a call for submissions for Earth Peace at GMP Conf, Grebel/UW, June 2016

Sun Nov 15 03:14:40 EST 2015

I am seeking written submissions for a new collaborative, musical composition/multi-media performance-art piece, "Earth Peace", to be premiered at the Global Mennonite Peacebuilding Conference and Festival, June 9 - 12, 2016, at Grebel/University of Waterloo <https://uwaterloo.ca/grebel/global-mennonite-peacebuilding-conference>.  
I am asking for short written submissions for this piece, pertaining to personal experiences you have had regarding:
– conflict and peace-building
– conflict which has not yet been healed
– conflict and healing
– conflict and resolution 
– conflict and restorative justice
– conflict and the act of moving into new life or "rebirth"
– conflict dealing with sexual issues/sexual orientation and/or trans issues, misconduct/abuse, painful disconnects and damage done, environmental violence, neglect shown and violence committed towards mother earth!, physical violence and/or death, unjust and abusive "power-over", ethnic violence, poverty/inner city/dislocation issues, refugee experiences, difficult or tumultouus family conflicts, the list goes on and on. . 

As in previous works of mine, I will compose music as part of the piece (this time live music), but the main impact of the piece will be your stories which give rise to and need for peace-making.  Possibly you can only tell the 'violence' part of a story not yet completed.  Or possibly you can tell about both the conflict and its resolution.  I do not ask for stories that "only" deal with resolutions. . . there needs to be the background of what the 'resolution' addressed!

I would like to invite you to send me short-short story/stories -- not much more than 400 - 700 words, (shorter is always better!) which could tell a complete story in and of itself – a story in which you "have" been personally involved or at least present to observe.  I am NOT interested in stories about things happening 'over there somewhere' or to 'someone else' whom you have never met or have not dealt with personally, somehow.  (A sample story of my very own relates to hearing a Zulu woman about to be molested and who was calling out for help in the middle of the night in South Africa, and my being able to go out and stand by her and her would-be rapist, at which point the rape didn't occur – at least, not that night.)  

I am basically looking for prose stories, but poetry could also work.  Also, your writing format could be quite 'unusual', with cryptic phrases or usual grammar in order to catch a certain "feel" of a situation, or written as a basic journal entry, presenting simple facts – no commentary at all.  Many writing styles could work.  I would welcome a variety of styles, actually!

Part of the task of the music would be to create some ritualized 'laments' for sorrows and loss and pain, and a commemorative way of reaching for healing/resolution.  I envision and have consent to score for a very talented choral group with a superb conductor, as well as several excellent chamber musicians.  So the music would carry your stories onward, sometimes wordlessly, sometimes as bridges between stories, sometimes possibly with some of your words set to music.

Since it is a Mennonite conference, I wish to include as many Mennonite-related stories as possible, but this call is not at all restricted to Mennonites!  So please copy and distribute this email to any other people you feel may be interested.  

I would ideally like to have all stories submitted by or before December 15, 2015.  The sooner you send things in, the better it will be for me to plan this collaborative work!!

I look forward to hearing from you, directly,  as soon as you have a chance to read this.  Let me know if you'd like to send something in, and I'll keep my eyes 'specially' peeled!!  

thank you kindly!
Cheers,
Carol

Carol Ann Weaver 
Professor Emerita Conrad Grebel University College University of Waterloo  
Secretary, Canadian Association of Sound Ecology (CASE) http://www.soundecology.ca
Chair, Association of Canadian Women Composers (ACWC) http://www.acwc.ca
Artistic Director and Coordinator, Sound in the Land https://uwaterloo.ca/grebel/sound-land-2014;
http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/~caweaver/
On 2015-11-13, at 11:39 PM, Toni Serafini wrote:

> Restorative Justice Week:  November 16th  to November 20th.
> 
> This event may be of interest to you and your students  (see article in the KW Record:  http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6116049-film-documents-how-elmira-crime-spree-led-to-a-worldwide-justice-movement/ )
> 
> 
> <image002.jpg>
> 
> 
> 
> Special thanks to:   CJI, The Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, and The Centre for Peace Advancement at Conrad Grebel.
> 
> Poster is attached - Please distribute widely….
> 
> 
> Best,
> Toni
> 
> 
> ____________________________________
> Toni Serafini, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor and Department Chair
> Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies (SMF)
> 
> St. Jerome's University in the University of Waterloo
> 290 Westmount Road, North
> Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3G3
> 519-884-8110 x28293
> tserafini at uwaterloo.ca
> 
> Adjunct, School of Public Health and Health Systems (SPHHS), University of Waterloo
> Special Graduate Faculty, Family Relations and Applied Nutrition (FRAN), University of Guelph
> 
> "No one is born fully formed: it is through self-experience in the world that we become what we are."
> ~Paolo Freire
> 
> <Restorative Justice and The Elmira Story - SJU.pdf>_______________________________________________
> The artsannounce mailing list is to be used for announcements concerning public lectures and other kinds of events or opportunities that might be of interest to many of the individuals employed within the Faculty of Arts. The artsannounce mailing list includes all interested staff and faculty within Arts, and is intended to replace the artsstaff and artsfac mailing lists for these purposes.
> 
> Anyone who does not wish to receive these kinds of announcements may unsubscribe from the list at any time. To unsubscribe from artsannounce send an empty email message to artsannounce-leave at artslist.uwaterloo.ca and then simply reply to the confirmation message. If you change your mind you can also re-subscribe to artsannounce via this web page:http://artslist.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/artsannounce
> 
> Archives of past postings to the artsannounce list can be found here:http://artslist.uwaterloo.ca/pipermail/artsannounce/

Carol Ann Weaver
Chair, Association of Canadian Women Composers (ACWC)
http://www.acwc.ca
http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/~caweaver/