Dorothy Johnson-Laird - Poet

04/25/2026

New Germantown art exhibition uses poetry to help survivors of gun violence
"We can't just stop the gun violence on our own. Right? But we really want to address the mental health impacts of gun violence and teach community members, and teach those maybe who've never written poems, that art is a form of healing," Marguerite Anglin with Creative Philadelphia said.

The "Healing Verse Germantown: The Streets Are Talking" exhibition converted words from 19 poems written by community members into pieces of public art.

04/16/2026

I so miss Benjamin Zephaniah. He was such a wonderful, kind, generous soul and always encouraging and supportive to myself and all hopeful young poets. May his memory and spirit live on!!

04/12/2026

"I think only of the joy of seeing the sun rise once more and of being able to work a little bit, even under difficult conditions.”
~ Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse and the Healing Power of Art
The artist is proof that art heals and that age has no limitations.

We are a community of artists, arts advocates and writers dedicated to raising awareness about how art enhances the well-being of individuals, society and the environment.

04/03/2026

Poetry's Healing Work - In these workshops, we are a community. We make space for one another, honor one another’s voices, or simply sit silently with the poem.

When people ask me what I do for a living, I start by telling them that I am a licensed clinical social worker in community mental health. I’ve also been a private-practice therapist. I’ve worked with youth in therapeutic classrooms and adults in a Veterans Affairs medical center, among other co...

03/30/2026

Poetry is as honey to the soul ...

01/16/2026

A true artist, writer, creator is frequently at work ...

01/04/2026

Just write. Go for it! Your time is now!

01/02/2026

To all creative spirits, artists, poets, musicians, etc. I wish you much fun, dreaming & creativity
in 2026
Keep imagining!

12/08/2025

What is life as a poet?
It is work, work, work, writing, writing, writing.
Very, very occasionally inspiration hits!

10/30/2025

I lost one of my writing mentors, Jane Lazarre. I only found out this week that she died a few months ago. She changed my life as a young woman. She was the first person outside my immediate family, to say I had talent as a writer, among several other ways she helped me as a young student.
I do feel sad about her dying, but I know and trust that she wants me to continue to write from the heart ..

With books like “The Mother Knot” and “Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness,” she challenged liberal orthodoxies about feminism and the Black experience in America.

10/20/2025

My hero - Henri Matisse
For about two years, I have studied the life and art of Henri Matisse (still studying ...). He has become a creative hero to me, a muse if you will. As a poet, I am inspired not only by his art, but also by his approach to the creative process.
Today, I spent half the day at the Barnes Collection in Philadelphia. It was so moving to be among so many of his pictures, including his famous mural, "The Dance." It was one thing to connect with his art on the page, quite another to see it in person. It was wondrous to see his art up close, the vibrancy, the sense of movement, among other things.
(My photography is not so good, perhaps more photos to follow.)

09/28/2025

They want us to stop creating, to erase our art, music, poetry..
to shut it down.
Our challenge is to create even more!