Healing Through Poetry: Nepal Earthquake Relief, an initiative by poet and writer Samyak Shertok, which focused on healing victims of the earthquakes of last year through therapeutic writing and dialogue, took place in the Capital, at NexUs Café, Bakhundole, on June 25.

“Healing through Poetry is project that aims to help the earthquake victims heal through the power of words. I want to talk with earthquakes victims and encourage them to speak and write about it and help them heal, or at least make an effort, through poetry,” says Shertok. “Writing is the best way to heal and poetry for me is the purest form of writing. Poetry rises from both love and hate but it helps you rise above your hate, hurt and sorrow; it transcends.”

Words, which are perhaps the most powerful tools left at our disposal, can help restore hope and heal wounds. And the workshop, which aimed to bring together earthquake witnesses and encourage them to find some comfort, understanding, and acceptance in creating poetry out of the unfortunate disaster, saw participants engage in poetry-generative activities that included meditation, music and analysis of a few select poems and also in an interactive excercise.

Shertok, who is an MFA Poetry candidate at the University of Mississippi, is in the country to launch this initiative.