Please check the schedule to see what time each session is being held
Early Arrival Add-On Sessions
What to Make of the Movie (& What it Might Make of Us): A Proposal
Leader: Andrew Lazo
Time: 2:45 PM Friday November 6th
Lewis expert and Episcopal priest Andrew Lazo addresses the current controversy surrounding Greta Gerwig’s forthcoming adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew. Drawing deeply and broadly from Lewis’s writings and his approaches to culture, from verified sources and statements and information about the movie, Andrew will suggest a way forward for approaching the adaptation like Lewis would: thoughtfully, faithfully, practically, standing up for both grace and truth. How might we seize this chance to stand against Screwtape, to love one another, and to show God’s light into our angry age?
The Pantomime Demon and the Real Trap-Door
Leader: Jason Smith
Time: 2:45 PM Friday November 6th
This session explores Uncle Andrew’s machinations and their relevance to today’s transhumanist movement. Using as our guide Lewis’ assertion in The Abolition of Man that magic and applied science are “twins… born of the same impulse”, we will trace his prophetic warnings about mistaking science for religion through The Magician’s Nephew and the Ransom trilogy, briefly survey where society stands today on these matters, and discuss what Christians should do in response.
C.S. Lewis 101: Life and Works
Leader: Andrew Lazo
Time: 4:00 PM Friday November 6th
Andrew Lazo leads this highly interactive session for Lewis lovers from every level. Come with your questions about anything regarding Lewis’s biography, context, writings, practical advice–even his thoughts about pets, hats, and breakfast! We’ll look at Lewis as both a door and a doorway: his life proves exemplary in many ways, plus he opens avenues to theology, literature, and how to live into faith in a fallen world. Curious about anything related to C. S. Lewis? Then come ask any question!
Book Discussion Group on The Magician’s Nephew
Leader: Lori Arnold
Time: 4:00 PM Friday November 6th
Have you read The Magician’s Nephew in anticipation of the retreat this year? Are you excited to talk with other conference attendees about The Magician’s Nephew and its place within The Chronicles of Narnia? Early arrivals are invited to join a book discussion group led by Dr. Lori Arnold, an English professor and experienced discussion group leader. The goal of this breakout session is to provide an opportunity to join with other Lewis enthusiasts in discussing the delightful book that is the focus of the retreat this year.
Saturday Morning Breakout Sessions
Reading Like Lewis
Leader: Andrew Lazo
Time: 11:00 AM Friday November 7th
In her obituary for the British Academy, Dame Helen Gardner described C. S. Lewis like this: “One sometimes feels that the word ‘unreadable’ had no meaning for him. To sit opposite him in Duke Humphrey when he was moving steadily through some huge double-columned folio in his reading for his Oxford History was to have an object lesson in what concentration meant. He seemed to create a wall of stillness around him.” Lewis’s prodigious abilities as a reader offer an incredibly helpful model for us in our own reading, especially in this noisy world. Andrew will draw from Experiment in Criticism and a wide array of Lewis’s writings to offer us profound insights and practical helps for how to read wisely and well.
Bearing Witness (Live Stream Session)
Leader: Lancia Smith
Time: 11:00 AM Friday November 7th
What does it mean to truly bear witness to Christ in our everyday lives? This session will explore how, as Christians, we can reflect Christ more faithfully through our words, actions, relationships, and the way we live out our faith. Together, we’ll consider what it looks like to point others toward Christ—not simply by what we say, but by how we live.
Great Books Sessions 1: Selections from Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzche
Leaders: Jason Smith and Lori Arnold
Time: 11:00 AM Friday November 7th
Lewis fondly remarked, “When one has read a book, I think there is nothing so nice as discussing it with some one else – even though it sometimes produces rather fierce arguments.” The C.S. Lewis Great Books Sessions celebrate just that kind of community which arises from reflective reading and good talk.
In the spirit of the Inklings, readers from a wide range of experience and familiarity with Lewis’s works meet together to delve deeper into the concepts that Lewis presents. Led by experienced Lewis teachers, these roundtable discussions sparks all kinds of productive, intriguing, and inspiring conversation about the classic texts that constitute the “great conversation” of Western Civilization.
Reading for Session 1: Click here for excerpts from Thus Spake Zarathustra
From Testimony to Telling the World: Our Stories as a Reflection of the Great Story
Leader: Steven Elmore
Time: 11:00 AM Friday November 7th
The creation, the fall, redemption, and restoration – is the source of all of our stories, from our individual testimonies to the stories we write for others. Together, we will explore the link between His story and ours. In this session, we’ll identify the wide range of testimonies each of us possesses of God’s work in our lives, so that we might be better able to share those stories with others, both inside and outside the Church.
Singing Creation: Participating with Aslan
Leader: Amber Salladin
Time: 11:00 AM Friday November 7th
In the worlds of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, Aslan and Iluvatar create their worlds by singing. In this practical and participatory session, we will practice singing. How does singing together partner with God to create beauty? How can we sing together with confidence? “… the music and the echo of the music went out into the Void, and it was not void.” Silmarillion, pg 1.
Saturday Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Courage, Dear Heart: Finding Consolation in the Face of Suffering
Leader: Christin Ditchfield Lazo
Time: 3:00 PM Friday November 7th
C.S. Lewis knew firsthand about pain and suffering, loss and grief and despair — and the silence that can sometimes follow our prayers. Drawing from The Magician’s Nephew, The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed, and other writings, we’ll explore what it means to bring our lament honestly before God, to seek the comfort that sustains us, rest in the grace that carries us, and find the courage and hope to persevere.
Becoming Jackdaws: Learning through Laughter with The Magician’s Nephew (Live Stream Session)
Leader: Terry Lindvall
Time: 3:00 PM Friday November 7th
“Aslan! Aslan! Have I made the first joke?” “No, little friend, you have not made the first joke. You have only been the first joke.” The session aims to demonstrate how C. S. Lewis teaches us to learn with laughter and learn about laughter. Employing his four sources of laughter from The Screwtape Letters (chapter 11), the presentation maps the celestial and the infernal influences of the “laughter-loving” goddess Venus on this Chronicle, giving birth to an enchanted world, warning of the abolition of man, and weaving joy out of sorrow.
Great Books Sessions 2: Passage from Magician’s Nephew
Leaders: Jason Smith and Lori Arnold
Time: 3:00 PM Friday November 7th
In the spirit of the Inklings, readers from a wide range of experience and familiarity with Lewis’s works meet together to delve deeper into the concepts that Lewis presents. Led by experienced Lewis teachers, these roundtable discussions sparks all kinds of productive, intriguing, and inspiring conversation about the classic texts that constitute the “great conversation” of Western Civilization.
Reading for Session 2: The Magician’s Nephew
Communication Strategies for Teachers: Lessons from C.S. Lewis
Leader: Steven Beebe
Time: 3:00 PM Friday November 7th
Teaching is a communication process. Whether you teach online, in person, first grade, or graduate students, the essential process of teaching others is the same: you use communication strategies to achieve your instructional goals. C. S. Lewis was an excellent educator known for his exacting skills both in tutorial sessions and when captivating student attention in the lecture hall. What are lessons about teaching that we can learn from C. S. Lewis? How do Lewis’s teaching strategies link with the latest instructional communication principles and practices? Using lessons from C. S Lewis, as well as applications of instructional communication principles, this session explores practical ideas to enhance your skill as an educator.
Visional Storytelling: Helping You Match Your Goals With The Methods
Leaders: Kirk Manton, Ralph Linhardt, and Chris Hernandez
Time: 3:00 PM Friday November 7th
How can you use the media tools and resources you already have to tell your story in a visual and engaging way? We’ll explore how to make the most of your skills, resources, and the tools available to you to share your message effectively. Through real-life examples, personal experiences, and conversation, we’ll share ideas and discover new ways to bring your story to life.