Poetry & Mindfulness ll

Mindfulness and poetry are related and helpful practices for gaining a sense of safety and agency in our lives. Join San Mateo County Supervisors Warren Slocum and Carole Groom to start your poetry and mindfulness journey.

Make sure to register in advance for Poetry & Mindfulness ll on Tuesday, August 31 at 7:00 PM.

We will begin with a guided meditation led by Janet Stickmon, professor of humanities and faculty director of the Cultural Center at Napa Valley College. Afterward, we will be joined by San Mateo County Poets Laureate Emerita Caroline Goodwin and Lisa Rosenberg, who will discuss starting a poetry and mindfulness practice of your own.

Mental health challenges, such as anxiety, stress, and insomnia, can arise in these uncertain times. To help our community mitigate these issues, San Mateo County Libraries is proud to be the first public library to partner with Calm, a mindfulness app and service.

What is Calm?

Whether you’re new to meditation and mindfulness or looking to deepen your practice, Calm’s audio content can help you meet your goals. The most popular feature on Calm is a 10-minute meditation called 'The Daily Calm,' which explores a fresh mindful theme and inspiring concept each day. You can also choose from meditation series, such as “7 Days of Calming Anxiety” or “Train Your Mind,” taught by LeBron James, opens a new window.

The Calm Masterclasses are a series of audio courses on various wellness and mindfulness topics, such as Radical Self-Compassion, Stoicism, and Conscious Parenting. These courses are taught by world-renowned experts, such as Tara Brach, opens a new window and Ryan Holiday, opens a new window.

If you’re looking for help with sleeping, Calm also contains some 100 Sleep Stories (bedtime stories for grown-ups), plus sleep music and nature sounds. Some of the Sleep Stories are read by familiar voices, such as Stephen Fry, opens a new window, Matthew McConaughey, opens a new window, and Kelly Rowland, opens a new window.

Calm also offers mindfulness content for children, including short and fun guided meditations and stories to help ease stress or anxiety.

Calm is available in the App Store, opens a new window and Google Play, opens a new window store, or you can access it via the web, opens a new window.

Calm and San Mateo County Libraries

San Mateo County Libraries cardholders can now check out a Calm account! You get full access to all of Calm’s premium content for six months. Fill out our form to submit your library card number and preferred email address. Someone from San Mateo County Libraries will respond within 1-2 business days and provide you instructions on how to activate your Calm account.