The Academy of Intentional Magic (AIM), a new creative learning platform, has announced its launch this week. The venture builds on the nearly twenty-year legacy of the Poetry Barn, which since its founding in 2005 has been associated with pioneering online poetry workshops, and expands into a broader commons serving artists, writers, teachers, and creatives. Marking the occasion, AIM issued a Labor Day invitation for artists to share works-in-progress, reflecting the academy's philosophy that art is a process of becoming.

Founder Lissa Kiernan, who established the Poetry Barn in 2005, cited an aphorism from Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet"—the 1923 book of poetic essays that remains one of the best-selling poetry volumes of all time—as the guiding spirit behind the new endeavor: "Work is love made visible." For artists, she explained, that work is often what we can't stop returning to—the poem revised for the tenth time, the scale practiced ad nauseam, the scrappy xeriscape garden. That, she said, is the spirit behind the Academy.

While poetry remains AIM's first love, its frame has widened to include artists of all kinds, especially those working at the intersections of disciplines, where one way of seeing can alter another. This interdisciplinary exchange continues year-round in Murmurations, AIM's online community for works-in-progress, questions, discoveries, and creative invitations.

The Academy of Intentional Magic provides a comprehensive ecosystem for working artists, encompassing eight interconnected areas: Community, Education, Mentoring, Publishing, Library, Retreats, Outreach, and more. The Community functions as an online social space for networking and collaboration. Education offers curated studios, craft labs, and circles spanning the arts, continuing a tradition that began with AIM's pioneering online poetry workshops—an approach that, by lowering geographic barriers, has made ongoing craft study accessible to writers and artists who cannot attend in-person programs.

Mentoring connects artists with a vetted consortium of master mentors, available for everything from single consultations to ongoing relationships. Publishing opportunities allow artists to share their work through AIM's press and journal. The Library provides free public access to 4,000 volumes of poetry, with a specialization in single-author collections and rare, out-of-print titles—a notable resource given that free, publicly accessible specialized poetry collections of that scale are relatively uncommon outside university settings.

Retreats offer immersive experiences and community-wide arts events led by master teaching artists, while Outreach partners with high schools to deliver multidisciplinary arts workshops and education, extending the academy's reach to students at a stage when access to arts instruction often narrows. AIM makes no distinction between art and craft, or between formal and popular traditions; a classical form and a rock lyric, a folk craft and a fine art, can be held with the same seriousness and the same welcome.

Fall offerings reflect this inclusive approach, wandering through myth, wonder, and the stars. Among the first is "Sky Writing: Write Your Own Horoscope," a workshop led by somatic astrologer Cory Nakasue, taking place on September 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 6–8 p.m. ET. The workshop approaches the horoscope as a creative and symbolic form—part interpretation, part storytelling, and part poetry.

To mark Labor Day, AIM is inviting artists to share what they're working on in Murmurations—a messy draft, a half-finished painting, a melody, a collage, an outline, an experiment, even the seed of an idea. The invitation, in keeping with AIM's philosophy, comes with no expectation of polish: the Academy wants to see the work while it is still becoming.

In addition, AIM is currently inviting teaching artists to propose a practice, experience, or learning module for future offerings—an open call that will shape the roster of courses and workshops beyond the fall season. The Academy of Intentional Magic's programs are available now at www.academyofintentionalmagic.com.

Source: Citybuzz