Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Memorial University

Book Launch: Richard Harrison's "My Mother Joins the Resistance"
Featuring a Reading from Michelle Porter

🗓 Saturday, August 29th
⏰ 7:00 — 9:00 PM
📍 The Battery Cafe

Please join us to celebrate Richard Harrison's latest poetry collection "My Mother Joins the Resistance" with a reading from the author as well as Michelle Porter with a Q and A to follow moderated by Aaron Tucker.

Further event info is here: https://locarius.io/events/4703/richard-harrison-poetry-reading-book-launch-ft-michelle-porter-the-battery-cafe

Richard Harrison is the winner of the 2017 Governor General’s Award for Poetry for On Not Losing My Father’s Ashes in the Flood. Richard’s writings have been published across Canada as well as in the United States, England and Italy. His individual poems, and two books, have been translated into six languages including Spanish, Farsi, French and Arabic. This year he was honoured with the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Golden Pen for Lifetime Achievement. Professor Emeritus of English at Mount Royal University, currently Richard is a full-time poet, essayist, editor and writing mentor in Calgary, where he lives with his wife, Lisa.

A descendant of Métis storytellers from the prairie homeland, Michelle Porter’s next novel A Glacier’s Guide to Dying (Penguin), will be available in September of 2026 and her next book of poetry, Yellow Pears (McClelland & Stewart), in the spring of 2027. Her debut novel, A Grandmother Begins the Story, was a national bestseller, won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, and was a finalist for the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Award. In addition to her acclaimed fiction, she is the author of two nonfiction works (Scratching River and Approaching Fire) and a debut poetry collection (Inquiries), which was shortlisted for the 2021 Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the E.J. Pratt Poetry Award. Her poetry has also been recognized by the Montreal International Poetry Prize in 2020, 2022, and 2024. Michelle teaches creative writing and Métis literature at Memorial University.

Memorial University Department of English

Workshop with Governor General’s Award Winner, Richard Harrison:
The Fundamentals of Freewriting

🗓 Friday, August 28th
⏰ 3:00 — 5:00 PM
📍 AA3017

No matter what the genre, many workshop leaders and academic instructors use a form of freewriting in their approach. There are many variations on this practice, and each variation leads writers to different results. The approach in this workshop is that of freewriting as outlined by Peter Elbow in Writing with Power -- unprompted writing that emerges as closely as possible from the feeling centers of the mind (and brain). Using the resulting writing, we can develop a language to comment on work open to commentary or editing that respects the writer's sovereignty while giving critical insight into what the writer's words are doing. This method, that we might call critique without evaluation, removes much of the confrontational consequences of the "good/bad" language of traditional academic judgment and let developing writers work with what they've learned about their writing and decide for themselves what route to take in order to achieve their goals.

Please sign up to attend here: https://forms.gle/MSV5F8e6DFwGe6VPA

Bio: Richard Harrison is the winner of the 2017 Governor General’s Award for Poetry for On Not Losing My Father’s Ashes in the Flood. Richard’s writings have been published across Canada as well as in the United States, England and Italy. His individual poems, and two books, have been translated into six languages including Spanish, Farsi, French and Arabic. This year he was honoured with the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Golden Pen for Lifetime Achievement. Professor Emeritus of English at Mount Royal University, currently Richard is a full-time poet, essayist, editor and writing mentor in Calgary, where he lives with his wife, Lisa.

Memorial University Department of English

Are you interested in improving your French oral communication skills? Did you take French immersion in high school, but feel like you are now too 'rusty'? If so, FREN 3300 Oral Communication Skills is for you! With small group conversations, debates, and speaking exercises, this course will help you build the confidence to speak French in various contexts.

Not a MLLC major or a HSS student? No problem! Reach out to the instructor, Dr. Alexandre Gaulthier at [email protected], to make sure you have the necessary level to take this course and/or register for this course. No other prerequisite necessary.

The course starts Tuesday September 10th (Tues-Thurs 5:30-6:45pm) and takes place in the early evening, perfect for those working part-time or full-time.

Are you planning to apply for a Canada Graduate Research Scholarship—Doctoral (CGRS D) through SSHRC? Join Dr. Danine Farquarson for an interactive workshop designed to help you prepare a strong and competitive application.

🗓 Wednesday, August 19
⏰ 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
📍 Dean of HSS Boardroom (A5014) and online (hybrid format)
🎟 Register by emailing: [email protected]

💰💰💰 The CGRS D program provides $40,000 per year for up to three years to support outstanding doctoral students pursuing research in the social sciences and humanities.

🤔 Who should attend?
Current and incoming PhD students in Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines who are planning to apply for a CGRS D award.

💡 During this workshop, you will:
· Learn about the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship—Doctoral (CGRS D) program and eligibility requirements.
· Receive guidance on preparing a research proposal and application.
· Gain practical tips for strengthening your application package.
· Have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the application process.

For more information about the program, visit: https://tinyurl.com/2fcctjw6

🥳🙌 Congratulations to Dr. Barry Gaulton (MUNL Archaeology Department) and Alison Carr (Memorial University Press) on securing $96,000 in SSHRC support for the Journal of Newfoundland and Labrador Studies. Read all about them and the other Memorial University-led journals who've received a combined investment of $333,835.

"Scholars worldwide who have an academic interest in Newfoundland and Labrador society and culture seek out the journal for research and often see the journal as an option for publishing their own research concerning the province."

In-depth focus Three Memorial University-led international journals are receiving a combined investment of $333,835 over three years. The Canadian Journal of Career Development; Newfoundland and Labrador Studies; and Intersectionalities: A Global Journal of Social Work have each received support from the Social Sc...

This year in CLAS 3405, Greek and Roman Tragedy, WE ARE PUTTING ON THE PLAY!
Students will form a troupe of players, select a tragedy, and spend the fall rehearsing in order to put on a full production at the end of term!

Love to act? Be one of the principal actors, chorus leaders, or chorus members!
Shy but love to be in control? Be the director or producer!
Prefer to be behind the scenes? Be the stage manager, costume designer, or set designer!

Contact Dr. Julianna Will (instructor) for questions: [email protected]

MUNL Classics

Explore a 3000 year old epic that to this day generates new perspectives on "Rama's journey." Like all great epics, the Ramayana expresses and informs ethics, religion, politics, social structures, and the arts. RELS 3411 (CRN 43250; T & R 9-10:15 AM) The Ramayana: A Hindu Epic and Performance Tradition Dr. Patricia Dold.

Image description: Image is public domain, a manuscript painting circa 1780. Rama, his wife Sita, his brother Lakshmana receive advice from the sage Bharadvaja during their 14 year exile in the forest. As the image suggests, oral transmission is part of the history of the epic, one we will continue in the course, though we will also read and watch translation and film.

Department of Religion and Culture, Memorial University