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The Creative Legacy
OF GEORGE RYGA
» Wednesday 28 April 2010 | 5 pm
» Kalamalka Café, Okanagan College, Vernon
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as publisher Robert MacDonald and writers Sean Johnston and Craig McLuckie explain why the works, ideas and influence of George Ryga have inspired an unique Okanagan creative collaboration.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Institute Launches North Okanagan Initiative with Ryga Celebration
"How pleasant it would be to live where a farm produced a living, where a man could find warmth and comfort in the companionship of a good tractor, and plants which grew tall and strong, where there was no more fruitless labour in working the soil by hand, or tormenting horses until they were just as weary and sick as the men who drove and guided them, where there were proper schools, and a kid didn't have to begin working the moment he stood upright. Where there was no fear and no want to twist and damage the soul and body of man." So wrote George Ryga in his 1963 novel Hungry Hills, now made into a feature film. An outspoken and perceptive social critic and writer, Ryga has inspired generations through his novels, plays and broadcasting work.
 On Wednesday, April 28th at 5 pm the alternate weekly Okanagan Institute Showcase series at the Kalamalka Café, Okanagan College, Vernon presents The Creative Legacy of George Ryga. Join us as publisher Robert MacDonald and writers Sean Johnston and Craig McLuckie explain why the works, ideas and influence of George Ryga have inspired an unique Okanagan creative collaboration.
This is one in a series of readings, performances, publications and other initiatives planned for the coming months as part of the Ryga Festival of the Arts presented by the Okanagan Institute and the Ryga Initiative at Okanagan College.
These initiatives are a result of the seeds George Ryga planted in the rich soil of the creative imagination of the Okanagan and Canada. Whether directly through his own work, or indirectly through the incredible impact his art in all forms had in defining a new vision of what's possible and who we are, George Ryga remains a seminal figure in Canadian life and letters.
By showing us the possibilities of cultural and critical engagement, practically and metaphorically, Ryga's creative works continue to inform a transformative vision of society. Our goal is to honour and further his life and work by showcasing the talents of writers and artists who identify with his struggles with creative identity. In a world often bereft of hope and opportunity, our best writers and artists do not flinch from representing the possible and giving idealism voice.
 Sean Johnston is the author of A Day Does Not Go By (Nightwood, 2002), which won the 2003 ReLit Award for short fiction, and the novel All This Town Remembers (Gaspereau, 2006). He's also published two chapbooks: A Long Day Inside the Buildings (with Drew Kennickel; JackPine Press, 2004) and Bull Island (Gaspereau, 2004). Sean teaches Literature and Creative Writing at Okanagan College, and is the Editor of Ryga: A Journal of Provocations.
Of the first issue of the Ryga Journal, he wrote, "We take our name from Ryga, a political writer, to honour his commitment to his art and to his world. His legacy is this: he was a human living in a community and that community was living in a nation, that nation in a world. He wrote without nostalgia about the world that lived around him. He believed the artist had a responsibility to write counter-narratives, to treat the marginalized among us fairly, to challenge the formal boundaries of his art without losing the humanity of the characters that drive it. These characters live and move according to a complex, tentative political agreement that must not be taken as natural, but must be interrogated in every way."
 Craig McLuckie was born in Scotland and raised in South Africa, Canada and Scotland. Craig's commitment to the teaching and learner-centred mandate of Okanagan College is reflected in his scholarly work, especially in the purposely polyphonic and political design of the edited collections: Critical Perspectives on Dennis Brutus, Ken Saro-Wiwa: Writer and Activist, and Arthur Nortje: Poet and South African. He has also published essays in a variety of academic journals, and two monographs, one on Nigerian Literature (1990) and one on Scottish writer, William McIlvanney (1999). Craig has been teaching for twenty-five years, twenty-one teaching English at Okanagan College. Craig is a founding member of the Kalamalka Institute for Working Writers. His musical tastes cover Lucinda Williams, Billy Bragg, and Pink Floyd. Craig is also an avid motorcyclist, a rugby enthusiast, and he has a passion for Guinness.
 Robert MacDonald has had a long and distinguished career in publishing. He was the Director of the Publishing Workshops at the University of Toronto and the Banff Centre for fifteen years. He was a founder of the Canadian Periodical Publishers Association and the Graphic Arts in the Public Service Foundation. He has consulted for - and started - book, magazine and multimedia publishing companies in Canada and the US. He is the Publisher in Residence at Okanagan College, the Publisher of Ryga: A Journal of Provocations, and the Director of the Okanagan Institute.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
The Creative Legacy of George Ryga takes place at the Kalamalka Café on the campus of Okanagan College in Vernon. This is the 1st event the Institute has held there, and the 136th public presentation offered by the Okanagan Institute since 2007.
The Institute 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 laureate and professor John Lent, creative entrepreneur Nikos Theodosakis, 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 many 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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