Our Story

Poétique grew out of a desire to elevate community voices by rooting writing in the places we live, learn, play, and work. We believe strongly in centering local knowledges and leveraging the strengths and resources writers already have. We know writing can be hard and that it is a vulnerable act. Our intention is to co-create a kind, compassionate space with and for writers to explore, experiment with, and evolve their craft.

Because we value different ways of knowing, we also value different ways of doing and being. That means we don't approach writing in the traditional sense. We draw on the arts and other embodied practices like walking or foraging to move thought forward. Our goal is to connect writers with the environments that shape and get shaped by them using experiential activities to aid the writing process.

Nicole Siffrinn, Facilitator

Nicole is a writer, educator, and linguist who has a passion for community-driven work. Her approach to writing is both collaborative and embodied, foregrounding care and commitment to people's aspirations and needs in their local context. She has supported writers in PreK-12, at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and in organizational and community settings such as libraries, parks, schools, and housing centers.

Nicole has taught writing more formally at the secondary and post-secondary levels in addition to working as a consultant in multiple university writing centers. She is the former co-director of two National Writing Project sites and the founder of Wellspring, a practitioner-oriented journal for literacy and language educators that centers teachers' voices.

Born and raised in northwestern Pennsylvania, she received her BA in English from Bloomsburg University before earning her MA in Linguistics and PhD in Language and Literacy Education from the University of Georgia. She now resides in Centre County.

Poétique Place-based Writing Studio, LLC

poetiquewritingstudio@gmail.com

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