A Vancouver author using words in a “Beautiful Beautiful” way

Brandon Reid’s new novel Beautiful Beautiful is a coming-of-age story that follows the journey of Derik Mormin, a twelve-year-old boy who is confronted by topics of Indigeneity, culture, and masculinity when travelling to Bella Bella for his grandfather’s funeral. “Derik Mormin was my alias when I was really young,” says Reid. “And so when writing about a…

VenCo – the witches are on the rise

The Vancouver Public Library (VPL) is hosting its third Incite event featuring Cherie Dimaline. The Kirkus Prize and Governor General’s Literary Award winning author will be joined by author and academic Billy-Ray Belcourt who wrote A History of My Brief Body, A Minor Chorus (2021) to discuss her spellbinding new book and her prolific and varied writing…

Famous Last Words – Poetry Slam: wit and word

Poetry and comedy are expertly blended in Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Famous Last Words, where contestants push each other to their creative limits in a series of games designed to test artistic and comedic merit. On June 22 at Pyatt Hall at the VSO School of Music, Famous Last Words brings together a well-known, much loved group of…

Sharing stories, down the generations

Tsimshian artist and storyteller Roy Henry Vickers weaves a beautiful and simplistic tale inspired by his childhood in the Indigenous village of Kitkatla through Ben the Sea Lion, a children’s picture book that will also delight any age group. “My childhood outside of school was connected to nature. My work has always been influenced by…

Book Uncle and Me – Diversity, Connections, and Community

Uma Krishnaswami’s children’s book, Book Uncle and Me, explores the importance of children finding their voice in a community and the bond books can form with their readers. Through her book, Krishnaswami creates characters from various backgrounds and portrays how there are no barriers to friendships. “Book Uncle and Me is at another level,” says…

The art of resiliency – as seen in comic books

In a world of trying times, Laura Rivera inspires resiliency and hope through her beautifully drawn stories, those star heroines who do not fit in the boxes provided by society. The characters, their dynamics and the plot, cannot help but make the reader smile, as they root for the protagonists. “It is terrible for me…

Avant garde comic book taps into the question of identity

Exploring the meaning of identity in every sense – individual, cultural, moral and national – allows Sami Alwani to delve into the personal reflection of other issues in his life. “We’re Canadians. What does that mean? I think of Canada as a made-up country that doesn’t really exist. It’s like if I come to somebody’s…

Joy as an act of defiance

Hidden in her whimsical and colourful digital illustrations, artist Ejiwa “Edge” Ebenebe’s goal is simple: for Black people to feel seen, beautiful and loved just as they are. Edge, a Nigerian-Canadian illustrator, is passionate about uplifting Black people in her artwork. In her most recent project, Edge collaborated with Coquitlam Heritage to create a workbook…