IN PRAISE OF LISTENING: Reading, Writing, Drawing, Slowing Down

“Many an old story begins with the words, ‘Long ago, when animals could speak…’ Perhaps the corollary would be just as good an opening… ‘Long ago, when people could listen.’”
– Lyanda Lynn Haupt

The word “listen” derives from the Old English hylsnan which means, quite simply, “to pay attention.” But in recent years such generous, expansive listening has been increasingly under siege. Our eyes are seduced by our dazzling screens; our ears plugged up with plastic buds. We listen to podcasts at the gym; to audiobooks while driving; to guided meditation apps as we try to soothe ourselves to sleep. Little by little, we risk losing our ability to listen deeply to one another and the natural world, and even to ourselves.

“Slow down a moment! Stop and listen!”

When we take the time to listen, not only with our ears, but with the fullness of our heart and mind and spirit, it becomes possible to recover the curious children we once were: lively and engaged. Christian McEwen is the author of In Praise of Listening: A Gathering of Stories (Bauhan Publishing, 2023). For years now, she has been leading workshops with a focus on just such dedicated listening.

Over the course of the weekend, we will explore the act of listening in a variety of ways, reclaiming that very ordinary joy, learning to braid it into each detail of our daily lives.

We will start by recalling childhood memories of sound, refining them further through both words and images. We will also practice deep listening (“hearing one another into speech”) and take the time to attend to natural sounds, going for a mediative “sound walk,” and listening to silence. There will also be the opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous acres of the Menla campus, both alone and in company, pausing at intervals to listen to the land, and returning home with a nourishing acoustic gift.

Schedule:

Friday, July 10

• 3 – 6 pm Arrival and Check-in
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:30 – 9 pm A brief introduction to In Praise of Listening
  A reading from the book, followed by Q & A
  Assignment: begin to remember childhood memories of sound

Saturday, July 11

• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Program
  session one: human forms of listening
• 12:30 – 130 pm Lunch
• 2 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Program
  session two: listening to the non-human world
• 6 – 7 pm Dinner
• 7:30 – 9 pm Evening Program
  session three: sounds that exist and do not exist, comfort and do not comfort

Sunday, July 12

• 7 – 11 am Check out of Rooms
• 8 – 9 am Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Program
  session four: silence as an experience of merging inner and outer
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch and Departure

*Please note this schedule is subject to change.