A conversation on conversations in Iqaluit

How do we regard strangers, or deal with people online who have divergent viewpoints from ours? How can we return to being more considerate to the people we’re talking to?

Canadian author and poet Ian Williams will address those questions Oct. 8 in a public lecture at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit from 7 to 9 p.m.

In an interview, Williams said “What I Mean to Say: Remaking Conversation in Our Time” will address the lost art of conversation and the deterioration of civic and civil discourse, especially online and among national political leadership.

As part of the 2024 Massey Lectures, co-hosted annually by Massey College in Toronto along with CBC and publishing company House of Anansi Press, Williams is visiting four other provinces and Nunavut to record his talks live.

Iqaluit is his second stop after launching his tour in Sydney, N.S. After that, he plans to visit Saskatoon, Victoria, B.C., and Toronto.

“When we were discussing the book, we wanted to make sure we reached parts of the country that aren’t normally reached and communities that could benefit from this and have things to contribute to the national conversation,” Williams said on why Iqaluit was included in the tour.

He said he recognizes the city’s “large transitory population” could have an impact on the depth of conversations between residents.

“What happens to the folks who are left here, and how deeply can you connect to people who are just moving in and out for their own gain or profit?” Williams said.

The lecture will be delivered in English, with simultaneous interpretation in Inuktitut.

Afterward, Inuk lawyer and activist Aaju Peter will join Williams in a panel discussion, followed by musical performances by Inuksuk drum dancers Celina Kalluk and Iva.

Williams will incorporate “theatrical elements” into his lecture, with two actors on stage beside him reading dialogues for the audience to listen for subtle differences in conversation.

Williams is also leading free creative workshops with Iqaluit-based author Jamesie Fournier.

Two of these workshops, targeted toward adults, are at the Iqaluit Centennial Library. The first was held Tuesday, while the second is scheduled for Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Writers will be encouraged to generate stories and poems from physical objects, places and place names, and their own memories. Pre-registration for the workshops is through Eventbrite.

On Monday, Williams hosted a creative writing workshop for students at Inuksuk High School and will lead another at Aqsarniit Illiniarvik School on Wednesday.

“The high school students were really engaged and eager to write,” said Williams, who shared writing tips and strategies with them.

“What was interesting about that class was that a lot of the students come from other parts of Canada or internationally and were all figuring out life up North.”

Williams noted the writing session turned emotional as students shared their stories.

“Writing has a way of allowing us to explore trauma and make sense of it and to heal from it,” he said.

Williams, who lives in Toronto, has authored seven books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction. His novel, Reproduction, won the national Scotiabank Giller Prize.

He is a professor of English at the University of Toronto, director of the creative writing program, and academic adviser for the Massey College William Southam Journalism Fellowship.

Pre-registration is required for Tuesday’s lecture.