Category Archives: Upcoming Events

Diwali in Vancouver: Lots of intercultural fusion happening!

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Diwali in Vancouver:  Lots of intercultural fusion happening!

Tarun
Nayar is one of the key people involved in “Beats Without Borders”
which has grown into a musical cultural fusion extravaganza. 
Tarun has sent me the following information about some special events
during Diwali – “the festival of lights” which symbolizes the victory of good over evil.  Lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind.

Here's Tarun's message:

This
is a little reminder of all the fantastic events happening over the
next few days for the Indian Festival of Lights… From Bhangra dance
classes to Indian Classical Music, the three events listed below are
just a sampler of the many workshops and events happening around town.
Check the http://www.vandiwali.ca website for more info.

Diwali Mubarak! 

Tarun
 
———————————————————————————————–
DIWALI 2006

Beats Without Borders Diwali Dance Party

Thursday Oct 19th, Doors 9pm
The Waldorf (1489 Hastings)
10$ advance, 15$ Door
Tix at Highlife, Zulu, Boomtown, Kamal

Beats
Without Borders is gearing up for its first big party of the winter;
and it should be spectacular. DJs Amar (SF) and Layla (OR) join us from
out of town, Andrew Kim opens the night on electric sitar and eastern
violin, and we'll have special guest dancers and live dhol and tabla.
This is a two room party: expect a high-energy masala of sound and
light to warm up the dancefloor and shake off those fall blues! Last
year, this was one of our biggest parties of the year. We've just
released another 50 tickets to Highlife Records, so if you're looking
for 10$ tickets, that's where to head :o)

Roundhouse Diwali Celebration 2006


Sunday Oct 22, 12:00pm-4:00pm
Roundhouse Community Centre
181 Roundhouse Mews (Davie & Pacific)
FREE

An
Exposition of Music, Dance & Visual Art –Family Entertainment for
All! Performances, Vendors, Henna painting, & Diwali sweets. Missed
a workshop? Join our dancers for a mini lesson in Bollywood &
Bhangra!

Diwali Chaihouse

Sunday Oct 22, 7:00pm-11:00pm
Wise Hall
1882 Adanac Street (Venables & Victoria Drive near Commercial)
$5.00 at the door. Doors open at 7:00pm

Fusion
Inspiration: An Intimate Night of Poetry, Music, Dance & Film.
Highlighting the work of young South Asian artists, featuring, among
others, Delhi2Dublin, Inject, Zenobia Salik, Spoken word, and various
short films. Should be a great night!

Honouring Theatre: Frangipani Perfume – dynamic and fragrant theatre for the mind

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Honouring Theatre:  Frangipani Perfume
– dynamic and fragrant theatre for the mind


Firehall Arts Centre
October 13 to October 21st

Frangipani is known as the traditional Hawaiian lei flower.  Frangipani Perfume
is a dynamic three woman play that tells the story of three sisters who
left their native island of Samoa to find a better life in New
Zealand.  The play opens with three woman dancing to a beautiful
musical piece of opera, only to reveal that they are actually scrubbing
washrooms in New Zealand to make ends meet.

This is a play that I found astounding.  It works on many levels.

  It is not the didactic memory play style of  Windmill
Baby, nor the linear time line of the historically interpretative
Annie Mae's
Movement –
each part of the tri-national tour of 3 plays from Canada, Australia
and New Zealand – titled Honouring Theatre.  Frangipani Perfume is an exceptionally creative
work that incorporates dance, drama, martial arts, comedy, memory, and
so much more.  There were many times that I have to admit I said
to myself “Wow!” or “What did they just do?”

Actors Dianna Fuemanna, Fiona Collins and Joy Vaele, together give an
incredibly dynamic performance.  The sisters dance together, they
fight against each other, they support each other, they argue with each
other, and they reveal truths for and about each other.  The
transitions and topic flow smoothly.  Just as easily as the actors
themselves move across the floor, climb to stand on their chairs,
threateningly fight each other or hold each other lovingly. 

Anything seems to be able to happen in this play.  One moment they
are discussing boyfriends and marriage to escape the drudgery of
scrubbing toilets and cleanning skid marks off the tile floors, the
next they are literally flying across the stage floor, or dreamily
recalling the fragrance of frangipani perfume which their mother used
to make back on the island of Samoa.

And yet… social commentary fills the content of this play. 
Thousands of Pacific islanders left their island homes to work in New
Zealand as unskilled labourers.  They deal with the conflict of
traditional island life and values pitted against contemporary morals
and behaviors.  Post-modern sexuality threatens church morality
and values.  Margaret Mead's anthropological views are rebuffed by
native attitudes of knowingness.   Somehow the greatness of
Einstein and the terror of nuclear war find their way into the
balance.  And it all works brilliantly.  Kudos to playwright
Makerita Urale for her imagination and daring. 

I was able to speak with the actors after the performance, and they
were wonderfully friendly.  They shared that they were enjoying
the visit to Vancouver after travelling across Canada, but were really
looking forward to going home soon, as this is the last stop of the
Canadian tour, before remounting for Australia and New Zealand in
2007.  They each spoke enthusiastically about being on this
tri-national, three play tour, and watching the other
performances.  We talked about the issue of including Pacific
Islanders into Asian Heritage Month (as is done in the United States)
and the fact that Pacific Islanders have their own identity and
culture.  I shared my experience of learning Pacific Island
culture in my visits to Hawaii, where my Aunt lived, and how I remember
her teaching me one day to make a Hawaiian style frangipani / plumaria
flower lei.

My companion had said that she smelled something fragrant at the start
of the play when the actors took the stage.  Yes… the actors
revealed.  They are wearing frangipani fragrance in their hair.  We
talked about the frangipani / plumeria flower, and how it is also known
as the “lei flower” in Hawaii.  Definitely a play that hits on all
the senses including the mind and the nose…  very rare and
fragrant indeed.

Honouring Theatre: Annie Mae's Movement

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Honouring Theatre: Annie Mae's Movement


Annie Mae's Movement
Firehall Theatre, Vancouver BC
October 12 – October 22, 2006

All three plays for the Honouring Theatre project are great.  They
are aboriginal theatre plays from Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

On Wednesday night I attended the opening night for Windmill Baby
(Australia).  Thursday night, I returned for Annie Mae's Movement
(Canada), and Friday Night for Frangipani
Perfume (New
Zealand).  Each play is different in setting, style, and story – yet each allows
the audience member to step into the culture and share the experience
of being aboriginal in New Zealand, Canada and Australia.


Annie Mae's Movement is a powerful two person play with strong acting
from Michelle St. John,
who plays Annie Mae, the MikMaq woman who
travelled to Wounded Knee to become involved with the American Indian
Movement (AIM).  There is a reference to AIM leaders Leonard
Pelletier, and Dennis Banks whom Annie Mae becomes involved with, but
the play is really Annie's journey through empowerment, hope,
resistance and her eventual death.

Based on the true story of Annie Mae Pictou Aquash, Yvette Nolan has
written and directed a true piece of Canadian history.  While this
abidged version of the original production is much revised, it still
vividly portrays the personal story and conflicts of what it may have
been like for Annie Mae to be a woman in a man's movement, a Canadian
in the United States, and person of colour in a White dominated world,
while still actively believing that she had the power to create a
better world for herself, her daughters and her people.

A creative set makes good use of screens with landscape designs that
evoke both the forest, and a camp setting.  They also serve as
backdrops for shadow theatre when one of the actors dresses up as a
wolf to signify the mythical “Loup Garou” wolf creature.  It is a
simple but effective example of the “magic” of theatre to take a simple
idea and transform it into a powerful revelation.

Grahame Merke plays multiple male characters who each interact with
Annie Mae.  He handles the transitions nicely giving each
character a distinctly different personality and manner to make it
believable that each character is different.

One of my favorite scenes is the opening where Annie Mae is speaking to
the audience and uses a bright red cloth as a stage prop to signify
that she is holding a baby, then with a few quick deft moves, she demonstrates that her hands are tied up.  It's a
wonderful display of St. John's acting skills and of the theatre
direction to both communicate with the audience while performing
physical tasks, and give the audience a visual hook.

Annie Mae's Movement is definitely something to recommend to friends, as well as the New
Zealand Maori play “Frangipani
Perfume.” 


John Oliver and Zhimin Yu in Concert – Sunday October 15, VECC

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John Oliver and Zhimin Yu in Concert 
- Sunday October 15, VECC

John Oliver and Zhimin Yu are one of Vancouver's newest intercultural 
musical duos.  I first met Zhimin Yu, master of the ruan (Chinese "moon guitar")
back in 2003 when she performed with Silk Road Music for the CBC
television performance special "Gung Haggis Fat Choy."


Oliver and Yu perform June 22, at the announcement for Chinese Head Tax 
- photo Todd Wong

The duo of Oliver and Yu had one of their first public appearances at the June 22nd, 
Hotel Vancouver site for Prime Minister's announcement for the Chinese Head Tax 
redress.  Oliver and Yu performed at the break time.  Yu also performs with a number 
of Chinese and World Music musical ensembles including Red Chamber,  

You can buy tickets directly from the artists until Friday October 13  
and save the Ticketmaster charge. Just call the phone numbers at the  
bottom of this message or contact the artists 

Tickets are also available at the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the official PR.

Oliver Yu Duo
"From a Place Far Away"
Sunday October 15, 8pm
Vancouver East Cultural Centre

Music from China, Canada, and other corners of the world and the  
imagination.

Vancouver musicians Zhimin Yu and John Oliver team up to delight with a program 
of new and old music from China, Canada and other corners of the world and the 
imagination, written for Chinese and Western guitars. Oliver plays classical guitar and 
a beautiful fretless MIDI classical guitar. Yu plays the Chinese "moon guitar" (the ruan). 
The program will feature the premiere of new works written by Oliver for ruan, guitars 
and synthesizer, and  music by Xing Liu and Wu Jun Sheng. 

Come hear an evening of plucked  music From a Place Far Away.

THE PROGRAM

Between the Sky and the Land by Xing Liu
Camel Bell on the Silk Road by Yong Ning
Song of the Mountain by Xing Liu
Evening of the Torch Festival by Wu Jun Sheng
Happy Days, traditional
Poema Singelo by H. Villa-Lobos
A Dream of Africa by John Oliver
Avoid the Cliff!	by John Oliver
Dreaming of a Far Away Place	by John Oliver

LOCATION AND TICKET INFO

1895 Venables Street, Vancouver
Tickets $18 General / $15 Seniors & Students
(plus applicable charges)
available at TICKETMASTER
604 280 3311  www.ticketmaster.ca

John Oliver and Zhimin Yu  
http://earsay.com/oy/

Information
604-527-2358­
778 998 5375

RECENT REVIEW QUOTE from September 30 premiere.
"Both intellectually stimulating and a great deal of fun, Eagle Flies  
to Mountain deserves to become an intercultural standard."
The Georgia Straight

Honouring Theatre – A tri-national tour of 3 plays from Canada, Australia & New Zealand: What Colour is Love?

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Honouring Theatre – A tri-national tour of 3 plays from Canada, Australia & New Zealand:

What Colour is Love?

Windmill Baby – written and directed by David Milroy

Firehall Arts Centre

part of a repertory theatre tour

Oct 11-Oct 22

What colour is Love?  Is it Black?  Is it White?

This question is asked to the audience at a pivotal moment in the play
Windmill Baby.    Set in Australia, an aboriginal woman returns to the
now abandoned former cattle station of her young adult life.  Fifty 
years have passed as she shares her tale with the audience in a mixture
of oral story-telling, and dream-time revelations.

Pauline Whyman,
as Maymay, is a captivating performer in this one-woman play,
accompanied only on stage by guitarist Adam Fitzgerard and a simple but
amazing set.  As Maymay recognizes each object such as a bed, a
clothesline or a can – she interacts with it, bringing it to life with
a story.  Each story segues into the next, paced nicely both by
script
and by acting.  Nuances and expressions are sometimes subtle or
enhancingly dramatic.  Whyman is careful to balance her
story-telling
while also interacting with the audience.  My favorite scene is
when
she tells the story about the dog, using a surprising stage prop.

As the play unfolds, we learn that she used to live at a cattle station
which had a large windmill.  She had a husband named Melvin who minded
the livestock, and a crippled man named Wunman tended the garden.  They
worked for a white man and his dainty wife who is “like a candle that
melts in the heat”.  Racism is a fact of life in Maymay's
storytelling.  She never complains or editorializes on it.  It's just
what happens when the characters of her story interact.  Life was
different 50 years ago. This is a memory play, which makes makes the
stories so much more poignant, when we discover why Maymay must return
to the deserted Kimberley cattle station for “unfinished business.”  A
cell phone rings, and we are jarred back to the 21st Century, awakened
from our reverie.

The themes are universal: love, life and loss.  Beautifully written and directed by David Milroy, the play could have
been set in an Alabama cotton plantation with African-American slaves,
or a BC ranch with Chinese servants.  But it is culturally interesting
to hear the cadence of an Australian accent with strange words and
phrases.

Windmill Baby is the first of three plays presented at Firehall Arts Centre,
as part of an aboriginal collective from three continents.  Vancouver
is the final stop on a Canadian tour that started in Peterborough ON,
then travelled to Toronto and Regina each for a week, before closing
with a two week run here. 

Annie Mae's Movement (Canada), written and directed by Yvette Nolan
opens on Thursday, October 12.  Frangipani Perfume (New Zealand)
written by Makerita Urale, and directed by Rachel House, opens on
Friday, October 13.  Each play goes into repertory, rotating for
evening and afternoon performances until October 22nd.

By witnessing 3 different aboriginal plays from 3 different countries,
we learn that while we are different, we have many similarites. 
Cultural differences are merely cultural, and human imposed
structures.  But love, tragedy, spirituality, passion, humour and
social activism all transcend geographical boundaries.

Below is a description of each play and the schedule.  Check it out.
Here are some links:
Arthur: It’s No Spin: Windmill Baby Shows Spirit
www.publicenergy.ca/archive_details/honouring_theatre/windmill.htm

Windmill Baby – Honouring Theatre – September 19 to 24 …
www.publicenergy.ca/archive_details/honouring_theatre/windmill.htm

Presents
NATIVE EARTH PERFORMING ARTS
HONOURING THEATRE
A Celebration of the Human Spirit – 3 indigenous Plays from 3
Countries
 

Honouring Theatre, an ambitious global initiative showcasing a
triple bill of powerful and authentic indigenous theatre from Canada, New
Zealand and Australia, will be playing at the Firehall Arts Centre
from October 11 � 22, 2006.  
 
The theatrical stage provides the avenue for these Aboriginal nations
to reveal both their similarities and diversities.  The first of the
plays is David Milroy's Award-winning play Windmill Baby
from Australia.  It is a gentle tale that centres on Maymay, an
Aboriginal woman, who returns to the now derelict station of her youth
because she has some “unfinished business.”  It encapsulates
universal themes of love, life and loss. 
 
Annie Mae's Movement by Canadian playwright, Yvette Nolan
follows. Loosely based on the life of a Mi'qmak woman, Annie Mae Pictou
Aquash, it explores a woman in a man's movement, a Canadian in American
and an Aboriginal in a white dominant culture.
 
The final play from New Zealand is Frangipani
Perfume,  a powerful and sensual black comedy about escape
and dreams of thousands of Pacific people who work as unskilled
labourers.  Playwright Makerita Urale flicks out satirical slaps at
Margaret Mead while bowing down to the greatness of Einstein and
mesmerizing tropical fragrances.
 
All three plays are a celebration of the human spirit sharing their
humour, passion, belief, spirituality, social activism, tragedy and
love.  The plays reiterate that no matter where people are from we
all share the same universal themes. Honouring Theatre has been touring
Canada and will head overseas in 2007.  
 
Play Schedule:
Windmill
Baby                        
Annie Mae's
Movement                      
Frangipani Perfume
Weds. Oct. 11  
8pm                 
Thurs. Oct. 12  
8pm                             
Fri. Oct. 13    8pm
Thurs. Oct. 12 
1pm                  
Fri. Oct. 13      
1pm                             
Sat. Oct. 14   2pm
Sat. Oct. 14     
8pm                 
Wed. Oct. 18    8
pm                            
Tue. Oct. 17  8pm
Sun. Oct. 15    
2pm                 
Thur. Oct. 19   
1pm                              
Wed. Oct.18  1pm
Thur. Oct. 19   
8pm                  
Sat. Oct. 21     
8pm                             
Fri. Oct. 20    8pm
Fri. Oct. 20      
1pm                 
Sun. Oct. 22    
2pm                             
Sat. Oct. 21   2pm
 
Tickets $24/$20 in advance or buy a three pack for
all three plays for $55.
Available at the Firehall Box Office 604-689-0926 or online
www.firehallartscentre.ca

Vancouver Opera: Naomi's Road to perform in Ottawa at Canadian War Museum

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VANCOUVER OPERA

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 6,
2006                                         

Media
Contact: Doug Tuck, Vancouver
Opera 604-331-4823

dtuck@vancouveropera.ca

Vancouver Opera presents

at the Canadian
War Museum
in Ottawa

its acclaimed opera for young
audiences

Naomi’s Road

A
touching drama of family, home, and cross-cultural understanding

 

 

Vancouver,
BC ~ After inspiring nearly 50,000
children in schools and community venues throughout British
Columbia , in southern Alberta ,
and in Washington
State , Vancouver
Opera’s acclaimed opera for young audiences and their families, Naomi’s Road, continues to resonate in
profound ways.  From November 1 through
12, 2006, Vancouver Opera, in partnership with
the Canadian War
Museum in
Ottawa , will present twenty performances of
this very moving opera at the museum.

 

About the Opera

Commissioned
by Vancouver Opera, Naomi’s Road was
composed by Ramona Luengen to a
libretto by Ann
Hodges and is based on the 1986 novel for young readers
by award-winning Japanese Canadian writer Joy
Kogawa. Set during World War II, the opera depicts the dramatic
journey of nine-year-old Naomi, her older brother Stephen, and their
“Obasan” (aunt) from their comfortable and happy home in
Vancouver to a Japanese
internment camp in the interior of B.C.  Sister and brother endure the
harshness of war, racism, bullying, and loss of family to discover the gifts
that sustain them: music, words and love.  Their resilience of spirit and
the kindness of certain strangers they meet offer hope for the future and will
lead Canadian
War Museum
audiences to discover the power of understanding and the beauty of compassion.

 

In announcing these performances, James W. Wright, VO’s General
Director, said, “This meaningful work deeply touched many people,
children and adults alike, during its tour of B.C. and in locations in
Alberta and Washington
State that hold their own
unique memories of the Japanese internment.  We are delighted by the
opportunity to share this opera with young audiences in Ottawa ,
within the resonant surroundings of the
Canadian War
Museum .” 
Added Wright, “I believe that this presentation of Naomi’s Road comes at a time in
history when it is important to reflect on the ways in which war and its
by-products can not only affect the future of nations but also forever alter
the lives of children and the security of their families.  Vancouver Opera
is privileged to stage a production that has the unique ability to act as a
catalyst for audiences of all ages to enter into important dialogue on these
issues.”

 

Performance Details / Tickets

November
1-3: School performances (not open to the public) 

November 4
and 5: public performances 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm each day

November
7-10: school performances (not open to the public)

November 11
and 12: public performance each day at 2:00 pm

 

Tickets to
the public performances are now available from the
Canadian War
Museum ’s call
centre at 1-800-555-5621 or 819-776-7014. Tickets may also be
purchased in person at the Canadian
War Museum
box office.  Prices are $10 for students, and $20 for adults, plus any
applicable service charges.  Schools can purchase group tickets by calling
1-800-555-5621 or 819-776-7014. 

 

About
Joy Kogawa

Joy
Kogawa’s novel Naomi’s Road is
based on her 1981 award-winning adult book Obasan,
the first novel to deal with the internment of Japanese Canadians during and
after World War II.  Widely admired and read, Obasan was chosen for the Vancouver Public Library’s
2005 city-wide annual book club program, One
Book One Vancouver.  Joy Kogawa was born in
Vancouver in 1935. Like Naomi’s family
in the novel, Joy’s family was interned in Slocan and later sent to
Coaldale , Alberta
after World War II, where Joy taught school. Kogawa, who now lives in
Toronto and Vancouver ,
is a recipient of numerous honorary doctorates as well as national and
international awards for her writing.  In 1986, she was named a Member of
the Order of Canada . 
“When I first heard that Naomi's Road
was being made into an opera for children, I had a sense of unreality,”
she said.  “I couldn't quite fathom it.  And even today,
knowing that somehow, through some mysterious process, the story has been
magically transformed into a wholly different and wonderful medium, I still
find it hard to believe and am left somewhat stunned.  It's more than a
dream come true.”  Adds Kogawa, “The existence of this opera
tells me once again that the unexpected is what happens — and that there are
more blessings in the air than we can ask for or imagine.  May we each
walk on our own special roads – like Naomi and [her new kindred spirit]
Mitzi – with Friendship, discovering as we go that our world is full of a
loveliness that is greater than all the grief in our lives.”

 

The Creation Process

Vancouver
Opera awarded he commission for Naomi’s
Road in the fall of 2003 and the process of writing and composing
began.  Ann Hodges penned the
libretto in the winter of 2003/2004.  Composer Ramona
Luengen wrote the last notes of her score in September,
2004.  That same month, the libretto was read at a special event at the
Gulf of
Georgia Cannery National Historical Site ,
in Steveston, B.C., (located at the site of the seizure, in 1942, of hundreds
of fishing boats owned by Japanese Canadians). 

 

Two week-long workshops were
conducted, one in the fall of 2004 and the other in the spring of 2005, during
which the work was developed and refined.  In May, 2005, portions of the
opera were sung for an international audience at the annual OPERA
America conference, in
Detroit .  And in early June, 2005,
selections from the opera were performed at the 2005 UBC-Laurier Institution
Multiculturalism Lecture, at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, in
Vancouver .  The
performance and the lecture, by poet and writer Roy Miki, were later broadcast
on the CBC Radio program IDEAS.

 

During
2005-2006, Vancouver Opera’s touring production of Naomi’s Road visited more than 140
schools and community venues throughout B.C.  The experience of seeing and
hearing Naomi’s Road was
enhanced with study materials that were created and provided by Vancouver Opera
to each school in advance of the performance.  The production also
traveled to Lethbridge , Alberta
and to Seattle and
Bainbridge Island , Washington . 
It was enthusiastically received wherever it was performed.

 

 

Production Details

The
production features original sets and costumes, designed by Christine Reimer, which beautifully evoke
the 1940s period of the opera’s story and have been cleverly engineered
to fold up for touring purposes.  Stage direction is by Ann Hodges.

 

The musical
score, for piano accompaniment and four singers, is richly melodic and
dramatic.  Easily enjoyed by young audiences, the music is also deft and
sophisticated enough to be appreciated by adult audiences.  It
incorporates traditional Japanese melody and its beautiful voicings and
harmonies are influenced by Ramona Luengen’s experience as a composer of
choral music.  The Musical Director is Leslie
Uyeda. 

 

Cast

This
production reunites the four young singers and the nimble-fingered pianist from
the Spring 2006 segment of the 2005-2006 tour.  Soprano Jessica Cheung is Naomi; soprano Gina Oh is Mother, Obasan and Mitzi (a
non-Japanese girl whom Naomi befriends); tenor Sam Chung is Stephen; and baritone Gene Wu is Father, the Trainmaster, a bully, and Rough Lock
Bill (an eccentric but kindly man who lives in the mountains above the
internment camp).  The pianist is Angus
Kellett. The stage manager is David
Curtis.

 

Support

Naomi’s Road was commissioned and produced by
Vancouver Opera with the support of Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts
Council, Opera.ca, Vancouver Foundation, RBC Foundation, Vancouver Arts Awards,
The Hamber Foundation, The Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation, and the Spirit of
BC Arts Fund.

 

This
presentation at the Canadian war Museum is made possible with the generous
support of Ms. Yoshiko Karasawa.

 

-30 –

 

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

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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

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

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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

Scripting Aloud for Monday Sept 18

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Hi All,

Here are the breakdowns for Scripting Aloud's next reading on September 18th (this coming Monday).

We're at our new venue, Our Town Cafe at 245
East Broadway (@ Kingsway) in Vancouver. Casting for submitted scripts begins at
6pm and readings start at 6:30pm, followed by  scene study as time allows. Kibbitzing follows. If anyone would like to
bring their own scenes to read, please do so – we'll try to get them read as
well.

Breakdowns
and a couple of announcements including a short film website launch
party and a VFS call for actors are below – see you Monday!

______________________________


“The Quickie” by Grace Chin (Act II, 12 p) – for stage
2 males (1 mid thirties; 1 late thirties)
2 females (1 mid thirties; 1 late thirties)


“The Rules of Engagement” by Matt Gates and Kathy Leung (10p) – for film (in development with CityTV Cinestories)
3 females (in their twenties)
3 males (in their twenties)

_______________________________________________________________________

***See the graphical version of this Newsletter at
http://www.intake.ca/news/volume1.htm ***

INTRODUCING INTAKE

After more than two years of development, Intake is finally ready to launch.

Intake brings you the best short films and music videos from Canada and
around the world where you can watch films for free with an easy-to-use

integrated video interface and the latest in streaming video technology.
Intake currently features twenty-six short films and music videos from
Vancouver including film festival favourites and multi-award winners.

Go to Intake now at http://www.intake.ca

***

VANCOUVER LAUNCH PARTY

Join us at the Vancouver launch party! Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 at the

Campoverde Social Club (1660 Cypress St). The party starts at 8:00pm.

RSVP and enter a draw to win an MP3 player and five pairs of Cineplex movie
tickets. You have to RSVP and be at the party during the draw at 10:00pm to

win.

RSVP at http://www.intake.ca/party.html

***

NOW FEATURING ON INTAKE

PITS
Directed by Gary Hawes
Short Film | Comedy | 8 mins

Already running late for his interview at a prestigious law firm, Adam
Chapin soon discovers that he has two large sweat stains on his dress shirt.

Determined to make a strong first impression, he tries to solve this sweaty
problem before going in for the interview. The only problem is…how does he
get rid of his pit stains? A hilarious short film featuring Alan Cumming

(X-Men 2, The Anniversary Party).

See Film at http://www.intake.ca/main.php?id=45

THE BUG
Directed by Dylan Akio Smith
Short Film | Comedy | 12 mins

Sam and his trusted Volkswagen have been through everything together. But
when the Bug breaks down, what does it mean for Sam's life? Directed by

Vancouver's Dylan Akio Smith (The Cabin Movie), who is also well known as a
Director of Photography, this multi-award winning short film features a
powerful and unique visual style.

See Film at
http://www.intake.ca/main.php?id=30

7 TO 11 INDIAN
Directed by Nilesh Patel
Short Film | Comedy | 35 mins

In 2001, a young Indian documentary filmmaker came to Canada to find a lost
generation of Indians who opened convenience stores. Two of his subjects

turned their grocery store into a stage, giving their customers both service
and a show. A CityTv “CineCity” Vancouver Stories Initiative film.

See Film at
http://www.intake.ca/main.php?id=49

Google Alerts for Kogawa House September 14

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Google Alert for: kogawa house – September 14

Joy Kogawa and her childhood home


Joy Kogawa and her childhood home

in the city UPCOMING EVENTS inthecity@westender.com

Vancouver Westender – BC, Canada
… Homecoming: The Save Kogawa House Committee and the Land
Conservancy host a fundraiser and the first public tour of the Joy Kogawa
House (1450 W. 64th) on …


Joy of history
Georgia Straight – Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada
… racial discrimination. The open house happens on Sunday
afternoon (September 17), with Kogawa herself in attendance to
sign books.