CANCELLED. οἴμοι Biduum Graecum has been cancelled in accordance with efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 disease. We are hoping to reschedule the event in October.

SALVI invites you to Biduum Graecum, otherwise known as Ὁμιλία ἑλληνιζόντων, a full-immersion Greek weekend for all levels of experience. Situated in the home of SALVI’s Rusticatio Virginiana, Claymont in West Virginia, participants can enjoy the beauty of nature and the quiet seclusion in a fully (Ancient) Greek oasis.

Ὁμιλία ἑλληνιζόντων will be a weekend in the tradition of SALVI Bidua: participants will enjoy classroom activities, nature walks, and conversations on the porch from Friday through Sunday. Whether you have been speaking Greek for years, teach it traditionally in the classroom, or simply want to activate your passive knowledge for the first time, you can do that surrounded by friends and with helpful repetitores, or ὑπηρέται.

Why Ὁμιλία ἑλληνιζόντων? Many of you have probably seen first-hand the profound effect that learning to speak Latin has had on your fluency in reading, comprehension, and enjoyment. The same is true of Greek. There are not yet as many opportunities to speak Greek as Latin in the USA. Biduum Graecum is a chance to activate your Greek, whether to bring into the classroom, help your reading, or jump-start your speaking skills and connect you to others with whom you can continue practicing once you go back home. If you already have some experience speaking, you will get a chance to build some self-confidence and enjoy a larger speaking community. If you have never spoken before, you will get to actualize some of that knowledge in a safe, low-pressure environment and acquire the basics necessary to pursue more on your own.

Program Dates: May 29-31st, 2020. (Arrival: Friday, May 29, between 3 and 6 p.m.; Departure: Sunday, May 31st, between noon and 3 p.m.)

Eligibility: You are eligible to attend this workshop if you have already learned Greek on paper and are interested in developing active command of the spoken language. Please note that Ὁμιλία is not an introductory Greek course and thus not for people who have no knowledge of the language. Typically, participants have completed, at a minimum, the equivalent of two years of traditional college Greek. It is not necessary to have previous experience speaking Greek.

Location: We reside and conduct our workshop sessions in the historic mansion house on the Claymont Estate. Built in the 1830s by a nephew of George Washington, the Claymont Mansion remained in the Washington family until the Civil War.

Instructional Staff:

Jenni Glaser

Jenni Glaser attended her first SALVI spoken Latin event in 2011. Besides being coqua, Rusticatio inspired her to teach spoken Latin at a junior high school in NYC. She then moved abroad and taught both spoken Greek and Latin (but mostly Greek) at the Polis Institute with Christophe Rico from 2014-18. She holds an MA in Classical Philology from Fordham University and is working on her PhD at Bryn Mawr College, and laughing out loud with Aristophanes.

Marcello Lippiello

Marcello Lippiello is a native of the Bronx, where he studied Classics and Theology at Fordham University before going on to earn master’s degrees in Classical Languages and Classical Studies at the University of Kentucky at Lexington and at Duke University.  He is also a veteran of various spoken language workshops, bidua, conventicula etc, including Rusticatio, Living Greek in Greece with Paideia, and the Synodos Hellenike at the University of Kentucky.  He has taught college courses in Greek, Latin, and Ancient History at various institutions, including UK, Duke, and Christendom College in Virginia.  He currently teaches Greek and Latin online, mostly through Telepaideia, and is very excited to be part of the growing Spoken Ancient Greek movement in the United States.  

Andrew Morehouse

Andrew Morehouse teaches others how to speak Latin, Greek, and generally improve their own ancient language fluency through Telepaideia and private tutoring. Andrew also serves as a middle school teacher at a small independent school in Williamstown, MA.  When not teaching, Andrew engages in archery, plays guitar, and spends time with his family. He is honored and excited to serve in the Ὁμιλία Ἑλληνιζόντων once again as ὑπηρέτης

Anna Conser

Anna Conser is a PhD candidate at Columbia University, writing her dissertation on the song and dance of Greek tragedy.  Her academic work is inspired by practical experiences with ancient musical theater, as a director, composer, and choreographer for performances in ancient Greek.  Anna first tried speaking ancient languages at the Paideia program Living Greek in Greece in 2013, and she has been an instructor there for the last six summers.  She is μάλα πρόθυμος to join the Ὁμιλία!

Cost: $365 per person, all-inclusive, covering two nights lodging, five meals, tuition, and instructional materials. Transportation to and from the Claymont Mansion is not included (though SALVI will help arrange carpooling). After completing the registration form, you must pay for Ὁμιλία ἑλληνιζόντων either through PayPal using the “Buy Now” button below or by sending a check payable to SALVI to:

Edie Barry
SALVI Treasurer
3445 Hicks Road
Sebastopol, CA  95472