Category Archives: Literary Events

What Is A Canadian?: 43 Thought-Provoking Responses – Check out this new book!

1 Reply

Following a year that saw CBC TV's “The Greatest Canadian” and CBC
Radio's “BC Almanac's Greatest British Columbians” – there is a book
titled:

What Is A Canadian? : Forty-Three Thought-Provoking Responses (Hardcover)

by Studin (Author)
What Is A Canadian? : Forty-Three Thought-Provoking Responses

Book Description
Each of these essays begins with the words
“A Canadian is . . .”. Each one is very different, producing a
fascinating book for all thinking Canadians.

Irvin
Studin is an idealistic young Canadian who wanted to do something
extraordinary for his country. So he decided to approach leading
Canadians — he calls them “sages” — to tell us what they believe
defines us. The people who responded eagerly, to produce an essay of
1,500 to 2,000 words, are, in his words, “all distinguished Canadian
thinkers and achievers from all walks of life — politics, the civil
service, academia, literature, journalism, business, the arts — from
both official language groups, and from all regions of the country, as
well as from the Canadian diaspora.”

The strength of this book
lies in the contributors, listed in the sidebar. The variety ranges
from the funny — “A Canadian is . . . someone who crosses the road to
get to the middle” (Allan Fotheringham) through the hostile — “. . .
the citizen of a country badly in need of growing up” (William Watson)
through the surprising — “. . . adaptable. To illustrate, consider the
depth and breadth of the Canadian woman’s wardrobe” (Jennifer Welsh) or
celebratory — “. . . a wonderful thing to be” (Bob Rae).

A Canadian is . . . certain to find this book fascinating.

Contributors:
Allan
Fotheringham, Thomas Homer-Dixon, Roch Carrier, Jake MacDonald, George
Elliott Clarke, Margaret MacMillan, Thomas Franck, Rosemarie Kuptana,
Gérald A. Beaudoin, Peter W. Hogg, George Bowering, Christian Dufour,
Paul Heinbecker, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, John C. Crosbie, Audrey
McLaughlin, Roy MacGregor, Charlotte Gray, Hugh Segal, Janet
McNaughton, Sujit Choudhry, Aritha van Herk, L. Yves Fortier, Catherine
Ford, Mark Kingwell, Silver Donald Cameron, Guy Laforest, Maria
Tippett, E. Kent Stetson, Louis Balthazar, Joy Kogawa, Wade
MacLaughlan, Douglas Glover, Lorna Marsden, Saeed Rahnema, Denis
Stairs, Valerie Haig-Brown, Guy Saint-Pierre, William Watson, Doreen
Barrie, Jennifer Welsh, Bob Rae


Hmmm… definitely a great list of thinkers.  Whom have I met?  Joy Kogawa is now a friend.  I have met writers George Elliott Clarke and George Bowering a few times.  I saw Roch Carrier just on Sunday at the Word on the Street Festival, I can add Audrey McLaughlin to my list…  I would love to meet Charlotte Grey!

Of CBC's top ten Greatest Canadians – David Suzuki lives in Vancouver
Of BC Almanac's top ten Greatest BC'ers – David Suzuki and Nancy Greene are still alive
Of
“What Is A Canadian” contributers – several live near Vancouver: George
Bowering “Canada's first poet-laureate”, Joy Kogawa, Valerie
Haig-Brown is the daughter of eco-pioneer Roderick Haig-Brown and lives on Vancouver Island.

Maybe I can propose an essay collection for “What is Chinese-Canadian?” or “What is Asian-Canadian?”  Would Kristin Kreuk be availalble or Jon-Kimura Parker? 

Roy Miki wins SFU's Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of CONTROVERSY

Leave a reply 
Roy Miki wins SFU's Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of CONTROVERSY

l-r: Rev. Tim Nakayama, Roy Miki, Joy Kogawa and Todd Wong 
- at the inaugural One Book One Vancouver event for Obsasan May 2005.

Congratulations to Roy Miki, English professor at Simon Fraser University,
and noted advocate for Japanese Canadian Redress.  This has been quite
the year for Roy, as he was awarded the Order of Canada earlier this year.

Roy Miki, truly is an amazing person.  His book of poetry "Surrender" recieved
the Governor General's Award for Poetry in 2005.  I first met him in 1994, when
I interviewed him for an article about Asian Canadian arts and culture in the
SFU student newspaper The Peak.  

Last year our paths crossed several times, at the opening event for One Book One 
Vancouver when Joy Kogawa's book Obasan was presented. Roy has been an advisor 
for the Kogawa House Committee, and read at events for the Save Kogawa House 
campaign, such as the Joy Kogawa Emily Kato book launch, and the Chapters 
event titled Joy Kogawa & Friends.  

In 2005, Roy was the featured speaker for the UBC/Laurier Institution lecture on 
Multiculturalism, which I reviewed.  During the last federal election, I read his book
Redress: Inside the Japanese Canadian redress movement.  It's an incredible read,
and I found it very pertinent to my advocacy role for Chinese Canadian head tax redress.

The following message is from Simon Fraser University:

The Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of
CONTROVERSY

In 1993 Nora and Ted Sterling established a prize at Simon Fraser
University to honor "work which challenges complacency and that
provokes controversy or contributes to its understanding."

Please join us for presentation of the 2006
Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy
to

Roy Miki

Recognizing his long pursuit of justice and fairness in seeking
redress for the wrongs inflicted upon Canadians of Japanese descent
during the Second World War. A professor of English at Simon Fraser
University and winner of the 2002 Governor-General's award for
poetry, Dr. Miki will read from, and discuss, his work.

Transformations: The language of redress

Wednesday, October 11, 7 pm
Reception follows
SFU Vancouver
Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue
580 West Hastings Street (enter from Seymour St. courtyard)

Sponsored by the Vice-president, Academic.
Information: www.sfu.ca/sterlingprize.
This event is free but reservations are required:
call 604.291.5100 or email cs_hc@sfu.ca.

--
Susan Jamieson-McLarnon
Director, Public Relations
Simon Fraser University Vancouver
515 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6B 5K3
(604)291-5151/3210

Fun Day at Word on the Street

Leave a reply

It was a fun day, at Word On the Street


I always check out Word on the Street Book and Magazine fair, held annually at Library Square on the third Sunday of September.

I arrived to find Ian Hannomansing of CBC TV's Canada Now, introducing the national librarian of Canada – Mr. Roch Carrier, author of the classic children's book (and NFB animated short), “The Hockey Sweater.” 

My girlfriend Deb spent some time volunteering at the Kogawa House display, organized by The Land Conservancy of BC.  It was only a year ago, that Joy Kogawa's childhood home was threatened with demolition, the same weekend that WOTS occured last year, and we presented Joy with a Community Builder Award, from the Asian Canadian Writers's Workshop at the Ricepaper magazine 10th Anniversary Dinner.  What a difference a year makes.

We couldn't stay long because we had to pop off to a dragon boat practice, but returned immediately after practice.

We arrived back at the mainstage with a few dragon boat paddlers in tow, just in time to watch the IMPROvisors on the mainstage in the south plaza of Library Square.  What a surprise to see Diana Bang performing!  I first met Diana while she was performing with her “other” sketch comedy group – Assaulted Fish (a salted fish – get it?)

I dropped by the tent for Ricepaper magazine and Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop at the Magazine Mews.  It was great to see friends Don Montgomery and the Ricepaper gang.  A big surprise to see my cousin/author Janice Wong signing copies of her book CHOW: From China to Canada – memories of food and family. So sorry I missed seeing Evelyn Lau who had been at the tent from 1-2pm.

Up the street at the Harbour Publishing tent, I got a nice hug from my friend Marisa Alps.  I first met her when I interviewed her for a 1995 article I wrote about Asian Canadian writing and the Go For Broke Revue (the precursor to explorAsian's Asian Heritage Month Festival in Vancouver).  I bought several “hurt” copies of The BC Almanac Book of Greatest British Columbians. It's a great book, and I can remember showing Joy Kogawa her listing under the chapter Top 10 Authors.

Then just a few feet away from me at the Tradewind Books tent, I spot my friend Elizabeth Sheffrin – usually known as a textile artist.  She created the wonderful Middle East Peace Quilt.  It turns out that Elizabeth is now a book illustrator for Abby's Birds, written by Ellen Schwartz. The book isn't out in stores yet – but Tradewind did have copies at the tent.

And Trevor Lai always has his booth set up, where he draws pictures of Ralphy the Rhino.  Trevor has self-published a series of children's books following Ralphy's adventures.  Trevor is an amazingly talented artist, who can whip up large sketches and tell a story as kids listen and follow intently.

Just before I left, I bumped into Ron Mah, who was carrying petition for the Chinese Head Tax Redress.  It's important that a true redress honours each head tax certificate -not just the surviving head tax payers and spouses who are still alive.

And I even saw an accordion performed today.  Poet Rowan Lipkovits did a reading at the Poetry Tent, accompanied with a small accordion.  At the end of the day, we bumped into each other and shared some accordion talk.  He e-mailed me later… with an idea to perform together for Co-Op Radio… something about an accordion program.  Sounds interesting!

Wow!  What a day!

CHOW: From China to Canada – wins Gold Award from Cuisine Canada / UC Culinary Book Awards

Leave a reply

Janice Chow – my wonderful artist/family historian / cook book cousin sends me this great news!

Hello Todd,

I'm happy to announce that CHOW received the gold award in the Cuisine Canada + University of Guelph's Culinary Book Awards,
Canadian Food Culture category…the category that celebrates books that “best illustrate Canada's rich culinary heritage and food culture.”

If you're in Vancouver on Sunday Sept. 24th, you can catch me at the Ricepaper magazine booth (2 – 6 pm) at Word On The Street,
Vancouver's Annual Book and Magazine Fair, on the street, Vancouver Public Library main branch.

If you're in Gibsons on Saturday Sept. 23rd, I'm reading at the first annual New Moon Festival of Asian Art and Culture.

All the best,
Janice

Joy Kogawa featured in Kyoto Journal: Ten Thousand Things

Leave a reply

Joy Kogawa featured in Kyoto Journal: Ten Thousand Things

Here's an interesting article about Joy Kogawa and the
saving of Kogawa House.  There are quotes from Joy, Bill Turner,
Christ Kurata and myself.
http://www.kyotojournal.org/10,000things/044.html

I particularly like the title of Ten Thousand Things for “multicultural webfinds”
How fitting that it should find www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com and www.kogawahouse.com

Ten
Thousand Things
Multicultural
Webfinds, by Jean Miyake Downey

“Ten
Thousand Things” is a Buddhist expression representing the dynamic
interconnection and simultaneous unity and diversity of everything in
the universe.

Communique straight from Haggis Land (from Alexander Hutchinson)

Leave a reply

Communique straight from Haggis Land
(from Alexander Hutchinson)

The fame of Gung Haggis Fat Choy is consistently growing.  Here is
an example of appreciation from an ex-Scots, ex-Canadian – who really
appreciates the intercultural directions of Gung Haggis Fat Choy –
which celebrates the Chinese and Scottish heritage of Canada +
everything in between & everything beyond!

Please welcome Alexander Hutchinson as a guest on www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com
Mr. Hutchinson has written a poem about Haggis titled “Surprise Surprise”  (see attachment).
He has also sent me a cover from his book, and a picture of a haggis
wearing a kilt.  (I will have to send the picture to my kilted
mates on www.xmarksthescot.com

It seems a fitting time for Mr. Hutchinson to discover Gung Haggis Fat
Choy and to contact me 40 years after his first arrival in Victoria BC,
Canada – back on August 31, 1966.  Victoria is a wonderful city
that plays up its British heritage with high tea at the Empress Hotel,
double decker buses, and all that stuff.  However, Victoria is
also the city that at one point had the largest Chinatown in North
America, where my father's father once ran the largest Chinese merchant
store, and where both my father and my mother's mother were botn in
1925, and 1910.

British Columbia is indeed a place where Scots and Chinese have met,
collided, and colluded.  I hope to soon be hosting a Gung Haggis
Fat Choy dinner in Victoria sometime soon.  And maybe if Mr.
Hutchinson makes the trip to Victoria for his anniversary…  we
will have a special little dinner.  In the mean time, please enjoy
his letter and his poem.

Yo — Hullo, and Greetings to the Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2006 sponsors
from the Land of Haggis, cradle of Burns.  This is a concept dear to my
heart.  As you will see from the attached piece, my poem “Surprise,
Surprise” has been in circulation now for more than 21 years (and a
published version came out in 1990  – I'll attach some images if I can
scan them
 
It can be updated of course – so I
don't see why I couldn't add gung haggis fat choy – though there is
already a reference to ancient Chinese practice. – “100 year -old Kung
Po haggis”!
 
I returned to Scotland from
Canada in 1984 – had been living on Vancouver Island since 1966.  The
haggis poem was the first piece I wrote on return – and it got a hot
reception.. There is a story about the “invention” of the vegetarian
haggis – but I'll save that for later.
 
God, I
would love to be back on the west coast.  Shouldn't be long – I'm due a
visit.  I am a Canadian citizen as well as Scottish – my kids are
too. The 40th anniversary of my first arrival is August 31st (Labour
Day 1966).  “Good Vibrations” was on the radio all the time..
I walked in to teach my first class at UVIC a few months later – just 22 years old.
 
The illustrations are by a man called Charles Hynes.
Amazon still lists the wee book – but I will send you a copy.
 
As the old folks used to say: Here's tae us –
wha's like us? (“Damn few:and they're aa deid”  is the usual answer..)
 
alll the best,  Sandy H.
 
Alexander Hutchison

SURPRISE, SURPRISE



MacSween the corner butcher with confidence displays

for denizens of the city – 'of toons the a per se'-

a vegetarian haggis, rank specimen of his craft.

Just what the creature might contain defeats surmise:

pinmeal and onions, nuts or beans, some dribs and drabs.

No gristle, no suet, no organ meats: no liver, no tripes

no lights, no heart. Instead of a sheep's paunch

potato skins with a saddle-stitch fly. Up the Mound

down Candlemakers Row the fix is in. The makars jump

the peddlers stump, the market splits wide open.



First from a purely culinary point of view – corned, curried

devilled, smoked and kosher haggis; haggis à la king; wee cocktail

haggis; haggis in a basket; haggis on the half-shell; instant haggis;

English haggis; haggis eclairs; Crimean campaign haggis, conceived

in Sebastopol, consumed in Balaclava; hot-cross haggis; haggis in

plum sauce; desiccated haggis; baked haggis alaska; chocolate mint-

chip haggis; non-stick convenient haggis; cucumber and haggis

sandwiches; junk haggis; whole-hog haggis.



Next by haggis of a special bent – weight-watcher haggis;

haggis for the moonstruck; haggis nouveau; haggis grand cru; 12 year

old vintage haggis matured in oak casks; 100 year old Kung Po haggis

drawn from the well without obstruction; “Bomber” Haggis; haggis for

lovers; lite, lo-tar, lo-nicotine haggis; Campdown haggis; drive-in

haggis; hand-raised, house-trained haggis, with pedigree attached;

haggis by special appointment; reconstituted haggis; nuclear-free

haggis; ancient Dynastic haggis sealed in canopic jars; haggis

quickstep; haggis high in fibre; haggis low in the opinion of several

discerning people; a haggis of the Queen's flight; Nepalese temple

haggis (rich, dark and mildew-free); hard-porn haggis;

haggis built to last.



Finally, objects tending to the metaphysical – desolation

haggis; the canny man's haggis; haggis not so good or bad as

one imagines; haggis made much of caught young; unsung haggis;

haggis not of this fold; haggis dimm'd by superstition;

perfectly intuited haggis; haggis beyond the shadow of a doubt;

bantering haggis; haggis given up for Lent; haggis given up for

lost; haggis so good you think you died and went to heaven;

haggis supreme; haggis unchained.







© Alexander Hutchison    1984, 1990





Roy Miki named to Order of Canada

Leave a reply

Roy Miki named to Order of Canada

Roy Miki was named to the Order of Canada on Monday.  I think Roy
is a fabulous Canadian.  Legend has it that he was born on a beet
farm, while his family was interned during World War 2.  Check out
the CTV story below about Roy being recognized for the Order of Canada.


Edmonton Journal (subscription)Gov.-Gen. names 77 people to Order of Canada
CTV.ca, Canada – 24 Jul 2006
… The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to recognize outstanding achievement and … Donald Meeks, Toronto, education; Roy A. Miki, Vancouver, voluntary …

Order of Canada recipients

The first time I met Roy was in 1995 when I was attending the Go for
Broke “Asian Canadian arts revue” which was the fore runner of the
explorASIAN festival.  I interviewed him in an article about Asian
Canadian arts and literature:  http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/95-3/issue10/asiaca2.html

In 2002, Roy recieved the Governor General's award for poetry for his
collection “Surrender.”  That following spring, I set up a reading
for him and fellow authors Hiromi Goto at the Vancouver Public Library
for Asian Heritage Month.

Roy has been a big supporter of the “Save Joy Kogawa House” campaign.


Storyscapes Chinatown: “Spiritual Kinship” – Todd Wong

Leave a reply

Storyscapes Chinatown: “Spiritual Kinship” – Todd Wong


Here is my contribution to Storyscapes Chinatown, bringing together
stories of interactions between First Nations and Chinese peoples in
Vancouver.  I was very pleased to bring a Creation Story to tie in
the spiritual kinship between these two cultural groups.  I have
always personally felt a spiritual bond to First Nations peoples…
especially since I have travelled to Nu-Chal-nuth territory in Kyuquot
Sound, Nootka territory in Clayquot Sound, Haida territory in Haida
Gwaii, Squamish and Musqueam territory throughout the Lower mainland
from Tsawassen to Lillo'wat and Okanagan Territory too.

This particular story about the Mongolian birth mark on First Nations people was told to me by an elderly First Nations man that I met at the mouth of the Capilano River in North Vancouver.  My father and I went for a walk, and some First Nations people were fishing on the East side of the river.  All the land here is land belonging to the Burrard First Nations.  We had a good talk about fishing, then about being non-white, and giving appreciation to each other's culture.  Then we talked about how both Chinese and First Nations babies both have the Mongolian birthmark when they are born.  He shared this story with me.

There are many theories about how Asian peoples may have migrated
across the Bering Strait to North America across an “ice bridge.” One
of my favorite Creation stories about the First Nations people, is by
Bill Reid.  It is how Raven found a clam.  He opened it,
setting the first peoples free.  There are many Creation stories,
and we need to respect all of them. 

But we also know that there are aboriginal people in Siberia and also
in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska – who are family and travel across
the Bering Sea to visit each other.  It is the same as aboriginal
people on Southern Vancouver Island who travel to North West Washington
across the Juan de Fuca Strait.  They have been related and family
– since before Canada or the United States existed.  What are
geographic borders but creations of human ideas?

Storyscapes Chinatown premieres on Saturday – check out my “Creation Story”

Leave a reply

Storyscapes Chinatown premieres on Saturday

– check out my “Creation Story”

I am part of 23 story tellers gathered to share stories of interactions between Chinese and First Nations people in Vancouver.  

Check out Storyscapes Chinatown exhibition during
the Chinese Cultural Centre's Arts and Cultural festival held on July
8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th. The exhibition will be in the courtyard of
the Centre (50 West Pender), as well as on the corner of Pender and
Carall. Please spread the word! An invitation to the exhibition will
follow next week.

My contribution is a Creation story that I learned in one of my many meetings with First Nations people.  I have travelled up up and down both sides of Vancouver Island, from Kyuquot Sound to Alert Bay.  I have also travelled to Haida Gwaii, Mount Currie, Tsawassen, and the Okanagan and and talked with many people about interactions between Chinese and First Nations peoples.  My cousin Rhonda Larrabee, is Chief of Qayqayt First Nations (New Westminster) Band.

Storyscapes Chinatown is a partnership between
KAYA (Knowledgable Aboriginal Youth Association) and the City Of
Vancouver, working with the Musqueam Indian Band, Vancouver Chinatown
Revitalization Committee (VCRC) and diverse community reps.

I attended the March 11, 2005, Storyscapes story sharing which brought together members of the First Nations and Chinatown community.

I shared a creation story, about why First
Nations and Chinese peoples are born with blue spots on the
bottoms.  It is called a Mongolian spot, or Mongolian Birthmark.
My story relates to how the two cultures believe that their real home
is the spirit world, and the physical world is full of lessons, and
hardships….

I introduced my story this way:

I was just
talking with Louis [Schmidt] (first nations WW2 veteran) – and unfortunately, it sounds like a lot of
the First Nations people and the Chinese people came together because
they sought refuge from white people.  After the railway was built, a lot of Chinese people were taken in by First Nations villages.  There was lots of
discrimination in those old days.  And even today, I think it’s terrible that we come
together, sometimes, and we talk about white people.

But, you know, we
understand.  And I think that’s part of it, that there’s a sense of
community and understanding. And just want to share some literary
references with you. In Sky Lee’s book, “Disappearing
Moon Café,” she wrote about a First Nations woman marrying a Chinese
man.  Also in Naomi’s Road by Joy Kogawa – her children's version of her novel “Obasan.”  There’s a story of a First Nations man named Roughlock Bill, who met the
Japanese people that were sent up to the Okanagan and “evacuated” away
from the coast.


Here is a version of my Creation Story:

As we know, a long time ago, in the First Nations culture, and that still continues today, there’s a sense of spirit  an understanding that we actually belonged to Spirit. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, rather than physical beings seeking a spiritual experience.  In Chinese culture, …there are many heavens and many hells, and as we know through a lot of Buddhism, there is a lot of reincarnation. which is recognized in First Nations culture as well.

A Creation story is about how we come into being. How we were born from spirit and became physical.  The physical world we are living in right now is where we do the learning for our spiritual development physical time being.

But it can be very challenging.  There’s a lot of hardship in this physical world – lots of discrimination, a lot of racism.  We know that if we wanted a nice perfect life we wouldn’t come into this physical world. We wouldn’t want to be born. We would want to stay in the spiritual world because this that is our true home. It is where we are most happy.

What we recognize as Asian and First Nations people that this is what we still have to come out, but  to and it’s tough to be born come into this physical world. It is so tough that sometimes we have to be kicked out.

We have to get kicked out.

And that is a true story, because when you were born, if you were are Asian or First Nations,  You you were born with have blue spots on your body. And This is a story about the creation story about the Mongolian birthmark. You find it on Asian children. You find it on First Nations children. But the true story of why we have blue spots, and that we recognize  is that we come from the spiritual world and have to be kicked out in order to get born.

 – Todd Wong

 


Joy Kogawa listed in The Toronto Star's “Essential Book List”

Leave a reply

image

Joy Kogawa listed in The Toronto Star's “Essential Book List” 

For Canada Day, the Toronto Star examined what is considered essentially
Canadian.  They chose judges in all culture categories, who had a few
months to compile the top 10 most significant and essential Canadian
works.  Guess what made the top 10 in books?!

Here’s a link:
www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=

thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1151665788269&call

_pageid=1150797693198&col=1150797693190

Obasan (1981)
Joy Kogawa

It's not often a piece of fiction gets read aloud in the House of Commons, but such was the case with Obasan.
The novel played a crucial role in the Japanese-Canadian redress
settlement. A blend of fiction and documentary fact, Kogawa's lyrical
and moving novel sheds light on the Canadian government's racist
policies toward Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. Centred
on the protagonist Naomi, a third-generation Japanese Canadian, the
novel interweaves past and present as it traces her struggle to unravel
the veil of secrecy behind her mother's mysterious absence during
wartime. A fiercely nationalistic novel, Obasan nonetheless
demands that we take a closer look at the myth of the multicultural
nation, and at citizenship and belonging in Canada.