Events

Vancouver Book Launch: Eric Jamieson's Arctic Patrol

MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver: 3203 Institute Rd, North Vancouver Apr 20 11:00 am

Join author Eric Jamieson for the launch of his book, Arctic Patrol: Canada’s Fight for Arctic Sovereignty

Enjoy a reading, presentation, author signing, and Q&A.About Arctic Patrol: In the 1920s, Canada's Arctic sovereignty hung in the balance as rival nations vied for control. In Arctic Patrol, Eric Jamieson delves into the gripping tale of RCMP Inspector Alfred Herbert Joy, recruit Reginald Andrew Taggart, and Inughuit guide Nukappiannguaq's daring 1,800-mile dogsled patrol to assert Canada's sovereignty. With tensions escalating and unexpected challenges looming, this thrilling narrative explores the intersection of international politics, polar exploration, and human resilience.About Eric Jamieson: Eric Jamieson is a retired career banker who took up writing outdoor and history articles for newspapers and magazines in his late 20s. He has authored three books: South Pole: 900 Miles on Foot (Horsdal and Schubart, 1996), co-authored with Gareth Wood; Tragedy At Second Narrows: The Story of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge (Harbour Publishing, 2008); and The Native Voice (Caitlin Press, 2016). He was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for History Writing in 2009. He currently resides in North Vancouver with his wife, Joan

Nelson Book Launch: They Called Him a Radical

Nelson Public Library Apr 24 07:00 pm

Book Launch: Permission to Land by Judy LeBlanc, with a reading from Arleen Paré, author of Absence of Wings

Russell Books, 747 Fort St., #100, Victoria Apr 25 07:00 pm

Join author Judy LeBlanc as she launches Permission to Land: A Memoir of Loss, Discovery, and Identity. She will be joined by Arleen Paré, reading from Absence of Wings

In her courageous memoir, Permission to Land, Judy LeBlanc delves into a lyrical and moving exploration of her Coast Salish heritage, unravelling the deep-rooted consequences of erasure that have shaped her family.

Award-winning poet Arleen Pare’s latest collection, Absence of Wings, is both an intimate family portrait and a public documentation of how we, as a society, can fail to protect our children.

Free to attend. All are welcome. 

Book Launch: Pamela Porter with Planet Earth Poetry

Russell Books, Victoria Apr 26 07:30 pm

National Poetry Month APRIL 26th: Pamela Porter and Keith Garebian, hosted by Daniel Scott (Planet Earth Poetry's artistic director emeritus), 7:30pm at Russell Books.

Pamela Porter will launch her book, Between the Bell Struck and the Silence. Keith Garebian is the author of groundbreaking books of non-fiction and poetry. He has won the William Saroyan Medal (Armenia), and numerous other awards for writing, and his poetry has been translated into French, Romanian, Bulgarian, Hebrew, Armenian, and Hungarian. Three-Way Renegade is his 11th poetry collection. Pamela Porter is the author of fourteen published books across multiple genres including poetry , novels in free verse, and books for young adults and children. Her work has garnered numerous awards, including the Governor General's Award, and first prizes from the Canadian Author's Association, the Gwendolyn MacEwen Prize, and others.

Nanaimo Book Signing with Susan Blacklin

Chapters Woodgrove Centre, 6670 Maryellen Dr, Nanaimo Apr 27 11:00 am

Meet author Susan Blacklin and get signed copies of Water Confidential: Witnessing Justice Denied - The Fight for Safe Drinking Water in Indigenous and Rural Communities in Canada

Kelowna Book Signing

Indigo Kelowna: Orchard Park, 2271 Harvey Ave, Kelowna, BC V1Y 6H2 May 09 12:00 pm - May 09 04:00 pm

Drop into Indigo Kelowna to meet author Susan Blacklin and get a signed copy of Water Confidential: Witnessing Justice Denied-The Fight for Safe Drinking Water in Indigenous and Rural Communities in Canada

 

Toronto Book Event

Flying Books, 784 College St, Toronto, ON May 13 06:30 pm

Join us in celebrating the Toronto launch of Keiko Honda's Accidental Blooms. Keiko's memoir was among the 46 works of Canadian nonfiction selected to be read in fall 2023 by CBC. Admission is FREE. ALL are welcome to attend. Books will be available for purchase, of course, the author will be signing! Reserve your spot here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/join-us-for-the-launch-of-accidental-blooms-by-keiko-honda-at-flying-books-tickets-838038775537?aff=oddtdtcreator

Review: 

“Keiko Honda is sharing much more than a memoir. She is sharing a philosophy of love and care in a time of anxiety and uncertainty. She shares a journey of possibilities when adversity strikes with life-altering challenges. This book is both an evocation as well as an example of ‘seeing with the heart.’ Our world is a better place for Keiko Honda’s generous gift(s).”

—Bernard Perley, associate professor for Critical Indigenous Studies, UBC

About the author: Keiko Honda is a scientist, writer, community organizer and painter. She holds a PhD in international community health from New York University, but when she suddenly contracted a rare autoimmune disease that confined her to a wheelchair for life, she had to leave her career in research at Columbia University in New York. After moving to Vancouver in 2009, Keiko started hosting artist salons, for which she was awarded the City of Vancouver’s Remarkable Women award in 2014. Shortly thereafter, she founded the Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society to bridge generations and cultures through the arts and to offer members of marginalized communities in Vancouver opportunities for artistic self-discovery. She teaches the aesthetics of co-creation in the Liberal Arts and 55+ Program at Simon Fraser University. She lives in Vancouver, BC, and enjoys watercolour painting and hosting her salons.

Bronwyn Preece at the Whistler Public Library

May 14 07:00 pm

Join Bronwyn Preece, the author of knee deep in high water: riding the Muskwa-Kechika, expedition poems, for a reading at the Whistler Public Library. The event is free. All are welcome. 

Funded by the National Public Readings program/TWUC

Castlegar Event with Vera Maloff and Fred Samorodin

Brilliant Cultural Centre: 1876 Brilliant Road, Castlegar May 18 02:00 pm - May 18 04:00 pm

Vera Maloff shares Pete Maloff's recollections of Doukhobor leader Peter Lordly Verigin. She will be joined by fellow Doukhobor writer & editor Fred Samorodin. 

May 18th 

2-3 PM

Brilliant Cultural Centre: 1876 Brilliant Road, Castlegar

Fundraising pie and chai event to follow

Saskatoon Book Launch with Susan Blacklin

McNally Robinson Booksellers: 3130-8th Street East, Saskatoon May 31 07:00 pm

Join SUSAN BLACKLIN for the Saskatoon launch of WATER CONFIDENTIAL: WITNESSING JUSTICE DENIED (CAITLIN PRESS).

This event will be hosted live in the Travel Alcove and also available as a simultaneous YouTube stream.In Water Confidential, Susan Blacklin recounts her decades-long dedication alongside her late ex-husband, Dr. Hans Peterson, to secure safe drinking water for First Nations and rural communities in Canada. Beginning with Peterson's pioneering research in 1996, they established the Safe Drinking Water Foundation (SDWF), developing innovative water treatment technology and educational programs. Despite progress, many communities still lack access to safe water. Blacklin advocates for federal regulations and transparent science-based policies to address the ongoing crisis. In this timely memoir, Blacklin reflects on her fundraising, activism, and negotiations with governments, while underscoring the urgent need for equitable access to clean water.“Dr. Hans Peterson was an ally to the nation. Our message to other First Nations Leaders is to search for those allies, not just consultants, but experts that care because they will go the distance for your people. Our message to Canadians is to be those allies because if First Nations communities thrive, so does Canada." —Chief John Machiskinic, Yellow Quill First Nation“That Hans and Sue had to undertake what they did is an indictment of Canada’s attitude to Indigenous communities, even when it comes to basic human rights.” —Dr. John O’Connor, family physician, and health advocate, Northern AlbertaSusan Blacklin was born near London, UK, and later moved to Canada. She supported her late ex-husband, Dr. Hans Peterson, in founding the Safe Drinking Water Foundation; they devoted fifteen years of their lives to bringing safe drinking water to First Nations and rural communities.