Irish Poet Anne F. O’Reilly to be Featured in “The Nature of Creativity” Workshop at South Kent School in Connecticut

The Center for Innovation at South Kent School is hosting “The Nature of Creativity” workshop, presented by the New Milford, Conn.-based International Centre for Creativity and Imagination. The workshop is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, and will take place at the Center for Innovation’s classroom at 170 South Kent Road in South Kent, Conn.

The workshop will feature Irish poet and teacher Anne F. O’Reilly and director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination Steven Dahlberg, along with several collaborators who will guide an exploration of how nature inspires us to be more creative. The workshop is open to everyone – from teachers, business people and artists to community leaders, environmentalists and individuals looking to create positive change. It starts with the premise that everyone is a creative being.

The event will take place at the new classroom at South Kent School’s Center for Innovation, where participants of the workshop will take part in experiential exercises to help them tap into and develop their creativity. They also will explore connections to how nature inspires the creative process and connect with others who are seeking purposeful engagement in their communities.

Using nature as a guide, participants will explore these themes – (re)discovering your capacity to be creative, cultivating a sense of place, fostering curiosity and wonder, discovering rhythm, valuing diversity, nurturing interconnectedness, awakening the senses, and more. Plus, they will learn how to overcome blocks to creativity, practices for accessing their creative inner nature, and ways for connecting beyond themselves to take action in their communities.

The day will conclude with a special event on “The Nature of Wine,” exploring the intersection of creativity, wine and the brain, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 28 at Hopkins Vineyard at 25 Hopkins Rd. in New Preston, Conn. The winemaker and winery manager will join Dahlberg and O’Reilly to continue exploring lessons and metaphors from nature that inspire creativity and learning. This event looks at how master sommeliers learn to understand wine, what’s happening in the brain when they taste wine, and how they transfer this knowledge and experience to others. Participants will look at, smell and taste wine as the experts do, sampling four Hopkins wines in the process. Registration information is at .

Poet Anne F. O’Reilly will be “Creator in Residence” at the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination from September 25 to October 7, and will be leading a series of workshops and poetry performances while she is in Connecticut. She is based in Dublin, Ireland, and is the author of a print collection of poetry, Singing From the Belly of the Whale, a CD collection, Breathsong, and the book, Sacred Play: Soul-Journeys In Contemporary Irish Theatre.

The Center for Innovation is located on the property adjoining South Kent School’s main campus in South Kent, Conn. Through its hands-on learning experiences and community outreach, the Center for Innovation encourages inquiry into the dynamic interplay between human creativity, intuition and sustainability.

To register and for more information, visit http://natureofcreativity.org/.