Marina Keegan’s star was on the rise when she graduated magna cum laude from Yale in May 2012. She had a play that was to be produced at the New York Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at TheNew Yorker. Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash.

Marina left behind a rich, deeply expansive trove of writing that, like her title essay, captures the hope, uncertainty, and possibility of her generation. Her short story “Cold Pastoral” was published on NewYorker.com. Her essay “Even Artichokes Have Doubts” was excerpted in the Financial Times, and her book was the focus of a Nicholas Kristof column in The New York Times. Millions of her contemporaries have responded to her work on social media.

As Marina wrote: “We can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over…We’re so young. We can’t, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.” The Opposite of Loneliness is an unforgettable collection of Marina’s essays and stories that articulates the universal struggle all of us face as we figure out what we aspire to be and how we can harness our talents to impact the world. “How do you mourn the loss of a fiery talent that was barely a tendril before it was snuffed out? Answer: Read this book. A clear-eyed observer of human nature, Keegan could take a clever idea...and make it something beautiful” (People).

About the Author
Marina Evelyn Keegan (October 25, 1989 – May 26, 2012) was an American author, playwright, and journalist. She is best known for her essay "The Opposite of Loneliness," which went viral and was viewed over 1.4 million times in ninety-eight different countries after her death in a car crash just five days after she graduated magna cum laude from Yale University.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

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CPHRs - As per the Summary of Qualifying Activities, under Self-directed learning, roundtables, non-credit courses, practice knowledge sharing through formal professional networking, you can claim up to 5.0 CPD hours annually for your participation.

Hosts

Angela Boyes, CPHR
Angela currently works at CAE in Moose Jaw, SK as the Labour Relations Manager/HRBP.  She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management and the CPHR designation. Angela holds additional studies in Sociology and Psychology, is a Qualified Mediator Designation, and is a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. Angela's business acumen has been honed working in: Manufacturing, Construction, Oil and Gas, Municipal Government and Utilities in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the Yukon. Angela loves reading, traveling and exploring, cooking and baking, quilting, biking, and spending time with friends and family.  

Koreen Mak, CPHR
Koreen is the founder and CEO of Peppermint Technologies Inc, the developer of MYNTIX™, a skills-based learning management system. Koreen is a CPHR and holds an Advanced Certificate in Human Resources, Undergraduate degrees in Arts and Education, and a Masters in Leadership. Koreen spent a decade managing a learning and development department for a Saskatchewan-based company before starting her own business. She is passionate about learning, employee experience, and organizational culture. Koreen loves reading, travelling, and spending time with her husband, two adult children, and her dog.