The Convergence Series brought together widely varied streams of intellectual and spiritual knowledge within the context of open-heartedness. As converging creeks create a mighty river, this integration of different ways of knowing yielded something stronger, deeper, and more complex than any single watercourse. Convergence wisdom is creative, rooted in relationship, and designed to change individuals, inspire communities, and help heal the world.
With the vast and rapid changes in the world as we know it, the 7th annual Convergence Writers’ Weekend was postponed. But now more than ever, stories need to be told. We invite you to read and reflect on the questions posed, and stay tuned for our featured artists who will share with us their take on our 2020 theme, “Story as Resistance.”
In preparation for this event, the Convergence committee wrestled with questions about resistance and stories. We read and reflected on Julia Esquivel’s poem Threatened with Resurrection (http://www.how-matters.org/2012/08/31/julia-esquivel/).
In these times of major social change, stories matter more than ever. We invite you to read Julia Esquivel’s poem and engage these questions:
- What stories or poems most changed or impacted you?
- What made a story/poem so powerful to you?
- How does story affect our view of resistance?
- What are the different ways resistance manifests in writing?
- How does resistance clarify the world that we want?
- What is the story of resistance that you want to tell in this time of COVID 19?
Here are the presentations from this year’s featured poet/singer/songwriter Sid Marty, essayist/teacher/poet/carpenter Kate Braid, and poet/teacher/activist Nancy Holmes.
The Presenters
Listen to Sid’s musical expression of the 2020 Convergence theme:
Arrows of Pity
Banjo Song 4
Read the lyrics and more here: Story as Resistance.Sid Marty
Sid Marty’s writing is strongly associated with the Rocky Mountains, where he previously worked as a park warden in the mountain national parks. Since l978, he has earned his living as a freelancer, writing about culture, conservation and history topics for national magazines. The author of five non-fiction titles and five collections of poetry, he is also a musician with two CDs of original songs. His poems have appeared in a long list of school textbooks, literary magazines and poetry anthologies such as The Oxford Book of Canadian Verse, 12 Prairie Poets and Colombo’s Poets of Canada. Sid performs on guitar, mandolin and harmonica. For more info check out www.sidmarty.com.