Category Archives: Upcoming Events

Sounds Like Canada in Newfoundland for Terry Fox 25th Anniversary celebrations

This is from the Sounds Like Canada
website.  Gung Haggis Fat Choy is proud to be “friends” with CBC
Radio's Sounds Like Canada – for our past cross-over references and
events
click here.

Sounds Like Canada in
St. John's, Newfoundland, April 11 – 14.

25 Years of Hope – The Legacy of Terry Fox
On Tuesday, April 12, a special Fox Family celebration
of a great dream live from the Battery Hotel — we celebrate the start
of the 25th Anniversary of Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope Run.  A new
monument in his honour will be unveiled at mile zero. And, Doug
Coupland's new book “Terry” gets it's official launch.
If you have memories of Terry and would like to tell us what he means to you, please click here.

The week of April 11th, 2005: CBC Radio will broadcast a special five part series on morning shows across the country.

  • Monday – We begin with a look back at the man and his mission with The Marathon of Hope.
  • Tuesday – Find out why another Canadian icon Douglas Coupland turned his curiousity about Terry Fox into a book called TERRY.
  • Wednesday – It began in Newfoundland … how the Terry Fox legacy lives on in Canada's eastern most province.
  • Thursday – Keeping the journey alive… Terry's family and friends share
    their stories about the man they lost and the man who inspired a nation
    never to forget.
  • Friday – The man in motion –
    Rick Hansen toured the world in his wheelchair after he was personally
    touched and inspired by Terry Fox. He contemplates the power of people
    to affect change.

April 12th:

Anniversary
of the day, 25 years ago, that Terry Fox dipped his artificial leg in
the Atlantic Ocean. CBC Radio and CBC Television will be broadcasting
live across the network from St. John’s Newfoundland, on Sounds Like
Canada and CBC News: Canada Now from the Battery Hotel on Signal Hill.
The Fox family, Douglas Coupland and people instrumental in the
Marathon of Hope will be there to celebrate the day Terry started his
journey. As part of the festivities, a new monument to Terry will be
unveiled where he started, plus the new book Terry will be
launched with a reading and book signings, and the Canadian Mint will
have a booth where you can exchange your loonie for the new Terry Fox
dollar coin.

Live from the Battery Hotel, St. John's:

  • Morning Show with Jeff Gilhooly 6am
  • Sounds Like Canada with Shelagh Rogers 10:30am
  • Canada Now with Debbie Cooper and Ian Hanomansing 6pm.
  • YOU ARE HERE – return engagement by Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Equity Co-op

    Here's a theatre production that my friend Noah Drew is involved in:

    Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Equity Co-op REMOUNTS its acclaimed 
    production of
    YOU ARE HERE
    by Daniel MacIvor


    March 24 – April 2, 2005 @ 8pm (no show Monday)
    Matinees: March 26, April 2 and April 3 @ 2pm
    2-for-1 Performances: March 24 & 29

    at Performance Works
    1218 Cartwright Street, Granville Island
    Vancouver, Canada

    Tickets: $20/$16
    604.255.4871
    Seen the show already? Ask about our "COME AGAIN DISCOUNT"
    Group rates available.
    __________________________________
    Directed by Mindy Parfitt.

    Starring Colleen Wheeler
    with Sean Devine, Noah Drew, Alexa Dubreuil, Laara Ong, Robin E.
    Richardson, Courtenay Stevens and Alex Williams.

    Designed by Sydney Cavanagh (Set & Costumes), Joel Etkin (Sound) and
    Larry Lynn (Lights).
    __________________________________
    “This show is one of the best things you’ll ever see.” (Colin Thomas,
    Georgia Straight)

    After stunning reviews and a sold-out extended run, Horseshoes & Hand
    Grenades Equity Co-op is back with a remount of the Fall 2004 hit, You
    Are Here. For those who made it on the waiting list but not into the
    theatre... for those who were urged to see the show but couldn’t... or
    for those who want another dose of the play that made both The
    Vancouver Sun and The Vancouver Courier’s “Top Ten theatre productions
    of 2004” lists... here’s another chance. You Are Here is an
    unsettling, daring, intimate, funny and profound theatrical experience.

    “Theatrical Gem of 2004 ... so hot that those who see Vancouver’s
    theatre scene as too staid are urged to see this show.” (Peter Birnie,
    Vancouver Sun)

    Meet Alison, a once-idealistic writer turned celebrity journalist
    trying to figure out how she ended up middle-aged, in the film
    business, in front of an audience and not at all sure why. Has she
    died? Is she supposed to entertain all of these people? Smiling
    nervously, Alison sits in the spotlight and re-examines her life as her
    memories, insights, hopes and rationalizations fly across the stage. In
    this remarkable and beautifully simple play, Alison’s life spirals into
    chaos and tragedy: a failed career, a failed marriage, the loss of a
    pregnancy, addiction, her own death. With poignancy, bitter humor, and
    an appreciation for the glimmers of light and friendship that kept her
    afloat along the way, Alison rediscovers love that fades, hopes that
    die, and enduring friendship that offers the promise of redemption.

    "The superb Colleen Wheeler delivers the performance of the year."
    (Jerry Wasserman, VancouverPlays.Com)

    “You won’t want to miss You Are Here.” (Jo Ledingham, The Courier)

    The Return of Sex in Vancouver – April 3, 10, 11 & 12: by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre

    Here
    is the return engagement of Sex in Vancouver – the local theatrical
    production based on the  show “Sex in Seattle”.  It's a lot
    of fun and everybody I have recommended  the show to  or
    brought has thoroughly enjoyed it.  Who'd have thought that Asians
    could be so damn sexy… well maybe my girlfriend.. and my ex
    girlfriends… and my…

     

    SEX IN VANCOUVER fans rejoice!

    imageVancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (“VACT”) is bringing back Episodes 1 and 2 of this
    hilarious hit series of plays that had sold-out audiences laughing, lusting,
    crying and cheering for 4 hot Asian girlfriends and the hopeless men in their
    lives.

    If you missed out last time, this is your chance to catch up on all the
    outrageous, sexy action. And if you've already enjoyed either one or both
    shows, grab a date or bring your friends and get them hooked on the wacky lives
    of Elizabeth, Tess, Jenna, Shari, Kenneth, Colin,
    Zane and George… or should we say: Jorge!

    Only 4 performances! So HURRY, buy your advance tickets NOW!

    Catch both Episodes 1 and 2 in one special performance
    on April 3, 10, 11 and 12 at the Roundhouse community theatre in Yaletown. Both episodes had sold-out performances in 2003
    & 2004.

    CALL (778) 885-1973
    TICKETS $20 (single episode: $12)

    $22 at door

     image

    Thank You, Canada, For Letting Us Land Our Plances: Asian American Poets in Vancouver


    Thank You, Canada, For Letting Us Land Our Planes

    Ricepaper Magazine, Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop, Filipino Canadian
    Youth Alliance, and the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
    Presents:

    “(NA)AWP: North Asian Americans Write Poetry, or
    Thank You, Canada, For Letting Us Land Our Planes”

    Featuring
    KAZIM ALI, NICK CARBO, TINA CHANG, PAOLO JAVIER, TIMOTHY LIU, AIMEE
    NEZHUKUMATATHIL, OSCAR PENARANDA, RAVI SHANKAR, PRAGEETA SHARMA, and
    EILEEN TABIOS

    WHEN: Friday, 7:00pm, April 1st 2005

    WHERE: Our Town Café
    96 Kingsway (Corner of Kingsway and Broadway) Vancouver

    BIOS:

    KAZIM
    ALI is the author of the novel “Quinn's Passage.” He is assistant
    professor of Liberal Arts at The Culinary Institute of America and an
    editor with Nightboat Books. His first book of poems “The Far Mosque”
    will be published this October by Alice James.

    NICK CARBO's latest book is Andalusian Dawn. He lives in Hollywood, FL and teaches in the MFA program at University of Miami.

    TINA
    CHANG, the author of Half-Lit Houses (Four Way Books, 2004), received
    an MFA in poetry from Columbia University. Her poems have appeared in
    American Poet, Indiana Review, The Missouri Review, Ploughshares,
    Quarterly West, Sonora Review, among others. She has received awards
    from the Academy of American Poets, the New York Foundation for the
    Arts, Poets & Writers, the Van Lier Foundation among many others.
    She currently teaches at Hunter College.

    PAOLO
    JAVIER is the author of two books of poetry, 'the time at the end of
    this writing' (Ahadada), and '60 Lv Bo(e)mbs' (O Books, fall 2005).

    TIMOTHY
    LIU is the author of five books of poems, including OF THEE I SING,
    which was named a 2004 Book of the Year by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. A new
    book, FOR DUST THOU ART, is forthcoming from Southern Illinois
    University Press. Recent poems have appeared in Arabic, Chinese and
    Polish translations. An associate professor of English at William
    Paterson University and a member of the core faculty at the Bennington
    Writing Seminars, Liu lives in Hoboken, NJ.

    AIMEE
    NEZHUKUMATATHIL is the author of _Miracle Fruit_ (Tupelo 2003), winner
    of the Tupelo Press Judge's Prize, ForeWord Magazine Poetry Book of the
    Year, and the Global Literary Filipino Award, and was a finalist for
    the Asian American Literary Award and the Glasgow Prize. She is
    assistant professor of English at State University of New
    York-Fredonia, right in the heart of Western NY's cherry and
    berry country, where she lives with her dog, Villanelle.

    OSCAR
    PEÑARANDA, longtime community activist, advocate for ethnic studies in
    the schools, teacher and writer, has two books out recently published
    by San Francisco publisher/distributor T'BOLI PUBLISJHING: “Seasons By
    The Bay, A Collection Of Interrelated Stories” and “Full Deck (Jokers
    Playing)”, a collection of poetry.

    RAVI SHANKAR is
    poet-in-residence at Central Connecticut State University and the
    founding editor of the online journal of the arts. His first
    book Instrumentality, as published by Word Press in May 2004. His work
    has previously appeared in such places as The Paris Review, Poets &
    Writers, Time Out New York, Gulf Coast, The Massachusetts Review,
    Descant, LIT, Crowd, The Cortland Review, Catamaran, The Indiana
    Review, Western Humanities Review, Cake Train, The Iowa Review,
    Smartish Pace, and the AWP Writer¹s Chronicle, among other
    publications. He has read at such venues as The National Arts Club,
    Columbia University, KGB, and the Cornelia Street Café, has held
    residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Ragdale, and the Atlantic Center
    for the Arts, has served on panels at UCLA, Poet¹s House,
    South-by-Southwest Interactive/Film Festival, and the AWP Conference in
    Baltimore, been a commentator for NPR and Wesleyan radio, reviews
    poetry for the Contemporary Poetry Review and is currently editing an anthology
    of South Asian, East Asian, and Middle Eastern poetry. You can read an
    interview with him at: www.jacketmagazine.com/16/dev-iv-shank.html.
    He does not play the sitar.

    PRAGEETA SHARMA is the author of
    Bliss to Fill (Subpress Books) and The Opening Question (Fence Books).
    She teaches in the graduate creative writing program at New School
    University and in the low residency BA program at Goddard College. She
    lives in Brooklyn, New York.

    EILEEN TABIOS, recipient of the
    Philippines' National Book Award for Poetry, recently released a
    multi-genre collection, I TAKE THEE, ENGLISH, FOR MY BELOVED,
    encompassing poetry, experimental fiction, art monograph, play and
    conceptual art. In 2006, she will release her 8th poetry collection,
    THE SECRET LIVES OF PUNCTUATIONS, VOLUME I. She is also the founding
    editor/publisher of Meritage Press, a multidisciplinary press based in
    St. Helena and San Francisco, CA.

    Magic Realism writers at Our Town Cafe March 30

    Join six terrific North American authors for a special night 
    celebrating the diversity and popularity of literary

    MAGICAL REALISM.

    7pm Our Town Cafe


    Co-hosts:
    JOHNNY FREM of Vancouver's lively and interactive Bolts of Fiction
    literary arts community
    www.boltsoffiction.org/

    TAMARA KAYE SELLMAN, editor and publisher of MARGIN: Exploring Modern
    Magical Realism
    www.magical-realism.com

    are proud to announce the upcoming performances of these marvelous
    magical realist writers:

    Janice Eidus of New York, NY, USA
    John Briggs of Granville, MA, USA
    Ewing Campbell of Austin, TX, USA
    Karen McelMurray of Milledgeville, GA, USA
    Pauline Holdstock of Sydney, BC,
    paulo da costa of Calgary, ALTA and Cortez I, BC

    The event is held in conjunction with the year-long celebration of
    the 5th anniversary of MARGIN, the de facto North American
    clearinghouse for authors of magic realism.

    WE WANT YOU! (to participate in this audience-interactive event):
    Between performances, selected definitions of magical realism will
    be presented by Sellman as a way to answer the question:
    "What IS magical realism?" and Frem will give out various door
    prizes.


    Judy Maxwell to speak on Chinese Canadian involvement in WW1 at Vancouver Public Library

    Lecture
    Presentation  Imperial Connections – Canada & the Chinese Labour Corps
    Program highlights  In January 1917, Britain
    and France negotiated a contract with the Chinese government to supply
    men to work behind the front lines in France and Belgium. The Imperial
    authorities asked Canada's Department of National Defence to be
    responsible for bringing the Chinese labourers by ship to Vancouver,
    transporting them across Canada, and then putting them on board ships
    for Trans-Atlantic crossing to the war zone. With the aid of
    photographs from the time Judy Maxwell will uncover a hidden part of
    Canadian transnational history.
    Date  Friday, March 4th 2005
    Time  7:00pm – 9:00pm
    Location 

    Central Library
    Peter Kaye room – Lower Level
    350 W. Georgia St.
    Phone: (604) 331-3603

    Admission  Free
    Co-sponsor  UBC Humanities 101

    Fundraiser concert by the Opera Project for Red Cross BC Flood Appeal

    Here is a fundraiser concert for BC Flood Appeal that my friend
    Veera devi Khare is involved with.  Veera is an amazing opera
    soprano who also sings classical crossover, jazz and hip hop. 
    Veera performed at the 2005 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner concert and did
    an amazing performance that included “Om Shanti” – a prayer in Hindi,
    followed by the Andrea Bocelli song “The Prayer” with a verse sung in
    tagalog, and closed with Andrew Lloyd Webber's “Time to Say Goodbye.”

    Here is the message from Veera:

     
    I would like to cordially invite you to an evening of opera
    and song at the Canadian Memorial Church (West 15th & Burrard) on
    Sunday February 27th at 7pm.
     
    Admission is by Donation and 100% of all donations go to Red Cross BC Flood Appeal.
     
    This is also the Premiere Concert in Vancouver for BC's
    Charitable Organization “The Opera Project” founded by Internationally
    renown Soprano Heidi Klassen.
     
    So please join us this Sunday in celebration and support for our community. (Please see attached poster and press release)
     
    Sincerely,
     
    Veera Devi Khare
    for “The Opera Project”
     

    Tales of an Urban Indian – Firehall Arts Centre March 2-12, 2005

    This in
    from the Firehall Arts Centre.  The Firehall Arts Centre is one of
    Vancouver's cultural leaders in presenting shows of that promote and
    explore our cultural diversity.  Check it out!

    Tales of an Urban IndianWritten by and starring
    Darrell Dennis

    March 2 – 12, 2005 Insightful! Hilarious! Powerful! Tales of an Urban Indian is created by and starring the well known Second City performer and zany host of APTN’s Bingo and a Movie, Darrell Dennis.
     
    Darrell Dennis
    admits from the outset that he can’t shape-shift, he wasn’t adopted out
    and he’s never heard the owl call his name. Taking on the role of
    storyteller, Dennis follows the journey of a young man, Simon Douglas,
    as he navigates from the rez to the east side of Vancouver and then to
    self-respect. The play puts the audience face to face with the reality
    and experiences of a native boy raised on a rural reservation,
    examining the stereotypes and challenges facing Canada’s aboriginal
    peoples.

    “Dennis is a writer and performer to keep
    your eye on. Sparked by anger but suffused with humanity and humility,
    his Tales are worth telling –– and watching.”
      Glenn Sumi, Now Magazine Toronto
    “Dennis’ tales are told with unflinching honesty and comedic sparkle…………”
      Kama Al-Solaylee, Globe and Mail
    “Powerful
    tales……storytelling with a generous dollop of stand up……tells a
    straightforward, semi autobiographical story with power and honesty.”

    Robert Crew, The Toronto Star

    Shifting
    through more than a dozen characters within the story, Dennis depicts
    the remoteness and instability of growing up on a reservation. He
    touches on racism, drug abuse and suicide without falling into
    melodrama. All the seriousness of the show is tempered with Dennis’s
    greatest asset – humour, showing the best way to get through life is to
    learn to laugh at yourself.
    Performances starting March 2nd are:
    Tuesday –– Saturday at 8PM
    Wednesday, March 9 at 1PM Matinee –– Pay What You Can
    Sunday, March 6 at 2PM matinee

    Tickets are $14 – $22 and are available at the Firehall Box Office,
    604-689-0926 or online at
    www.firehallartscentre.ca