Symposium
English Department Symposium
Recently, it often feels as though every day brings some new depressing and divisive political turn of events or state of affairs. In keeping with the theme, “Room for Play,” this year’s symposium asks: How do writers and other cultural workers find ways to remain both politically engaged and playful in their writing or other creative work when times are tough? How might they incorporate play into their creative process and practice? What are the limits of play?
Wednesday, November 5
8:30–10:30 — Prioritizing the creative brain: Turning (dreaded) reading requirements into art! Colleen Ayoup. Teacher, Communications, Media, and Studio Arts, Vanier College
This is an interactive workshop for educators and students on creative literacy through poetry and play. In this hands-on workshop, surrounded by art supplies, attendees become literary detectives—uncovering hidden poems within texts and transforming them into visual art. Discover how blackout poetry can spark creativity across any discipline!
Bio: Colleen Ayoup has been teaching in Vanier College’s Communications, Media, and Studio Arts (CMSA) program since 2013. Her passion for alternative and experiential pedagogy stems from her own challenging experiences as a learner, as well as her earlier work in the media arts sector—including at the National Film Board of Canada—where she developed projects that amplified diverse voices and perspectives on both national and international issues. Her certification in therapeutic arts has further deepened her interest in the cognitive benefits of creative expression and its strong connection to both learning and well-being across disciplines.
10:30–12:30 — Piece of mind: Performing arts to connect, communicate and co-create across neurological differences Dr. Naila Kuhlmann, Neuroscientist and founder of Peace of Mind Collective
How do we make ourselves understood when words don’t fully capture our experience? How may we better connect across our bodily, sensory and neurological differences? Piece of Mind brought together neuroscientists, performing artists (circus, dance, music), and people living with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease to co-create performances based on neuroscientific research and lived experience. In addition to a screening of Piece of Mind: Parkinson’s, Naila Kuhlmann will share examples and activities from the co-creative process, and she will highlight how play can facilitate community-building in the context of participatory research-creation.
Bio: After studying Parkinson’s disease for her Neuroscience PhD at the University of British Columbia, Naila Kuhlmann turned to her training in circus and dance to pursue arts-based knowledge translation for her postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University. Her participatory research-creation explores the role of the body in shaping experiential knowledge and interpersonal interactions, and how arts and technologies may serve to connect, communicate and co-create across differences. She is now a full-time researcher at the National Circus School’s HUPR Research Centre for Human Potential.
12:30–2:00 — UB Palestine at the borders of play: Frontiers of dreams and fears Dr. Asma Al-Nasar, Teacher, English Department, Vanier College
The theme of this year’s English Symposium is “Room for Play.” But who is afforded the room, and who is not? What about the literal spaces that people inhabit? How much room is available for those who grow up without access to those spaces, nor to the room to move freely within or across borders? This UB event will feature a screening of Mai Masri’s Frontiers of Dreams and Fears. The film follows two young Palestinian refugee girls who become pen pals—one in the Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon and the other in Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank—and explores the ways in which confinement has shaped their communities and hopes.
Bio: Dr. Asma Al-Nasar teaches full-time in the English Department at Vanier College. She teaches courses on Palestinian literature and has worked with refugee youth at the Shatila camp, where she created programs for kids to play as such spaces are rare.
2:00–4:00 — Ekphrasis as activism Murgatroyd Monaghan, Poet, writer, mother, and activist
How can writers and artists respond appropriately to our world, and what difference does it make? Learn about the role of chaotic ekphrasis in our writing practice and our daily lives.
Bio: Murgatroyd Monaghan is an Autistic, disabled mother, writer, poet and spoken word artist of mixed descent. Her writing focuses on the lives of diverse people that inhabit Turtle Island and has won both national and international awards. Her latest poetry collection, white spaces where we learn to breathe (Off Topic Publishing, 2025), was named one of the “Top 20 Books We Are Excited to Read” by CBC Books.
4:00–6:00 — It is in your self-interest to find a way to be very silly Tara McGowan-Ross, Writer and artist
Playfulness? In this economy? In this talk, urban Mi’kmaw multidisciplinary artist and writer Tara McGowan-Ross explains how a serious commitment to playfulness is the best strategy for survival when things get hard. Drawing from artistic traditions, her life, and her work, Tara will share practical strategies for silliness as a means of asserting oneself, resisting tyranny, remaining hopeful, and staying truly alive.
Bio: Tara McGowan-Ross is the author of Girth and Scorpion Season, as well as the memoir Nothing Will Be Different, a finalist for the 2022 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Her poetry has appeared in Best Canadian Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in Montreal.
Thursday, November 6
8:00–10:00 — Vulnerbro: Documenting the tender edges of masculinity Dr. Treena Orchard, Anthropology professor, author, activist
This talk traces the emergence of my sexual and cultural interest in men as partners—lovely and less so—figures to lust after and fascinating literary fodder. It unpacks the rhizomic connections between my previous book and the data I’m gathering for my new book Vulnerbro. Drawing from surveys, online interviews, and snail mail letters, it offers a tender analysis of how men are navigating gender, subjectivity, and who they are in a time of culture wars.
Bio: Treena Orchard is an anthropologist, author, and activist in the School of Health Studies at Western University. Her arts-based research explores sexuality, gender, and health across diverse communities. Her memoir Sticky, Sexy, Sad: Swipe Culture & The Darker Side of Dating Apps was nominated for Book of the Year & People’s Choice Award by Mindvalley.
10:00–12:00 — Brutally honest; honestly brutal Emily Southwood, Memoirist, journalist, screenplay and fiction writer
In this talk I will discuss process, rejection, and perseverance in the writing life. Writing is a dance between the internal and external. We will address having the gall to write in a saturated world, and how throwing yourself under the bus can foster playfulness, comedy, and connection.
Bio: Emily Southwood is a memoirist, journalist, and fiction writer with an MFA from UBC. She’s the author of Prude and has written for Elle Canada, Time.com, and Huffington Post. Her passion lies in telling thought-provoking narratives about resilient characters.
12:00–2:00 — The totally real, not-at-all-made-up guide to writing Chanel Sutherland, Writer
Here’s the secret: writers write. Notebooks optional. Confidence optional. Coffee… highly recommended. Join me for a funny, real talk about why writing is for anyone brave enough to put words on a page—and why that “anyone” might just be you.
Bio: Chanel Sutherland is a Vincentian-Canadian writer, multiple CBC Literary Prize winner, Commonwealth Short Story Prize overall winner, and author of Layaway Child (House of Anansi, 2026).
2:00–4:00 — From books to games: A conversation with Jill Murray, YA author and videogame writer
From writing YA novels to videogames like Assassin’s Creed, Jill Murray will discuss play in writing across genres and platforms and share insights on building a creative career.
Bio: Jill Murray is a game writer and author based in Montreal. She’s known for her work on Shadow of the Tomb Raider and the Assassin’s Creed series. Her YA novels include Break on Through and Rhythm and Blues. She’s currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Nonfiction at the University of King’s College.
4:00–6:00 — The balancing act: Pitching, paycheques, and the joy in between Serena Lalani, TikToker, journalist, entrepreneur
Behind every press trip, brand collaboration, and PR package is a mix of strategy, values, and play. This talk explores the trade-offs of turning creativity into a career and the role of joy in sustaining it.
Bio: Serena Lalani is a freelance copywriter and lifestyle content creator with a Journalism & PR background. She’s worked with the National Post and The Marilyn Denis Show, and now runs Serena Lalani Creative, helping entrepreneurs and brands show up online with authentic storytelling.
Friday, November 7
10:00–12:00 — Making room for play as an independent artist Tranna Wintour, Comedian, singer, writer, hostess, producer
Tranna Wintour discusses what it means to make room for play while making a living as an independent artist. How do politics affect creativity? How do you stay motivated when it feels like the world is ending? This open discussion invites audience participation.
Bio: Tranna Wintour is a comedian, writer, and singer who has performed with Just for Laughs and on major stages across Canada. She co-hosted CBC’s Chosen Family podcast and became a breakout star on Big Brother Célébrités and The Traitors Canada.
12:00–2:00 — Stop playin’ with us Humblux, Hip hop, fashion, art, and literature production team
Humblux believes resistance can be playful and joy is part of political engagement. Their performance features spoken word, rap, and freestyle, followed by a discussion on being English-speaking Black artists in a French-dominated space.
Bio: London Smalley (Ol’Mann Supreme) is the founder and Creative Director of Humblux and Clan Supreme, collectives dedicated to creative and cultural transformation through music, art, and storytelling.
2:00–4:00 — Coffee house, Location: A-250 (Choir Room)
Teachers, staff, and students are invited to read or perform their original literary works. Everyone is welcome. To participate, contact April Lepitre at lepitre@vaniercollege.qc.ca.
Acknowledgements
The English Department Symposium Committee would like to thank the Faculty of General Education for sponsoring this event. Our sincere gratitude to Faculty Dean, Kelly Purdy and Wendy Ault for their help and support. We would like to thank the QWF Writer’s-in-CEGEP Program for helping to sponsor two of our presenters. We want to acknowledge the support of the Open-Door Network, the VCSA, Vanier Student Services and the Québec Ministry of Education for helping to sponsor this event.