Every year as I return from breezy festival fields to my warm urban apartment, I bring home with me a sense of renewal.

The official vision of the Winnipeg Folk Festival is to cultivate experiences of discovery and learning through the celebration of people and music; however, a quieter goal that has been shared with me over these past few years is that of creating a safe space in a troubled world. In both cases, these aims address larger social values, and it is in this …