MAPS' Own Ron East on CBC Ideas

-The poet William Blake claimed that the imagination is our highest faculty, and is central to our perception and experience of reality. More than 200 years later scientific research on the brain and creativity confirms the great poet’s insight. In this two-part series producer Frank Faulk explores the key role the imagination plays in our lives in the two part series entitled: ‘Imagination’.

It airs on CBC IDEAS, @ 9:05 p.m. -- just after 9 p.m. news -- over two nights: The first night is Wednesday, October 17th, and the second night is Thursday, October 18th.

The focus of the first hour is on why William Blake believed the imagination is our highest faculty and what neuroscience has to say about the imagination and the pivotal role it plays in our lives. The guests are:

-Ron East, who has spent over thirty years in professional theatre, as a playwright, producer, and director. He is presently pursuing his passion for the creative process at the University of Guelph in Ontario, where he is completing a PhD, focusing on the neuroscience of the imagination and the creative process.

-Shelley Carson teaches and conducts research on creativity, imagination, and the brain at Harvard University. She is also the author of Your Creative Brain, a book that looks at ways we can maximize our capacity for creativity and creative problem solving.

-Jacob Hirsh is an Assistant Professor of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. His research focuses on understanding the neural and cognitive basis of creativity, motivation, and decision-making.

-Laura Quinney, professor of British Literature and Poetry at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. She is also the author of “William Blake on Self and Soul” a book that explores the poet’s innovative ideas about the experience of subjectivity and the importance of the imagination.

-Ross Woodman, Professor Emeritus in the Department of English at the University of Western Ontario. He has written and lectured extensively on the poet William Blake.

The second hour explores the imagination’s power to bring healing or destruction to our lives. The guests in the second hour are the same as above. Two additional guests include:

-Brian Walsh, Chaplain and Theologian at the University of Toronto. He has lectured and written extensively on the role of the imagination in the Christian faith.

-Joe Mihevic is a Toronto City Councilor. He has been active in urban politics for over twenty years. He talks about the role of the imagination in politics.

The Website for IDEAS is: http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/ The show is also available on line the day of broadcast (by the afternoon.) so you can listen prior to actual airing on radio. And, of course, after the show airs should you miss it.