Works of literature cannot lift chains of oppression or stop bombs from dropping on unarmed civilians. Yet, as Cathy Park Hong asked in her essay ‘Against Witness’ in Poetry magazine: ‘Is it enough that a poem ‘remembers?’ Is it enough that writing offers us a way to get closer to the feelings of turmoil and distress?

Written accounts of war, displacement, genocide and trauma bear witness to the author and their experiences, an act occupying a space between the personal and political which poet Carolyn Forché defines as the “poetry of witness.” Guided by the work of Forché, workshop participants will explore the role of writing as a witness and a voice in literature encompassing first-hand accounts (for instance, a prisoner of war) and “secondary” witnessing by those who experience an event through news reports, images, interviews, or other documents.

This workshop is open to students, staff, faculty, and members of the public. Light refreshments will be provided.

Rayanne Haines is a producer, podcaster, educator and award-winning poet. Her third collection, Tell The Birds Your Body Is Not A Gun (Frontenac House), won the 2022 Stephan G. Stephansson, Alberta Literary Award for Poetry and was shortlisted for both the BPAA Robert Kroetsch Award, and the ReLit Award. Her poetic memoir, What Kind of Daughter? (Frontenac House, 2024) was shortlisted the 2024 Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry. Rayanne hosts the Crow Reads podcast, is the President of the League of Canadian Poets, and an Assistant Professor at MacEwan University. She teaches and writes with vulnerability as a guiding force.