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Words of Celebration
FOR THE SEASON
» Thursday 17 December 2009 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas
and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join writers, readers and storytellers Nissa Basbaum, Paul Henry, Linda Weaver Horton, Jake Kennedy, Gertrude McGovern, Alya Ramadan, Mohini Singh and Karin Wilson in a stimulating multi-faith celebration of the season.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
A Season for All to Come Together and Celebrate in Harmony
As the year comes to a close, it's traditional to reflect on our relationships with friends, family and loved ones. It's a time when we think about what has transpired, what we want from our future, and what we value today. Headlines may blare that our world is under threat - through war, through climate change, and even economic hardship. At times like this, it can be a challenge to remember that harmony exists - provided we hold it in our hearts like the choir master holds the greater song.
In celebration of everything this season has to offer, the Okanagan Institute's Express series has brought together a group of people who are passionate about not only finding, but acknowledging, our common ground, and we've asked each of them to read a piece of work that evokes thoughts of harmony.
On Thursday, December 17th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents the second annual Words of Celebration. Join writers, readers and storytellers Nissa Basbaum, Paul Henry, Linda Weaver Horton, Jake Kennedy, Gertrude McGovern, Alya Ramadan, Mohini Singh and Karin Wilson in a stimulating multi-faith celebration of the season and share non-scriptural readings that are sure to bring all who are willing to listen closer together.
This event promises to be harmony in action. Most importantly, it is a celebration of the Okanagan - who we are, where we are today, and the opportunity we have to create an even greater sense of community.
 Nissa Basbaum is the new reverend canon at the Cathedral Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Kelowna, having just moved here at the end of November. Before studying theology and being ordained, she worked briefly as a newspaper reporter in Newfoundland. It was during her time there that she converted from Judaism to Christianity. Within five years she was ordained, but continues to cherish her Jewish roots. Most recently she was a parish priest in the Niagara diocese.
 Paul Henry is the Ritual Chair of the Okanagan Jewish Community, which is a member of the Union of Reform Jewry of North America. Paul's ancestry is a Northern European Jew or Ashkenazi Jew, his grandparents having immigrated to the UK in the late 1880s from Poland and what is now known as Belarus. Paul's spirituality is based on the principals of tikkun olam (healing the world) and gemulit chasidim (acts of loving kindness) and the golden rule.
 Linda Weaver Horton is the minister of the Unitarian Fellowship of Kelowna. A life-long Unitarian Universalist, she holds Masters' Degrees in anthropology and sociology, and has a deep interest in the relationship of creativity, psychology and religion. The Unitarian (or Unitarian*Universalist) tradition honours a diversity of holy days in this mid-winter season.
 Jake Kennedy was born in Woodstock, Ontario, to an anarchist-atheist father and a sort-of-Christian-with-an-interest-in-New-Age-spirituality mom. Not surprisingly, Jake is confused and now identifies as a fake zen buddhist. He currently lives in Kelowna and teaches in the English department at Okanagan College. Mr. Jake Kennedy is also a poet and, with his great friend kevin mcpherson eckhoff, sometimes reverse-shoplifts (shopgifts) far out poetry texts from/to/into Chapters. Jake has a six-year-old daughter named Rae who believes mostly in playtime and apples.
 Gertrude McGovern, SC is a Sister of Charity, Halifax. Born in Saskatchewan, she has been a Sister of Charity since 1949. Her missions and service have included educating both young and old, as well as pastoral ministry in the diocese of Nelson, B.C. For about 10 years she gave retreats and spiritiual direction at Seton House of Prayer in Summerland and Kelowna. Most recently she has served as Co-ordinator of Sisters of Charity Associate groups and is involved with the social justice group Kairos.
 Alya Ramadan is the co-host of CBC Radio's Daybreak South. She's spent most of the last 19 years in Kelowna, but has also lived in Japan and Syria. Alya is a practicing Muslim, and loves the fact that there are now more than a handful of Muslims in the community (compared to when she was a kid)! She loves the outdoors and thrives on exploring new places and the people who live within them.
 Mohini Singh immigrated to Canada from India in the mid-1980s, the daughter of a Sikh mother and Hindu father. A communication professional, Mohini launched her career in Canada in 1989 as a radio journalist before slowing moving into television and working throughout the Okanagan. Over the years she's dovetailed her work a journalist with community activism, often advocating for cultural tolerance and understanding. In 2008 she received the Order of British Columbia.
 Karin Wilson is the host of this event, and associate director of the Okanagan Institute. Better known in some circles as a freelance journalist, Karin was born of a Church of England father and Danish Lutheran mother. A long-time spiritual seeker, she dipped her toes in many faiths from spiritualism to Taoism before settling down to become a reverend and staff minister at the Centre for Spiritual Living in Kelowna.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Words of Celebration takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 120th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007.
Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.
The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that has gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
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