Thinking ahead... towards 2013

THE 2012 Festival of Spirituality and Peace was a huge success... and now the coordinating group and staff are busily working on plans for 2013.

It's very important to learn from the past as we look to the future, and a good deal of time and effort has been put into looking at the large number of evaluation forms we received (thanks to all who submitted theirs) in order to see what worked best, why, and what can be adjusted for the future.

If you have any further comments, ideas or feedback to leave for FoSP, please feel free to post here.

Your invitation...

Sunday treats at the Festival

THE penultimate day of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace 2012 will open with the last Poetry in the Persian Tent at 11am.

Closing off our series of charity poetry readings will be acclaimed poet Stephen Conn, Scots language writer Eunice Buchanan and  environmental activist-poet Mandy Haggith. They will be accompanied by singer Carole Clarke and pianist George Wilson.

On Sunday afternoon at 2pm Celtic band The Outside Track will be performing. Its five members hail from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver and are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music on its foundation - using fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, step-dance and vocals.

Later in the afternoon at 4pm will be the Intercake Great Pudding Party - come along to enjoy a range of cakes from around the world in this interfaith pudding party along with a family quiz. It promises to be a 'strictly savoury-free zone'.

Finally, at 8pm, there is the Festival of Spirituality closing event, Living in Hope, with words, music, dance and story from a range of festival performers and guests to represent our hopes for the world and commitment to working for peace. Ending with a rendition of Auld Lang Syne and followed by a reception in the hall until 10:30pm, this is an evening of community, diversity, and, of course, hope.

There will be few final events on Monday, so stay tuned.

Concluding super Saturday at the Festival

THIS Saturday will be the last full day of Festival of Spirituality and Peace events (though the final day is Monday 27th), and as ever there is a full and varied programme planned.

There will be two conversations. The first, at 10am, will be Challenging Islamophobia: the twelve Cities Project.  Islamophobia is rife all across Europe. The Rev Donald Reeves, Director of the Soul of Europe and Shaykh Amer Jamil of the Solas Foundation will be discussing and challenging these issues.

At noon will come our very last conversation and the third in a series on Scottish identity and Sectarianism, The Power of Youth and Football to Heal a Divided City (illustrated). Divided City is a book and musical set in Glasgow: Theresa Breslin, its author, Martin Travers, the playwright, and Jenny Marra MSP will reflect on its success and impact.

On the artistic side, the day will begin at 11am, with Scotland: The Journey Continues in the church. Fife-born songwriter Alan Forrester reflects on his travels around Scotland through songs, readings, photos and painting and on how he became 'even more Scottish'.

At the same time will be the penultimate Poetry in the Persian Tent, this time with a Gaelic flavour as Aonghas MacNeacail, South Uist poet Niall Campbell and Jim Carruth recite their poetry with musical accompaniment from acclaimed Clarsach player and Gaelic singer Patsy Seddon.

A musical afternoon with Rhapsody of Indian Melodies at 2pm. A group of musicians trained under Smt. Chandrima Misra, a Hindustani Classical Vocalist, and Pt. Rajkumar Misra, the Tabla Maestro will blend spirituality and musical excellence with their vocal melodies and rhythmic cycles. Brought to you by the Tagore Centre UK. After this, Soweto Entsha will be performing at 4pm.

Also at 4pm, a unique opportunity to experience poetry in a new way in The Breeze at Dawn - a Rumi Workshop with Duncan Mackintosh. Let Rumi's poems inspire exploration of your own experiences.

Steamer Lane and Stuart McNair will both be performing again in the evening, at 8pm and 10pm. Also at 8pm will be the Glasgow Gospel Choir (right). This choir was established twelve years ago by Jerry Boweh, originally from Liberia, and blends African, Gospel, Motown and Blues. All profits will go to the African Youth Development Action Project.

At 6pm will be the final Japanese Tea Ceremony with Mio Shapley, followed by the first of our closing events, the End of Festival Ceilidh with the Caleerie Buskers at 7pm. This will be great fun for all the family - child under twelve get in free, and instructions and light refreshments will be provided.

Elsewhere in the city, there will be a Breadmaking for Beginners workshop at 9:30am over at the Garvald Bakery. As ever, the Persian Tent village will be open all day, and, as it's Saturday, Wendy Curan will be  doing her Finding your Way Massage Session from 10am to 4pm.

Thoughtful Thursday at the Festival

GET a peaceful start to Thursday morning with the last Healing in the Chapel at 10:30am. These sessions are for those of all faiths and none and are run by members of the National Federation of Spiritual Healers.

At 11am comes your second and final chance to see Liz Lochhead perform at St John's in today's Poetry in the Persian Tent. Liz Lochhead will be joined by … more information here.

Elsewhere in the city, Artlink invites you to Visit the Glasshouses at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. There will be free tours at 11am, 1pm and 3pm and artwork will be on display.

Today's Sacred Space will feature Mairi Campbell, multi-award winning musician, followed by Worship at One.

In the afternoon will be the second performance of African Traditional Songs with Grassroots Zimbabwe at 2pm followed by an hour of family entertainment.

This week's What's the Story will feature Duncan Mackintosh with tales of Africa at 4pm. At the same time in the Hall will be the final All Questions and No Answers workshop for parents.

Also at 4pm, Soweto Entsha will be performing. At 5:45pm will be Thursday's conversation, Conflict as a Force for Change. Malcolm Stern, co-founder of Alternatives at St James' Church in London, Maureen Jack from Christian Peacemaker Teams and Simon Keyes of the St Ethelburga's centre will be discussing the place of confrontation, polarisation and competition in a peaceful world. Chaired by the Rev Ewan Aitken from the Church of Scotland.

The Scottish Six is back yet again at 6pm, alongside the second talk from Professor Geoff Palmer, Scots in the Caribbean – Scotland's Hidden History.

A musical evening will follow, with Stuart McNair at 8pm. At 10pm the music of Pawet Odorowitz and the visuals of Robert Motyka come together with the poetry of Polish Nobel Prize Laureate Czeslaw Milosz to make Miliosz in Living Pictures, a unique, unmissable and simply beautiful show.

Over at the Theosophical Society at 7:30pm listen to From the Beatles to Beethoven – The Artist as a Hero, a multimedia talk and presentation by Mike Hall, described as a 'Magical Mystery Tour' back through time.

Don't forget about the Persian Tent Cafe and stay tuned for more tomorrow as the final week of FoSP winds down.

Talented Tuesday in final Festival week

The Festival of Spirituality and Peace starts bright and early today with Messy Faith at 10:30am, the last of our interfaith, all-ages Persian Tent sessions with storytelling, shared food, and messy activities.

As Messy Faith ends, the first Japanese Tea Ceremony with Mio Shapley begin at 11ams. Mio invites you to share a cup of peace and simplicity.

For more peace and quiet, come to Mindfulness @ Lunchtime at 12:15pm St Mark's Church for guided meditation and shared food.

Lunchtime at St John's means Sacred Space, this time with John Grieve, at 12:30, followed by Worship at One.

Also at lunchtime is the second of our two feminist-themed conversations, Women in Religion at 12:30pm - should traditions and scripture be re-evaluated from a female perspective? Stay tuned for more on this event.

The afternoon kicks off with African Traditional Songs with Grassroots Zimbabwe (pictured) at 2pm with songs from the Ndebele and Shona cultures of Zimbabwe.

After this comes the very last chance to see The Larks Ascending at 4pm in the Hall, a combination of musical performance and workshop.

At the same time in the Church Soweto Entsha will be performing once again.

In the evening, two very different talks. At 6pm Lesley Widdoch and Andy Wightman plus a special guest are back with more of The Scottish Six.

Ending the day, at 7:30pm learn about Crop Circles, UFOs and World Transformation at the Theosophical Society - a free talk, so go along if you're curious.

The Persian Tent Village will also be open all day with food, tea and relaxation. As ever, a diverse and varied array of events.

Keep right up to date with the Festival!

DON'T forget: you can access Spirituality & Peace News here online, but also through our mobile version - along with the special FoSP Twoppy application.

Upcoming at the Festival

A sense of anticipation

DR Stephen Terry, who is a Canon at Durham Cathedral, writes: I first heard about this festival a year or so ago when a programme came my way by chance but too late. 

I was sorry to have missed it. It looked like good fun in a great cause. This year I am going – to give the ‘keynote address’ at the Launch Event. (I wish they had called it the Opening Ceremony – that has become such a good phrase this last week.)

The next day I will chair the first of 24 Conversations: ‘Forgiveness: Optional or Mandatory?’ The Conversations are the backbone of the festival. The subjects range from conflict to finance, from women in leadership to contemporary masculinity, from Scottish identity to Afghanistan and Syria, from Islamophobia to the spirituality of death. Charles Handy is leading one on entitled ‘Alone, Together’.

Alongside the conversations are all sorts of arts events and participatory activities. The music programme is stunning and there is plenty of space for poetry too. I wish I could get along to ‘The Craic Where The Light gets In’ with Richard Merrington and Elspeth Murray, just because I like the title so much. There are also a couple of mouth-watering cake-based sessions.

In fact, there is really enticing programme for children and families. FoSP kicked off yesterday evening and if the tweets are anything to go by the group Soweto Entsha, who performed at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in 2010, are on cracking form. They seem to be on just about every day.

Dr Cherry's blog is called Another Angle. 

Some of the many riches to come

What's coming up...