Threads: Listening Distance

Inclusion Director Marcus Ingram shared the following message with the George School community in the Spring 2020 Edition of George School’s Inclusion newsletter Threads. Read the latest issue Threads: Listening Distance here.

From the Inclusion Desk

This spring, the Student Inclusion Committee was set to engage the George School community with an initiative we were calling “The 5-Word Memoir.” Each participating person would have been invited/challenged to capture the essence of their life in five words on a piece of fabric, which would be sewn together with other pieces to craft a displayable quilt of stories. Given our current givens, I have wondered if/how my five words have changed. Amidst the uncertainty, though, I am taken by one word that, for me, likely remains – listen(er).

Part directive, part posture, the task of “listen(er)” is to be in position to receive – a message, an invitation, clarity, and more. As we take in the loud and soft, the spoken and the not, the within and the without, listening shows itself to be an art that is sometimes an end unto itself and other times a means that informs further action. In our world that sometimes feels full of noise, our current global health crisis has sharpened some of what might warrant a listen.

“Being together” sounds different. “Sheltering in place” rings uncomfortable or impossible depending on our circumstances. “Essential” takes on new meaning, particularly when it’s necessarily coupled with exposure. “Global citizenship” perhaps resonates less abstractly these days. I am learning that these peculiar times have a way of making the familiar sound strange, the whisper heartier, and the marginal matter. Yet, some of us may experience degrees of deafness.

Nevertheless, the listening task remains to be in position to receive, and this edition of Threads invites you to do just that. Herein are voices from the George School community reflecting on aspects of the soundscape in these peculiar, pithy days. In addition to images and words, this edition of Threads, whose theme is “Listening Distance,” has its own playlist to enhance your newsletter experience. Consider listening to the selections as you take in this edition of Threads.

Our journey begins with an ekphrastic poem that has been created from George School staff and faculty who submitted individual (poetic) reflections in response to five curated images that may reflect some aspect of our current givens. The visuals create the context for the piece “Nevertheless,” which sets the tone for “Threads: Listening Distance.”

Enjoy the experience.

Keep well,

Marcus Ingram, Inclusion Director

Additional Content featured in Threads:

• Ekphrastic Poem Images
• “Nevertheless” A George School Ekphrastic Poem
• “True Colors” Jada Wooten ’20
• “Reflecting Ramadan” Acumens from Kareem Afzal ’93, P ’21, ’23, and George School Board Member
• “Mind Well” A Series of Multidisciplinary Collaborations
• “Viral Technology” Engaging IT with Zoë Hayden
• Music Playlist Threads: Listening Distance – Spring 2020