Zoe, my daughter, now 12, enjoying her first bra, email, cell phone, text messages in abundance, and a bunch of other things that just challenge me as dad, has really turned to her friends. Yes, they are all 12-13. I was looking for an in with Zoe – “When do you find yourself most happy?” She responded quickly – “when I’m shopping.” I hid my interior groan and frown. “Tell me about one of your favorite shopping times.” We proceeded. I just listened. Despite wishing that “shopping” was not the central feature of bliss for her – ever heard of a walk! – I was really happy to see her light up. And, it wasn’t too hard to notice that in her story, she was saying she liked the freedom, to which I could very easily agree that I like it too.
Circle Resources
PeerSpirit — www.peerspirit.com — I have learned from and with many great circle practitioners. Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea were my first, where I first saw the difference between facilitating and holding space. They are masterful.
Calendar
2008
January 8-11, 2008 — Canadian Union of Public Employees
Ottawa, Ontario — Developers 2008 Planning Meeting
With Nancy Fritsche Eagan, Angela Amel, Morna Ballantyne, Cathy Remus, Josey Finley, Bill Robb
January 24-27, 2008 — Art of Hosting
Whidbey Island, Washington — Open-Enrollment Training
With Christina Baldwin, Ann Linnea, Chris Corrigan, Teresa Posakony
February 9, 2008 — Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Orem, Utah — Wildlands Dialogue Project
With Terri Martin, Deeda Seed
February 25 – 28, 2008 — Navajo Health Services
Shiprock, New Mexico — Client System Training, Consulting
With Chris Corrigan, Roq Gareau, Teresa Posakony, Orlando Pioche, Chris Percy, Tina Tso, Karen Sandoval, Marie Nelson
March 6-7, 2008 — Utah Valley University Woodbury School of Business
Orem, Utah — Summit and Planning Meeting
With Stan Jenne, Randy Beckham, Mark Rogers
March 13, 2008 — Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community
Salt Lake City, Utah — Enspirited Community Workshop
With Ramona Sierra, John Kesler
April 3-6, 2008 — Art of Hosting
Boston, Massachusetts — Open-Enrollment Training
With Tim Merry, Debbie Frieze
April 7-8, 2008 — Parternship of Excellence in Jewish Education
Boston, Massachusetts — 2008 Assembly World Cafe for 1,200
With Maria Scordiolu, Sarah Whitely, Cythia Lyon, Teresa Posakony, Sharon Hazelkorn, Amy Katz, Audrey Goldfarb, Pearl Mattenson, Jane Cohen
April 10, 2008 — Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Provo, Utah — Faith and the Land: Conversations About Spirituality and Wilderness
With Deeda Seed, Terri Martin, George Handley
April 12 – 19, 2008 — Family Vacation
April 26, 2008 — Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Ogden, Utah — Wildlands Dialogue Project
With Deeda Seed, Terri Martin, Gerald Thompson
May 7-10, 2008 — Art of Hosting
Tampa, Florida — Open-Enrollment Training
With Chris Corrigan, Peggy Holman, Sharon Joy Kleitsch, Muryah Baldwin
May 16-20, 2008 — Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Moab, Utah — Community Organizing
With Terri Martin, Deeda Seed
May 21-22, 2008 — Streetwork
New York, New York — Open Space Workshop for Workers with Homeless Youth
With Angela Amel, Chris Corrigan
June 9-11, 2008 — Art of Hosting
Calgary, Alberta — Open-Enrollment Training
With Tatiana Glad, Cheryl De Paoli, Chris Corrigan, Teresa Posakony
June 15-17, 2008 — Art of Hosting Stewards
The Shire, Nova Scotia
June 19, 2008 — Culture of Connection
Salt Lake City, Utah — Core Working Group
June 25, 2008 — Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community
Salt Lake City, Utah — Board Meeting
June 27 – July 8, 2008 — Family Vacation
Fairmont, British Columbia
July 14-16, 2008 — The Center for Human Development
LeGrand, Oregon — Client System Training, Consulting
With Teresa Posakony, Diane Altman Dautoff, Steve Ryman, Roni Wood
July 18, 2008 — Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community
Salt Lake City, Utah — Community Dialogue on Refugee / Immigrant Welcome
August 6, 2008 — Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community
Salt Lake City, Utah — Finding Common Ground Initiative
With John Kesler, Wayne Jacobsen
September 5, 2008 — Greater Miami Jewish Federation
Fort Lauderdale, Florida — Staff Annual Planning Day
With Cynthia Lion Marinstein, Janice Rous, Julie Stuart, Dany Shandler
September 7, 2008 — Tampa Bay Art of Hosting Community of Practice
Tampa Bay, Florida — World Cafe Workshop
With Sharon Joy Kleitsch
September 8-12, 2008 — Canadian Union of Public Employees
Ottawa, Ontario — Developers Planning Meeting on Strengthening Local Union Leadership
With Nancy Fritsche Egan, Chris Corrigan, Morna Ballantyne, Cathy Remus, Greg Burkitt, Ed Hanson, Vivian Bouffard, Connie Credico, Jane Stinson, Judy Armstrong
September 24-25, 2008 — New York City Department of Education
New York, New York — Education Reform Partner Retreat
With Nancy Fritsche Egan
September 28 – October 1, 2008 — Art of Hosting
Bowen Island, British Columbia — Open-Enrollment Training
With Chris Corrigan, Monica Nissen, Caitlin Frost, David Stevensen
October 3, 2008 — Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community
Salt Lake City, Utah — Sustainability Summit
With Ben Mates, Jane Holt, Ed Firmage, Carole Firmage, Craig Caviezel, John Kesler
October 10-11, 2008 — Boy Scout Campout with Isaac
October 26-29, 2008 — Art of Hosting
Bear Mountain State Park, New York — Open-Enrollment Training
With Toke Moeller, Teresa Posakony, Nancy Fritsche Egan, Kelly McGowan, Martin Siesta, Vivian Vasquez
November 1, 2008 — Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community
Salt Lake City, Utah — Sustainability Summit Followup / Open Space
With Ben Mates, Jane Holt, Ed Firmage, Carole Firmage, Craig Caviezel, John Kesler
November 5, 2008 — Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community
Salt Lake City, Utah — Post Election World Cafe
With Kathy Lung, Zara Dawn Shallbetter, Meredith Lovato, Heather Miller, Chris
November 13-16, 2008 — Art of Hosting
Tampa Bay, Florida — Open-Enrollment Training
With Teresa Poskony, Sharon Joy Kleitsch, Harold Aldrich, Muryah Baldwin, Holly Masturzo, Jill Eatherly, Marie Nelson, Chris Corrigan, Carolyn Baldwin
November 17-21, 2008 — Berkana Institute
Boston, Massachusetts —
What is the Art of Hosting?
I’ve been in many of these conversations. Lately, I’ve liked the shift into the work — hosting conversations that matter — that sometimes shows up in the form of an event that is referenced as The Art of Hosting.
Also, from an Art of Hosting conference at Whidbey Island (January 2008), Chris Corrigan laughed in one of his teachings. “We will define the art of hosting in 80 ways over the next few days.” That feels about right.
Here is a bit of definition that has life for me. It came from a conversation with Teresa Posakony and Sharon Joy Kleitsch as we were exploring how Sharon Joy might speak of this to people in her Tampa, FL community.
AoH is…
– an experience of learning in living systems
– being in big imagination as community
– broader practice beyond method in deep, lasting, sustainable change
– framework for transformation
– a learning and operating pattern for full stakeholder engagement and action
– a way to build community leadership capacity
– fielding, working with energy fields in groups
The shift in understanding for me is helpful when I think of these as emergent outcomes. Because we come into relationship with one another, around purpose or identity, all or some of the above occur as outcomes. They don’t come from design. The emerge from interaction. Hmm…