Something moves

just beyond the mind’s clumsy fingers.

It has to do with seeds.

The earth’s insomnia.

The garden going on without us. 

Lorna Crozier, “In Moonlight”

The Garden Going on Without Us

As we pass into July, there are buds and blooms on the yucca, fuchsias, and roses; the blueberries and raspberries are flourishing, and the blackberries are abundant. The waterlilies are flowering, and there are splashes of Spanish broom everywhere.

Meanwhile, some of us are battling an aphid infestation! I am currently grappling with how to isolate my seven-year-old potted Hosta (its buds speckled with the hungry green creatures) from the other plants on my wee balcony. Gardens are never entirely cooperative; they have a mind of their own. But for those of us who tend them, we persevere and try to imagine the possibilities amidst the unexpected. 

Leaves of Grass: This year, KPU Library and the Faculty of Arts are taking KPU Reads online! Instead of featuring one author, they are asking *you* (and the rest of our KPU community) to share what you are currently reading. Is there a book that has helped you during COVID? Is there a book that you would like to recommend to your colleagues that helped you transition to online learning? Email your recommendation to Kelsey Chaban, Student Engagement & Community Outreach Librarian, at kelsey.chaban@kpu.ca.

Planting the Seed:We are delighted to announce the debut of a new Faculty of Arts Blog site. Although still germinal, we hope that this sunny little space grows and becomes its own leafy and lush sanctuary. The blog will serve to house an archive of the Arts Updates for now, and we will be tending to some new features in the coming weeks and months. As always, we are open to input and suggestions.

Garden Plots: Coordinating with colleagues to ensure the service work that needs to get done in your department is a challenge even at the best of times. If you are engaged in program review or other more significant undertakings, things can become even more difficult. Planner can help!  If you are using Microsoft Teams to meet with colleagues and communicate, Planner can be seamlessly added to your departmental Teams site to help you tee up task and divide up the labor. Here is a link to learn more.

Budding Passions: The Research and Scholarship Committee of the Faculty of Arts is currently accepting submissions for the 2020-2021 Speaker Series. If you are working on a research project, are in the process of preparing a scholarly publication, or are engaged with community-based program evaluation or collaborative research initiative, please consider taking part in the series. Submissions that showcase faculty-student collaborations are especially sought. Please email Daniel Bernstein at daniel.bernstein@kpu.ca by Wednesday, July 8. 

Cross-Pollination:The deadline for the submission of proposals for fall Arts Research courses is July 13. This is an excellent opportunity to grow your mentoring skills, build relationships with students and extend your research capacity. Please contact Anne Lin at Anne.Lin@kpu.ca for further details. 

The earth has music for those who listen: What are you listening to? We invite you to send us two or three musical selections that are keeping you sane and in a positive frame of mind during this surreal summer. We will compile a playlist and share it back out to faculty in our next update.

Wishing you a green and golden weekend,Diane, Wade, Greg, and Shelley