Join us for this year’s Bardic Symposium! Symposium meets from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM during War Week, Monday through Friday in AS 9
Provost, Bardic Symposium
Aibhilin inghean Daibhidh (aibhilind@gmail.com)
New this year: Writing Challenge
Topic: Praise for arts or services, individuals or aggregates. For example, praise for an individual scribe, scribes from a group thingy, or all scribes.
NOTE: Even if you did not make it to Monday’s session, you may still participate in the writing challenge! Join us Wednesday to workshop your words, and then Friday to present your pieces for feedback. Master Dahrien will be handing out tokens on Friday as Aibhilin had to leave site due to illness. Mistress Fiana and Master Cerian will be running the symposium sessions.
This year, Bardic Symposium will also be doing a Writing Challenge (song, story, or poem!). A topic for the writing challenge will be decided during Monday’s session. Wednesday will offer an opportunity to meet with your fellow participants and get feedback, work through challenges, and workshop your words after a panel discussion on techniques and tips to get past writers block and refine our words. On Friday, we will discuss how to best give and receive feedback in the SCA, then present our pieces for feedback. Everyone completing the Writing Challenge will receive a token! If you are unable to attend the Friday session but would like to participate in the writing challenge, Aibhilin will hold some ‘office hours’ on Thursday and Friday for you to participate and receive your token!
Monday: Finding your Muse
Panelists: Ollamh Emer, HL Coblaith, HL Colette
Meet your fellow bards. While many of us already know each other, this will give newcomers a chance to match names to faces. Discuss finding inspiration for bardic compositions and how to approach starting to write. As part of discussing finding inspiration, you will help determine the theme for the writing challenge that will accompany the Bardic Symposium this week. Decided topic will be shared on the Bardic Symposium website so all may participate in the writing.
Tuesday: Build a Bard-Friendly Kingdom
Panelists: Master Cerian, Mistress Tegan, Brygg
How do you create bardic spaces at home and build a more bard-friendly kingdom? How can we be inclusive and accessible in the bardic arts? How do we get buy-in for bardic at a local level and build a community at home. How do we balance oral tradition and ambiance with accessibility?
Wednesday: Workshopping your Words
Panelists: Mistress Morgana, HL Liadan, Mistress Fiana
How do you refine a written work? What methods help you edit, change, and modify to go from a rough work to a finished piece? Discuss methods and then apply those skills in the second half of the session to workshop your writing challenge piece! View the Bardic Symposium website here: https://bardic.fun
Thursday: The Role of the Modern Bard
Panelists: Master Owen, Mistress Faye, Mistress Fiana
Discuss the role of bardic in the SCA today, tomorrow, and beyond. Given changes in society, what should we be doing and how does it fit in with where we are? How can we do it better? How well is the modern Bard promoting DEI and Accessibility in the SCA?
Friday: Feedback with Feeling
Panelists: Mistress Aneleda, Mistress Orlaith
As bards, we put our heart into our work. Discuss how to give and receive feedback in constructive, non-harmful ways. Then, share your writing challenge song, poem, or story and receive feedback.