-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Barowy [mailto:wbarowy@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 9:26 PM
To: xmca
Subject: creative collaboration at lesley
Dear Bill,
Many thanks, I liked the varied audience. I am looking forward to returning
in October,
Vera
Hi Folks,
Vera was our keynote speaker for Lesley U.'s fall faculty development day,
and
I thought I'd share a bit of what transpired. Vera has a calm and
deliberate
manner about her on center stage. She is not at all like those speakers who
project their energy at the audience, raising adrenalin levels. Rather, you
find yourself listening carefully, and being glad that you did, because she
is
speaking in long and thoughtfully phrased sentences. Pauses seemed
perfectly
placed in time to mull over the ideas she has conjured. From my sense of
those around me, many others in Vera's audience found themselves thinking
carefully and deeply about what it means for people to be creative together.
And then there was a subtle shift when she offered the opportunity for
discussion and questions. Vera's big message was to think of creativity
from a
joint developmental perspective, and with the web of consequences this
fundamentally different view poses from how we are enculturated as U.S.
academics, for some there seemed to be a bit of mystery about what all of
this
meant. Yet Vera's quiet charisma accompanied the mystery and when one of the
audience presented a challenge to her, it was neither put nor received as
adversarial. Yet for many others I noted a strong sense of resonance, of
reflective, deliberate, and calm thought in a warm atmosphere with our
presenter, and with a flowing discussion becoming bigger than all of us.
Vera's response to the final question concerning global collaborative and
human
rights issues brought a spontaneous ovation.
Vera, it was a wonderful pleasure. From what other faculty intimated to me
after your talk, many agree.
bb
=====
"One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself
and watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful."
[Norman Maclean in "A river runs through it."]
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Oct 10 2001 - 15:49:11 PDT