“The Commons”—what we hold in common, is an essay  film reflecting  the attempt to articulate a vision of a world in which the shared interests of humanity take pride of place through  the form  of the “The New Symposium” Personal and intellectual interaction brings together creative minds from around the world, then provides formal and informal opportunities for them to interact. The specific results can never be anticipated, but have always proved remarkable -- from literary collaborations, to translation projects, to the inspiration for new work, to the sharpening of vision and the broadening of understanding, and the solidifying of productive lifelong friendships. Those familiar with Plato and Socrates will agree there is no more appropriate venue than Greece for renewing the tradition of robust communal dialogue out of which grew one of the world’s great intellectual traditions. “The New Symposium,” took place in Paros in May 2006 and was conceived and organized by The International Writing Program of  the University of Iowa in collaboration with the Fulbright Foundation in Greece. Contributors to the New Symposium discussions and participating in the film are  Diana Fritz Cates USA, Lewis Hyde USA, Ruth Margraff USA, Barry Sanders USA,Scott Russell Sanders USA , Giselle Beiguelman Brazil , Gregory Norminton England, Stratis Haviaras Greece, Alexis Stamatis Greece Anastassis Vistonitis Greece, Rustom Bharucha India, Ayu Utami Indonesia , Amir Or Israel ,Yvonne Owour Kenya, Magda Cârneci Romania, Ameena Hussein Sri Lanka