Autumn is here! Looking for interesting ways to kick off the crisp autumn season? There are many events, festivals, art exhibits, plays and conferences to check out around the city. Let your inner poet explore the Word Vancouver Festival. Afterwards, put on your Vulcan ears and nerd-out at VCON 42 in Richmond. And, if you’re feeling fit, stretch your legs and go for a 10 kilometre run around Granville Island to support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
* * *
Silence and Oneness: Luke Potter & Peter Hudoba
Sept. 25–Oct. 14
Silk Purse Arts Centre, West Vancouver
The Silk Purse Arts Centre in West Vancouver will feature meditative studies in black and white with photographer Luke Potter and calligrapher Peter Hudoba until Oct. 14. Potter’s series Silence in Schools captures scenes of empty classrooms exemplifying the physical effect teaching and learning can have on an environment and just how these spaces feel once devoid of pupils, teachers, activity and sound. Hudoba presents graceful examples of Tao (oneness) Calligraphy using a single continuous brush stroke to write healing phrases meant to instill balance and deep inner peace. There will be an opening reception on Tuesday Sept. 25, 6–8 p.m.; everyone welcome!
* * *
Word Vancouver
Sept. 26–30
Various locations around Vancouver
www.wordvancouver.ca
Western Canada’s largest celebration of literacy and reading, Word Vancouver, will take place from Sept. 26 to 30. The festival strives to promote literacy by bringing the literature of Canadian and British Columbian word artists to a broad audience. Enjoy free readings, panel discussions and live performances. Activities include writing workshops as well as a variety of literacy activities. Featured authors include Ken Klonsky, Danielle LaFrance, William Tham and Evelyn Lau. Check out the festival’s website for a complete schedule of events.
* * *
The Burden of Housing Refugees: A Perspective from Rohingya Hosting Chittagong
Sept. 27, 6–7:30 p.m.
SFU Harbour Centre, Vancouver
www.sfu.ca/davidlamcentre/
SFU will host Rice University professor D. Mitra Barua to discuss the urgent need for international intervention in Rohingya. Nearly one million Rohingyas from Myanmar’s Rakhine have become refugees in Bangladesh’s Chittagong. This refugee exodus derives from Myanmar’s domestic crisis with multiple dimensions: political power struggle, economic deprivation and communal conflict. Only the latter dimension (inter-ethnic and inter-religious tension) has dominated the narrative of the Rohingya exodus. This imbalanced narrative has far reaching consequences on the refugee hosting Chittagong region. It has challenged and continues to challenge the precarious ethno-diversity and religious harmony in the wider Chittagong area. Check out SFU’s website for more information on this topic.
* * *
B.C. Culture Days
Sept 28–30
Various venues around B.C.
Culture Days is a nationwide event celebrating and showcasing local arts and culture in Canadian communities. Here in Metro Vancouver, many municipalities and cultural centres will be hosting a plethora of interactive hands-on activities such as scavenger hunts, pottery making, meditative art and needle felting. Culture Days hopes to instill appreciation for the role artists, historians, designers and creators play in the creation of art and the enrichment of our cultural fabric.
* * *
B.C. Hop Fest
Sept. 29, 1–6 p.m.
1905 Cole Road, Abbotsford
Forty of the province’s best craft breweries and their fresh hopped beer will come together at the B.C. Hop Fest, an annual festival dedicated to supporting family farms through the world class processing and distribution of high quality B.C. grown hops to breweries, culinary experts and hop heads everywhere! Eat and drink among hops still on the vine, kick up your heels to live music and talk to your favourite brew master. For tickets and further information, please visit the festival website.
* * *
PumpkinFest 2018
Sept. 30, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
West Vancouver Community Centre
www.wvcommunitycentressociety.
Come and celebrate the harvest season at PumpkinFest – an old fashioned, community-style day
with family friendly activities. Last year over 5,000 people came together at the West Vancouver Community Centre under sunny skies to enjoy farm animals, old fashioned games, an artisan market, the Home & Harvest competition and police & firemen demonstrations. You can also participate in free swimming, gymnastics and skating, enjoy local food vendors and listen to fantastic local talent. Check out the website for this year’s activities.
* * *
VCON 42
Oct. 5–7
Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, Richmond
VCON is the oldest volunteer-run general-interest science fiction, fantasy and gaming convention in Canada. The convention has promoted the interests of science fiction and fantasy culture in the metro Vancouver area since 1971, offering events, exhibits, presentations, discussions and workshops focused on a variety of science fiction and fantasy fandom interest areas such as literature, art, media, music, costumes, comics, tabletop games, electronic games, etc. This year’s VCON pays tribute to British author Douglas Adams and British influences on the sci-fi and fantasy genres.
Kealoha, Hawaii’s first official poet laureate.| Photo courtesy of Chan Centre.
* * *
Kealoha
Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC, University Endowment Lands
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts will welcome Hawaii’s first official poet laureate Kealoha at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2018. The innovative artist’s one-man show will transport audiences on an exploratory journey of social consciousness as he explores themes of unity. Kealoha will utilize the transformative power of spoken word and movement to present an evening of barrier-breaking, multidisciplinary work. Armed with boundless energy, positivity, and a deep-rooted respect for the environment, the Honolulu native brings his provocative art form to Vancouver audiences. His explorations of social and universal themes stem from personal and philosophical stories of his own life. Kealoha’s powerful prose speaks to the complex and challenging narratives of Indigeneity and is imbued with both sensitivity and urgency.
* * *
Granville Island Turkey Trot Run
Oct. 7 (Kids), Oct. 8 (Adults)
Granville Island, Vancouver
The Turkey Trot Run returns to Vancouver to bring families of runners together in a spirit of Thanksgiving and community pride. There will be two races: a 1.1 km kids run at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7 and a 10 km run for everyone else 13+ at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 8. Be sure to celebrate with other participants after the run with food, entertainment and door prizes! Please visit the Turkey Trot Run’s website for more information.
* * *
20th Annual Vancouver International Improv Festival
Oct. 9–13
Various venues around Vancouver
The Vancouver International Improv Festival is one of North America’s longest running improv festivals. The annual festival features over 40 unique performances, inspiring public workshops and an opening night gala to celebrate Vancouver’s booming improv scene. Music, physical theatre and comedy are all showcased for their own style of spontaneous excitement. For a complete lineup of performers and shows, please visit the festival’s website.
