Category: Stories

• IPTN: Conundrums and Burning Issues

  Montreal was hazy, a thin layer of smoke hung over the city. Tens of thousands of aces of forest were ablaze in northern  Canada, and the smoke from those fires rode the westerlies to Montreal. Some days were worse than others, resulting in hacking coughs and burning eyes. At the conference, this haze was a…

  Michael Watson PhD

  July 21, 2015

  Healing, Social issues, Stories, Teaching

  IPTN, Playback Theatre, Social Change, stories, teaching

• IPTN: Making Room at the Table

  Last week we were at the International Playback Theatre Network (IPTN) conference in Montreal, where along with marvelous summer festivals, the city was discussing the Oka crisis of twenty-five years ago. In a very familiar conversation, Federal and provincial governments were heralding the great improvement in their relations with First Nations people, while many Indigenous…

  Michael Watson PhD

  July 16, 2015

  First Nations, Stories, Travel

  First Nations, IPTN, stories, teaching

• From Lived Experience Springs Hope

  

  After another wet day, the sun is again shining, the sky clear and blue. Over the past few days I’ve found myself in several conversations about the interweaving of the experience of being other, creativity, and social issues. These discussions have proven inspiring and hopeful. This morning I was going through the blogs I follow,…

  Michael Watson PhD

  June 24, 2015

  Arts, First Nations, Social issues, Stories

  Arts, healing, Indigenous, stories

• Lara/Trace Writes About the Residential Schools

  Today I am sharing a blog post from Lara Trace. Growing up, I was taught that healers must be engaged in the lives of the people. I often think of my beloved teacher, Ipu, who repeatedly risked his life to aid his people in the Amazon. He was a gentle, loving man, with a fierce…

  Michael Watson PhD

  June 9, 2015

  First Nations, Healing, Social issues, Stories

  First Nations, healing, residential schools, stories, trauma