E is for Encounter Prompts

Personal Prompt

Think about a recent convivial encounter (think: warm, friendly, mutual interaction) you had with a stranger. Write a postcard to the stranger sharing the memory and why it mattered. Bonus: draw an image for your postcard that encapsulates the moment and/or the feelings you were left with.

Practice Prompt

Go into observational mode. Spend an hour in a public space recording all of the interactions you see. For each interaction between strangers, describe each person and what unfolds, paying attention to both verbal and non-verbal communication. Try and code each interaction: is it a non-encounter, an exclusionary encounter, a convivial encounter, or a combination? (Read this week’s Q&A with Professor Ilan Wiesel for definitions). For each interaction, what lines of difference, if any, appear to be crossed?

Policy Prompt

Many cities have a Public Spaces Bylaw, which sets out the purposes, use cases, and rules governing public spaces like parks and sidewalks. Try and find your city’s bylaw. Have a read. Which parts of the bylaw encourage or incentivize convivial encounters? Which parts of the bylaw might explicitly, or unintentionally, stand in the way of convivial encounters? What is the frame on public space? As in, who and what is public space for versus who and what is perceived as out of bounds, or risky? What might be some alternative frames?

• Want an example by-law? Here’s the City of Edmonton’s Public Spaces Bylaw.

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