In today's world, it often feels as though every day brings some new depressing and divisive political turn of events or state of affairs. To counter this bleakness, the Vanier College 2025 English Department Symposium chose as its theme, "Room for Play," and asked: how writers find ways to remain both politically engaged and playful in their writing when times are tough?
"The English Symposium that ran November 5-7, succeeded beyond my expectations," said Robyn Diner, English teacher and symposium organizer. "The turnout was great. The speakers were student-centered, lively and full of insights. TikToker Serena Lelani had the students rapt. Hip hop collective Humblux had students linking humour and play to politics via non-stop highly enthusiastic audience participation. Many of my fellow teachers and I are still in awe of Dr Naila Kuhlmann's work poised at the intersection of neuroscience and the circus in ways that engage folks struggling with Parkinsons. It was a delight to watch it all unfold."
For budding writers, guest speaker Emily Southwood, author of the memoir Prude: lessons I learned when my fiancé filmed porn, had a full auditorium of captive listeners as she discussed process, rejection, and perseverance in the writing life.
Similarly, award-winning author, Chanel Sutherland, debunked myths about writing. Her humour, vitality and openness about the challenges of writing sent the message to students that writing doesn't come easily to anyone. It takes a lot of perseverance and they should just go for it.
