We will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, and depart early afternoon on Thursday, June 15. As with our previous retreats, the program for the week will combine extensive quiet writing time, with collegial discussion through works-in-progress groups and informal workshops. The goal of the retreat is for each participant to produce a scholarly paper (e.g., an article ready for publication, a chapter towards a book, or a conference paper).

This year we will welcome Dr. Pauline Sameshima and Dr. Sean Webe, who will facilitate a 90-min workshop entitled “Poetic Inquiry: Imagination as the Energy of Social Generation.”

Workshop description: Drawing from the theory that “imagination is the energy through which consciousness and the material world are integrated” (Hayes, Sameshima, & Watson, 2014, p. 423), this participatory 90-minute workshop will introduce participants to ways poetic inquirers have opened transdisciplinary pathways for building communities and social change. The first part of the session will introduce the history of poetic inquiry, and this will be followed by an opportunity for participants to experiment with language, imagination, and theories of being in the world. Through contemplation, conversation, writing, and sharing poetry, Dr. Sameshima nd Dr. Webe hope to explore imagination as the energy (and action) of social generation. The following questions may serve as a catalyst for some of the activities:

How might poetic inquiry?

• facilitate wide and resonant conversations about social justice?
• open possibilities for re-imagining human experience
• disrupt normative frames of thinking and generate new insights?

Dr. Pauline Sameshima is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Arts Integrated Studies at Lakehead University. She was the co-editor of Poetic Inquiry: Vibrant Voices in the Social Sciences (2009) and journal guest co-editor of Educational Insights (2009) on poetic inquiry. She was the principal co-director of the 2015 International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry and is a co-editor of Poetic Inquiry: Enchantments of Place (2016, planned publication). She maintains the poetic inquiry website at poeticinquiry.ca.

Dr. Sean Wiebe lives in Charlottetown and is an associate professor of education at the University of Prince Edward Island. Since the inception of the International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry, he has been an integral part of the poetic inquiry community. He is the co-editor of Resonance: Poetic Inquiries of Reflection and Renewal (2016, in press), and was the co-editor of “Poetic Inquiry in/for/as,” a special issue of in education, 2014. He is the principal investigator for an eight-year funded project on the digital economy and new literacies.

This 4-day writing retreat is located in a rural setting with all expenses excluding travel available for $628. Space is limited. If you require additional information or are interested in registering please contact Snezana Ratkovic. Once you have made a commitment to attend, you will be responsible for the full fees, unless you are able to find a replacement participant.

Please confirm your interest in attending by March 17, 2017.

Location of your event: Crieff Hills Community, 7098 Concession 1, Puslinch, ON N0B 2J0
Cost: $628.00
Sponsor: Faculty of Education and SJRI
Contact: sratkovic@brocku.ca