Boreal Sessions

Scriptorium Echos

While you read, listen to a soundscape of the farm & the land.

6:23

These are in-person events at Orphan Wisdom in the Ottawa Valley, Ontario and limited to a maximum of 15 participants.

In these events we follow the example of those ancient monks, who copied oral stories onto vellum. We'll gather in the Great Hall by candle to listen to recordings of past teaching events.

In the time we have together we'll review the mojo and accuracy of the transcripts and share those in our online Library. We have a lot more in store but we share that with those who participate in The Boreal Sessions.

We are honoured to place this open invitation before you.

This is for Orphan Wisdom scholars, for people with little or no familiarity with Stephen Jenkinson’s work, and for all those in between.

Applications, for the Boreal Sessions, opens at the end of May

Aug 13-17 - Founding Patron Special Offer
Aug 20-24

Get notified when applications are live:

For those who feel called to participate in this endeavour we invite you to add your good name below. We will get back to you when registration opens at the end of May 2025.

The Scriptorium endeavour “is part dedication, part discipline, part necessity” and the same can be said of The Boreal Sessions. During these days we will listen to recordings of Stephen's events together and wonder about language and the art of storytelling.

When people used to ask what they would get from coming to the Orphan Wisdom School, the response was often ‘that we do not know... what you bring to our time together will, in part, influence what happens. Your questions, your being puzzled by a certain something, your apprehension, your wondering, that is what you can bring’. We encourage you to bring these same good wonderings and inquiry to The Boreal Sessions.

Click an image to enlarge the slideshow.

In January 2025, a group of eight scholars were invited to Orphan Wisdom for a two-day Boreal Session, to bring in the ideas from our previous dreaming sessions into the fold. To hear Stephen’s voice in the hall was more spirited than anyone one of us could have predicted. To carve out these few days to eat and work together was so splendid. We just can’t keep this ourselves:

“It was a gift to be in the Hall of Splendours with Steve's voice ringing the rafters. All around were the signs of human beauty-making. We were there for another purpose. Our methods and our goals are obscure, we bent to the work of building bridges. No engineers on site. As the man said: it was a privilege and a burden, being human.” A. Schmitz, OWS class: Red Sand White Sand People, 2012.

“The walk each day to the hall stands out. It was a time to remember without being nostalgic, learning to show up to the place so that each step - and pause - could be recognized as the thing that we had come for. And then there was the work of the scriptorium. We gathered to write, to listen, and to wonder deeply, we were stirred. I had never been a part of such a labour. Was this work about organizing and amplifying, being a part of a body that could resonate and echo the way the hall has for some of us who have been to the school or resonate the way the body and the strings do on a guitar. I would be a richer person to be able to include myself amongst a few, who get to take part in the scriptorium again. This was a time to begin to listen in a different way.” C. McLaughlin, OWS class: People Come Through Rain and Rune, 2017.

“We gathered twice a day; pens in hand, surrounded by beauty and good company. We were seated on handcrafted benches adorned with locally tanned hides in the exquisite Great Hall that is itself embellished with Stephen’s carvings and beautiful handwoven textiles. As recordings of past sessions filled the rafters we laboured on behalf of Stephen's stories; bore future readers in mind, and sought to resist the seduction of translation. The Scriptorium was a profoundly stirring experience and I continue to walk in the wake of it all.” H. Daniels, OWS class: The People That Are So, 2022.

Logistics:

The Boreal Sessions are limited to 15 participants
Each session will take place over 5 days. Arrival between 12-2pm on the first day and departing between 12-2pm on the last day
Toll: (def. a charge payable for permission to cross a particular bridge or road)
- $700 CAD for Canadian participants
- $700 USD for International participants
A $400 Non-Refundable deposit is needed to confirm your spot
The eloquence of hospitality has been the way of Orphan Wisdom since the School’s inception. The toll includes home-cooked meals & accommodation (shared room with all the bedding and bath towels at the Orphan Wisdom Guest House), and your participation in transcription work
We are not offering work trade or scholarships
No previous transcribing skills are required, an open mind and heart are
Depending on Mr. Jenkinson’s health, he may or may not make an appearance during the session

The Boreal Sessions depends on the generosity of Scriptorium Founding Patrons and Members to underwrite the hard cost of the administration for these sessions.

Boreal Session Hosts

The Boreal Sessions are upheld by neighbourly hospitality, the generosity of village-minded patrons as well as from the dedication of Orphan Wisdom Scholars:

Nathalie Roy: Orphan Wisdom Co-Founder and Creator of The Scriptorium
Khadija Striegel: Manager, Scriptorium Caretaker, Boreal Sessions Hall Host
Dustin Ryckman: Scriptorium Hall Builder and Steward

Frequently Asked Questions:

I can’t make any of the 2025 events. Will there be any other Boreal Sessions offered?

Yes. The Boreal Sessions are an ongoing feature of The Scriptorium. Announcements that applications are ‘open’ will be made via the Orphan Wisdom newsletter.

Will Stephen Jenkinson be part of the Boreal Sessions?

The majority of our time will be given over to listening and transcribing a past teaching event(s). The Boreal Session hosts are Nathalie and Khadija. Mr. Jenkinson may join groups for a portion of a session, depending on his health.

Are meals and accommodation included in the toll?

Yes and Yes. You will be well fed from Nathalie’s kitchen, the gardens and orchards and neighbours. You will be housed either in the Guesthouse or if you choose, you may camp on-site.

Where do I stay during the Boreal Sessions?

Shared accommodation is offered as part of the Boreal Sessions, included in the toll. Accommodations are on-site at Orphan Wisdom and within walking distance of where we will be doing the work. Most accommodation options are ‘shared rooms’. There are only a few ‘solo’ options.

How do I get to the Boreal Sessions?

Orphan Wisdom is located approximately 2 hours drive from Ottawa, and 4-5 hour drive from Toronto. Directions will be provided to participants once they have been accepted into the session. The toll does not include travel to and from Orphan Wisdom.

What should I bring?

A detailed invitation with all needed details will be sent to participants once they are accepted into the session.

Can I record some of the audio that we are transcribing for my own learning?

No. No audio recordings of the material that we are transcribing is permitted.

I have no experience transcribing, can I still apply to the Boreal Sessions?

Yes. We encourage people with different levels of skills and experience to apply. The work in The Boreal Sessions is multi-fold and more than literal transcribing. But make no mistake, this is work, good and serious work.

Can I take pictures whilst at the Boreal Sessions?

We ask that you refrain from taking pictures and if you would like to be taking pictures of a certain something that you receive permission from Khadija in advance.

Be the first to know:

For those who feel called to participate in this Boreal Sessions scriptorial endeavour, to lean in to the work of a modern day scribe, we invite you to join this notification list below. We'll get back to you when registration opens at the end of May 2025.

“You know, we could locate the word affection in here somewhere. Love is too strong. We could say affection or fondness. It's a beautiful word. To be fond. And you could imagine that that's what these, these scriptorial labours of yours are, declarations of fondness. Not approval. Not acceptance.”