- 3 Hours
- Thursday, February 6, 5:00—8:00
- On campus at the University of St. Michael’s College, Room: Mary Ward Centre, Second Floor, Loretto College (70 St. Mary St)
- $50 (includes HST)
This workshop invites you to discover the “eco-self” — a deep connection between our personal healing and the natural world. Through creative writing, discussions, and guided meditation, we’ll explore how connecting with nature can support both personal and environmental healing. No experience with poetry is needed.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll understand what the eco-self is and how it can support your own healing and contribute to environmental justice. You’ll also leave with practical tools and exercises to keep building this connection on your own.
Learning Outcomes
In this workshop, participants will:
Understand the concept of the eco-self and its role in personal healing and environmental justice.
Identify the connection between eco-spirituality and individual well-being, and how this connection contributes to collective environmental justice efforts.
Apply tools, writing prompts, and practices to develop and sustain a healing relationship with one’s eco-self and eco-spirituality.
About the Instructor
Dr. Iris J. Gildea is an Associate Professor at the University of St. Michael’s College and teaches in the Book & Media Studies Program. She has taught at St. Michael’s for ten years.
Iris’ work and research are at the intersections of art, media, trauma and feminist studies. Most of her courses focus on various aspects of critical media studies. She writes and publishes on trauma theory and art as a mode of meaning-making and healing, often with a focus on survivors of gendered violence and childhood trauma.
Iris received her PhD from the University of Toronto in Comparative Literature with a dissertation on Paul Ricoeur’s phenomenological hermeneutics. She loves the intersections of theory and art, seeking always to expand structures of knowledge and meaning-making. Outside of her university teaching, Iris leads poetry and expressive arts workshops in community. She also teaches meditation. When not writing, teaching or making art, Iris is in nature hiking with her dog. She splits her time between Cortes Island in British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario.
Questions?
Please get in touch with ce.stmikes@utoronto.ca
Application Form
SMCE4004 W25 – Poetry and the Eco-Self: Exploring Healing Connections with Nature
CE Course Registration
