October is Canadian Library Month. Did you know that there are close to 600 distinct public library systems, with almost 3000 branches across the country? Canadians make over 300 million visits in person to public, academic, and school libraries each year. Our Vancouver Public Library system is the third largest in Canada, with over 373,000 cardholders and more than 9 million items borrowed annually. What I'm trying to say is, if you've been meaning show your library love, there's no better time and no better way of showing your appreciation than checking out some of the myriad bookish goings-on in these coming weeks. Read on for top picks of where to go and who to see, from yours truly. If you have a literary event coming up and would like to be featured in next month's preview, email [email protected].
VPL Touch - October 4th
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The Vancouver Public Library Foundation is hosting an evening of entertainment and innovation, with inter-active technologies and installations, live performances, and signature cocktails this Friday. An impressive silent auction will offer mentoring sessions from the VP of Pixar to Canucks Owner Francesco Aquilini, as well as some of Vancouver's most influential digerati. Proceeds from the Touch event directly support the VPL's Inspiration Lab initiative. You'll be helping to equip a bold, energetic space with state of the art technology: sound studio, video editing, and self-publishing support for all Vancouverites to enjoy. A special presentation of Canadian authors Jen Sookfong Lee and Steve Burgess will have local artists bring their short stories to life in real time. |
VPL Atrium, 350 West Georgia Street |
Book Launch: The Dilettantes - October 4th
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Pulp Fiction Books, 2422 Main Street |
The Wayzgooze Printing Fair - October 5th
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Originally, the Wayzgoose used to be a goose dinner offered by a young printer at the end of his apprentice-ship to all those who had helped him. Later, it came to represent the annual party that printing houses would hold at the end of summer, before printers went back to working by candlelight. Today the Wayzgoose is a wonderful occasion for the printing industry to exhibit their work and to connect with the public. This year’s Wayzgoose brings together a wide range of printing presses, book artists and associations, all of them from BC, except for JackPine Press, travelling all the way from Saskatoon. The public will be treated to exciting demonstrations by fair participants, including book-binding and paper marbling. Books, ephemera and bookbinding equipment will be for sale. |
Alice MacKay Room, VPL Central Branch |
The Vancouver Art Book Fair - October 5th & 6th
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Part of a network international art book fairs taking place around the globe, VA/BF puts Vancouver artists on an international stage and brings artist publishing from around the world to our city. At a time when speculators bemoan "the death of print," artists aided by digital modes of production and distribution are reinventing the notion of the book and producing an unprecedented amount of material falling into the broad categorization of artists' publishing.Spanning all four floors of the Annex, VA/BF will include three rooms of publishers sharing and selling their wares, performances, panels, work-shops, artist talks, installations and more. |
Saturday and Sunday, October 5th & 6th |
Lightweb Darkweb: an evening with Raffi - October 9th
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VPL Central Branch, 350 West Georgia Street |
Poetry Party: The Book of Scraps - October 10th
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Western Front, 303 East 8th Avenue |
Plain Language Conference - October 10th-13th
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Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites, 1763 Comox Street |
Book Launch: Sinuous - October 11th
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Lydia Kwa launches sinuous, her newest collection of poetry at UNIT/PITT Projects (formerly the Helen Pitt Gallery). |
UNIT/PITT Projects, 236 East Pender Street |
Vancouver Writers Festival - October 22nd - 27th
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This year marks the 25th glorious turn of this annual touchstone event - a kind of early Christmas for all us book fiends and library loafers. This year boasts over 80 events over six days, including five Giller Prize nominees (Joseph Boyden, Wayne Grady, Wayne Johnston, Lisa Moore and Michael Winter), Margaret Atwood, Douglas Coupland, Rachel Kushner, Michelle Tremblay, Earl Lovelace, Anne Michales, Nadeem Aslam, George Packer... The list just goes on. There is something for everyone. It's just a matter of looking, and managing to score tickets. Hop to it before they're all gone! |
Various venues, Granville Island |