchange for stress, frustration, boredom, fear, and shortchanged invention and creativity (it's a poor bargain). Through mindfulness, we can reduce our writing apprehension and the writing blocks that come from future- or past-oriented thinking. Every moment can become a prolific moment: we can write more quickly and with greater ease of mind. In this presentation, we discuss writing tools that emerge when present time is highlighted: impermanence, audience demons, monkey mind self-talk, and preconceptions about writing ability and writing task. Participants will learn basic strategies to incorporate mindfulness into their writing lives.
"Alex’s program was inspiring and freeing, as it released me from the worry about writing to be perfect. Her use of breathing, relaxing writing prompts, and positivity skillfully helped us achieve some writing experience without panic. Thank you for the opportunity to work with such a talented writer and educator."
- Sandown Public Library
This Very Moment is Perfect for Writing
Mindful writing is the nonjudgmental observation of the ever-changing present to gain a healthy perspective on our internalized critics, better manage our preconceptions, and enjoy access to continuously arising wording and ideas. Mindfulness at the desk leads to increased self-confidence in our creativity and stronger connection with others. This session provides an overview of mindful writing as well as hands-on practice with techniques easily replicated later at home.
About the presenter: Alexandria Peary (MFA, MFA, PhD) serves as New Hampshire Poet Laureate. Her nine books include Prolific Moment: Theory and Practice of Mindfulness for Writing and Battle of Silicon Valley at Daybreak. The recipient of a 2020 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship, she received the Iowa Poetry Prize and Best of NH (for inspiring artist). She specializes in mindful writing, a topic described in her TEDx talk, “How Mindfulness Can Transform the Way You Write.” She founded Under the Madness Magazine, a magazine run by New Hampshire teens, and is a professor in the English Department at Salem State University.
