Presented by Sharon Charde (BY ZOOM)

A Mourning Mother, a Group of Girls and the Power of Rehabilitative Poetry. After the death of her child, a grief-stricken psychotherapist volunteers as a poetry teacher at a residential treatment facility for “delinquent” girls. Here, their mutual support nourishes and enriches each other, though not without large quantities of drama and recalcitrance.

For fans of the acclaimed movies Stand and Deliver and The Freedom Writers Diary comes “I Am Not a Juvenile Delinquent: How Poetry Changed a Group of At-Risk Young Women.” Learning to let go of grief and loss. The death of a child and the subsequent quest for coping strategies is hardly a new story. For psychotherapist, teacher, and writer Sharon L. Charde, a decade of writing therapy with young women helped her let go of much of her grief, or at least to learn how to carry it differently. This is her account of her journey. Writing poetry is writing therapy. Compelling, appealing, poignant and often hilarious, “I Am Not a Juvenile Delinquent” chronicles the passion that grew for pushing voices out into the world. As Sharon and the girls share their losses through weekly writing, they came to realize their unlimited potential and poetic talents.

Healing can come in surprising ways across age and social class, as it did for both the girls and Sharon. But what happens when Sharon finally grasps that the most challenging experiences are the best teachers? Narrated in three parts, the book also contains poems written by the girls, as well as excerpts from their writing, Sharon’s son’s writing, and her own.

Contact: sharoncharde@gmail.com or 860-435-0110 For any questions, to set up interviews or readings.

Sliding Scale: Suggested Donation $20 THIS IS A ZOOM CLASS, PLEASE NOTE.

After the death of her son, Sharon Charde, poet and retired therapist, volunteered for sixteen years as a poetry teacher at Touchstone, a residential facility for girls on probation in Litchfield, CT. She has written this memoir about her experience there, how she fell in love with the girls and how that love helped her carry her grief differently. Sharon teaches writing retreats about how to use writing as a tool to tell stories safely, free from judgement. With thirty years of experience, Sharon hopes each person will go home with a refreshed spirit and new, powerful connections to themselves, each other and the world around them.