The Power of Words is in the air — it’s the focus of the 14th annual Power of Words conference to be held Aug. 18-20 at Ferry Beach in Saco, Maine, as well as the focus of a podcast with GGI faculty member and TLA founder Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg.

The Power of Words conference, which started as a project of Goddard College before moving on to be part of the non-profit Transformative Language Arts Network, features writers, storytellers, musicians, spoken word artists, activists, community leaders, educators, and health professionals investigating and celebrating how writing, storytelling and other word arts can catalyze social change, build community, and lead to greater healing and meaning. This year’s conference, which Goddard College is an underwriting for, features Joseph Bruchac, who over for 30 years has been creating poetry, short stories, novels, anthologies, and music that reflect his Abenaki Indian heritage and Native American traditions. Other keynoters include singer-songwriter Kelley Hunt, True Story Theater, writer and educator Mahogany L. Browne, and educator Susan Bennett Armistead. A bunch of Goddard alumni and students will be presenting at and attending the conference, including Emilee Baum, chair of the TLA Network; Seema Reza, conference chair; Joanna Tebbs Young, Kristen Ferrell, Shomriel Sherman, Jennye Patterson, and others. Goddard students, faculty, and staff receive a 10% discount on the conference — contact Teri Grunthaner at the TLA Network at director@tlanetwork.org for details.

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, who helped found the TLA Network and started the Power of Words conference in 2003, will be presenting a workshop at the conference, “Writing the Tree of Life: Midrash to Re-Vision Our Lives,” recently did a 30-minute interview with Teri Grunthaner, executive director of the TLA Network, on what TLA is, how it developed and grew, and what some of the promise and challenges are for the future. Listen to the interview here or click below.