We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Glinda Johnson-Medland a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Glinda, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Word hive; a space for poets, is a small group of local poets who are committed to making poetry accessible to all. We are committed to and have a vision for the education, development, and collaboration of local poets, and to awaken artistic expression in local and surrounding areas. The story begins with my story; a child struggling with dyslexia and mental illness. Poetry became a saving grace and path to wholeness as I grew older. My sister Michelle, two years younger than me, was responsible for most of my learning to read and write. The church hymnals songs are the very first words I remember being able to read. Although not seen as a “typical” writer by my teachers and friends, I did have mentors and teachers that did see my talent and encouraged it. My writing in some ways saved my life in my teenage years, and I have used poetry in my mental health practice as a way to encourage self expression and help individuals connect to deeper levels of self. and healing.
Word hive wants this knowledge to be available to anybody who has a hunger or a need for expression. I believe anybody can write some form of poetry if given the opportunity and guidance.
Poetry is alive today. and an art form that changes the people that hear it, speak it and/or write it. We need poetry to speak to a divided and wounded world. To help us build connections between us and give us the space to ‘really” listen to stories we carry within us.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Word hive a space for poets loves language, loves stories, loves beauty in all of it’s artistic forms and the synergy that develops from people working together. We created a poets organization because artists need a community in which to work and support each other. We offer writing workshops for underrepresented populations, including children, seniors, veterans and the disabled and marginalized. We offer monthly poetry readings on line that are accessible to all to hear local and featured poets. read their work. We run a monthly workshop for poets working on their art. We are available for speaking engagements for talks about poetry. Locally, we have worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Lancaster and The Demuth Museum. This year we will be working with our local Senior Center and Demuth Museum in Lancaster again. We participate in a local monthly Poetry Slam and hope to start our own soon.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of me being a creative is seeing others experience the joy and excitement of making their own art. So many people think poetry is hard and boring. To see a little boy of nine ask me “Did I write a poem?”, and hearing that he did and watch him yelling at his friends with glee, “I wrote A Poem!!” I wrote a poem!!” was a highlight of one of my days working with children.. I enjoy seeing adults get a kick out of writing haikus, and being surprised at how good some of the short poems were that they created.
Poetry is relevant today. It encourages reading and writing skills in a world where cell phones and on line gaming limit reading to small snatches of words.. It assists with learning the rhythms and patterns of language which is often critical for learners of English as a second language.. It gives us space to hear words just for the pleasure of it and not always as an academic lesson. It provides healing and self expression to many who need a voice.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I do not accept that there are non creative people out there. I think every human being is born with the spark of creativity within. It may not be nurtured or encouraged as we grow, but it is always there waiting for it’s opportunity to burst out. It is like all arts, whether it be plumbing, carpentry or sculpture. It needs to be repeated and honed, it needs to have education and instruction to make it better, It has to be nurtured and have the edges smoothed down. What is difficult specifically to poetry is that it not generally a visual reality. Painters, sculptors, drawing all bring beauty into our world with colors, shapes, and symbols. We can hang it on our walls at home or stand it in a fountain to delight people who pass by. Poetry is a creation of an image or story through the use of language; just as much skill and repetition and training goes into it, but there is no physical object you can walk away with or sell. It is a bit harder to grasp and touch and if it is not put in front of you, you will not see it as easily as you would see others handiwork. Word hive a space for poets wants to encourage the use of poetry in all the arts. We want to make it visible to the public and encourage people to engage with it in the community through the use of murals, billboards, poems on buses and on walkways, bike trails, and in parks.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wordhive.org
• Instagram: wordhivepoets
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wordhivepoets/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glinda-johnson-medland-32876918/
• Twitter: @wordhivepoets

Image Credits
Credit Glinda and Tom Johnson-Medland. I have permission and take credit for the pictures and images on this survey