Beyond Robson: Books & Lit Feed

A Poetic High at the VPL

Jon — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:15:00 -0800

The combination of Vancouver's new smoking bylaws and Amsterdam's recent crowning as literature capital of the world presents our citizens with an opportunity to create a new Vansterdam; one based on the on the strength of our of poetry, not our pot. I'm mostly joking, but regardless of whether or not you've contemplated visiting the Amsterdam Cafe, you should skip it tonight and head down to the Vancouver Public Library for some caffeine (pizza, sushi, whatever...) and some local versification.

The 'City Poets' series present an evening of readings with three hot local poets: Jordan Scott, Donato Mancini, and Stephen Collis. These are writers who are working right on the fringe of contemporary verse, and hearing their exciting work read live could be a great cap-off to National Poetry Month. Things begin at the central branch of the VPL at 7:30, free of charge. Some words on the work, some sample poems, and all the details after the jump...

Murakami's 'Invisible' Eastside

Jon — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:30:00 -0800

Last week I introduced National Poetry Month by highlighting two well established Vancouver-based writers. As the world becomes increasingly prosaic (or multimedic), poetry of any kind has been relegated to a niche market. Regardless, part of our mission here at Beyond Robson has always been to highlight those artists who operate a bit farther from the mainstream... and if there was a monument to poetry in the heart of Robson street, it'd probably be dedicated to Mr. Birney.

One local writer who finds her subject and self situated about as far from Robson Street or the Birneyan world of UBC as possible (demographically, at least), is Sachiko Murakami. Her debut collection, The Invisibility Exhibit presents an inside-out view of Vancouver street-life; a brilliant meditation on the enigmatic attitude this city has towards the Downtown Eastside. I've spent the last few days absorbed in the volume, and it's essential reading for every denizen of the Lower Mainland. Some poems and details on readings after the jump...

April is National Poetry Month

Jon — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:05:00 -0800

Something that seems to have gone virtually unreported here in Vancouver is the fact that it's currently National Poetry Month. For the tenth year in a row, the month of April has been designated by the League of Canadian Poets as our nation's official time to safely abandon all syntax. With dread-locked molskiners milking lattes from Kits to Commercial, it's surprising we haven't heard the phrase 'Poetry Month' more often in the local media. Although Vancouver may not be the poetry capital of Canada, BC Book & Magazine Week is around the corner, the Vancouver Poetry Slam's weekly events have established it as an underground staple, and April will feature a spattering of special poetry readings around the city.

The Parliamentary Poet Laureate John Steffler is offering a poem per week (typically humble next to the American quota of poem/day). I figured the least I could do for the readers of Beyond Robson was share my own love of verse, and I hope to offer a selection of great Vancouver writing as the month rolls on. Suggestions of writers and submissions of work are more than welcome if you've got a piece/person you'd like to see us feature here at Beyond Robson. For now, enjoy some poetry after the jump...

OUTloud at Out Week UBC

Andrea — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:21:28 -0800

Gay or straight, if you happened to catch the OUTloud reading last night, consider yourself lucky. It was an incredible event that showcased the tremendous diversity of some of Vancouver's best queer authors.

I try my best to be un-biased, but my friend Mette Bach was the first to take the stage and she nearly brought everyone to tears with her sweetly observant story about the complexities of all types of love and the curious friendships we forge with strangers.

Michael V. Smith made us smile with his wonderful poem about "hard love" in Toronto. A brief interlude with the lovely drag queen, Isolde N. Barron, felt out of place, but this was an organizational issue, not a performance one. Michelle Miller's excerpt from her foray into fiction helpfully coined the new phrase: "Soft-cunt confidence." The evening drew to a close with the remarkable Colin Thomas (Georgia Straight) who really did bring everyone to tears with his intimate and erotic four-part story about the unraveling of his 25-year relationship.

A photo slideshow of the night after the jump....

Pulp Fiction: Bookworms Storm Mt. Pleasant

Jark — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 07:13:42 -0800

This is a shorty to keep y'all in the loop. Pulp Fiction Books on 2422 Main St. (near Broadway & Lugz Coffee Lounge, a block up, at 2525 Main St.), is now buying snazzy new books at US cover prices. What does this mean? It means their selection and stock has just taken a new turn towards new releases and publications that often cannot be found in used stock -- a lovely addition to what is still otherwise awesome inventory! If you've never been able to find this Virillio or that Deleuze book you've been seeking for ever, and if you refuse to support any chains, this is great news for you. Care to make requests for that Derrida book you've been unable to find anywhere? I do and...I have.

Great Literature and Reads on the Cheap and SALE on DEC 1st to 3rd!

Kit — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 08:12:00 -0800

Looking for a book that is out of print? Or that much talked-about title abuzzed in the media? BUT not willing to submit yourself to the outrageous CAD prices despite the parity between the US and us? Some global chain book stores are trying to use some arcane excuse, but I would rather just support our local book businesses instead. Well, the Cheap Bastard has this to say-- go check out your local purveyor of pre-loved tomes/texts: ABC Book and Comic Emporium at their new location:

1539 West Broadway (W. Broadway and Granville)
ALL books are 20% off!!!!

Break out the Knee Socks: Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival

Meg — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:23:25 -0800

Being the ridiculously huge nerd that I am, the Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival is always a highlight of my autumn. Maybe it's something about the smell of fall, which I equate simultaneously with wet foliage and new books. Something about going back to school, sharpened pencils, ringing in a whole new year of academia. The 20-year-old Writers & Readers Fest is something like the knee socks to my plaid kilt and sweater vest. Committed to supporting literacy and exposing Canadian authors, the Fest is held on Granville Island from the 16th to the 21st of October.

Continue reading for the highlights I've already cursived into my shiny red agenda...

Word on the Street Moved

degan — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:28:55 -0800

I always look forward to going to Word on the Street in the fall. It seems like the bookish and back-to-schooly thing to do and it's always a lot of fun. It always sneaks up on me though, and this year was no different. So now here we are just a few days away from when the library square should be filling up with tents full of books and publishers and authors... AND the space is still filled with strikers.

So what's a considerate festival to do? They will move to the Canada Post parking lot, across the street from the library. The Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts has apparently also offered the space in front of their building, so some things may be set up there as well.

'Breakfast for Anarchists' - Let's Rile You Up Vancouver

Jark — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:23:28 -0800

Breakfast for Anarchists is Norman Nawrocki's newest collection of rebel verse, fantasy, rant, short fiction and anarcho-agit-prop recipes. It is, however, best fitting for you to come up with your own description after you've read it yourself. It contains over 30 stirring, provocative capsules of Nawrocki's trademark wit, passionate rage, love, and reflection. It also includes original artwork & photos by several North American artists including Vancouver's own David Lester. But, you ask, just who is this Norman character anyways? Well, here's where the Vancouverite gossip begins. It all starts with a book, its launch, and a lad named Norman.

Norman Nawrocki is an internationally acclaimed, Vancouver-born, Montreal-grown cabaret artist, musician, author, educator and actor. He has several books and over 50 albums (solo & with his bands Rhythm Activism, Bakunin's Bum, DaZoque!, The Flaming Perogies, The Montreal Manhattan Project, etc.). His last CD: 'Letters from Poland / Lettres de pologne.' His last book: 'The Anarchist & The Devil Do Cabaret' (Black Rose Books) has now been translated and published in French and Italian. So, you could say, this lad is pretty prolific. I will continue...

By all accounts he's a spectacular man. He teaches part-time at Concordia University and tours Canada playing music, giving workshops about 'Creative Resistance' (how to use the arts for radical social change) and performing funny shows about sex (like 'Lessons from a 7ft Penis'). Read on for more....

"Theatre for Living" - Tonight, 8:30pm

Meg — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:30:07 -0800

Vancouver-based Headlines Theatre has been creating powerful socially-conscious theatre for 26 years. Based on the principals of Theatre of the Oppressed, a form of theatre/protest/therapy that is the brainchild of Brazilian politician-cum-director Augusto Boal, Headlines uses theatre as way to help struggling communities gain a greater understanding of the issues plaguing them and, in that understanding, to find an inner empowerment. Their most recent project, Meth, examined the roots of addiction and the effect addiction has on communities. They're currently preparing for 2 Degrees of Adaptation, taking on that hot button issue of global warming. David Diamond has been heading up Headlines since its inception in 1981. He is also the author of "Theatre for Living: The Art and Science of Community-Based Dialogue," which he will be debuting at a free lecture tonight, Thursday at 8:30pm at the Westin Bayshore as part of the annual American Alliance for Theatre and Education conference.

VPL: why so cold, my love?

petertupper — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:22:46 -0800

It's only been a day, and I already feel your absence, your distance. Your accepting arms, your generosity, your wisdom, your humor, your passion... I am bereft of all of them.

I'll admit that I have spent time with others: the glitz of cable TV, the well-worn charms of used bookstores, the newer offerings of Chapters, and of course, the slightly schizophrenic appeal of the Internet. But they can be fickle. Cable and phone can be cut off, Internet connections can fail, and Chapters will throw you out for trying to read the entire run of Naruto in one day. But not you.

Poaching on Hogwart's Land

petertupper — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 01:26:48 -0800

L-R: Marius, Stefanie and Christian work the lineup outside Chapters

Oscar's Art Books shouldn't exist. It's been operating for 17 years in its current location, on West Broadway near Granville, and has prospered even when the Chapters megastore opened almost directly across the street. Sean O'Flynn, the owner, attributes this success to specialization and no staff turnover.

Two years ago, O'Flynn decided to undercut the launch of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He sold copies at a 21 per cent discount instead of Chapters' 20 per cent, and on the night the book went on sale, he walked across the street with a sandwich board and lured people to his shop, like the Pied Piper.

ABC Book & Comic Emporium squeezed out of downtown

petertupper — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:36:53 -0800

Another piece of what made downtown Granville South the tenderloin of Vancouver is going away. The ABC Book & Comic Emporium (1234 Granville, between Davie and Drake) will be closing this fall and moving elsewhere, casualty of increasing rent downtown.

I've always loved used bookstores. Moreso than first-sale bookstores, they're a testament to the continuing success of the book in our society. Books are so cheap yet durable that they're still usable decades after they are first sold. Long before Napster putting the music industry into a panic, the publishing industry was quite comfortable with an entire industry devoted to buying and selling books after their first sale, technically piracy, but also providing a valuable service in keeping out of print books available and cheap.

VPL Book Sale Delight!

Terri — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 18:54:38 -0800

Photo courtesy of Juliainc in the Beyond Robson photo pool

When I was in university and partying (or complete lack of comprehension...ahem...math) got in the way of exams and studying, I used that old faithful trick: stack your notes beneath your pillow before bedtime and hope for the best. This splendid process of osmosis is one thing I did retain from biology class, although the scientific validity of stuffing a textbook under your pillow to enhance intelligence is certainly up for scrutiny.

I've continued this trend well past my university career, although with much better intentions. I love buying books. I think I've got at least a dozen waiting to be read, and it's not unusual for me to have 5 books on the go at any one time. When I feel like my brain needs a boost, I go and buy books. Just walking through the bookstore or library makes me feel smarter, although if I had learned anything in math class I would know that paying full price for books that simply wait their turn on my bookshelf doesn't really add up in the favor of my finances.

So it's a good thing the Vancouver Public Library Summer Sale goes down this week, with prices ranging from $0.55 to $2.25. Now those are numbers I understand!

Attention Would-be Novelists

Simon — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:19:52 -0800

If you're like me and do your best writing with the gun of a deadline to your head, the 3-Day Novel Contest might just be your ticket to finally getting published. Registration for the weekend literary marathon has opened, and anyone can sign up until August 31, as long as you can cough up the $50 non-refundable entrance fee.

The 3DNC turns 30 this year, it began as a bar bet between a small group of Vancouver writers to throw together a novel over a long-weekend, which none of them managed to do. The idea stuck regardless, and thanks to the support of several small BC publishing houses throughout the years the competition has gone global, it now receives manuscripts from all over the world. It even has its own reality TV series on Canada's Book Television. Last year's winner was Vancouverite Brendan McLeod, a Canadian SLAM Poetry champion and member of the fiercely talented local crew The Fugitives.