Puppetry festival at MOA exhibits a unique Taiwanese cultural practice

Politicians play puppets in their campaign to impress voters, students cosplay as their favorite puppet characters, and a superstar puppeteer drives a Ferrari. These are street scenes in Taiwan, and Vancouverites will have a rare opportunity to see this puppet art form at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) Nov. 4, when the Ouxi Taiwanese Puppetry…

Pacific Rim Asian writers gather for a second year

It’s the second year for LiterASIAN: A Festival of Pacific Rim Asian Canadian Writing. The organizers of the Vancouver Asian Writers’ Workshop will host the event from Oct. 9 to 12. Although there are mainstream literary festivals that recognize diversity and inclusiveness, says Jim Wong-Chu, LiterASIAN organizer, he feels there is a need to feature…

A traditional Chinese celebration, with a Canadian touch

The White Rock waterfront will be lit up with lanterns when the Second Annual Moon Festival arrives this September. For three days, music, arts, food and dancing will be on hand for the celebration. The festival is the brainchild of Erik Stepura, who proposed the idea to the city council. “We’re partnering with the Chinese…

100 ways to nurture a community

100 Ways to Kneel and Kiss the Ground, an event presenting the life and work of the 13th century Sufi poet and mystic Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi, whose writing is often interpreted as promoting the notion that we are all inter-connected, sets the tone for the fourth annual Indian Summer Festival, July 3–12.