What Do You Want to Learn About this February?

February is a month of many meanings—I Love to Read, Black History, Valentine's Day—and our Community Classroom has dozens of new classes that will help you get the most out of this short, but busy month. Click on the titles below to read more and/or register. Or, visit our Community Classroom page to view all classes starting in February!

I Love to Read

• Aspects of Plath—Looking at new material, consider Plath as a hopeful and complex figure who produced some of the most important poetry from the second half of the 20th century. (Starts Saturday, February 15)

Black History Month

• Slavery: From the Transatlantic Trade to the Contemporary World—Examine the concept of slavery, the Transatlantic Slave Trade and how slavery has transformed itself in our contemporary world. (Starts Thursday, February 6)
• Preaching to the Choir: The Life and Works of R. Nathaniel Dett—Discover the music of this Canadian-born black composer who combined his musical gifts with an endless thirst for knowledge. (Wednesday, February 12)

Valentine's Day

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Our 20th Century Begins and Ends with Poetry

Perhaps you've often wanted to read more poetry, but haven't been sure where to start. Or maybe you've always loved poetry and are looking to discover (or rediscover) some lesser known works. Or you might be somewhere in between. Whatever the case, what better way to start 2020—a new year and a new decade—than by reflecting on twenty important works of poetry that span the 20th century?

Bibliophile Lara Rae has put together a collection of significant poems, starting after the First World War, by writers from T.S. Eliot to Carol Ann Duffy, and will be examining them in her upcoming class, The 20th Century in 20 Poems, starting Wednesday, January 8th. Since the century began, poetry has been describing our world and our times in thrilling and frightening ways, and today it has never been more important. Its history and context may even be able to give us clues about where the ancient art form will take us next.

Learn Something New on the Weekend

For anyone who loves learning, but may not have a lot of extra time during their busy week, our Community Classroom offers weekend courses too.

Starting in September, you can make your own Mandala, learn about the women of rock and roll, take poetry classes with Winnipeg’s very own Poet Laureate, discover the benefits of Indian spices, or indulge your inner foodie with a decadent chocolate or wine and cheese tasting (or both!).

Keep reading for a list of weekend classes coming up in fall 2019!

September:

• Celebrating International Chocolate
• Contemporary Poetries 3.0
• Respect: The Women of Rock (John Einarson teaches rock history classes every Friday!)
• Mandalas and Meditation
• Wine & Cheese Tasting
• Spices of Life: The Benefits of Indian Spices

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Griffin Poetry Prize 2018 winners

Billy-Ray Belcourt and Susan Howe are, respectively, the Canadian and International winners of the 2018 Griffin Poetry Prize.

Belcourt, of the Driftpile Cree Nation in Alberta, won for his collection entitled This Wound is a World, and Howe, and American poet, won for her collection Debths. They each received C$65,000 in prize money.

Congratulations to both! For more information on the Griffin Poetry Prize, visit their website.