Fred Wah on CBC radio

Poet laureate  and friend of Thursdays Fred Wah was Michael Enright’s guest on the CBC radio’s Sunday edition on Jan 22, 2012. Here’s the link to the show. Fred speaks about the vibrant community of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and mentions us. He’s in hour two of the program.

 

The Stanza Project – an intro to our pilot project for spring 2012

The Stanza Project

stanza: n., an arrangement or grouping of lines within a poem. Origin: Italian. room, station, stopping place.

This spring we launch The Stanza Project, an international collaboration between Belgian architecture firm MLP Proosten and Vancouver’s Thursdays Writing Collective.

As residents of the Downtown Eastside (DTES) members of TWC recognize and confront systematic marginalization related to poverty, mental health, addiction, abuse and prejudice.

A major concern in the DTES is housing. We are living on unceded traditional Coast Salish land in a neighbourhood experiencing tremendous pressure from developers. Housing for residents is inadequate and frequently substandard.

Throughout the spring of 2012 we will examine notions of shelter, housing, home, indoor/outdoor and accessibility. As we write our way through these ideas we will create a home in the text, building a literary environment of our own.

To do this we’ll use techniques of wordsquatting – a toolbox of techniques we have developed for inhabiting someone else’s words by borrowing syntax, interspersing our responses into the text, using erasure strategies for blackout poems, etc. Wordsquatting is a profoundly empowering technique we have experimented with throughout 2011 and has significance for any population that struggles with perceptions of the legitimacy of its voice.

We’ll be reading literary texts (poems, fiction, memoir, each other’s writing) as well in order to discover beliefs related to housing. We’ll look at Mark Proosten’s architectural designs, blueprints, images and models of structures as we consider what constitutes living space, literally writing on, and into, his images and plans. We will also write about the experience, as well.

These writings will then circle back to Mark Proosten for consideration in the drafting of new virtual and theoretical spaces. We have plans to present the work at conferences in Europe as well as Canada.

We’re excited to develop our ideas and writing in conjunction with Mark Proosten’s architectural ethics. Creativity is never a “closed” loop!

Congrats to Fred Wah, Canada’s New Poet Laureate!

We are thrilled at the appointment of Fred Wah, a  recent visitor to Thursdays Writing Collective.

The position calls for him to write poetry for parliamentary occasions, to sponsor poetry readings and to advise the parliamentary library. Fred, an award-winning poet, was chosen in part because of his social engagement – something we in the DTES of Vancouver can attest to. We’re happy for Canada’s literary community and excited to see what he will do with the appointment – and also hoping he will have a chance to drop in and write with us, as he mentioned in his last visit!

Last class, first class

Thursday, December 8, 2011 is our last class until February 9, 2012. We’ll be talking about “ifs,” “ands” and “buts” along the vein of Robert Kroetsch’s poem “The Sad Phoenician.” Generally, we stay away from seasonal themes, but this one seems like a nice continuity to consider over our winter break.

Many Thursdays writers have been getting their work published this year.  In the last few days we heard from Henry Doyle in Geist and Anne Hopkinson in The Tyee article by Fiona Lam on violence against women. Congratulations to both of them and to the writers who continue to create their own poems, short stories, scenes and screenplays in class. It’s a great end to a busy year we had with the Writers Caravan project – the publication, our 5th chapbook, sold 50 copies at our two hour launch! If you’re interested in buying a copy, and can’t wait until we have them in local Vancouver bookstores, contact Elee Kraljii Gardiner at thursdayseditor@telus.net.

See you in February!

Rockstar Guest Author Fred Wah Visits Dec 1!

We are excited to have Fred Wah  joining on us on Thursday, Dec 1, 2-4pm to read his work and write with Thursdays Writing Collective. Fred is the author of 17 books, many of them award-winning titles, and has been engaged in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside literary community most recently with October’s V125 Poetry Conference and Downtown Eastside Poetry Roundtable.

 

A few weeks ago we used excerpts from his book “Diamond Grill,” as leaping off points for our writing. The chapter heads or titles in those prose poems are the first sentences of the text pieces and we used these to begin our own pieces. We’re looking forward to writing with him!

Writers Caravan Anthology Chapbook Launch

We are launching our fifth chapbook on Friday, November 18, 2011 at  8:15pm at the Roundhouse Community Centre! The launch is part of the Memory Festival a week of arts programming related to the notion of memory and is supported by Geist magazine and SFU.

Ten of us will be reading, representing the four different literary communities that collaborated on this project. Come hear writers from 2011′s Writer’s Studio at SFU, literary mamas from Write Club! and UBC Law. The shiny, new chapbook will be on sale.

Guest editor Michael Turnerwill be arriving late due to a double booking but we’re excited to see you all and share our perfect-bound  book with you!

Here's a sneal peak of the cover laid out flat.

No Class October 20, 2011 for V125 Poetry Conference

We won’t have our usual class on Thursday October 20 because many of us will be at the V125 Poetry Conference. V125 is a three-day conference all about poetry with more than 100 poets from the US and Canada in attendance participating on panels, discussions and readings. The organizers of this conference, which celebrates Vancouver’s 125th birthday, have provided a number of passes for writers from the Downtown Eastside. Five of these passes will be given to Thursdays Writing Collective members – names will be drawn from a hat.

 

At the conference Elee Kraljii Gardiner and Michael Turner will be cohosting a panel on DTES writing on Friday October 21 at 9:15 at SFU Harbour Centre with guests Ghia Aweida from Intrepid Pens, Antonette Rhea and Irit Shimrat, both from Thursdays Writing Collective. The “First” panel seat is reserved for the voice of the community, residents and audience. You are welcome to join special invited guests in contributing to the discussion of DTES writing. While day passes for the conference cost $35, no one will be turned away from joining us for economic reasons.

Learn about editing with Thursdays Editing Collective

 

Our editing sessions are beginning after each class on Thursdays. Joan Flood and Kevin Spenst are happy to meet with writers beginning at 4pm in one on one 20 minute sessions to go over texts produced in class. Joan and Kevin are part of Thursdays Editing Collective and also lead workshops that allow writers to hone their editing skills.

 

We have three “Thursdays, Revised” workshops planned for Saturdays in the fall. They take place from 2-4pm at Carnegie in our classroom.

• Oct 1
• Nov 26
• Dec 3

For the first meeting on Oct 1, please bring work to discuss and be prepared to spend time working with other people’s texts as well. You will have the chance to do some editing exercises and learn some tips about revisioning your work.

 

For the November and December meetings, please send your work one week in advance to Joan and Kevin either in person or by email via Elee. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know!

Anne Hopkinson at the Thursdays table at the start of the day - and she was smiling at the end, too!

The wind at Word on the Street nearly blew us away, but Thursdays Writing Collective members Henry Doyle, Anne Hopkinson, Sarah Oulette, Elisabeth Buchanan, James McLean and Joan Morelli valiantly staffed the table. They sold chapbooks, signed up new members and spread the word on what we do.

 

We were thrilled to see the results of the previous day’s chapbook making workshop with Mercedes Eng.

 

 

Several people made individual books and a few collaborated on joint productions. The display table at the library was well-attended and many copies were sold.

 

While the photo doesn’t do justice to the colourful, inviting books on sale, seeing the creative presentation and vision for presenting work  was one of the most interesting parts of the Festival.

The photo doesn't capture the luscious colours and variety of the chapbooks made by Thursdays writers - they are beautiful and varied!

Learn How to Make Your Own Chapbook

As part of the Word on the Street Festival Mercedes Eng is holding a free workshop for DTES writers who have a collection of poetry or prose they would like to publish in a small book format. Info is below and sign up is at Vancouver’s Carnegie Community Centre in the office. Space is limited!

 

How to Make a Chapbook: An Info Session and Workshop for Controlling the Means of Production
Saturday, September 24th, from 12:30 to 4:30 at Carnegie Community Centre

Chapbooks — short, self-published, homemade books — allow writers to circulate their work quickly and cost-efficiently. In the first 30 minutes we will discuss why chapbooks are strategic tools for presenting work and the components of designing individual chapbooks. Immediately following is a 3½ hour hands-on workshop in which participants will make up to 5 copies of their own 10-12 page books. All materials are supplied free of charge. Please bring your work on a memory stick, cd, or handwritten copy. Computer help and photocopying will be available onsite. Participants will have the opportunity to sell their books the following day at the Word on the Street Festival.

 

For questions and info, email event facilitator Mercedes Eng at engmercedes@yahoo.com. The preliminary 30 minute info session is open to all. Participants who wish to make books must register for the workshop in the office at Carnegie Community Centre.