Wong’s Undercurrent gives water a voice

May 29, 2024
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undercurrent By Rita Wong Nightwood Editions 96 pages; $18.95 Reviewed by Cole Mash In her poem “The Wonders of Being Several,” Rita Wong quotes Louis Pasteur, writing, “the role of the infinitely small, is infinitely large.” This quotation rings especially true of Wong’s new collection undercurrent. Though it spans only 96 pages, make no mistake—the […]

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Lorna Crozier talks about love, art and the dead

May 28, 2024
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Lorna Crozier is the award-winning author of 15 previous books of poetry, including Small Mechanics, The Blue Hour of the Day: Selected Poems, and Whetstone. She is also the author of The Book of Marvels: A Compendium of Everyday Things and the memoir Small Beneath the Sky. Crozier is a professor emeritus at the University of […]

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Tannahill examines theatre’s malaise

May 27, 2024
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Theatre of the Unimpressed: In Search of Vital Drama By Jordan Tannahill Coach House Books 160 pages, $14.95 Reviewed by Joy Fisher At 26, Jordan Tannahill was one of the youngest Governor General’s Award recipients ever when he won in the drama category in 2014 for Age of Minority, a collection of plays for young […]

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Twin sisters’ country album springs from love

May 26, 2024
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Twin Kennedy It’s a Love Thing Twin Kennedy Entertainment $9.99 Reviewed by Emmett Robinson Smith Twin Kennedy have a lot to say. The UVic School of Music twin sister graduates have been touring extensively throughout Canada in support of their new country album It’s a Love Thing, an album that tackles universal topics such as […]

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Book launch celebrates life and work of late Elise Partridge

May 21, 2024
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Tonight is the Vancouver book launch for Elise Partridge’s The Exiles’ Gallery, published by the House of Anansi. The launch will take place at 7 p.m. (Thursday, May 21), at the Heartwood Café. Rob Taylor will be among writers reading Elise Partridge’s work. Here he shares a personal tribute to the late, and beloved, Vancouver-based poet. […]

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Memoir probes domestic life after adoption

May 15, 2024
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Maurice Mierau’s most recent book, Detachment: An Adoption Memoir (Freehand Books), won the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Nonfiction in April. In the memoir, the author probes his domestic life after he and his wife adopt two Ukrainian brothers, aged three and five. The book is both unsentimental and passionate, sparked with moments of humour–a must-read. […]

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Sexual identity takes centre stage in Cock

May 13, 2024
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Cock By Mike Bartlett Directed by David MacPherson Theatre Inconnu May 5 – May 23 Reviewed by Joy Fisher What do you think of when you hear the word “cock?” English playwright Mike Bartlett had at least three meanings in mind when he wrote the play Cock, which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in […]

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Specimen dissects unquiet mysteries of the heart

May 7, 2024
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Specimen By Irina Kovalyova House of Anansi 256 pages; $19.95 Reviewed by Traci Skuce Not long ago, I met a surgeon at a friend’s wedding. I asked him if, in opening the human body, he was ever inspired to write down insights about such revealed mystery. Not everyone, after all, gets to examine the dark […]

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Jazz vocalist and pianist explores new pop sound

May 4, 2024
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House of Many Rooms By Laila Biali and The Radiance Project $9.99-$12.99 By Emmett Robinson Smith Laila Biali took a risk. The Vancouver-born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter has received many accolades and awards for her work as a jazz pianist and singer. Her album Live in Concert was recorded at the renowned Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto […]

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Planet Earth continues to bolster local poetry scene

April 29, 2024
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What better way to mark April as Poetry Month than to talk about Planet Earth Poetry? Known to its devotees as PEP, the series is one of the most influential poetry-reading successes in Canada. Planet Earth sponsors a wide range of established and emerging poets. It has bolstered many a flagging poetic spirit and fostered […]

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