The Guelph Lecture - On Being Canadian

Friday November 12th, 2010, River Run Centre, Guelph

Now in its eighth year, The Guelph Lecture - On Being Canadian has come to be known as a unique community event, inspiring a community conversation on what it means to be Canadian, through an evening of ideas, perspectives and cultural offerings.

This year's keynote speaker is Mark Kingwell, a professor of philosophy and associate chair at the University of Toronto's Department of Philosophy and one of Canada's leading thinkers in theories of politics and culture. His work on philosophy, politics, art, and architecture has appeared in many leading academic journals and  mainstream publications such as Utne Reader, Harvard Design Magazine, Canadian Art, Harper's, the New York Times, the Walrus, Toronto Life, and the Toronto Star. He is also a former columnist for Adbusters, the National Post and the Globe and Mail. In addition to writing, Kingwell lectures frequently to academic and popular audiences throughout the world and appears on often television, and radio (CBC). He is also well known for his appearance in the documentary film The Corporation. Often, Kingwell's lectures reflect on Canadian issues like citizenship, belonging and contribution.

This year's lecture will also include a musical performance by Carolyn Mark and guest NQ Arbuckle. With the ability to blend sounds of country, blues and rock while issuing performances sure to provoke laughs, tears and toe taps, Carolyn's music is one of a kind. Her most recent recording with NQ Arbuckle, titled Let's Just Stay Here (2009), was nominated for best Roots & Traditional Album Juno and has landing in the top 10 on PopMatters' Best Country Music of 2009 list. Mark has been described as "a headstrong singer with wanderlust and critical- thinking skills that she exercises in songs that never settle for easy answers" as well as one "whose well-intentioned banter is capable of making even the sourest puss at the show crack a smile." She also has one hell of a high kick.

The literary portion of our evening will feature internationally recognized slam poet, Oni the Haitian Sensation. Empowering people around the world with words, Oni has also been commissioned to write poetry for the Canadian Commission, UNESCO, the CBC, the Bytowne Museum and Ottawa's Winterlude Festival. Her book, Ghettostocracy, was chosen book of the year by The Globe and Mail in 2006 and in turn, the National Film Board of Canada featured her shortly after in a short movie entitled La Sensation haitienne. She has directed Canada's first National Poetry Slam, the Canadian Spoken Wordlympics and has currated for the Ottawa International Writers Festival. Maclean Magazine praises her poetry workshops on HIV/AIDS saying "Sex Education has never been as fun - nor, possibly, as effective."

And, to bring the evening together, offering his usual flair of humour and wit our Emcee will be the CBC's Craig Norris. A Guelph local, a musician in his own right and a Canadian radio personality full of smarts, jokes and banter, Mr. Norris is more than just an Emcee. He is like silly putty; a flexible cohesive that will allow such a diverse evening of guests to meld and complement.

For more information on The Guelph Lecture - On Being Canadian please visit http://www.eramosa.org/ and for information on purchasing tickets please call the River Run Centre at 519-763-3000 or visit http://www.riverrun.ca/