Dear GLIPH Community, 

We are delighted to announce that our 2026 Cassiciacum on Manitoulin cohort has been selected. This year’s participants—scholars, chefs, artists, and teachers—will be traveling to Manitoulin from across Canada and the United States, bringing with them a range of interests and expertise, along with a shared curiosity and openness.

Over the last few weeks, the program schedule has quickly begun to take shape. Here is a glimpse of what we have planned. 

• As many of you know, Cassiciacum on Manitoulin includes a rigorous reading schedule spread over the course of the three-week program. For the first time, GLIPH has decided to design this reading schedule collaboratively. On Friday, our cohort gathered to build a reading list that balances our individual and collective interests. Varied in scope, with ample overlap and contradiction, the list is sure to foster rich discussion. It includes The Epic of Gilgamesh, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the Mahabharata, Chaucer, Ivan Illich, Achille Mbembe, Simone Weil, and Saidiya Hartman, as well as local history—to name just a few. 

• In addition, the group decided to organize a less formal evening program: Talent Night. During these sessions, participants will offer mini-lessons on one of their passions. Current proposals include fermentation practices, the cultural role of spices, Euclidian geometry, botany, poetry, and approaches to decolonizing conservation. 

• Lastly, several planned excursions are in the works. During our first week, the group is excited to participate in “Mudlarking the Middle Space: A Workshop for Eco-Creatives,” led by local land artist Sophie Edwards. This workshop is open to the public. To learn more about it, visit Edwards’ website here!

We look forward to sharing more as this year’s Cassiciacum on Manitoulin takes shape. As always, thank you for your interest and continued support. 

Stay tuned! 

Yours in friendship, 

Julia and Philippe