When June arrives, it feels like summer has arrived.
The light is golden, the breeze is warm, the forests are full and the trees glow green. In June, I like to laze around in the garden, sip iced tea and cold coffee, explore the city and the woods and read books on grassy blankets. It’s a time to recall memories from my childhood summers, and re-live those moments of joy.
May was a wonderful month, filled with spring blossoms and cool evenings. The Spring Verses workshop was a fitting start to the month, as we envisioned what we hoped for in the month of May. On my birthday, I recorded a beautiful poem by Nancy Wood, entitled “Earth, Teach Me” The poem is a request and a prayer, and sums up my wish for this year.
On May 25th, I joined 12 musicians and artists at the Small World Music Centre for a fundraising concert for Nepal. We raised $2,800, matched by the Canadian government for a total of $5,600! While Nepal is no longer dominating our news feeds or timelines, they still need help. Please consider donating to a reputable NGO to support relief efforts.
In late May, I was awarded the Lois Birkenshaw-Fleming Creative Teaching Scholarship. It will be applied to my Level III Arts Education training at the Royal Conservatory (Toronto) where I will be developing an arts education “Dream Project”. I hope that I can share it with you once I’ve completed my training.
Starting June 25th, I will be offering Mapping Ourselves, a four part workshop series, in partnership with the Varley Art Gallery in Markham. Taking inspiration from the Varley Art Gallery’s latest exhibition, Traversive Territories, this creative writing workshop series will involve fun, interactive and independent writing exercises that will incorporate themes of identity, belonging, and a sense of home.
Watch this space for my next workshop offering at Artscape Youngplace. If you have ideas or themes you’d like to explore, drop me a line and let me know!
Also, don’t forget to visit my official Facebook page for your chance to win a beautiful gift at the end of the month.
Wishing you a joyous June,
shenizjanmohamed.com 