The Academy of Intentional Magic (AIM), a new creative learning platform, has launched, building on the nearly twenty-year legacy of the Poetry Barn and expanding into a broader commons for artists, writers, teachers, and creatives. The announcement comes with a Labor Day invitation for artists to share their works-in-progress, reflecting the organization's philosophy that art is a process of becoming.
Founder Lissa Kiernan, citing Kahlil Gibran's aphorism from "The Prophet," said, "Work is love made visible. For artists, 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's the spirit behind the Academy."
Poetry remains central to AIM, but the platform now embraces artists of all kinds, particularly interdisciplinary work. The Academy's online community, Murmurations, serves as a year-round space for sharing works-in-progress, questions, discoveries, and creative invitations.
AIM provides a comprehensive ecosystem for working artists, encompassing eight interconnected areas: Community, Education, Mentoring, Publishing, Library, Retreats, and Outreach. The Education component continues the tradition of AIM's pioneering online poetry workshops, offering Curated Studios, Craft Labs, and Circles across the arts. Mentoring connects artists with a vetted consortium of master mentors, available from single consultations to ongoing relationships. Publishing opportunities are available through AIM's press and journal. The Library offers free public access to 4,000 volumes of poetry, specializing in single-author collections and rare, out-of-print titles. Retreats provide immersive experiences led by master teaching artists. Outreach partners with high schools to deliver multidisciplinary arts workshops.
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 diversity, wandering through myth, wonder, and the stars. One of the first offerings 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 comes with no expectation of polish; the Academy wants to see the work while it's still becoming. AIM is also currently inviting teaching artists to propose a practice, experience, or learning module for future offerings.
The Academy of Intentional Magic's programs are available now at www.academyofintentionalmagic.com. This launch represents a significant expansion of the Poetry Barn's nearly two decades of workshops, readings, and retreats, including its pioneering online MFA-quality poetry workshops launched in 2007, into a full ecosystem supporting artists across disciplines.
