COMMERCIAL DRIVE - LIVE!

Literary: Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta's talk on Palestine @ People's Co-op Books

2012-11-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder / correction that Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta's talk on Palestine is TONIGHT!

at the People's Co-op Bookstore.

Refusing to be Enemies:

Non-Violent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation Wednesday, November 7

7 pm :: Free admission

The People's Co-op Bookstore is pleased to present a couple of great events this week.

This WEDNESDAY, November 7, MAXINE KAUFMAN-LACUSTA will give a talk on non-violent activism by Palestinian and Israeli activists.

Kaufman is the editor of Refusing to be Enemies: Nonviolent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation, with contributions from Ursual Franklin, Starhawk, Jonathan Kuttab, Kaufman-Lacusta, and others. Refusing to be Enemies is an interview-based study that presents the voices of over 100 practitioners and theorists of nonviolence, the vast majority either Palestinian or Israeli, as they reflect on their own involvement in nonviolent resistance and speak about the nonviolent strategies and tactics employed by Palestinian and Israeli organizations, both separately and in joint initiatives.

Please join us for an evening of interesting discussion and insights from Maxine Kaufman Lacusta as she presents from her book the reflections of Palestinian and Isreali non-violent activism. These activists share examples of effective nonviolent campaigns and discuss obstacles and challenges encountered in their pursuit of a just peace.

The event begins at 7 pm. Admission is free.

Then, on FRIDAY, November 9, long-time Vancouver resident Paul Kelley, now teaching at Queen's University, and Dorothy Trujillo Lusk, will be reading at the Co-op. Kelley will be launching his new book Matter's Music (Bushek Books). Vancouver's own Dorothy Trujillo Lusk is the author of Ogress Oblige (Krupskaya Press).

Reading begins at 8 pm. Admission is free.

Literary: Kempton Dexter Book Launch @ People's Co-op Bookstore

2012-10-27T14:39:00.004-07:00

Date: Friday, November 23rd, 2012

Place: People’s Co-op Bookstore

1391 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, British Columbia

Time: 7pm

No Charge

Join musician/playwright/storyteller Kempton Dexter for the launch of his first collection of short stories, "Mrs. Ceperly's Garden and Other Plots" at Commercial Drive's People's Coop Bookstore.

What people are saying about the book:

In these pages you will read of sex and death and their dance partners love and life set to an Elmore Leonard like libidinous strum and you will laugh at a little devil with gas. Kempton Dexter works the darkness to let a little light shine in.

- Grant Shilling, writer, journalist, visual artist, and author of The Cedar Surf

Dexter’s “plots” are more than points in the passage of time. With each plot are interactions often deemed to rude for contemporary narrative literature. If this was all he did, they might be, but they are not. Dexter's ability to braid the sacred and the profane makes this book something to behold. - Michael Turner, poet, author, essayist. Company Town, Hard Core Logo, The Pornographer's Poem.

In these stories Dexter shows a keen eye for the intersection of nature and human nature. The complicated human heart and it's treacheries...beauty and fallibility in drama. - Jan Kudelka, actor, writer, musician and creator of Janus/Janus and Circus Gothic.

Kempton Dexter, a.k.a. Hi-rise Dex grew up in Nova Scotia with a view of the Bay of Fundy from his bedroom window. He had his first art shows and theatre performances while studying biology at Acadia University.

After living in Toronto and Vancouver Island he arrived in Vancouver and helped start the artist run center, the grunt gallery. Shows include Ya Work, Ya Eat , the grunt; Forest Art ,UBC research forest in Maple Ridge, Digby County Pastures, Matane, Quebec and Post Pop for Now People at the Helen Pitt Gallery.

He formed the Stellar Jays, a dance band in the mid 90's. A handfull of self-produced tapes and CD's followed including Other Women, Other Men and Dex and Nicky, a collection of duets with actor Nicole Robert.

His first efforts in theatre in Vancouver were through his affiliation with Glenn Alteen and the grunt gallery. In 87 he wrote the music and lyrics for his first Fringe production, Ornery Magee. In 89 he did the same for The Renter's Tale. In recent years he has been musical director for a number of fringe plays with Jacques Lalonde, including The Kenny Rogers Experience, One More for the Road, and The Lost Supper.

Kempton wrote and presented two plays in this year’s Vancouver Fringe.

He performs solo and with the country trio, Blue Lasso. He hosts a musicians gathering at the Prophouse on Saturday afternoons..

There will be booze, music from the author and special guests, friends and good conversation!

For more information contact Steve Duncan at 604-788-8340 or srduncan@shaw.ca.

Literary: Local Writer Madelaine Standing Takes ‘Heaven In The Meat Packing District’ To The Worldwide Public Audience on Kindle Amazon

2012-10-27T12:00:00.001-07:00

Beginning October 21^st 2012 writer Madelaine Standing will join the likes of Margaret Atwood, James Rollins, and Mr. Kurt Vonnegut, with the release of her debut novel ‘Heaven In The Meat Packing District.’ These writers share a passion for bringing cutting-edge insights centered around the world’s political, and environmental, affairs. Just as Einstein said, ‘My understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe did not come out of my rational mind.’ It was the work of Ms. Standing’s imagination over the last four years that brings this book to you today.

Heaven In The Meat Packing District, follows two seekers of a new way, Valencia and Kai, on their path to realizing the power within themselves. Kai and Val become the subject of science experiments within the Meat Packing District of New York City. When Sheldon, the man conducting the experiments, is threatened by the police to take the participants out from his care, Ana McKenna, an investigative reporter, is called on to deliver justice where it is believed to be deserved.

Part One is Now Available for: $2.99

Part Two and Three are each available for only $0.99 each

To learn more about Madelaine Standing or for a complimentary sample of the book please visit: www.madelainestanding.com

Heaven In The Meat Packing District ‘s Worldwide Pre-Publication Reader Reviews call it “Universal and necessary,” “A trip into the landscape of your own mind,” and “An Affirmation of What is Strong in Humanity.”

Visual Art: Kriszta Hernadi Studio Sale

2012-10-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

You are invited to the

AUTUMN 2012

STUDIO SHOW and SALE

by the artist

KRISZTA HERNADI

SATURDAY and SUNDAY

OCTOBER 27^th and 28^th

1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

1924 Grant Street

Vancouver, BC, V5L 2Y9

604-879-7644

krisztahernadi@yahoo.com

Lyrical Abstract

Abstract Expressionist

Paintings & Reproductions

Abstract Expressionist

Paintings & Reproductions

Music: DeCroo Releases Allegheny, BC

2012-08-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

Renowned Canadian songwriter Rodney DeCroo is launching his debut collection of poetry, Allegheny, BC (Nightwood Editions, $18.95) in Vancouver at the Little Mountain Gallery on 26 Avenue and Main St. on Saturday, September 22. Doors open at 7:45pm, show starts at 8:15. Rodney's performance will feature poems from the book, as well as his music. He will be joined by Doug Andrews, the Minimalist Jugband, Torsten Muller and Christine Rose. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Allegheny, BC is an unsettling collection in which Rodney DeCroo delivers raw footage of a childhood marred by violence, sudden uprootings and abuse. It is a vividly gritty tour through his troubled past in a small coal town, the bush of northern BC and the bars, strip clubs, seedy hotels and bleak streets of both large Canadian cities and small, isolated towns. Sobering and straightforward, the poems are fiercely potent. DeCroo's raw language and stark vision of reality will stick with you, as will “a nausea-twist in your stomach” and “the smell of/ tobacco, sweat, beer and coal dust.” It is a collection that reveals, with urgent intensity, the shape of a life in an abrasive world.

This book expands upon the lyrics in DeCroo's latest album, Allegheny, and broadens the harrowing narrative of his past. The book and album, together, are a reclamation project, an imaginative remembering through the savaged places of the human heart into a state of beauty and acceptance.

Rodney DeCroo, who is headlining the event, will be performing his poems and songs. The line-up also includes: Doug Andrews from the band, The Circus In Flames, who has shared the stage with everyone from the Ramones to Raffi to Ramblin' Jack Elliott; The Minimalist Jugband—with a look that is part scarecrow, part Johnny Cash, and part hillbilly evangelist—who stares out at the audience with a wild look in his eyes as he plunks a wash tub bass and recites poems about wearing a pair of dead man's pants, his inability to distinguish between a raven and a crow, or anything else that happens to capture his imagination; Torsten Muller, an internationally renowned free music/ jazz improviser and acoustic bassist who has performed concerts all over the world with a diverse array of gifted improvisers; and Christine Rose, whose songs are lyrically driven, aiming for honesty and poetry, and finding the melody on which to hang the words.

For more information about Rodney DeCroo, go to www.rodneydecroo.com

Literary: Summer Dreams Festival – A Movable and Free Literary Arts Feast

2012-08-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

By Mary Duffy

“It’s kind of like coming home,” says Bonnie Nish, Executive Director of Pandora’s Collective, of this year’s 9^th annual Sumer Dreams Literary Arts Festival. The festival, which spent its first years at the Vancouver Art Gallery and then moved to Stanley Park, now takes place at Trout Lake, 300 Victoria Drive, on Saturday, August 25th. Summer Dreams is very much at home in Eastside Vancouver.

Nish, the artistic director of Summer Dreams, has just come home after a summer in the Swiss Alps working on her PhD in Expressive Arts Therapy at the European Graduate School. Therefore, the festival planning had to start earlier than before, with Nish assembling a team of volunteers and feeding them pizza, chili and Pasta Gardenia during meetings at her home, starting just after last year’s festival finished.

Twisted Poets, a Pandora’s Collective venture, just celebrated its 10^th year. This was where Bonnie began to dream about creating a showcase connecting local poets in one big festival. Pandoras’ presents a mix of published, award winning writers alongside emerging writers and open mike performers, and debuted at a Commercial Drive café, hosting legendary poets such as Bill Bissett and local spoken-word stars such as R.C. Weslowski.

The Summer Dreams Festival is like an immense expansion of Twisted Poets, featuring poets, children’s authors, musicians and performers from across the lower mainland. The festival, which started with one stage at the Vancouver Art Gallery, has now grown exponentially and will present three stages, on the 25^th, at Trout Lake; and a gala night on Friday, the 24^th, at the CBC Studio 700, at 700 Hamilton St. The festival is free and open to the public and is aimed at “anyone who loves words, stories or poetry”.

According to Nish, “the gala will honour many who deserve to be recognized,”. This years award recipients are poets Joe Rosenblatt, Wayde Compton, Heather Haley and Steve Duncan in addition to D&M Publishers and the magazine, Adbusters. The evening of the 24^th will also feature award-winning poet George Bowering and the music of Mount Pleasant’s Inchoiring Minds, followed by a silent auction replete with a smorgasbord of treasures from local artists, craftspeople and businesses.

The Saturday outdoor festival at Trout Lake on the 25^th will share the park with the Farmer’s Market, and will provide many pleasures. You can listen to the traditional music of Darfur performed by Sundada, featuring the oud playing of Alaaeldin Abdalla, groove to the fusion of Leanne Averbach’s spoken word poetry accompanied by the jazz/blues of Indigo, or dance to the beat of spoken-word artist Barbara Adler and Fang, Vancouver’s famous accordion rock band. You can attend author-readings, workshops, readings by children’s writers, and other performances, on three stages. You can join in a “Free Silly Workshop” for adults, and participate in crafts and face painting for the younger set. You can move through this joyful fair and consume a cornucopia of desserts.

The fest hosts a feast of amazing artists from musicians to award winning ‘page’ and slam poets , including Evelyn Lau, Jillian Christmas, Denis E. Bolan, Daniela Elza, Billeh Nickerson, and Tanya Evanson. As Nish says, “It’s a great way to get involved in the literary community and see what’s out there”. You might even decide to

continue to follow or join one of the many featured writing or performance groups; from the Vancouver Storytellers to the Van Slam Poetry team this fest offers something for everyone.

And in the true spirit of an East Vancouver potluck, the festival invites you to participate. There will be two open mikes that you can sign up for on the day of the 25^th, if you would like bring some of your own creations to share at this party.

For more information and a complete list of events and performers you can visit:

www.summerdreamsfest.com

or email

srduncan@shaw.ca

or call

604-788-8430

Literary: Poetry Olympians Hit Summer Dreams!

2012-08-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Jillian Christmas

While Canadians are watching our athletes in London, closer to home, a team of four young writers are going for it all in Charlotte, North Carolina, and being noticed by a large, discriminating poetry audience.

Vancouver is one of only two Canadian teams (the other being Toronto) in a sea of American teams, with a smattering of European contenders. Despite being considered underdogs, they have reached the finals with their group piece, this after a grueling round robin series of bouts where members of the audience are recruited to judge the poetry with score cards, figure skater-style on a scale of 1-10. Poems can be no longer than 3 minutes or the team is subjected to a time penalty.

The National Poetry Slam is the annual poetry slam championship tournament, wherein four- to five-person teams from all over North America and Europe gather to compete against each other for the national team title. It has become part superbowl, part poetry summer camp, and part traveling exhibition. Staged in a different city each year, the National Poetry Slam has emerged as slam’s highest-profile showcase.

This year’s Vancouver team is made up of Jillian Christmas, Erich Haygun, Zaccheus Jackson, Erin Kirsh and Julie Peters.

Jilian Christmas on YouTube

Fresh off the Greyhound, the team takes to the stage at Trout Lake with almost 90 other writers and performers on Saturday, August 25th for the Summer Dreams Literary Arts Festival.

Volunteers are needed. It’s a great way to meet people and learn more about event planning and Vancouver's vibrant writing community. Those interested can sign up on the website at www.summerdreamsfest.com.

For more information about the festival, including complete directions and line up, check out our website: www.summerdreamsfest.com or email srduncan@shaw.ca or call 604-788-8340

Special Event: Artful Sundays Are Back @ Brittania

2012-08-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Click on the pic for a larger version. Check it out this this Sunday!

Literary: The Written and Spoken Word Heats Up @ Britannia

2012-07-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

4th Tuesday of every month
Pandora's Collective Presents
WORD WHIPS WRITING SERIES
Take the challenge. We provide the writing prompts and the opportunity for sharing. 10 -15 minutes to write to each prompt. See what you can whip up.
Hosts: Sita Carboni, Mary Duffy, Maureen Egan, Wendy Goldsmith, Stephen Karr, Suzy Malcolm, Eva Waldauf
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Location: Britannia Library, Gallery Room,
1661 Napier Street, Vancouver, BC
http://www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/branches/details/britannia_branch
Contact: sita@pandorascollective.com
www.pandorascollective.com

2nd Wednesday of every month
Presented by Pandora’s Collective and Britannia Branch
BOOK TALKS - BOOK CLUB
Join us for Book Talks book club! We will be discussing a preselected book each month, with the occasional session reserved for a discussion on a theme. Bring your favorite passages, points of interests, and share your reading experiences with us. Each person is responsible for either borrowing or buying their own copy to read. This is an open book club. Drop ins are welcome.

Aug 8th: The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steve Galloway
“Gripping. . . . Every action, no matter how mundane, is charged with tension. . . . Galloway has shown that contemporary fiction can move beyond the minute examination of self and relationship. We are asked to gaze, instead, on a city, a society, in the process of being destroyed, and on the tiny human gestures that represent the only means to repair the damage.” – National Post
Sept 12th:This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin
Oct 10th: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Nov 14th: Annabel by Kathleen Winter
Dec 12th: Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
Jan 9th: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Feb 13th: Books We Love (book recommendation night - tell us about the books/authors you love)
March 13th: The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit by JJ Lee
April 10th: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: Britannia Library, Gallery Room, 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver, BC
Hosts: Mary Duffy and Sita Carboni
Contact: booktalks @pandorascollective.com
www.pandorascollective.com

Visual Art: Fogstrom & Bucci @ Britania Art Gallery

2012-07-17T12:56:00.001-07:00

Literary: Award Winner Haley is a Renaissance New Media Artist

2012-07-13T11:18:00.001-07:00

Stimulating and directing cultural fulmination is as natural to Heather Haley as manipulating media. She is an innovative programmer with a history of staunch commitment to the arts community and cultural awareness.

With a strongly held conviction that artists, especially poets, needed to be represented on the World Wide Web, she founded The Edgewise Café in 1994, one of Canada's first electronic literary magazines, along with the non-profit arts organization, the Edgewise ElectroLit Centre.

The EEC facilitated the Vancouver Videopoem Festival and Telepoetics, a videoconferenced reading series founded by Merilene Murphy. The Edgewise ElectroLit Centre's populist mandate and innovative programs effectively made poetry accessible to all and assisted Canadian artists in expanding both their audience and potential.

Since 2004, Haley has been the host and curator of the Visible Verse Festival, North America's sustaining venue for the presentation of new and artistically significant poetry film and video. www.heatherhaley.com

Haley and several other local literary figures of note will be honored at a ceremony on August 24, 2012, at CBC Studio 700. She then takes the stage the following day at Trout Lake with almost 90 other writers and performers for the Summer Dreams Literary Arts Festival.

As one might expect, putting on a big event with 3 stages, a children's area, a market place and 90+ performers is a lot of work, so the more help the festival can have the better. Volunteers are needed. It’s a great way to meet people and learn more about event planning and Vancouver's vibrant writing community. Those interested can sign up on The website at www.summerdreamsfest.com. For more information about the festival, including complete directions and line up, check out our website: www.summerdreamsfest.com or email srduncan@shaw.ca or call 604-788-8340

Special Event: Summer Dreams "Comes Home" to Trout Lake!

2012-06-24T19:50:00.002-07:00

Barbara Adler & Fang are this year's headliners at Summer Dreams

The biting humour of Barbara Adler's "Fang", is just one highlight of this year's Summer Dream Literary Arts Fest.

When you look at past rosters for the Summer Dreams Literary Arts Festival, you quickly realize that the "grassroots" used to describe it could easily be the grass of East Vancouver's Trout Lake, the heart of the trendy neighborhood where many of the performers live and work.

Besides being only a few blocks away from the home of the city's and one of the country's oldest slam poetry venues, Cafe Deux Soleils and the Rio Theatre (which played host to a packed house for the finals for this year's Canadian Festival of the Spoken word), Trout Lake is a jewel in the neighborhood.

As in the past, the headliner for the event will be a familiar name to East Vancouverites, Barbara Adler and Fang. The accomplished spoken word artist cut her teeth at the local slam and has made a successful go of combining her poetry with her other passion, music.

This festival is not just slam based though. It truly lives up to its name of a literary festival by having such literary greats as Joe Rosenblatt, Bryant Ross, Dennis E. Bolen, Daniela Elza and Heather Haley, just to name a few. There will be free workshops running throughout the day as well.

For the festival to make the switch from it's long-time Stanley Park location is an important step for the festival's founder and executive producer, Bonnie Nish.

“Trout Lake has always been our ideal spot for the festival, “Nish states.
“While Lumberman's Arch obviously has a lot going for it too, East Van really is a huge centre for the city's writing scene. So many of our performers consider this (Commercial Drive) to be home, and because Pandora’s Collective - the non-profit literary organization which created and runs the festival – has put on so many events on the Drive, we can't help but feel like we are coming home as well.”

As one might expect, putting on a big event with 3 stages, a children's area, a market place and 90+ performers is a lot of work, so the more help the festival can have the better. Volunteers are needed. It’s a great way to meet people and learn more about event planning and Vancouver's vibrant writing community. Those interested can sign up on The website at www.summerdreamsfest.com.

For more information about the festival, including complete directions and line up, check out our website: www.summerdreamsfest.com or email srduncan@shaw.ca or call 604-788-8340

Performance Camps for Kids @ the Rio

2012-06-21T10:38:00.004-07:00

Michelle D’Hersey and Jodi Derkson join forces to bring you The Summer Performance Camp at The historic Rio Theatre. We offer an amazingly creative and exciting week for all those involved. With dance, song, and acting the students will develop a play together and learn the true meaning of creative collaboration. Spirits are sure to soar when participants reach their final goal of performing on the stage, lighting and all, for their friends and family to enjoy. In one full week the students will play drama games, hone improvisation skills, practice dance by learning routines, create scenes/skits on a desired theme, and rehearse all elements together to create their original final product. It is time to Hit the Big Stage this Summer!

Price:$200

Hours: 9am - 3pm Monday to Friday

Final Performance/Reception: Fridays at 4pm

Two age groups: 8-12 or 13-18

Weekly sessions:

July 9-13

July 23-27

Aug.13-17

Aug. 20-24

Info:

Michelle Hersey

604-765-4980

michelle_hersey@telus.net

Special Event: Heritage Walking Tour Along Commercial

2012-05-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

Historian Jak King will conduct a two-hour guided walk along Commercial Drive, from Venables Street to Second Avenue. He will identify and discuss many of the heritage buildings along the route and relate stories of the people and businesses that occupied them. The tour will start on the southeast corner of Venables & Commercial at 9:45am Saturday 9th June 2012, rain or shine. If you'd like to go, please sign-up by email to grandviewheritage@gmail.com. You will be asked to make a $10 contribution to the Grandview Heritage Group at the meet-up.

LOTD: IGNITE! Sets The Cultch On Fire

2012-05-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

IGNITE! Sets The Cultch On Fire

Every year, for one week, The Cultch is taken over and transformed by young people. Hundreds of youth are involved in what has grown to be Vancouver’s largest youth-driven arts festival. The festival includes showcases in music, dance, and spoken word, the world premiere of three one-act plays, a visual arts exhibit, variety shows featuring diverse forms of entertainment, and much more. All of this is created by local artists between the ages of 13-24. During the festival, IGNITE! events happen all over The Cultch’s facilities such as the Historic Theatre, the Vancity Cultre Lab, the main lobby and the café galleries.

Literally every aspect of the festival is youth-driven, produced by the Cultch’s Youth Panel. From media relations and promotion, to stage managing and running the lighting and sound boards, there are countless ways to become involved, whether on stage or behind the scenes. This year’s festival is taking place from May 14th to May 19th. Contact Youth Program Manager, Robert Leveroos, at robert@thecultch.com to learn more.

We sat down with talented 16 year old Lili Robinson, who not only spoke about the festival but gave us a taste of her work. She's performing in the festival's Tuesday night spoken word event.

http://www.igniteyouthfest.ca/

Special Event: Stone Soup Festival @ Britannia

2012-05-03T11:02:00.001-07:00

- Saturday, May 12, 2012
- 12:00pm until 5:00pm
Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier St, East Vancouver

Britannia Community Centre is pleased to announce the 17th Annual Stone Soup Festival, a celebration of food, art, environment and community including a food market, local artists, community groups, talks and workshops, live music, children's activities, free soup and more!
For more information: tel: (604)718-5800/www.britanniacentre.org

News: Protesters Light Fire In Street

2012-05-02T09:19:00.001-07:00

Vancouver police say no arrests were made after a May Day protest on Commercial Drive turned violent last night, unlike in other cities such as Montreal and Seattle, where hundreds of people could face charges.

Around 10 p.m., Vancouver police sent in the riot squad to deal with about 60 May Day protesters who had started a fire in the area of Commercial Drive and Charles Street.

Police stepped in after the protesters refused to comply with repeated requests to disperse, said Vancouver police Const. Lindsey Houghton.

"The protesters eventually left and the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service moved in to extinguish the burning pile of wood, paper and other items," said Houghton.

No injuries were reported.

Events: Grandview Heritage Group Meets Tonight @ Britannia

2012-04-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

The next meeting of the Grandview Heritage Group is tonight from 7:00pm at the Britannia Centre board room. Please come along and join us to discuss local heritage concerns, including our inclusion in the up-coming Grandview Community Plan.

Our meetings deliberately have no agenda as we like the free-flowing and interesting discussions that crop up whenever we get together. We will, no doubt, look at our plans for 100-year old birthday signs, guided walks of the neighbourhood, and our possible contribution to Car Free Day, Stone Soup and Italian Day.

In addition, we generally have a presentation of historic and/or heritage interest. This month we are fortunate enough to have Michael Kluckner giving a teaser about items of specific interest to Grandview in his new book "Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years."

We welcome everyone and it's free! More info on GHG at http://grandviewheritagegroup.org

Jak King

http://jaksview3.wordpress.com

http://thedrivepress.wordpress.com

twitter @jakking49

News: Riot Changes Hands

2012-04-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

Riot's new owner Carly Tennant

After 16 years as a mainstay on the Drive, Riot owner, Brenda McGuire, is calling it a day and leaving the business to travel and explore other interests.

“It's been an amazing experience being a part of this community. it's time to have another amazing experience somewhere else in the world for awhile. but i'll be back 'cause east van is my home.” McGuire said.

But have no fear Fashionistas!
Riot will still be going strong with long-time employee Carly Tennant taking the helm.
"This makes sense, I can't picture myself anywhere else. Can't believe it's finally here, I'm so excited to carry on this fun, vivacious friend factory; And make a living out of it, in this wonderful community."

Pop in to the store and check out the new spring looks soon.

1395 Commercial Drive
604-254-5073

Theatre: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot opens next week!

2012-04-05T12:28:00.001-07:00

After two thousand years of vilification, Judas Iscariot exits purgatory to stand trial. In the courtroom, Judas finally gives his side of the story, with his peers - Jesus and Pontius Pilate - acting as witnesses. Historical luminaries like Sigmund Freud, Mother Teresa and Satan are also called upon to give expert testimony in this hip, twentieth century examination of the most famous double-cross in the book. The production uses impertinent humour and scathing satire to negotiate the thorny issues of forgiveness, mercy, and eternal damnation. Equal parts philosophy, entertainment, and spiritual exploration, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot ensures the audience will find fertile ground for discussion well after the show ends.

When it originally opened off-Broadway in 2005, Stephen Adly Guirgis' work was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. With five cutting edge theatre companies (Neworld Theatre, Pacific Theatre, The Cultch, Rumble Productions, and Pound of Flesh) involved in its Vancouver incarnation, Last Days represents a truly collaborative effort utilizing some of Vancouver's best talents.

STRONGEST POSSIBLE LANGUAGE WARNING.

Around the net:

Georgia Straight Preview
Curtain Up Review of the 2005 New York Production

The Telegraph review of the 2008 London production

West End Theatre's 2008 production of Last Days in London, UK

Presented with Rumble Productions as part of the 2012 TREMORS Festival

THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT
By Stephen Adly Guirgis
Produced by Pound of Flesh Theatre
in association with
Pacific Theatre and Neworld Theatre

WHEN: April 10 - 15, 17 - 21: 8PM, April 14, 21: 2PM
WHERE: Historic Theatre at The Cultch
ADDED VALUE: Post-show talkbacks
Apr 12 8PM, Apr 14 2PM, Apr 17 8PM.

TICKETS: From $16! Visit us online
or call The Cultch Box Office at 604.251.1363,
or visit us in person at 1895 Venables Street.
BOX OFFICE HOURS: Mon - Fri: 12pm - 6pm; Sat: 12pm - 4pm
(Note, the box office will be closed Friday, April 6th for Good Friday).

Djembe Zoo @ A Small World Gallery

2012-04-04T09:57:00.001-07:00

Djembe Zoo
A fun musical learning experience!
Open to youth all ages
No experience required.

Kids can learn:
Music, movement and rhythm
Improved hand-eye coordination
Listening and comprehension skills
More drumming, less instruction
Traditional West African music with a contemporary feel.

Saturdays: 12:00pm to 1:30pm
DJEMBE ZOO, Kids drum circle/lesson
12:00pm until 1:30pm every Saturday.
$5.00 each 30/mins, all instruments available, no age restrictions, some rules apply. Join us for a day filled with fun and music. If you have your own drum, please bring it.

A Small World - 2120 Commercial Dr, Vancouver BC
604-215-0279 - www.asmallworldonline.com
For more information or to register, contact us via e-mail or call our store 604-215-0279 Learn more >>

Life / Figure Drawing @ A Small World Gallery

2012-04-04T09:47:00.001-07:00

The human figure is one of the most enduring themes in visual arts.

Come and join us for an ART-rageous experience.

Drop in weekly, 3 hour sessions.
Entry fee $15.00
Students/Seniors $10.00

(ID required)
Bulk Session discounts.
Experienced Models

Bring your own supplies/materials. Session times, model schedules and session type are subject to change.

Next sessions;
Wednesday April 4^th, 2012, from 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Friday, April 6^th, 2012, from 2:00pm – 5:00pm

Saturday, April 7^th, 2012 at 10:00am – 1:00pm & 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Check the site for details. A Small World Online If you can't make it, tell someone you know. If this is of interest to you, please simply R.S.V.P. as it will assist us with creating suitable schedules for models, sessions and participants.

2120 Commercial Drive, Vancouver BC.
604-215-0279
Trading Earth Conscious Commodities
www.asmallworldonline.com

#SeenOnTheDrive: The Cut

2012-03-30T23:02:00.001-07:00

I took this pic and suddenly there were three other people doing the same.

Opinion: Is Our Memory That Short?

2012-03-30T21:22:00.001-07:00

Thinking about the recent shooting on the Drive, it would appear that the drive has a bit of a split personality.
You wouldn't have any idea that there had ever been an incident.
Vegetables are being spread out, panhandlers are at their usual stations. I haven't seen a cop all day. A young girl with orange hair stood checking her phone in almost the exact spot the young man was gunned down.
Even walking it last night, the street seems to have no memory. it revelled and paraded and hustled pizza and beer.
Sometimes living near the Drive can feel pretty random and disconnected. Or perhaps that's just Life.
What do other people think?

News: Shooting Outside the Libra Room

2012-03-29T12:11:00.001-07:00

A 20 year old man was shot in the back walking with friends early in the morning. Police believe it is a targeted shooting. More on the story here: http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/03/28/targeted-shootings-in-surrey-and-in-mission-wednesday-night/