Poetry as Therapy, Research, and Education - (Poetry, Healing, and Growth) by Rich Furman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Poetry as Therapy, Research, and Education by Rich Furman is a collection of essential writings on the use of poetry in the social sciences. A social worker, researcher, educator, therapist, and poet himself, Furman's writing covers a multitude of topics relevant to poetry, healing, and growth. In this volume, the vital role that poetry plays in society and the social sciences is revealed in clear and accessible writing. Many of Furman's own poems are integrated to illustrate the diverse usages of poetry discussed in this volume. Grounded in theory, personal experience, and research, this book deepens our collective understanding of what poetry has to offer. It is indispensable for anyone seeking to integrate poetry into their own therapy, research, and teaching.

Review Quotes

The scholarship of Rich Furman is just plain lovely-original, inviting, and emotionally accessible. Brilliant. Expansive. Elegant. Radiant. Inspirational. Luminous."

Laurel Richardson, PhD Professor Emeritus of Sociology, The Ohio University. Qualitative sociologist, seminal practitioner of autoethnography, and author of many books, including Writing Strategies, Reaching Diverse Audiences

Rich Furman's Poetry as Therapy, Research, and Education is a treasure trove of the some of the best articles ever penned on the healing and transformative power of poetry.

Samuel T. Gladding, PhD, Professor of Counseling, Wake Forest University, author of many books, including Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession

In his seminal work, Rich Furman shows that poetry really matters, opening new perspectives on self-reflection, and changing our conventional scripts of understanding.

Juhani Hans, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland, author of Transformative Words: Writing Otherness and Identities

In this evocative and readerly text, Furman advances the case for poetry beyond its literary questions, providing a rich terrain of knowledge for social science and humanities researchers. Regardless of your background in poetry, this will be a text to welcome you into the ways of the poem.

Dr. Sean Wiebe, Associate Professor of Education at University of Prince Edward Island, Leading voice in A/R/Tography and poetic inquiry

Dr. Rich Furman's book provides an essential read for clinicians working with poetry therapy in a variety of settings, as well as within differing therapeutic models.

Perie Longo, Past president of the National Association of Poetry Therapy, Former Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara, Registered poetry therapist, Leading voice in poetry therapy