Friday March 26th @ 8PM
Tickets available in advance at Gallery Vertigo, #1-3001-31st Street, Vernon, BC,  or at the door.

"a very talented, professional performer... He captured the audience and held them with his superb musicianship and beautiful lyrics." -Shann Gowan
Music Director, Long Day‚s Night Music Fest.  Swift Current, SK

"An absolute pleasure to hear live, this very talented songwriter is reminiscent of Bob Dylan, weaving great tales and melodies with his guitar and harmonica." -Julie Fowler, Artistic Director, Artswells Festival of All Things Art, Wells, BC

„I'd never heard of Trevor Caswell before but I'm sure everyone there will remember his name..."
-Glenna Turnbull, Capital News, Kelowna, BC

"Trevor's unique style & well crafted material captivated the audience at The Moonshine. We look forward to a return engagement..." -John Marlatt
Prop. The Moonshine Café Oakville, ON

"an engaging, humorous and thoughtful songsmith and poet..." -Paul Crawford, AGSO Curator

A guitar and a harmonica, a scorching summer and a cool basement, Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" in the CD player, a Bob Dylan songbook on a music stand, and endless Beatles songs in the DNA (having heard them since the womb)- it's the setting and the stew for Trevor Caswell and his music. A glorious summer where a friend left that harmonica behind, so Trevor wandered down to the local music shop and picked up a rack to hold it the way his heroes did. Nothing to do then, but head out onto the streets and start busking- banging and hollering! Dylan, Guthrie, Leadbelly- those classic folk styles served him well, and continue to do so...

Trevor's original music is highlighted by disarming, socially conscious lyrics alongside great songcraft and a touch of sly humour. His CD releases include 2001's "Serenade", 2003's "Another Something", and 2006's "Mr. Poirier". Each release has built upon that singer/songwriter model with Mr. Poirier branching out into 1960s pop territory and being described as having "a delightfully progressive, gentle feel". The winter of 2008 brought the well received "Folksinger Blues" featuring a group of acoustic blues songs that Trevor had been performing as encores to enthusiastic crowds over the prior years.

"An absolute pleasure to hear live" Trevor's performances can range from intimate solo shows to appearances with a full band including violin and cello. With the addition of a National steel guitar and that ever present harmonica, seeing Trevor live is a definite treat. Currently basing himself out of Kamloops, B.C. he tours between that province and Ontario, and his songs can be heard on radio across Canada. His festival appearances have included the Komasket Music Festival, Artswells Festival, Morfee Mountain Music Festival and the Long Day's Night Music Festival. 

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22 Mar 2010

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Invocations

READINGS FOR RYGA
» Thursday 25 March 2010 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as writer and editor Sean Johnston, artist Jude Clarke and special guests introduce the new issue of the groundbreaking literary publication Ryga: A Journal of Provocations.

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» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE

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Writers Explore the Imagined Weight of Art at 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, which last year was 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 Thursday, March 25th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Invocations: Readings for Ryga. Join us as writer and editor Sean Johnston, artist Jude Clarke and special guests introduce the new issue of the groundbreaking literary publication Ryga: A Journal of Provocations.

This is the first 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."

Jude Clarke is a visual artist and author living in Vernon BC. She was trained in visual arts at Notre Dame University in Nelson, Three Schools in Toronto and the University of Regina. She has been exhibiting her work in private and public art galleries for over twenty-five years. She is the author of The Language of Water, a literary work of non-fiction published by Thistledown Press, Saskatoon, in 2002. She is currently working on a writing/painting collaborative project with her husband, writer John Lent, and is also preparing work for a five-person exhibition at Cityscape Gallery in North Vancouver, June/July 2010.

Of the image, Midnight Over Kalamalka which appears on the cover of the second issue of Ryga, she writes, "You are floating on your back in Kalamalka Lake. At the edge of your vision is the shoreline. You watch the sun drop with a final benevolent glint behind the far mountain. You hear children splashing and the distant drone of a helicopter scanning the mountains for wildfire. Far beneath you, shadows are held motionless, weighted to the floor of the lake. They are rising now, breaking the water's surface, finding air in the wide-open sky. They shift, break apart, form shape, take on colour, drift into line, chatter, and rise further. They are unremorseful children, thumbing their noses at gravity. It is impossible to deny their invitation, their beckoning, so you let go, feel your body lift and rise above the surface of the water. There now. You are airborne."

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE


Invocations: Readings for Ryga takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 131st event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007.
Express 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, 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.

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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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20 Mar 2010

Some fabulous literary events at UBC Okanagan over the next two weeks!
 
World Water Day Poetry Slam!—Tuesday, March 23, 2 – 4 PM – the Ballroom at the University Centre (UNC 200) at UBC Okanagan. 

Slam about water for prizes.  Contact ubcowaterworks@gmail.com for more info about registering.
 
Lisa Robertson:  one of Canada’s most gifted experimental writers, will appear on Friday, March 26  at 7 PM at the Alternator Gallery, 421 Cawston Avenue, Kelowna. 

Her books include XEclogue, Debbie: An Epic, The Weather, Occasional Work and Seven Walks from the Office for Soft Architecture, The Men and most recently Magenta Soul Whip.  Rousseau’s Boat will be out this spring.  She currently teaches at California College of the Arts in San Francisco, and in Fall 2010 will be writer in residence at Simon Fraser University.  This reading is sponsored by The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okangan, the Canada Council for the Arts, UBC Okanagan Bookstore and the Alternator Gallery.  The reading is free of charge and open to the public.  For more information, contact Michael V. Smith at 250-807-9706 or email at michael.v.smith@ubc.ca.
 
Building a Career as a Fiction Writer—Free workshop in ARTS 115 at UBC Okanagan, 1:30 – 3:30, Tuesday, March 30. 

The Department of Creative Studies at UBC Okanagan invites the public to join editor Chris LabontО (Acquiring Editor, Fiction -- Douglas & McIntyre),  Ian Weir (an award-winning screenwriter, playwright and novelist) and Adam Lewis Schroeder (novelist and short story writer) as they conduct a blend of lecture and lively discussion, providing professional advice and practical tools for individuals interested in building a successful career as a fiction writer.   Topics include tips on how to write effective query letters; strategies for approaching publishers, editors, and agents; and insights on completing grant applications. Also discussed: marketing and self-promotion; working with magazine and book editors; negotiating a book contract; pitching; and making a living when writing income is sparse.   Call Nancy Holmes at 250-807-9369 or email nancy.holmes@ubc.ca for  more information.

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17 Mar 2010

Ken Smedley and The George Ryga Centre are pleased to present -  “The 15th Annual Bill Henderson/Roy Forbes Songwriters Showcase” – featuring Songwriters from across Western Canada – on Friday, April 16, 8 p.m. at Centre Stage Theatre in Summerland. Advance tickets available immediately at

Martin’s Flowers(next to Nester’s), Summerland(Ph. 250-494-5432) and

The Dragon’s Den, Penticton (Ph. 250-492-3011).

Canadian recording/producing legends Bill Henderson – renowned as the lead Guitarist/vocalist for his band CHILLIWACK – and Roy Forbes(aka BIM), will perform a “rare duo Concert” – the only time, anywhere, they perform as a “duo”- in the spring each year in the S. Okanagan. Traditionally, the past 15 years they’ve shared the stage with a select number of “songwriters”, in this celebrated evening, that showcases some of the emerging songwriting talents - attending their Songwriting Workshop (at The George Ryga Centre) - from throughout the Okanagan and across Western Canada.

The Showcase and Workshop are produced by Ken Smedley.

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16 Mar 2010

The Lake Country Art Gallery Society is preparing to open its second show at the new public venue.
The Art Gallery displays exhibitions by local artists and those from other regions. The popular
inaugural exhibition, Celebrating Lake Country, included a variety of works by 21 local artists.

The new themed exhibition, a juried show entitled Sculpture Partners With Abstract, will consist
of both 2D and 3D works by local artists.
“The jury was very pleased with the sizeable number of entries for the next exhibition. There were
many strong and interesting submissions from a number of artists,” said Sharon McCoubrey, Chair
of the Lake Country Art Gallery Society. “With over eighty works submitted, we believe that the
selected pieces will create a unique and varied exhibition that showcases the artists talents.”
Sculpture Partners With Abstract will be available for public viewing during normal Gallery hours
beginning Thursday March 18. The Gallery will celebrate the new exhibition with a public reception
on Sunday March 21 beginning at 1:30pm. Winter hours of the Lake Country Art Gallery are
Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 4pm, and Sundays from 12pm – 4pm.

A volunteer committee of local artists and residents administers the Lake Country Art Gallery.
Volunteering is a great way to provide support and meet community members and visitors.
Memberships are also an essential means of support to ensure the success of the venue. Admission
to the Lake Country Art Gallery is free so that all have the opportunity to visit, and everyone
interested in supporting local artists is encouraged to purchase a membership to the Gallery, which
are very reasonably priced and offer several additional benefits.

The Mission of the Lake Country Art Gallery is: To celebrate art as an essential part of the human experience,
enhancing our community through art and art experiences. For more information, or to volunteer, receive a
membership package, or make a donation, please visit the Gallery at 10356A Bottom Wood Lake
Rd, email lakecountryartgallery@telus.net or call 250-766-1299. Please also visit their blog
at http://www.lakecountryartgallery.blogspot.com

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12 Mar 2010