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News From CALL Mid‑June 2023
Sketch by Jane Harrison, member of the Sketch Club Interest Group.
CALL in June
Treks and Travels: Road tripping through the South and Southwest U.S.
Wednesday June 21 7:30–9:00pm at Varsity Presbyterian Church
Speakers: Ruth Sturby & John Mauel
A road trip? A good old-fashioned road trip!
Ruth and John have found that the best part of road travel is the “in-between” sites, between major cities and airports.
Listen to Ruth and John tell their stories of some magnificent, surprising, scary, and inspiring encounters as they travelled through every state north of the Rio Grande River and west of Louisiana and Mississippi. See Pancho Villa's trigger finger, the graves of Bonnie and Clyde, blooming cactus, the childhood home of President Bill Clinton and the first store that Walmart founder Sam Walton opened in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Our presenters travel in a 2007 Toyota Tacoma truck with a small pop-up camper on the back which gives them the freedom and maneuverability to drive in downtown Los Angeles, New Orleans and along back-roads that only a 4x4 truck can navigate. Their “prairie clipper” has helped them explore “everything” in‑between.
This is the last presentation before the summer break. We hope you will join us! Registration is not required. Members of the public are welcome to attend (at a cost of $5).
Great Big Sing
You can still join this Interest Group for the remaining two sessions – Wednesday, June 21st and 28th, 10:00–11:30 am in Room 310 at cSpace. Another 8 week session will begin in September.
For more information and to register, go to the Great Big Sing page.
CALL in the Summer
CALL of the Uke
The very energetic CALL Uke players have decided to keep meeting through the summer. They will meet in Room 310 at cSpace from 10:00am–12:00pm every Saturday beginning on July 8 except on long weekends. New members who enjoy singing and playing in a group are welcome.
For more information and to register go to the CALL of the Uke page.
CALL Interest Groups
Indigenous Awareness
– Kerry Tucker White, facilitator of this Interest Group
The CALL Indigenous Awareness Group gathers twice per month (first and third Mondays) to study and discuss a variety of Indigenous authored materials focusing on history, culture and current events. Both collectively and individually, we strive to increase our awareness, knowledge and understanding of both Indigenous issues and celebrations. Guided by our Knowledge Keeper, Dr. Barbara Barnes, we use the principles set forth in the seven sacred teachings to move forward with others in a good way.
We hope to continue developing responsible allyship with First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities. We eagerly anticipate continued learning and perhaps, more importantly, “unlearning.” We, as Treaty People, will begin again in the Fall with renewed dedication to awareness, understanding and action toward an equitable future where all may flourish.
Prairie-Quebec Literature Interest Group
– Sandra Ens, co-facilitator of this Interest Group
The Prairie-Quebec Literature group is a collaboration between CALL and the McGill Community of Lifelong Learners (MCLL). During the 2019 Federal election cycle, Elizabeth Robinson at MCLL became concerned over the hostility between Alberta and Quebec and sought a way to bridge the division. Two Calgary-Montreal groups were formed: a literature group and an issues group. The purpose of the literature discussion group was to provide participants with an opportunity to increase their appreciation of two distinctive places—the Canadian prairies and Quebec. Initially, the Calgary group was led by Tamara Seiler and the Montreal group was led by Lorne Huston.
I was drawn to the Prairie-Quebec literature group for a few reasons. I’m always looking for a new opportunity to talk about books. I had not read many books by Quebec authors, and I had only been to Montreal twice, not for long stays and not for many years. I liked the idea of collaborating with people I would not likely meet. The teacher in me responded to the goal of enhancing the understanding of the Prairies through novels.
I joined the group in September 2020, and have been a member through eight sessions, each ten weeks, meeting once every two weeks. In 2021, I became co-coordinator with Tamara Seiler. In each session, we read four books, two by Prairie authors and two by Quebec authors. We have tried to choose a book by a female author and one by a male author, and choose different time periods, historical and current.
Did we find common ground? I think we did. In both The Stone Diaries and La Sagouine, the main characters are born in the early 1900s and their 20th century lives unfold. The desire for the aged to live life on their own terms was examined in The Stone Angel and Il pleuvait des oiseaux and Barney’s Version. The immigrant experience in the 21st century, a Canadian trope, was considered in A Chorus of Mushrooms and Ru. We’ve read about Indigenous experience through Green Grass, Running Water and The Break. We visited Miriam Toews’ Steinbach, Hugh McLennan’s Montreal, Katherine Govier’s Calgary, Roch Carrier’s rural Quebec, and W.O. Mitchell’s Saskatchewan: “The prairie [stretched] tan to the far line of the sky, … shimmering under the late June sun.”
The contrast between Quebec and Alberta is clearly evident in Wild Rose, by Sharon Butala. Set in the late 19th century, Sophie travels from religion-bound rural Quebec and its “enclosures – lakes, forests, hills, villages – into a place so vast”, from a life controlled by social expectations, into the uninhabited prairie… where she is still subject to social expectations. The landscape is very different, but as we know, human nature is similar. I know that I have a deeper understanding of Quebec’s culture and perspective, my reason for joining the group. But more than that, I have a greater understanding of my part of the country, where I grew up and where I still live. Prairie novels are about people who live close to the harsh and demanding elements of nature. The characters struggle with dust and wind, oppressive summers and biting winters, the contradictions of flood and drought, and the economic cycles of oil prices and failed crops. They are pioneers, entrepreneurs and mavericks who are willing to take risks and who find in the West a place of opportunity. They work hard to succeed. They endure.
New members are welcome. The Prairie-Quebec Literature Interest Group meeting dates are September 19, October 3, October 17, October 31, and November 14. Our book choices for the fall are Restlessness by Aritha van Herk, In the Shadow of the Wind (Les Fous de Bassan) by Anne Hebert, The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr, and Cockroach by Rawi Hage. Contact sandraens22@gmail.com if you wish to join the group. Once you join, you will be provided with an annotated list of the 32 books we’ve read and discussed.
Volunteer Opportunities
CALL thrives on volunteers who make a difference by sharing their experiences, interests, hobbies, skills and talents. Every volunteer has a story that makes the programs offered by CALL diverse, educational, interesting and fun, enriching people’s lives. There are endless possibilities as a volunteer with CALL and you are invited to bring good things to other members by contributing one time, on a short term or ongoing basis. This is your opportunity to engage in meaningful activity while pursuing life long learning. Check out the website or contact the Volunteer Committee – volunteer@calgarylifelonglearners.ca
MAKE A DIFFERENCE – VOLUNTEER!
Your CALL Newsletter
The CALL Newsletter is our way to communicate what is going on in our community. It's a way to highlight events of interest, ‘peek behind the curtain of CALL’ and to give some general information about CALL groups and members.
You are invited to send your ideas and suggestions for future issues to newsletter@calgarylifelonglearners.ca. We reserve the right to edit submissions and to determine when submissions will be published.
CALL Newsletter dates for posting:
- June 30
Meanwhile, be well, stay well in every sense of the word.