W2 Real Vancouver Writers' and Culture Finale

What a night it was!




Sean Cranbury wrapped up his month-long hat-tip to Vancouver writers on Wednesday night, and from the opening remarks of artist and writer Michael Nichol Yahgulanaas to the last lyrical words of Vancouver Poet Laureate Brad Cran's it was a huge success.

The place was on fire with amazing talent. Michael Nichol Yahgulanaas opened the evening with a look at the deforestation of Haida Gwaii and then treated the audience to a taste of his art combined with the magic of a cello.




A Most Excellent selection of writers and poets followed including Rhonda Waterfall, Weldon Hunter, Leilah Nadir, Alex Leslie and McKinley Hellenes [right, in red].

Once my own reading was over [I did a short, hopefully humorous bit from my satirical mystery novel SEVEN DAYS], I was really able to sit back and enjoy.






A couple of CanLit guys [and also SiWC alums!] graced the stage.


Steven Galloway [right] read the very end of his story THE CELLIST OF SARAJEVO, and Timothy Taylor read a lovely little selection from an upcoming novel. 




CWILL BC sister Caroline Adderson read a selection from one of her adult stories, and strove to set herself apart in the eyes of the audience by offering the shortest selection of the night. [I wanted more -- she was wonderful!]

YARN BOMBING authors Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain shared a few of their quirky and wonderful ideas for making the world better one skein of yarn at a time. And the evening was most ably and wonderfully co-hosted by Vancouver Reader & Writers Festival head Hal Wake. I'm hoping he found his lost pen...!




A highlight of the night for me was meeting young Toby -- [you can see him sitting on his mum's lap in the shot here of Hal Wake]. He was a delightful addition to the audience, listening carefully to all the writers and clearly enjoying himself. He high-fived me after my presentation and offered his theories as to the location of a mysteriously disappearing cell phone in the excerpt I read.

Writer, SiWC conference coordinator and all-round cool chick Kathy Chung came with me and we had a riot listening to all the readings and then enjoying a city celebrating the hockey win of Team Canada over Russia.

It was quite a night.

Next up -- a peek at the CANSCAIP element of the Ontario Library Association Superconference. I've spent the last couple of days storming Vancouver with author Kari-Lynn Winters. Wild times!


~kc

Next up: W2 Real Vancouver Writers Gig Grand Finale

This Wednesday.
7 pm

You can see a couple of pix I took at the event two weeks ago HERE.
As you can see, it's been standing room only every week. This Wednesday, with writers like Tim Taylor, Steven Galloway, Carolyn Adderson and [controversial!] Poet Laureate Brad Cran...well, I suggest you get there early.

Details, via Sean Cranbury:

Date: Wednesday February 24th
Location: W2 Culture + Media House 112 West Hastings Street across from the refurbed Woodwards Building.

Doors open at 630
First Reader 710ish
Hosted by Sean Cranbury & Hal Wake

Programme:

Opening Remarks: Sean Cranbury

Introducing Honoured Special Guest Michael Nichol Yahgulanaas who will showcase a video/interactive discussion abt his work.

From there we will go to a streamlined line-up of 5-7 minute readings from our writers including two breaks.  Like this:

Rhonda Waterfall
Weldon Hunter
kc dyer

Break

Steven Galloway
Leilah Nadir
Alex Leslie
Caroline Adderson

Break

Leanne Prain & Mandy Moore aka The Yarn Bombers
McKinley M Hellenes
Timothy Taylor
Brad Cran

Here's a great video from week 2 about the series: http://realvancouverwriters.com/2010/02/19/cool-video-about-w2-real-vancouver-writers-series/

We will be giving away some amazing prizes during the evening.  There's a cash bar, too and great art and photography on the walls. 

Me again. Gonna be tons of fun! Hope to see you there!

~kc

W2 Real Vancouver Writers' and Culture Series

Just read THIS on Bookninja this morning, stating that Vancouver Poet Laureate Brad Cran is declining to participate in the Cultural Olympiad, mostly [if I understand his argument] because it is only paying lip-service to Canadian writers.

Yay for Brad Cran! I love a poet who sticks to his metaphorical guns. But Mr. Cran WILL be appearing at the W2 Real Vancouver Writers series finale on February 24h, and I look forward to meeting him there. [I'll be reading there, too, that night...] This event is, in fact, antithetical to all things commercial, and is the best way I can think of to spend that 5 bucks that is burning a hole in your pocket.

Speaking of W2, I went to the second event [of four]  last night. It was held at 112 West Hastings on the downtown east side, and the place was HAPPENING, man.


[That's the big W, floating in the dark above the new building.] From a distance, the new site looks as though it is on fire, with projected images of flames dancing in the windows.

Now, as I understand it, the W2 facility is not quite ready yet, so for now, this series of events is being held across the street from the not-quite-finished Woodwards building. Behind a corrugated metal door, just down the block from Victory Square -- it is a hyper-cool venue, and there was a selection of readers last night that more than did the venue justice.

I was invited to participate by the effervescent Sean Cranbury, whom you can see orchestrating things in the picture above. I'm actually quite, quite thrilled with this shot, as it shows Sean doing his thing on stage, the screen to one side reflecting photos of the downtown east side [taken by Emmanuel Buenviajje] from a book called 'Vancouver Special' by Charles Demers AND the guys working upstairs in the booth to live-stream and tape the readings. kc rocks the meta-media photo...!!

Ahem.

This is Charles, who co-hosted the evening, making a sock puppet hand, just to show that young writers don't discriminate against low-tech, either.

It was a great evening, with loads of amazing talent. The line-up included: Kevin Chong, Jen Sookfong Lee, Ian Weir, Chris Walter, Peter Darbyshire, Jenn Farrell, Jane Sayers, Shay Wilson, Larissa Lai, Anne Stone.


I particularly enjoyed hearing Jen Sookfong Lee [whom it was nice to put a face to, after hearing her so often on CBC]. Here's a shot of Jen, followed by shots of Chris Walter and Ian Weir. [For more pix, check out my Flickr page.]

All the writers gave wonderful readings -- and Sean has rassled up a bunch of raffle prizes, to add to the fun. There was even a bar in the back.






So, if you're hanging around Vancouver in the next couple of weeks, and if you feel like raising a fist of protest in the air to all the commercial elements of the Olympic Games, there's no better way to do it then to come on out to these W2 Real Vancouver Writer events.








I'll be there, as promised, on February 24th, along with Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, Steven Galloway, Timothy Taylor, Rhonda Waterfall, Yarnbombers Leann Prain and Mandy Moore, Weldon Hunter, McKinley M Hellenes, Alex Leslie, Leilah Nadir, Caroline Adderson, Brad Cran, and ably hosted by the marvellous Hal Wake.







With a line-up like that -- I'd suggest arriving early. It was standing room only, last night.








~kc

Dis and Dat....a

Hmm. Lotsa news. Let's take it one item at a time, shall we?

One: My Five Fave things about Vancouver appeared on the Raincoast Blog today, courtesy of my once-publicist, the most-awesome Dan Wagstaff. I realized after I posted my answers off to him that pretty much all of the favourites revolved around my stomach and the satisfactory filling thereof.
Alas.  

B. The pix are from an Exceedingly Fun Fieldtrip I took with fellow SiWC folks and friends Kathy Chung, Dale McGladdery and Ingrid Roeske last weekend to the Victoria Film Festival.

We hit the road to see the new documentary called ANNE PERRY: INTERIORS which had been filmed at the conference a couple of years ago. Well worth the trip. [Plus we had lotsa good food. Have I mentioned before that I enjoy that aspect at all...?]



The first shot is at Tswwassen, just ready to float across the Strait. Second is the film festival desk, and third is a sign I spotted on the door of a Very Funky Victoria store, as we were searching for ... food. 

III. Make sure you check out the W2 Real Vancouver Writers' and Culture series blog HERE.

This series runs all through February on Wednesday nights -- with a really incredible line-up of local writers.

I'll be reading at the closing night of the series, with a stellar group: Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, Steven Galloway, Timothy Taylor, Rhonda Waterfall, The Yarnbombers Leann Prain and Mandy Moore, Weldon Hunter, McKinley M Hellenes, Alex Leslie, Leilah Nadir, Caroline Adderson, Brad Cran and possibly a few others I don't even know of as yet.

Am having major fits of trepidation as to what I should read when presenting with such a list of luminaries. Right now am leaning towards a snippet of my post-Olympocalyptic satire set here in Vancouver. I'm not sure if I have a scene set in Stanley Park as an homage to Tim Taylor... the Wreck Beach scene might have to do.  I'll be sure to wear my fingerless gloves in honour of Leanne and Mandy, as they were knitted by one of their Biggest Fans. But -- can I play the cello for Steven Galloway? I don't see that happening. I think I may have to sneak into tomorrow night's performance to get a feel for the standard I'll be expected to uphold. I'll be the one in the back wearing fingerless gloves...

4. New website design is coming along swimmingly. Have decided to move to a new server as Telus [company name redacted to protect the guilty] is all about the fail lately. With the site upgrade [spooky houses! glowing lights!] will hopefully come an integrated blog. More news as it happens.


And finally -- I was hoping to embed this, but no luck. Granny O'Grimm is nominated for Best Oscar short -- and, well...I'm telling you to judge for yourself.

TOTALLY worth the 5 minutes of viewing time: http://www.grannyogrimm.com/#/the-film  


[Hat tip to @dale42 aka the SiWC webwizard Dale McGladdery for this gem.]

More soon!

~kc

The Road to the Games...

...[which also happens to be my driveway] is blocked today, due to torch-trotting. It's all-Olympics all the time these days, with lots and lots of police and military support for Those Who May Not Be Good Sports.

However, along with all the police cars and helicopters, there ARE a few cool things happening, most of them to do with the Cultural Olympiad. Down at the brand spanking new W2 building, an incredible space has opened up for the arts and technology. I am VERY excited to see it...and you can see it, too!

The W2 Real Vancouver Writers and Culture series runs every Wednesday in February at 112 West Hastings Street in the new old iconic Woodwards building, at 7pm. Here's a summary:

February 3rd – Hosted by Sean Cranbury

Richard Van Camp, John Burns, Brendan McLeod, Bruce Grenville, Cathleen With, Jennica Harper, Robert Chaplin
February 10th – Hosted by Charlie Demers
Kevin Chong, Jen Sookfong Lee, Ian Weir, Chris Walter, Peter Darbyshire, Jenn Farrell, Jane Sayers, Shay Wilson, Larissa Lai, Anne Stone.
February 17th – Hosted by Elizabeth Bachinsky
Teresa McWhirter, Lee Henderson, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Heather Susan Haley, Nikki Reimer, Chris Hutchinson, Dina Del Bucchia, Amber Dawn, Donato Mancini, Sonnet L’Abbe, Jonathon Wilcke, Catherine Owen.
February 24th – Hosted by Hal Wake

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, Steven Galloway, Timothy Taylor, Rhonda Waterfall, The Yarnbombers Leann Prain and Mandy Moore, Weldon Hunter, McKinley M Hellenes, Alex Leslie, kc dyer, Leilah Nadir, Caroline Adderson, Brad Cran.

I'll be there on closing night -- SO looking forward to being a part of this event. It's going to be live-streamed, on You-tube -- the whole shebang. Find out more HERE.

~kc