Open Workshops & Retreats
The following retreats and workshops will be offered at Heart’s Rest during the coming months:
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Sacred Masculine, Sacred Feminine:
A Dialogue between Cynthia Bourgeault and Richard Rohr
Saturday, February 11 and Sunday, February 12th
9:30 am to 4:30 pm each day
I wish I could say that we will have Cynthia Bourgeault and Richard Rohr here in the flesh–but not this time. (Although we are angling for Cynthia to come within the next year!)
For those of you who don’t know about these incredible speakers, Cynthia Bourgeault is an Episcopal priest, the founder and principal teacher of the British Columbia Contemplative Society, and a widely published author and teacher. She has trained and taught with Fr. Thomas Keating, Ken Wilbur, and a multitude of other spiritual teachers all across the world. Her most recent work focuses on the recovery of Mary Magdalene.
Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan monk and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, is also an internationally known author and teacher. His last three books–The Naked Now, Falling Upward and Breathing Underwater–are not to be missed.
Instead of having them in the flesh, we’ll be watching on the big screen eight major talks from their weeklong retreat on GENDER, SPIRITUALITY, AND DIVINITY AWARENESS.
The general format of our retreat:
- Short meditation (will be taught for beginners)
- View one-hour long talk
- Reflection, response and discussion
- Another period of meditation.
Reflection and discussion sessions will be facilitated by Therese DesCamp.
- For local folks, please bring your lunch; drinks and snacks will be provided.
- If you’re traveling from a distance, and don’t want to try slipping and sliding home on Saturday evening and back again on Sunday morning, we will have some retreat rooms available and can arrange meals. Please contact us as soon as possible if you’d like this option.
The suggested donation is $40 per day. Limited to 15 people.
For more information, send us an email or call (250) 358-7904.
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BIRDING with GARY DAVIDSON
Mondays: March 12, April 2 & 23, May 14, June 4 & 25, 2012
7-8:30pm
PLUS TWO FIELD TRIPS, dates TBA
Cost: $75 for 6 lectures plus 2 field trips or $10 per drop in and $20 per field trip
Bring your notebook! Bring your binoculars! Bring a friend!
Questions or to Register: call Kay at 358 7991 kaycostleywhite (at) yahoo (dot) ca
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Writers’ Retreat: Writing for Social Justice
May 11, 12, 13, 2012
What is Convergence?
Just like a series of smaller streams that feed into one great river, Convergence Writers’ Retreat brings together the elements needed for writers to effectively craft poetry and prose designed to promote social justice. In a real ecosystem, one cannot isolate a single element apart from the context of the environment that surrounds it. Likewise, we offer not merely the mechanics of writing but discussion of the spiritual and psychological underpinnings required to support writers in their passion for social justice.
Convergence Writers’ Retreat will offer talks, discussions, workshops and a chance to perform your work in public. All events take place at New Denver’s Heart’s Rest retreat centre, a stunning building in a breathtaking setting. All meals for participants will be provided on site: Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Sunday breakfast and lunch.
To allow maximum attention to your writing and your ideas, Convergence Writers’ Retreat is limited to 25 participants. Five youth (18–30 years of age) scholarships are available.
Program Outline
Schedule
Friday, May 11, 5 pm: Meet and Greet, followed by dinner at 5:30
Friday, May 11, 7 pm: Talk/discussion: Sean Arthur Joyce: From Rant to Slant: The Political in Poetry
Saturday, May 12, 9 am–12 noon / Sunday, May 13, 9 am–12 noon: Workshops:
Verna Relkoff: You Talking to Me? The Audience for Writing
Judy Wapp: And If You Don’t Like It, I Really Don’t Care: The Rant in Theory and Practice
Tom Wayman: You Think That’s Funny? Humour and Social Change Writing
Saturday, May 12, 1:30 pm: Talk/discussion: Therese DesCamp: The Mind’s Alchemy: Understanding Metaphor
Saturday, May 12, 7:30 pm: Talk/discussion: Therese DesCamp and George Meier: What Sustains Us: The Work of the Heart
Sunday, May 13, 2 pm: Convergence Coffeehouse: Singer-songwriter Dominique Fraissard and workshop students performing their work.
Talks/discussions
Friday, May 11, 7 pm: From Rant to Slant: The Political in Poetry
Retreat introduction by poet, journalist and historian Sean Arthur Joyce. Joyce will present a dynamic overview of effective poetic techniques for promoting social justice that will whet writers’ appetites for more.
Saturday, May 12, 1:30 pm: The Mind’s Alchemy: Understanding Metaphor
Therese DesCamp, PhD, will discuss the role of metaphor and the latest scientific understanding of how our brains process and respond to this critical tool used by writers. Learn why certain metaphors actually support the status quo we’re seeking to change, and how to craft metaphors of resistance. DesCamp studied with cutting edge linguistics scholar George Lakoff at UC-Berkeley.
Saturday, May 12, 7:30 pm: What Sustains Us: The Work of the Heart
George Meier and Therese DesCamp are co-founders of Heart’s Rest and change facilitators. Together they will delve into the spiritual context of social justice advocacy. How does one cope with the despair that can result from constantly ‘fighting upstream’ for change? What values or practices can help writers stay in touch with their passion and avoid hopelessness? The duo will lead a time of reflection on the practices that sustain grounded and lively work.
Workshops (concurrent)
Saturday, May 12, 9 am to 12 noon, and Sunday, May 12, 9 am to 12 noon – Focus of the concurrent workshops is on participants’ own writing, on any theme.
Verna Relkoff: You Talking to Me? The Audience for Writing
Relkoff is a Nelson author, educator and editor who will discuss how our approach to writing can best reach the audience we’re seeking. Learn how to get beyond ‘preaching to the choir.’
Judy Wapp: And If You Don’t Like It, I Really Don’t Care: The Rant in Theory and Practice
Wapp is a New Denver visual artist and writer with an affinity for the time-honoured tradition of the rant. While the rant has fallen into academic disfavour in recent decades, learn why it remains an effective tool for social justice writers.
Tom Wayman: You Think That’s Funny? Humour and Social Change Writing
Since everyone loves a good laugh, humour is often the best way to disarm critics and open dialogue. Poet, author and teacher Tom Wayman will show writers why it’s important not to overlook this part of our toolkit.
Convergence Coffeehouse
Sunday, May 13, 2 pm – Convergence Coffeehouse, open to the public by donation, will feature readings by Retreat participants and a performance by songwriter Dominique Fraissard. An inspiring example of the current generation of singer-songwriters, Fraissard’s work incorporates social justice issues with just the right balance of the poetic and the political. He has released five albums and is currently working on a film soundtrack. Visit Dominique Fraissard’s page on sonicbids.com
Cost & How to Register
Please visit the Fees & Registration page for more details.
Accommodations
- Villa Dome Quixote, 602 6th Ave., Hwy 31A, New Denver, BC V0G 1S0; (250) 358-7242 info@domequixote.com – Special group rate available for retreat participants ($100 for nights of May 11 and 12)
- Sweet Dreams Guesthouse, 702 Eldorado St., New Denver, BC V0G 1S0; (250) 358-2415 sweetdreams@newdenverbc.com
August 25 and August 26, 2012
Two day workshop with Leigh Brasington, Buddhist retreat leader. More information to come!
