On October 15, after days of heavy rain, in a little grassy area at the corner of Pender St. and Gore St., dappled sunlight shines through the leaves of an oak tree illuminating the happy scene in this photo. It’s a celebration of Project Bookmark Canada honouring Vancouver-born writer Wayson Choy.
Project Bookmark Canada is a national charitable organization which launched in April 2009. It places text from novels and poems of Canadian writers on poster-sized ceramic plaques called Bookmarks. These Bookmarks are located in the exact physical locations described in the writers’ works. This allows readers to view writing from another dimension altogether as well as perhaps introduce them to a new author. Project Bookmark’s vision is to have “a network of hundreds of Bookmarks in cities, towns and other areas across the country, allowing Canadians and visitors the chance to read their way across Canada.”
The text in this Bookmark is from Wayson Choy’s first novel The Jade Peony published in 1995 and awarded Ontario’s Trillium Book Award and City of Vancouver Book Award in the same year. The book consists of stories told from the point of view of 3 children growing up in Vancouver’s Chinatown during the 30’s and 40’s. The passage quoted in the Bookmark describes a child’s experience while playing in the dry cleaning business which was located just across the street facing the plaque. This is the first Bookmark in Western Canada; there are 10 in Ontario and one in Newfoundland. This is also the first Bookmark with 2 plaque panels: one in English and one in Mandarin. The passages were read in English by Wayson Choy and in Mandarin by writer Anna Ling Kaye.
The unveiling of the Bookmark coincides with the opening and 25th anniversary of the Vancouver Writer’s Festival (October 16-21). Hal Wake, Artistic Director of the Vancouver Writers Festival has championed the Bookmark Project in Vancouver. He can be seen under the oak tree just behind and to the left of the effervescent Vancouver personality Faye Leung. She’s wearing one of her famous hats which is attracting brilliant points of sunlight. Standing with Wayson Choy just behind the plaques is another writer, Miranda Hill, founder and executive director of Project Bookmark.
The event was attended by City Councillors Adriane Carr, Heather Deal and Raymond Louis who stood in for Mayor Robertson. The press was there as well as friends of Wayson Choy and well-wishers from the public.
The whole experience of witnessing this unique event in Vancouver gave me a sense of timelessness where throughout history people of difference come together peacefully to celebrate a common interest. How needed this is in today’s troubled world – yes indeed, an auspicious day.
Don Richardson
