Greetings to the Shire,

The noble Valentine Ambrose of our Shire displayed the paper on the proper feeding of mushrooms to pigs, along with the wood-burned image of the proper care of said pigs, first seen at 100 Minutes’ War last November, at the East Kingdom Arts & Sciences Champions event. Midland Vale’s own Ana de Roma also displayed the paper on the preservation of lemons, along with said samples that had been first seen at 100 Minutes’. During the evening court, Ana de Roma was given a Silver Wheel for many hours of kitchen service at several events, and was made an Armiger of the Court of the East. Vivant to both gentles who have given of their time and talent to teach here!

It was my first time attending this championship event, having been requested to give my service as a judge for research papers. I was assigned to read three such papers, and had the help of Master Galefridus Peregrinus and (now) Mistress Leyli Shirazi as I “shadow-judged” my first time following the rubric system. I will say that my brain was frittered, but in a good way, by the end of the day, and that judging by consensus of the judges and giving feedback with consent from the entrants was a smooth experience. I give thanks to our intrepid Seneschale Sapphira the Navigator for making it possible for me attend and experience this.

Five gentles attended the brief talk held on Monday 03/10 about Two Women Poet-Sages of Al-Andalus. It was an engaging conversation about the culture of poetry that produced these sages, variations on translations and word choices, and a survey of some scorching break-up verse that only proves that human nature has not changed all that much in the last 1000 years or so. I thank those who attended.

If you wish to peruse the PDF class handout at your leisure, feel free to look here.

Because this year is one when Holy Week and Passover/Pesach/Paskua (in Ladino) are in the same week, and Monday April 14, our next Arts & Sciences gathering, falls on that week, I will hold another class celebrating women, centering this time on two Christian and one Jewish woman: The Sisterhood Cantiga, and Doña Gracia Mendes Nasi. The two Christian women are the subject of 13th-century Cantiga de Santa Maria #68, a particular hymn that I like to call the Sisterhood Cantiga, about solidarity among lay women as opposed to nuns. The Jewish woman is a very real person, Gracia Mendes Nasi, a 16th-century businesswoman, philanthropist, and savior of Sephardic crypto-Jews.

It was a dangerous time in our period of study whenever Holy Week and Passover coincided so closely, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula from the 14th century up until the Edict of Expulsion of 1492 and beyond. These two subjects will be side by side to acknowledge the stresses of the era as well as to show that sisterhood, brains, and heroism can come in the form of women during interesting times.

The class will begin Monday 04/14 at 7:00 PM at this address:

Lakeland Universalist Unitarian Fellowship
231 Parish Drive
Wayne, NY 07470

The second Monday of each month is set here for people to come by and work on projects, teach, and/or just socialize. A discussion is in the works to set aside a second day within the each month to do the same, so that there will be two meetings each month, most likely the fourth Monday. I will post that update once it is so confirmed.

Again, please bring $5.00 as a suggested donation so we may do right by our hosts.

Arts & Sciences Doings Nearby and Virtually

The Crown Province of Ostgardr across the great river to our east will be hosting the Coronation of Ryouko’Jin II and Indrakshi II of the East on Saturday 04/05. A call has been made for classes to be taught there on subjects Asian and East Indian. (Yours truly will be addressing the topic of Basic Japanese Poetics: Tanka and Chōka.) Look here for event details and whom to contact to volunteer to teach if you are so inclined.

The Summer Session of the University of Atlantia draws nigh, or at least the deadline to submit class proposals does. The event is the weekend of June 14 – 15, 2025. The Saturday is an in-person event in the Atlantian Barony of Marinus, the Sunday is the virtual event. The Class Track Proposal deadline is April 15th, the Individual Class Proposal deadline is April 22nd. Look here for details. The virtual session is free.

If mundane academic source material intrigues you, one event of great note is the 60th (now hybrid) International Congress on Medieval Studies, at Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo, Thursday May 8th through Saturday May 10th, 2025. Academic papers on diverse subjects get presented there, and the publishers’ booths are a treasure trove of sources. The admission is a sliding scale based on income. Since the Pandemic, some papers are also offered virtually. Advanced registration closes April 20, 2025. Refunds for registration fees are made only if they receive notification of cancellation by April 23. Look here for details. If you wish to attend and are not part of a college, university, or library system, you may sign up as an Independent Scholar. SCAdians are a quiet, discreet presence there.

At the service of your honors,

M. Ana de Guzman, OL
Minister of Arts & Sciences, Shire of Rusted Woodlands