Yearly lecture brings night of arts and ideas to the River Run Centre
Over the past 12 years, the Guelph Lecture on Being Canadian – a night of live readings, music, and ideas – has been hosted annually at The River Run Center. In past years, the lecture has brought respected public intellectuals from filmmaker Atom Egoyan to scientist Lee Smolin to share their ideas on Canadian identity with a local audience. The 2014/15 installment of the Lecture would prove to be one of the more memorable in recent years, with appearances by writer Miriam Toews, folk singer Basia Bulat, and public intellectuals Janice Gross Stein and Brigitte Shim.
The night would begin with a reading from author Miriam Toews (A Complicated Kindness), whose quirky and oft-humorous writing draws on her childhood growing up in a Mennonite prairie family. From there, singer Basia Bulat would entertain the audience with a set of charmingly off-kilter indie pop. After a short intermission, the night would conclude with fascinating discussion between public intellectuals Janice Gross Stein and Brigitte Shim on topics of public space and the beautification of urban settings. A special nod must also go to the Master of Ceremonies, Guelph’s own Robert Enright, who kept audiences engaged throughout the evening with his witty and amusing commentary.
Since 2002, the Guelph Lecture series has been one of many events that attempt to bring arts and ideas together in our city, and speak to an idea of “Canada” in a broader, more abstract sense. Although historically the event has attracted an older demographic, in recent years, more and more young people have come to absorb the great entertainment, stirring ideas, and thoughtful discourse. Here’s to hoping this small article influences an even greater student turnout in 2016.