Canadays

Old Myths (In)forming New Worlds

Some Canadian Perspectives

University of Lleida

Spain

26, 27, 28 May 2005

We are pleased to invite Canadianists as well as graduates and undergraduates interested in Canadian film and literature to participate in the Canada days to be held at the University of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain, from Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 May 2005.

Our aim is to share and enjoy ways of perceiving, understanding, and articulating the idea of myth, be it near or far, old or new, personal or collective, in contemporary Canadian books and movies.

If you look at the programme, you will see that it has a single ‘vector’, with no parallel sessions. This is because we want ALL participants to play an active role in the proceedings:

– The Creative Writing Workshop is there for EVERYBODY (students, university teachers, guest speakers, interested members of the public) to attend. The Workshop is meant to be fun, and to stimulate everybody to fashion something imaginative (be it ever so modest!) on the basis of the guiding theme of myth.

– The Gala Finale will provide a festive forum for the ‘live presentation’ of the most entertaining and/or thought-provoking poems / micro-stories / fables / micro-plays (whatever!) arising out of the writing completed in the Workshop.

– We also like the idea of preparing a memento for the participants, in the form of a ‘florilegium’ or anthology of creative writing from the Workshop.

– What is the "Hyde Park Corner" listed on the programme? Well, not everybody will have time to respond directly to the wide range of material that is going to be presented in the various guest talks on the programme. So we encourage you to write down your thoughts, reactions, objections, counter-arguments, further examples etc. in response to the idea of Myth and Canadian Literature or Myth and Canadian Film or Myth in Canadian Culture/History

– More on the "Hyde Park Corner": ideally, on the email Registration Form (see below, after the Programme) you should give the organizers some idea of what you would like to talk about. In exceptional cases, you may also notify the organizers at short notice during the CanaDays that you have developed an idea in the course of your attendance at the talks – but this, please, ONLY in exceptional cases! We ask you only to be as concise as possible, as the time-slot available is limited. The amount of speaking-time at your disposal (5 minutes? 10? 15?) will depend on how many participants respond positively and are willing to ‘perform’ at the forum.

– Selected offerings from the "Hyde Park Corner" can also find their way into the memento anthology.

A small fee will be charged (payable upon check-in at the CanaDays venue in Lleida) to cover the costs of informational material that is being prepared for participants.

Registration by email (see below, after the Programme) – deadline April 30, 2005.