Upcoming Events
WORKSHOP & READING
Workshop:
Listening to Childhood
In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens describes his hero,
Pip, lying awake in bed, listening to “those extraordinary voices with which silence teems...The closet whispered, the fireplace whispered, the little washing-stand ticked, and one guitar-string played occasionally in the chest of drawers.” In this two-hour workshop we will take the time to recover our own such memories of childhood, talking them through with one another and doing our best both to draw the sounds, and to grow them into poems, songs and stories.
Reading:
Christian McEwen is a freelance writer and cultural activist, originally from the UK. She is the author of numerous books, including World Enough & Time: On Creativity and Slowing Down; The Tortoise Diaries: Daily Meditations; and Sparks from the Anvil: the Smith College Poetry Interviews. She will read from her most recent book, In Praise of Listening: A Gathering of Stories (2023), which has just come out in audio.
River Song Co-housing
172 Oakleigh Lane
Eugene, OR 97404
28 & 28 February 2025
workshop on 2/27 from 10:00am-12:30pm
reading on 2/28 at 7:00pm-8:15pm
PRESENTATION: MONADNOCK SUMMER LYCEUM
LISTENING TO THE PAST:
Some linguists believe that the oldest word is hist—listen!
-Kathleen Dean Moore
What might it mean to listen to the past? The first sound recording was made in 1860, less than 200 years ago. But for centuries before that it was possible to encounter previous generations through their songs and music, catching in the arc of our own voices the shadowy echo of those who’d sung them first, or tracking the words of our ancestors through letters or journals or fragments of poetry. In her talk, Christian will draw on her most recent book, In Praise of Listening, to name the sounds and voices of the past, and encourage her listeners to explore their own sound-memories.
Monadnock Summer Lyceum
Peterborough Universalist Church
Peterborough, NH 03458
11:00am-12:30pm
Sunday, 6th July 2025
Past Events
Local Reading of “In Praise of Listening” in Shelburne Falls, MA
7:00 PM Wednesday, September 11, 2024
The Shelburne-Buckland Community Center
53 Main St, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
“In Praise of Listening” Workshop at Bombyx
10:00am-12:30pm Saturday, June 8th, 2024
Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity
130 Pine St Florence MA 01062
Reading at the Toadstool Bookstore in Peterborough, NH
11:00am-12:30pm Saturday, June 1st, 2024
The Toadstool Bookstore
12 Depot Street, Peterborough, NH 03458
Christian will be accompanied on flute by her friend and publisher, Sarah Bauhan.
Interview with Awakin
11:00am- 12:30pm EST on Saturday, May 25th, 2024
Christian gave a livestreamed interview with Awakin, a community organization dedicated to sharing wisdom from individuals who are gently shaking the world.
The Giant Listening Ear Visits Turners Falls, MA
12:00pm-3:00pm Sunday, May 5th, 2024
The Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls, MA
Reading & Conversation with Dr. Robert Jonas via Zoom
8:30am-9:45am EST on Friday, May 10th, 2024
Via Zoom
Reading & Conversation with Verandah Porche
7:00pm-8:00pm Tuesday, March 26th, 2024
The Norwich Bookstore
291 Main Street, Norwich, VT
In Praise of Listening Reading at Up Up Books, OR
6:00pm-7:30pm, Wednesday, February 28th, 2024.
Up Up Books
1211 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR 97214
Zoom Reading with Catherine Arnold
7:00pm-8:00pm EST, Wednesday, March 27th, 2024
Christian McEwen & Richard Smith: A Reading & Discussion
The Writer’s Center, Washington D.C. welcomes Christian McEwen (In Praise of
Listening) and Richard Smith (Not a Soul but Us) for a virtual reading and discussion.
January 20th, 2:00pm, via Zoom
Fall 2023 In Praise of Listening Tour:
New England Booksellers Association, Omni Hotel, Providence, RI: Tuesday-Thursday October 3rd-5th.
In Praise of Listening published: Tuesday, October 10th.
Reading: Broadside Bookstore,
Northampton, MA
Wednesday, October 11th, 7:00-8:30pm
Reading: with Write Action: Brattleboro Literary Festival
Brattleboro, VT
Sunday, October 15th, 4:00pm.
Reading: Meekins Library, Williamsburg, MA: Wednesday, October 18th, 7:00-8:00pm
Tel. 413 368 7472. meekinsbooks@cwmars.org
Reading: Sky Lake Meditation Center, Rosendale, NY: Tuesday, 24th October, 7:00-9:00pm.Tel. 845 658 8556 info@skylake.org
Reading & Workshop: Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, 500 State Street, Brooklyn, NY: Friday, November 3rd, 7:00-8:30pm and Saturday, November 4th, 10:00am-12:00pm. Tel. 845 688 2228 registrar@dharma.net
Reading: The Lava Center, 324 Main Street, Greenfield, MA, Wednesday, November 8th, 7:00-8:30pm. Tel. 413 376 8118
Reading: The Barn Theater & Studio, Belchertown, MA: Saturday, November 11th, 2:00-3:00pm.
Tel. 413 896 1305. Contact: ezekiel.baskin@gmail.com