Guttormur J. Guttormsson Lecture: Stefan Jonasson

On October 21st, 2025, Rev. Stefan Jonasson, a Unitarian minister, historian, and folklorist, will give the annual Guttormur J. Guttormsson Lecture. Currently serving as editor of the Icelandic community newspaper, Lögberg-Heimskringla, and minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg, he was formerly the president of the Icelandic National League of North America and chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Winnipeg.

Location: Johnson Hall, Gimli, Manitoba

Time: 15:00 ̶ 16:30

Program:

• Address by Ólöf Garðarsdóttir, Dean, School of Humanities, University of Iceland
• Sofiya Zahova, Director of the Vigdís Centre, University of Iceland, introduces in a few words the UNESCO Cat. 2 Centre
• Birna Bjarnadóttir, Research Assistance Professor, University of Iceland, introduces in a few words the GJG Lecture Series
• Heather Alda Ireland, mezzo soprano and former Honourary Consul General of Iceland for BC and Yukon, says a few words about Guttormur, her afi
• Andrew McGillivray, Associate Professor, University of Winnipeg, introduces the speaker
• Stefan Jonasson: "Where and When Is Sandy Bar?"
• Coffee & kleinur

About the lecture

Sandy Bar is at once a place along the western shore of Lake Winnipeg – or more precisely a cluster of places in close proximity – and an experience that is nowhere and everywhere. It is an imaginative literary landscape, recalling a particular time and event, while pointing to the legacy that flowed from it; yet it is simultaneously timeless and eternal. Guttormur J. Guttormsson’s poem “Sandy Bar” tells the story of this particular place and its people, but it reverberates with the universal story of migrant people everywhere.

About Stefan Jonasson

Rev. Stefan Jonasson serves as editor of the Icelandic community newspaper, Lögberg-Heimskringla, and as a minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg. He was formerly the president of the Icelandic National League of North America and chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Winnipeg. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Stefan holds a  Master of Divinity degree from the Univeristy of Winnipeg. He is a respected historian and folklorist, and his written words have appeared in several periodicals and books, as well as newspapers and periodicals across North America and in Europe. Stefan has also lectured widely in the two continents. He has received numerous awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Iceland‘s Knight’s Cross in the Order of the Falcon, and the Betty Gorshe Heritage Award for his work in Unitarian Universalist history. 

Click here for information on Guttormur J. Guttormsson and the GJG Lecture Series.