Since 2021, Dr. Guertin and Betsy Wilkening have been masterfully blending fiber art with critical scientific topics like global warming, climate change, and environmental threats, all while offering potential solutions. In 2024, Dr. Decker proposed an innovative expansion: a multimodal ekphrastic project that pairs powerful poetry with evocative art.

 

This book is the stunning result. You'll find a diverse array of artwork—from exquisite fiber art quilts to compelling drawings, paintings, and even museum pieces—each carefully selected to illuminate the theme of "making the unseen, seen" and to forge a powerful connection between science and art through the medium of poetry.

 

We strongly encourage you to delve into the Artist/Scientist Statements at the back of the book. These illuminating insights provide brief, accessible explanations that enhance the thoughtful poems, making complex scientific topics relatable and engaging for everyone.

 

It has been a true joy to bring this project to life. We hope you'll return to these pages again and again, discovering new layers of meaning with each reading.

 

Contributors to this book include: Donald Beagle, Emily Bilman, Joyce Brinkman, Sarah-Beth Bradley, Megan Brown, Emma M. Burkett, Samantha Carr, Joan Ellen Casey, Loralee Clark, Tricia Coulson, Marcela Bianchessi da Cunha-Santino, Dr. Kathleen P. Decker, Zoey Dudding, Jae Dyche, Christie King Eckardt , Kerry Faraone, Catalina Florina Florescu, Anna Isabella Fratarcangelo, Chapman Hood Frazier, Dennis Owen Frohlich, Gail Giewont, Dr. Michale Glennon, Marjorie Gowdy, Jody Gruendel, Dr. Laura Guertin, Cathy Hailey, Lauren Haygood, Kate Hedstrom, Wayne David Hubbard, Mark Hudson, Piper Jameson, Robert J. Keeler, Dr. Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Barbara Martina Linde, Sally Harcum Maxwell, Greg McNamara, Susan Copley Novack, Holly Panzera, Sarah Parker, Tessa Peixoto, Suzanne Underwood Rhodes, Lynne Schreiber, Mattie Quesenberry Smith, Ron Smith, Alica Swain, Johannes Vermeer, Betsy Wilkening, Diana Woodcock, Nicole Zwolinski.

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Available in paperback
In The Writing Rx, I summarize current research documenting the physical and mental health benefits of expressive writing and provide some general guidance on what to write and how to write it. But taking pen in hand or sitting in front of a keyboard can be a little dauting, especially if it isn’t something you are used to doing.
Early on, readers asked for additional resources to walk them through some of the writing processes discussed in The Writing Rx, and in answer this workbook was created.Ideally, the activities included here should be used in conjunction with The Writing Rx. It is important to understand why we need to write and what the research says about writing, health, and happiness.
That is not information you can get simply from trying out activities. To reap the greatest benefit from the exercises in this book, you need to get the backstory.If you have read The Writing Rx and want to incorporate writing in your everyday life, this workbook gives you a structured, step-by-step place to start.
But please—do not feel you have to begin on page one and try every activity in order. All of these pages are reproducible for personal use, so you can use each page once or a hundred times, or you can skip an exercise altogether. Never think that your self-expression should be limited by these exercises. They are a launching pad for your creativity. As long as you think deeply about what you write and focus on learning and growing from the experience, whatever you do will have positive results. The most important step is just getting started, so get out your pen, choose an activity, and write.
You’ll be glad you did.
Ann Eichenmuller