Time to Move Conference in the United Kingdom

There will be a national conference in the United Kingdom on July 9 & 10, 2009 to celebrate older people dancing. The sponsoring organization, Take Art, is the Arts Development Agency for Somerset in the UK and they have been working with older people and creative dance for the past 3 years.

The conference will bring together artists, participants, agencies, politicians and decision makers to inspire and inform the future of dance with older people.

For more information and to download a brochure, go to:
http://www.takeart.org/dance/TimetoMoveConference.html

Civic Engagement Symposium in San Francisco

Creative Age Symposium: Creating Creative Futures!

On June 12, 2009 at the Sutton Place Hotel, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Held in conjunction with the Creative Age Festival, this one-day symposium showcases various initiatives and opportunities that are enhancing the depth and breadth of the field of arts and aging. This symposium will provide you with an opportunity to energize and revitalize yourself by exploring new ideas, developing skills, sharing information and identifying opportunities for collaboration and growth in relation to creative aging. Be inspired by the many interesting and timely presentations on best practices, innovations, and research at this year’s symposium! The lead keynote speaker, Dr. Gene Cohen will describe the benefits of the arts, including how artistic engagement enhances the function of the aging brain. He will also highlight how research and other approaches and structures can help to create a creative future for seniors in the millennium. jill p. weaving will present on the accomplishments of the Vancouver Arts, Health and Seniors Project.

Symposium Objectives:

Increasing awareness of initiatives in different areas in support of creative aging; Networking, and sharing information; Contributing to directions for policy, practice and research.

The symposium will be attended by decision makers, health professionals and arts and aging practitioners*, gerontologists, researchers, those working in the arts, culture and heritage areas, students, interested seniors, senior arts practitioners, donors and others interested in the area of arts and aging.

[ *Artists, art therapists, art educators, recreation therapists, occupational therapists, long term care workers, physicians, nurses, etc., as well others ].

There is a special registration offer for students, seniors and Greying Nation Conference participants!

For more information go to http://www.creativeagefestival.ca/festival_symposium.html

For The Poet Within

Two opportunities to Submit Your Poetry for Publication

Call for Poems: Celebrating Poets over 70

Tower Poetry Society (www.towerpoetry.ca) and The McMaster Centre for Gerontological Studies are soliciting poems written after the poets have reached the age of 70. Selected poems will be published in a jointly sponsored anthology. “Celebrating Poets over 70” will be the tenth volume in the Writing Down Our Years series published by MCGS.

A maximum of four typed poems may be submitted. Send your poems and a 50-word biography by email to Ellen Ryan (ryaneb@mcmaster.ca) or by mail to:

“Celebrating Poets over 70”
Tower Poetry Society
c/o McMaster University
1280 Main St. W., Box 1021
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 1C0.

Individuals with poems selected will receive a free copy of the anthology.

DUE DATE: November 15, 2009

For Poets of all ages:

Send Up to 4 poems to the Society. There is no theme requirement or fee.

Deadlines:
Summer Issue, the end of February
Winter Issue, the end of August

Send your poems to the address listed above.

If your poem be accepted you will receive one free copy of the issue in which it is printed.