My Literatures of Modernity Practicum is Taking Me to Iceland!

By Sara McGuire

I knew that pursuing my Master’s in the Literatures of Modernity program at Ryerson University would offer new opportunities because of its unique practicum option. What I didn’t know was that the program would land me an opportunity to go overseas to one of my most coveted travel destinations—Iceland—and with a writerly twist to boot!

The Iceland Writers Retreat is a week-long event held in idyllic Reykjavik, the world’s first UNESCO-designated “City of Literature” whose primary language is other than English. Published and aspiring writers from around the world gather to attend writing workshops led by internationally acclaimed authors. (This year’s lineup includes Barbara Kingsolver, Adam Gopnik, Taiye Selasi, and Sjòn.)

As a Social Media and Public Relations intern for the IWR, I fulfilled my practicum hours from Toronto during the Fall semester, with the promise of attending the retreat in April. I worked with a small but international team, communicating regularly with co-founders Eliza Reid (Reykjavik) and Erica J. Green (Washington, DC) via Skype and email. I was responsible for promoting the retreat to writers’ groups, news publications, and schools across the world. I also maintained the IWR’s Twitter and Facebook accounts and contributed posts about Icelandic culture to the IWR blog (icelandwritersretreat.tumblr.com (external link) ).