A PRACTICE OF LISTENING: WHAT WE CARRY
A poetry mini-retreat for young people ages 12–20, led by Calgary Poet Laureate Clara A. B. Joseph Saturday, October 31, 2026
1:30pm - 4:30pm
$25
A Practice of Listening: What We Carry is a three-hour, in-person poetry mini-retreat for up to 25 young people aged 12–20. It offers a creative and reflective pause midway through the school term. Through selected poems, guided listening and discussion, reflection, drafting, and revision, participants will explore qualities such as courage, kindness, integrity, perseverance, friendship, gratitude, and hope—and consider what they wish to carry into the months ahead. Each participant will have the opportunity to develop an original poem and receive guidance in reading it aloud. Participation in the closing sharing will be entirely voluntary. Parents and guardians may be invited to join the final 25–30 minutes for informal listening and sharing.
The program will be facilitated in English. Informal conversation and sharing may take place in English or Malayalam, and participants may write or present a poem in Malayalam, English, or both.
This is a literary and reflective program, open to young people of any faith or none. No religious knowledge or participation is expected.
Participants should bring a notebook and pen. A workshop packet and supplementary writing materials will be provided. This is a non-residential program.
Registration is $25 per participant and includes light refreshments; lunch will not be provided.
Photography, recording, and public sharing will be optional. No participant’s poem, words, image, or voice will be made public without informed, purpose-specific consent. For participants under eighteen, parent or guardian authorization and the young person’s assent will be required. Any proposed publication of a poem or quotation will require further permission after the participant has reviewed the exact material, attribution, and intended use.
Clara A. B. Joseph is Calgary Poet Laureate (2026–2028) and Professor of English at the University of Calgary. A poet, scholar, teacher, performer, and public speaker, she brings poetry into conversation with cultural memory, ethics, migration, spirituality, and civic life. Through performance, teaching, and facilitation, she creates welcoming spaces for creativity, reflection, belonging, and attentive listening across cultural and religious differences. Her Poet Laureate practice explores poetry as a form of civic listening across Calgary’s communities. She has extensive experience teaching creative writing, poetry, literature, and ethics and contributing to literary, educational, and civic initiatives.
