“The Commons”—what we hold in common, is Personal and intellectual interaction brings together creative minds from around the world, then provides formal and informal opportunities for them to interact. The specific results can never be anticipated, but have always proved remarkable -- from literary collaborations, to translation projects, to the inspiration for new work, to the sharpening of vision and the broadening of understanding, and the solidifying of productive lifelong friendships. Those familiar with Plato and Socrates will agree there is no more appropriate venue than Greece for renewing the tradition of robust communal dialogue out of which grew one of the world’s great intellectual traditions. “The New Symposium,” took place in Paros in May 2006 and was conceived and organized by The International Writing Program of the University of Iowa in collaboration with the Fulbright Foundation in Greece.

Contributors to the New Symposium discussions and participating in the film are

Diana Fritz Cates USA
Lewis Hyde, USA
Ruth Margraff, USA
Barry Sanders, USA
Scott Russell Sanders, USA
Giselle Beiguelman Brazil
Gregory Norminton, England
Stratis Haviaras Greece
Alexis Stamatis, Greece
Anastassis Vistonitis, Greece
Rustom Bharucha, India
Ayu Utami, Indonesia
Amir Or, Israel
Yvonne Owour, Kenya
Magda Cârneci, Romania
Ameena Hussein, Sri Lanka
 

Note from the Director

It was a challenge for me to participate in this especially fertile discourse among poets and writers from all over the world, and to aim at creating a visual essay based upon their views on what we hold in common. In other words, to attempt not merely a catalogue, but a use, as well, of the bricks and mortar of cinematography on a pentagram of dialogue, and an axle of visual coherence and acoustic counterpoint. The theme, What we Hold in Common, inevitably compelled me to set out on a quest to augment the emotion caused by every relevant thought. To our advantage was springtime and the utterly enchanting vistas of Paros with seasonal fragrances rousing the senses, and an orgy of light guiding us on a tour of the pleasures of the mind (let alone those of the flesh), which, in our turn, we offer in the form of this documentary.