Poet takes 'soundings' on ageing
- debbiethrower0
- Nov 18, 2024
- 2 min read
Poet and academic Nicola Slee chose to focus on her 'refirement' rather than any suggestion of her retirement recently! (writes Debbie Thrower).
In a valedictory lecture to mark her stepping down as Professor of Feminist Practical Theology at Amsterdam's Vrije Universiteit, Nicola spoke of taking 'soundings' as she grows older.
She likes the maritime connotations of soundings; 'plumbing depths', and remaining 'inquisitive, hopeful, celebrating and giving thanks', while she reflects on her career and looks forwards.
You might like to watch her full lecture delivered last month:
For many years Nicola Slee has been a Professorial Research Fellow at The Queen's Foundation, Birmingham. Incidentally, she and I were both in the same year at school, then called Edgehill College, in Bideford, north Devon. Twice she makes reference to schooldays in her inspiring lecture.
Anna Chaplains may recall that Slee's poem 'Anna' features elsewhere on our website and in the Anna Chaplaincy Handbook, the textbook for the six-week training course. https://www.annachaplaincy.org.uk/copy-of-a-poetry
Her recorded lecture draws on the writing of May Sarton, the poetry of T S Eliot, Elizabeth Jennings and Jenny Joseph, as well as ending with a reading of her own new poem: 'Eve and Mary in the Garden'. She imagines eavesdropping on the two women as they get together for a good chat, relaxing in deck chairs one afternoon when they are both in their mature years.
Nicola Slee, who describes herself as a 'student of ageing', has a fascinating take on what she calls 'loose women' through the ages - those who refused to be 'controlled' in any way by patriarchy - and she describes herself as always having been interested in older people and the whole subject of ageing.
In time, there may be a transcript available of her talk (as well as her PowerPoint slides) and, if so, I shall flag up a link to them in a further blog.
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