Talking Stick for writers

Lively City column by Dan Hilborn
Published Jan. 14, 2006



When the Talking Stick Festival comes to Vancouver later this month, one of Burnaby's most successful fiction writers will be holding a place of honour.

Richard Wagamese, one of Canada's most successful and prolific native authors and a resident of the Heights area in North Burnaby, will host a reading and a workshop with several other indigenous authors during the annual festival.

"I decided to get involved because it was the Talking Stick Festival," said Wagamese, a 50-year-old Ojibway native from the Wabasseemoong First Nation in northwest Ontario. "We (indigenous authors) don't have as visible a position as writers and storytellers as we should, and it's important that people know that aboriginal writers are making significant inroads in fiction, poetry and writing in general in Canada."

Talking Stick Festival, which runs Jan. 29 to Feb. 5 at a variety of venues in Vancouver, is a celebration of aboriginal performance and art, featuring theatre, storytelling, reading, writers, music and dance by local, national and international Aboriginal artists.

Wagamese, who is featured in the Canadian Who's Who, was the first native Canadian to win a national newspaper award for column writing. A scriptwriter for the CBC-Alliance TV series North of 60, he will is featured in two events in the festival's original writers series.

These will be among just a few public appearances for Wagamese since he moved to Burnaby several years ago.

Last year, he was featured in the Burnaby NOW when he started up a writing circle hosted at a coffee shop near his home. This year, he hopes to hold a similar workshop, which he calls The Sacred Breath, for aspiring writers.

"It's about freeing the authentic voice, teaching people traditional ritual and ceremony and at the same time showing them how to create a story and ideas spontaneously," he said. "The reason I spend so much time and energy honing my craft is that I recognize the importance of story.

"As a writer, I hold a less prominent position than the story itself. It's channeled through me, but ultimately, it's the words of the people who inhabit the story that are important.

Wagamese will read from his novel For Joshua and the upcoming book Dream Wheels at the Chapters bookstore at 778 Robson St., at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 1.

He will then be joined by UBC professor Richard Van Camp, former Governor General's Award nominee Louise Halfe and Garry Gottfriedson in a group reading at the Roundhouse community centre, at Davie and Pacific Blvd., at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4.

For information on his Sacred breath workshop, call him at home, at 604-605-3077.

ARCHEOLOGY ON THE WEB

Speaking of First Nations and their relation to modern art - check out the award-winning archeology website from the Simon Fraser University museum.

The website features stunning graphics and interactive games for children, plus lots of resource material and information for adults and researchers.

If you are interested in the early history of British Columbia, and how it might have looked as seen through the eyes of some SFU's top graphic artists, then fire up your web-browser and surf to www.sfu.museum/journey.

ROMANE IS COMING

World renowned hypnotist Romane is coming to the Michael J. Fox Theatre next month to help you quit smoking.

M. Vance Romane is a certified master hypnotherapist and a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists has been helping people stop smoking for more than 40 years.

He will share how the power of suggestion can help you enjoy a better life, and how to use you own subconscious mind to overcome the most difficult obstacles.

"When your mind is concentrated and you are told that you are a nonsmoker, you believe it," he said. "Repeat that suggestion strongly and emotionally often enough, and you have a new nonsmoker."

The seminar will also be helpful to people who are trying to lose weight or want to be more relaxed and calm during stressful days.

"Most people have trouble keeping New Year's resolutions because they were attempting to create these changes from their conscious mind, which is using will power," he said in a press release. "You need to use the power of your inner subconscious mind, and your imagination."

Romane will be at the Michael J. Fox Theatre for one night only, Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are available through Ticketmaster, charge by phone at 604 280-4444.

GRAPHICS FOR THE MASSES

Students at the Art Institute of Vancouver, Burnaby campus are looking for a few good not-for-profit agencies that could use a helping hand with their publicity.

Students from the graphic design and multimedia programs at the school are available to do pro-bono work for deserving causes, said a press release issued by the school earlier this month.

Among the many services available are logo development, poster design, video projects, brochures, flyers, postcards, and other marketing collateral material. The school will select projects that are a good fit for their educational programs and goals and the services for accepted projects are provided at no charge.

Not-for-profit groups must fill out the Community Art Resource Exchange (CARE) request form at the Art Institute website at www.aiv.aii.edu/pdf/care.pdf. The school will review all the requests and make its decision based on feasibility and the potential match with upcoming class projects.