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the quality of creative engagement in the Okanagan through publications and events.
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Harold Rhenisch
FAMOUS, UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
» Thursday 20 March 2008 | 4:30 pm
» BeanScene North, 1289 Ellis Street
An informal afternoon hour showcasing the people and ideas featured in Okanagan Home. Join us as Harold Rhenisch, award-winning poet, reads from his recent book which showcases his new and selected works, and shares his perspective on writing. Introduction by Don Gayton.
» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Sponsored by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Books, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna
Acclaimed Authors Reveal the Secret to Reading Between the Pages
Harold Rhenisch, one of the hottest authors in BC today is coming to Okanagan March 20 to read from his works at a special presentation of the Okanagan Institute. He will be introduced by his friend and fellow award-winning author Don Gayton.
Rhenisch received a second prize in the CBC Literary Awards held in Toronto late last month. He will be reading at the Bean Scene North, 4:30 pm - Harold Rhenisch: Famous, Up Close and Personal - as part of the continuing Express Series put on by the Okanagan Institute.
Rhenisch was born in Penticton and spent years writing about life in the Okanagan and Cariboo. He received the CBC prize for his poem "Catching a Snare Drum at the Fraser's Mouth." The jurors said the poem takes the reader "on the long journey from First Nations traditional life, through the heartbreak of colonization and enforced modernization, to the colourful pluralism of contemporary urban Vancouver."
The win, with its $4,000 prize, came along just months after Rhenisch received the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in B.C. Writing and Publishing for his non-fiction memoir The Wolves at Evelyn - A Journey Through a Dark Century - filled with reflections on the social and historical influences underway during his German family's settlement in BC.
Okanagan College regional dean John Lent has described Rhenisch as "one of the best writers in the country", and excerpts of his work appeared in the inaugural issue of Okanagan Arts, which celebrates arts and culture of all kinds in the Okanagan region.
Rhenisch started writing by focusing his attention to the region he lived in. It was a way for him to connect with not only the land, but the people.
"When I was living in the Similkameen in 1982 no one else was writing in the whole region at that point. Living in Okanagan culture, I had to learn to write for the Okanagan. I became a writer of people and of place," he said.
Unlike so many writers who cringe at the idea of speaking before an audience, Rhenisch, who studied drama in university, relishes the experience.
"I've learned with time that I want to write poems that can be read aloud and listened to. When you stand up in front of a group of people, you read the poem and have fun. A poem is not finished at all until you stand in front of people with it. It's then you know it at last."
Rhenisch has spent 35 years writing of the culture, history, and landscape of the Okanagan and the Cariboo. His most recent book of poetry is Return to Open Water: Poems Selected and New 1979-2007. He has won the last two Malahat Review long poem prizes. He now lives in Campbell River, BC.
Don Gayton will be introducing Rhenisch. Don is a local author and ecologis, who has just been short-listed for the 24th annual BC Book Prize for his most recent book Interwoven Wild, which was launched at a previous Okanagan Institute event.
Harold Rhenisch: Famous, Up Close and Personal is a free event, and takes place at BeanScene North. It's presented by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing.
Express is sponsored by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Books, UBCO Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, and supports the work of Project Literacy Kelowna.
Okanagan Insitute at BeanScene North A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture and community. Produced by the Okanagan institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home.
Expresss is a cultural tonic that refreshes the mind. Join us at BeanScene North after work on Thursdays for a free hour of stimulation that will get your synapses tingling with new ideas and fresh images. Designed for inquiring minds looking for, among other things, the wild blue yonder.
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