Dear Friends of Massey,
The recent Welcome High Table was a rousing success, with a sold-out crowd, many new connections made and old ones renewed. I’d like to thank all the Massey staff who worked very hard to bring it together! I’m also struck by the broad selection of events on many topics that have happened in the past week, and are coming up shortly – the introduction of the new Journalism Fellows, who are interesting people from all walks of journalism; a Killam Laureate talking about population-level interventions against dementia, a Jeopardy game in the common room based on Massey trivia, a Mandarin table, a French table, Junior Fellows discussing AI, using technology to commit crimes, and lots of book launches to name just a few. Our staff and members are working very hard to put these sequences of events in front of you!
Photos by Lisa Sakulensky.
Coffee At Massey
Did you know that coffee, and a selection of tea, is available daily (7:30am-5:00pm) and for free at Massey? You are all welcome to come up to Ondaatje Hall throughout the day and help yourself – Massey is a great place for a meeting on campus, we’d love to see you here!
Announcing the 2025 Jack McClelland Writer-in-Residence
One the many fruitful partnerships that we have at Massey College is with the Department of English at UofT whereby we support the annual Jack McClelland Writer-in-Residence. We are pleased to announce that George F. Walker is the 2025 Jack McClelland Writer-in-Residence.
One of the most prolific playwrights and screenwriters in Canada, George F. Walker is known for his fast-paced and gritty satires about the selfishness, greed, and aggressions of contemporary life. Over his fifty-year career, he has written over thirty plays and several award-winning Canadian television series. Born and raised in Toronto, he has been awarded The Order of Canada, two Governor General’s Awards, five Dora Mavor Moore Awards, nine Chalmers Canadian Play Awards, a National Theatre School Gascon-Thomas Award, and the Governor General Lifetime Achievement Award. One of the most widely produced playwrights in Canada and internationally, his plays have been presented in over 700 productions around the world and translated into a dozen languages, including French, German, Turkish, and Japanese. They include Criminals in Love (1984), Nothing Sacred (1988), Heaven (2000), And So It Goes . . . (2010), Dead Metaphor (2013), The Damage Done (2016), Orphans for the Czar (2017), and Girls Unwanted (2018). His television series include This is Wonderland, The Line, and Living in Your Car.
George will offer a non-credit workshop about writing for both theatre and television, open to the entire U of T community. “Responding to the specific interests of the participants, we will discuss the approaches and difficulties of writing for both mediums.”
Please see this attachment for application instructions.
UPCOMING EVENTS
You may find details via our calendar for upcoming Massey College events. Please check the calendar regularly for updates of events in the weeks ahead. Also, don’t forget to register for Formal Dinners (Mondays or Wednesdays).
Be sure to select the specific date you want on either of the two days’ registration page.
Wednesday, September 25 (4:00-5:30pm) | Massey Dialogues: Reflecting on Nunavut 25+
Nunavut is celebrating its 25th year in 2024. Massey College and the Harvard Club of Toronto will mark this milestone with former Premier Paul Okalik and Professor Emeritus Graham White discussing the territory’s history and current state in conversation with Junior Fellow Riley Yesno. Reception to follow.
Thursday, September 26 (5:00pm) | Book Launch: Journalism for the Public Good by Kim Kierans
You are invited to the book launch of Senior Resident and Massey’s Chair in Media Engagement Kim Kierans who will be in conversation about her new book with award-winning journalist Anna Maria Tremonti. Following the conversation, there will be an audience Q&A, book sales/signing and a reception.
Friday September 27 (8:30am – 3:00pm) | Public Policy Conference – What’s Driving Crime Today?: How Old School Criminals are Using New School Technology
Join us for a public policy conference featuring subject matter experts from policing, justice, academia, media, and the private sector to examine what’s driving crime today.
Watch online / join the in person waitlist
Monday, September 30 (11:00am – 12:00pm) | Ceremony for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
I want to invite you all to a special ceremony to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the Quadrangle (weather permitting, but if not, in the JCR). This event is being organized with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and we hope that you will join us.
Originally and still colloquially known as Orange Shirt Day, September 30 is a day to acknowledge the legacy and ongoing impacts of residential schools. Orange shirts will be available for purchase this week at the Porter’s Lodge, while supplies last, with all proceeds going to Na-Me-Res.
OCTOBER PROGRAMMING
Tuesday, October 1 (4:00 – 6:00pm)
Meet the Visiting Scholars, Senior Residents, Chairs and Residents
You may not be aware that there are many programs at Massey that bring scholars from other universities here, as well as many different kinds of senior residents. This year, we also have one startup-company-in-residence, begun by a serial entrepreneur and former Junior Fellow. Come and take the opportunity to meet these fascinating fellows and senior residents.
Friday, October 4 (4:00pm)
CBC Massey Lectures Book Launch with Ian Williams
Every fall, Massey College hosts the book launch of the CBC Massey Lectures. Join us for a special reading, book signing and reception for the 2024 CBC Massey Lecturer Professor Ian Williams.
Monday, October 7 (8:00pm)
Book Club – The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
The Book Club kicks off a wonderful term of reading, discussion and community. Find available reading copies in the Upper Library or via the RSVP page. See full reading list on our website, here.
Tuesday, October 8 (5:00-7:00pm)
Book Launch– May it Have a Happy Ending by Minelle Mahtani
Join us for the launch where the author, Senior Fellow Minelle Mahtani, will be in conversation with Writer-in-Residence Alum David Chariandy.
Wednesday, Oct 9 (4:00 – 6:00pm)
Book Launch – Lloyd Axworthy: My Life in Politics
Join the launch of Lloyd Axworthy’s memoir where he will be in conversation with Senior Fellow Janice Stein speaking on foreign policy. Reception to follow.
Thursday, October 10 (6:00pm)
Book Launch – The Science of Human Possibilities by V. Kumar Murty
Senior Fellow V. Kumar Murty’s book about Vedanta philosophy and discovering your innermost talents is the first published by the Sutherland House Experts press launched by Senior Fellow Neil Seeman. Senior Fellow Carolyn Tuohy will be providing opening remarks.
Tuesday, October 15 (4:00 – 5:30pm)
Massey Dialogues – AI Infiltrating Our Daily Lives: A Social Good or Potential Harm?
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly infiltrating our daily lives, with the aim to improve societal inefficiencies and/or improve human decision-making. In this dialogue, we discuss harms that may arise from AI technologies that directly impact life outcomes and how one may mitigate these harms to design human-centered AI for social good. See link for panelist details.
Thanks to Junior Fellow Erina Moon for spearheading this idea and panel.
Wednesday, October 16 (8:00pm)
Music Salon – Keepers of the Fire: New traditions in Indigenous music
Indigenous artists are creating some of the most exciting music in Canada today, blending traditional culture with a wide spectrum of contemporary genres to give voice to their communities, their stories, their truth.
Join us as we open a new season of Music Salons with Unity, a quartet of Indigenous women based in Peterborough. Using only percussion instruments and their own voices, they perform a mix of original contemporary music and traditional Indigenous songs, with their own haunting harmonies.
Friday, October 18 (6:00pm) | Indigenous Heritage High Table
You are invited to join us at the Indigenous Heritage High Table. We will convene to celebrate Indigenous peoples and communities in our College community and beyond. Gather over a delicious meal as we introduce new fellows, scholars, and community members.
Monday, October 21 | Intentional Leadership: The Big 8 Capabilities Setting Leaders Apart
Join Quadrangle Society Member and author Rose Patten who will be in conversation with Senior Fellow Sarah Kaplan discussing Intentional Leadership.
Wednesday, October 23 (6:30pm) | Alumni Dinner for the 1978-1984 Cohort
Come and connect with your cohort. We will host several Alumni dinners throughout 2024-2025.
- November 20 (2005-2014)
- January 22 (1985-1994)
- February 12 (2015-2024)
- March 5 (1995-2004)
- March 26 (1962-1974)
Be sure to select the date you are planning to attend. Winter term registration will be available later on in the terms. RSVP
Tuesday, October 29 (7:00pm) | CBC Massey Lectures (OFFSITE)
The Massey Lectures are co-sponsored by CBC Radio, House of Anansi Press, and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The series was created in honour of the Right Honourable Vincent Massey, former Governor General of Canada, and was inaugurated in 1961 to provide a forum on radio where major contemporary thinkers could address important issues of our time.
The 2024 CBC Massey Lectures, What I Mean to Say: Remaking Conversation in Our Time by Professor Ian Williams will take place across Canada in October 2024.
The lectures will be broadcast in November 2024 as part of CBC Radio’s Ideas series.
PURCHASE KOERNER HALL TICKETS HERE
I want to mention two upcoming Osgoode Hall events that may be of interest:
- Thursday, October 10: Lecture: “Will America’s President Be a National Security Threat?”
- Friday, October 11: Workshop on transnational corporate liability
COMMUNITY NEWS
IN MEMORIAM
I am sad to report that Senior Fellow Lois Wilson passed away last week. She was a formidable woman and will be remembered for her remarkable life accomplishments: first woman Moderator of the United Church, special envoy to Sudan and North Korea, Senator, Companion of the Order of Canada. She participated in a number of Ethics Series events which you can find here & here. Please join me in sending condolences to her family and friends. A memorial service is planned for October 15 at 11:00am at Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. East, Toronto. The service will be livestreamed here on YouTube for those that cannot attend in person.
AWARDS
2022-2023 WSJF Alum Wanja Gathu has been selected as a mentee for BIPOC Writers Connect: Facilitating Mentorship, Creating Community. She is among 30 applicants in Canada who will have the opportunity to have her work-in-progress Phenomenal Woman read and evaluated by a professionally published author.
Senior Fellow Cindy Sinclair (pictured above) was recently nominated for the Women Empowerment Lifetime and Diversity and Inclusion Awards.
Congratulations Wanja and Cindy!
NEWS
Senior Fellow Peter Biro addressed the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada and the McGill University Faculty of Law last week as part of his book tour for The Notwithstanding Clause and the Canadian Charter. Watch it here.
Principal Emeritus Nathalie Des Rosiers is an editor of two new books being released by the McGill-Queen’s University Press on Canada’s municipalities.
- Cities and the Constitution is a compilation of essays exploring the constitutional roots of Canada’s municipalities and what constitutional reforms could enable cities to succeed in modern times. Available for purchase from the McGill-Queen’s University Press and can be read online from the University of Toronto Library.
- The Past, Present, and Future of Canadian Cities explores the legal frameworks governing cities in other federal systems for innovations that can be applied to Canadian cities. Available for purchase from the McGill-Queen’s University Press and can be read online from the University of Toronto Library.
Alum Maeve Palmer will be performing with the Brampton Rose Orchestra in Roy Thomson Hall for the Skyky SickKids Benefit Gala on November 10 at 3:00pm.
Please join us at one or more of all of these activities, or just drop by for lunch or dinner. If you’re new to Massey, don’t forget to try the ‘Massey is Lunch’ program, there are spots open in October!
See you soon,
Jonathan
