The stage of Performance Works at Granville Island was transformed last night as musicians and authors came together to present Spoken World, a literature event presented by the Vancouver International Readers and Writers Festival.

Sal Ferreras and his band Poetic License guided the audience through the evening, introducing each artist as well as creating music for each piece preformed. The artists themselves took the stage in an intimate manner, but flanked on either side by large screens projecting images and illustrations created by VJ Candelario Andrade.

The night began on a dramatic note with Skeena Reece. Competing with the boisterous noise from Place de la Francophonie next door, she delivered strong pieces speaking out against the Olympics and the toll she said they have taken on the city. She  performed a piece called “Vultural Olympiad” in the manner of a children's song.

CANADIAN AUTHORS MOUNT ANTI-GOOGLE CAMPAIGN
 
January 6, 2010  -- Canadian writers are mad as hell about the Google Book Settlement and aren't going to take it anymore. As the enormity of the Google Book Settlement hits home and the clock ticks towards the final deadline for opting out, Canadian writers are getting angry en masse about the blatant infringement of their rights that this Settlement represents and the failure of their government to take any action to defend them.  A strongly worded protest letter has already attracted more than 200 signatures from authors across the country. They include: Wayson Choy, Heather Robertson, Ann Ireland, Alan Twigg, Susan Crean, Keith Maillard, Silver Donald Cameron, Julie Lawson, Ron Smith, Graeme Gibson, Anne Cameron, Marilyn Bowering, etc.
 

Recently, I noticed a new occurrence taking place at the Waterfront station and that is,  not only are your local 24 Hours or Metro newspapers being given away, but employees of the once prominent but now bankrupt-ridden media corporation Canwest Global have been giving out generous amounts of copies of both the Vancouver Sun and The Province.

For those unfamiliar with Canwest, it is one of Canada's largest international media companies and its assets include but arer not limited to: The National Post, Canada.com and various Global TV stations. However, since October 2009, it has been under creditor protection (see Canwest wins court shelter for Global TV, Post).

 This made me wonder. Is the print media in that much of a dire state that companies such as Canwest are now reduced to literally begging people to read their papers? Frankly, a part of me was not surprised to see these newspapers being given away, as the decline of the print industry and the emergence of the internet and the new media as the go-to source for information and news has been well documented.

 Author Kim Rosen has a new book subtitled “The Transformative Power of Words.” She reveals, through an elegant weaving of mystical poems, insight, and music, that poetry is the language of the soul, especially needed in these times of change and challenge. This is an evening to melt the heart, open the mind and set the body dancing.

Kim Rosen is at Hollyhock June 9-13, 2010. Info at www.hollyhock.ca or 800-933-6339.

For more info:

Kim Rosen’s  website

Saved by a Poem

 • Talk & Booksigning •

Thursday, 
December 3

6:30 - 8:30 pm

Ayurveda 
(5 doors west of Banyen)
3636 West 4th Ave.