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Re:Verse
RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY
» Thursday 2 October 2008 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan ARTS. Join us as Marion Barschel, Jeremy Auld, David Crawley, Carl Hare, Janet Anderson and Valerie Stetson present a stimulating journey of discovery into the magical world of poetry.
» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Celebrities Celebrate the Power of Poetry
Poetry is our first voice, and some might argue, our final voice. From cradle to grave, and for much of the journey in between, it is poetry more than any other literary form that captures the peak moments in our lives. For decades children grew up on the poetry of A.A. Milne, and later in life grew to love William Wordsworth, or William Blake. Today's generation more commonly find poetry in lyrics, but it has also morphed into the modern-day form of spoken word - a combination of poetry and theatre art where top-notch practitioners command peak pay for their slam performances.
"Poetry has been changing its image these days - young people are coming to it with new skills learned from music and the Web. It's revitalizing the Canadian literary experience," says Nancy Holmes, a poet and UBCO associate professor who has spent the last few years bringing Random Acts of Poetry to the streets of Kelowna.
This year, Holmes has joined forces with the Okanagan Institute to put on a special poetry event featuring a variety of poets, lovers of poetry, and spoken word experts reading from their own works, and others. As part of the event, Holmes has invited her university students to assist the audience in creating their own poetry.
"It's a wonderful opportunity to remind people of how creative they are, and to pay attention to the seemingly small things in life," says Karin Wilson, co-host and associate director of the Institute.
This coming Thursday, October 3, the Okanagan Institute Express presents Re:Verse - Random Acts of Poetry, hosted by Nancy Holmes at 5 pm at the Bohemian Café in Kelowna. Marion Barschel, Jeremy Auld, David Crawley, Carl Hare, Janet Anderson and Valerie Stetson present a stimulating journey of discovery into the magical world of poetry.
 Marion Barschel is the host of CBC Radio's Daybreak which airs throughout the Southern Interior. Prior to her arrival in Kelowna eight years ago, Marion worked for CBC Radio in Regina. Daybreak has made it part of its mission to bring poetry to the people through its annual summer poetry contest, produced with the assistance of John Lent from Okanagan College in Vernon. The series has succeeded in introducing regional poets to listeners throughout the region.
 Jeremy Auld likes to do things a little differently. In keeping with the mindset of the MSN generation, Jeremy mixes numbers with letters in unusual ways to make people think about the way the choose to communicate. As he says: "I started wrighting when I was 16. I like 2 wright in a way that allows people to think and ask questions. My motivation is 2 paint murals with the colour of words and inspire beauty in the world."
 David Crawley is the retired Anglican Archbishop of B.C. and retired bishop of the Kootenay Diocese. He's also a story-teller, cook, sausage maker, skier and occasional writer who failed third year English but loves poetry.
 Carl Hare retired to Kelowna 11 years ago after a lifetime in the theatre community. Founder of the theatre department at the University of Victoria, he also taught at the National Theatre School, and was chair of the Drama Department at the University of Alberta. Trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England, he was a professional actor and director and the Artistic Director of Company One Theatre. Since his arrival in Kelowna he has acted both with Sunshine Theatre and the Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops and been narrator with the Okanagan Symphony on a number of occasions. Over the past two decades he has also explored the writing of poetry and is presently engaged in a major work.
 Janet Anderson is the Artistic Director of Festivals Kelowna, producers of the Life & Arts Festival, Parks Alive!, Arts Alive!, and the Kelowna Canada Day Celebrations. Prior to arriving in Kelowna, Janet worked for 10 years organizing groundbreaking collaborative projects in theatre, print, video, sound, computer graphics, multimedia, and virtual reality. She also coordinated and stage managed many special events in Alberta including the Celebrity Sports Invitational Auction and Gala for Robert Kennedy Jr. She also has wide-ranging experience as an actor, producer, teacher and director of children's theatre workshops and productions.
 Valerie Stetson is a writer living in Kelowna. Her first book, a collection of short stories called The Year I Got Impatient, was a runner-up for the 2008 Danuta Gleed Literary Award. The title story also received The 2001 Bronwen Wallace Award. Her second book, a collection of poems called Living In Gravity, was published in 2008. She is currently writing a novel.
 Nancy Holmes writes both short fiction and poetry. She has published four collections of poetry, Valancy and the New World (Kalamalka Press, 1988), Down to the Golden Chersonese: Victorian Lady Travellers (Sono Nis, 1991), The Adultery Poems (Ronsdale, 2002) Mandorla (Ronsdale, 2005). Her poetry and fiction have recently been published in Room of One's Own, Lichen, The Malahat Review, Matrix, Prairie Fire, Grain, The Harpweaver, A Room of One's Own and The Antigonish Review. She teaches Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia Okanagan and has worked as an editor, writing instructor, and mother.
Re:Verse - Random Acts of Poetry is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 60th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007. Since that time, the series 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, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, architect Jim Meiklejohn, and others from a variety of creative fields.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Dear Community Cultural Partner: In appreciation of your dedication to the cultural life of our community, Ballet Kelowna is pleased to invite you to the fall season opening "Bolero & Other Works" at Kelowna Community Theatre on October 3rd & 4th at 8 pm with a special offer of 20% off the price of regular admission. Breathtakingly beautiful, Ballet Kelowna captivates audiences with classical and innovative dance. Be Moved! Complete tour schedule information is available at http://www.BalletKelowna.ca. To use your passwords, follow the link above to purchase online or call (250) 860-1470 to speak with a call centre representative. Passwords: CCP1 = Adult | CCP2 = Student Child | CCP3 = Senior
Where Enquiring Minds Gather. Okanagan Institute at the Bohemian Café 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. Express is sponsored in part by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Publishing, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna.
The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that have 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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