Thursday Talk: Poetry to Save Your Life | Pádraig Ó Tuama – Poet | Theologian | Activist
Thu Sep 26, 2019
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Everyone Welcome to Pádraig Ó Tuama talk “Poetry to Save Your Life”
Pádraig Ó Tuama is a poet, theologian and conflict mediator from Ireland. From 2014-2019 he was the leader of the Corrymeela Community, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation community. His published work incorporates poetry (Readings from the Book of Exile; Sorry for your Troubles), prose (In The Shelter) and theology. A profoundly engaging public speaker, Ó Tuama has worked with groups to explore story, conflict, their relationship with religion and argument, and violence. Using poetry, group discussion and lectures, his work is marked both by lyricism and pragmatism and includes a practice of evoking stories and participation from attendees at his always-popular lectures, retreats and events.
Ó Tuama has been a featured guest on On Being with Krista Tippett twice and is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio on topics such as Religion in the public square, Loneliness, Conflict and Faith, LGBT inclusion, Reparative Therapy and the value of the Arts in public life.
For Ó Tuama, religion, conflict and poetry all circle around language, that original sacrament. In the context of public theology, he takes the received form of biblical texts and explores the civic and artistic dynamics of language, narrative and impact in these stories. He holds a BA Div validated by the Pontifical College of Maynooth, an MTh from Queen’s University Belfast and is currently engaged in a Ph.D. in Theology through Creative Practice exploring poetry and the Bible. In addition to these qualifications, Ó Tuama has numerous professional accreditations in conflict and group meditation.
Read more about Pádraig Ó Tuama on his website
This event is generously sponsored by the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia
If you would like to attend this retreat and finances are a barrier hindering your attendance, please call the centre and ask about scholarships that may be available.
If you have finances available to sponsor someone attending this event, who otherwise could not attend, please donate here.