vancouver

Friday, September 21 to Sunday, September 23, 2012

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

  • Banyen Books & Sound

    Author reading and book signing. Banyen Books & Sound is located at 3608 W. 4th Avenue, Vancouver.

  • Historic Joy Kogawa House

    Meet the new writer-in-residence and learn to collage buttons. Historic Joy Kogawa House is located at 1450 W. 64th Avenue, Vancouver.


SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

  • Carnegie Centre

    A full day of workshops, readings, and talks at the Carnegie Centre on the downtown east side.


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

  • Mainstage

    It’s Festival Central here at the steps of the South Plaza! The Word On The Street Vancouver presents an exciting and entertaining roster of performances.

  • Magazine Life Tent

    These panel discussions, demonstrations and performances will introduce audiences to the exciting world of Canadian magazine publishing. Free samples, subscriptions and special deals on offer!

  • Authors Tent

    Listen to and meet some of the biggest stars on the West Coast literary scene and discover fresh new voices all under one roof on Homer Street.

  • Canada Writes

    Popular, bestselling and thought-provoking reads ranging from murder and burlesque to environmentalism and astrology.

  • Poetry Tent

    Experience the power of great poetry to convey a complexity of emotions in these readings by established and emerging writers. Don’t forget to visit the Poetry in Transit bus at Hamilton and Robson.

  • Kids Tent

    Geared to ages 6 and up, the Kids Tent on Literacy Lane (Hamilton Street) is the place to be, with great Canadian literature for readers  of all levels.

  • Raise-a-Reader Corner

    Picture books, storytelling and more for the whole family, especially ages 0–7. Travel to distant lands, sing and dance, explore First Nations culture, and discover great local food on Literacy Lane (Hamilton Street).

  • Writing Talks

    Located inside the library, downstairs in the Peter Kaye Room. Focusing on writing and publishing, these special sessions fill up quickly, so early queuing is recommended.

  • Word Talks

    Downstairs in the library, in the Alma Van Dusen Room. Discover writing tips, learn how to make a business plan, and get marketing hints.

  • Visual Exhibits

    Located in the library, in the moat downstairs and the promenade upstairs. Take in exhibits displaying the visual component to books and magazines.

  • The Word Under The Street

    Local alternative comic book artists and illustrated zine producers. Downstairs in the Alice MacKay Room.

The Magazine Life Tent

click times to expand programming

  • 11:00 :: Lester’s Army with Leni Goggins
    How to Write Your Life Story

    Readings by senior authors who are actively publishing their memoirs and a discussion on the process of writing in the later half of life. Ed Griffin teaches creative writing in the community and at Matsqui Prison. He’s written two novels, a book about prison written with an inmate writer, and an autobiography about being a Roman Catholic priest in his youth. Calvin J. Whitehead grew up in Vancouver during the great depression. He graduated from UBC and taught ESL for much of his career. Since retirement he has produced many short stories, haiku and creative non-fiction about his life. Binki Segal was born in Harlem, NY and moved to Isreal as a youth where she lived on a kibbutz for 17 years. She is now retired and living in Vancouver.

HOST: Michal Kozlowski, Geist Magazine

  • 12:00 :: Geist Magazine with Dan Post
    Haiku Night in Canada

    Lace up your skates, ladies and gents, for the 2011 edition of Haiku Night in Canada, the ultimate hockey-flavoured literary competition! Join your moderator, Dan Post, blogger and web guy at Geist, for one hour of talking haikus, judging haikus and—most important—writing haikus! Writers of the crowd’s favourite haikus of the session will face off in a final showdown before a raucous live audience. The winner will stagger away with a subscription to Geist and the coveted Geist Hockey Map of Canada, in high-def colour. When he isn’t hunched over a computer at Geist, Dan Post can be found cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs and writing haikus and short stories.

  • 1:30 :: WEVancouver, Ricepaper, Scout, and Room
    The Art of the Review

    With the rise in prominence of blogs and online review sites, it seems like these days everyone’s a critic; but as with any other type of writing, creating a fair and informative review takes skill and consideration. This panel engages in a lively discussion of what exactly a reviewer does and tackles the issue of how to write a ‘good’ review. Panel members include experienced critics Irina Kovalyova, the reviews editor at Room magazine, Andrew Morrison, the editor of Scout and Joni Low, a writer whose works appear in gallery catalogues and publications such as Yishu and Ricepaper. Moderated by Andrea Warner, music editor and arts & entertainment reviewer at WEVancouver.

  • 2:30 :: True Blue Spirit with Debbi Coleen
    Finding Peace through Meditation, Lunar Astrology, Tarot and Numerology

    Debbi Coleen has been reading tarot cards, astrology charts, and numerology grids for more than 20 years. Once a school teacher, Debbi now helps seekers to clarify emotional and spiritual issues as they discover their healing and gifts. In this session, Debbi will share information about the different modalities she works with, and then she will take participants into a meditative state to show how to meditate and block out the noises of the busy city.

  • 3:00 :: Canzine West Preview
    Indie Writers Deathmatch Live

    In anticipation of Broken Pencil’s Canzine West Zine Fair and Festival of Alternative Culture, Sean Cranbury will host a preview of the Indie Writers Deathmatch Live, the feature presentation at this year’s festival. Channeling the magazine’s annual online literary contest by the same name, the deathmatch preview will feature readings of audacious short stories by local writers. Canzine West takes place on November 13, 2011, at the Ukrainian Hall (805 East Pender Street). More Info
    Host: Sean Cranbury, Books on the Radio & W2’s Real Vancouver Writers’ Series

Host: Jaz Halloran, OCW Magazine and Project Space

  • 4:00 :: Broken Pencil
    Readings from Zinesters and Indie Creators

    Broken Pencil: The Magazine of Zine Culture and the Independent Arts is devoted to celebrating independent writing and creativity, reviewing hundreds of zines, comics, and small press books in each issue. This reading features zinesters and indie creators who have been past and present contributors to Broken Pencil. Anne Emberline has been making zines for over ten years. She writes teeny tiny stories for Pinch, her illustrated zine of micro-fiction and reviews zines for Broken Pencil. Madeline Sonik’s writing has appeared in literary journals internationally and locally, including Broken Pencil. Her new book, Afflictions & Departures, is personal essays published by Anvil Press. Jordan Abel is a First Nations writer from Vancouver and the poetry editor of PRISM international. His fiction has been published in Broken Pencil. Kevin Spenst is a poet, writer and literary experimenter whose Twitter feed features iPhone autocorrected snippets from Finnegan’s Wake. His fiction has appeared in Broken Pencil.