Passages: Gerry Gilbert 1936 - 2009

Tuesday, April 7, 1936 - Friday, June 19, 2009
Gerry, poet, moved into the past tense Friday in Vancouver after a lifetime dedicated to writing, photography and art. He will be greatly missed by his son Jeremy in Toronto and daughter Tamsin Bragg (Ritchie) in Saltspring Island, and by his grandchildren Cassandra and Drew Storey in Saltspring, and Matilda in Toronto.
Gerry was pre-deceased by his daughter Lara, sister Linda, and parents Ralph and Betty, all of Vancouver.
Gerry, once called the "Jude the Obscure of the Vancouver poetry scene," published many books of poetry and prose, including "Moby Jane," "Grounds" and "Azure Blues" and was for many years host of "radiofreerainforest" on Co-op radio.
He published "BC Monthly," a writing journal, and had numerous photographic and audio-visual exhibitions. Through BC Monthly and radiofreerainforest, he was the most active of all the poets in the Vancouver poetry community in promoting and supporting the work of other poets from all the many groups and schools in the city. He lived for the last 40 years in and around Vancouver's Downtown East Side, subsisting on his writing. His family would like to extend their gratitude to Marlene Swidzinsky and James Campbell, Jamie and Carol Reid, and the staff of St. Paul's Hospital palliative ward. Gerry's ashes will be spread over the waters by Jericho Beach, to join his family there who preceded him.

There will also be a gathering in Vancouver - A Memorial Celebration - for Gerry Gilbert at 2:00pm on Saturday, August 15 at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews - on Pacific Avenue between Davie and Drake. Tasmin Gilbert Bragg and Jeremy Gilbert warmly invite you to attend. For further information: dadababy@shaw.ca

News: Seattle’s Standup Poet and Minimalist Jug Band Among 100 Unique Performers at the Summer Dream Festival (August 19 – 29)

Vancouver, BC – Once again, this unique festival packs it stages with some of the most dynamic and eclectic performers in the arts community. Among them are Seattle’s Jack McCarthy and Al Mader – Vancouver’s one-and-only Minimalist Jug Band.

Jack McCarthy was born in Massachusetts and now lives in Seattle, Washington. He began writing poetry in the 1960s, but did not begin performing his works for audiences until the 1990s. It was then that he was introduced to slam poetry at the Cantab Lounge in Boston, Massachusetts, after intending to get his daughter interested in the art form. McCarthy has described his performance style as "stand-up poetry," or that he is a "stand-up poet," in that the work he does on stage is not subject to a specific regimen of poetic style, but is loose enough in form to be humorous and performed in a manner similar to that of stand-up comedy. He was awarded "Best Standup Poet" by the Boston Phoenix in the 1990s. In short time, McCarthy has placed himself into a niche of spoken word that had long been unnoticed: the funny character. His storytelling and humor are well regarded within the performance poetry community. McCarthy has relocated with his wife to the Seattle, Washington area and can be found performing at the Seattle Poetry Slam and other such events in the Pacific Northwest. In 1996, McCarthy competed and took a spot on the Boston poetry slam team and went to the National Poetry Slam held that year in Portland, Oregon.

Al Mader- The Minimalist Jug Band, is somewhat of a local legend and perhaps one of the most original performers on the Vancouver Spoken Word scene. He’s been called a cross between Johnny Cash and Steven Wright and his performance (in which he accompanies himself on a simple washtub bass and on delightful occasion, a plastic banana harmonica) is best-described as a fusion of rockabilly and beatnik jazz. Something of a poet’s poet, Mader’s songs are often homaged by other artists. His “Dead Man’s Pants” has become a house party anthem. Check him out performing it here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftVDyrK5PbQ
Lately he has been collaborating with Folk singer/songwriter Petunia, to produce an even deeper and broader range of music and spoken word.
Photo by: Kat Kosiancic

Other poetic notables in the festival include Vancouver’s first poet laureate George McWhirter, radio personality and poetry slam guru RC Weslowski (Wax Poetic CFRO 102.7fm), Dorothy Livesay Poetry Award winners Rita Wong and Evelyn Lau.

The festival kicks off on August 19th with a special reading at the Jewish Community Centre where featured poets Fran Bourassa, Christine LeClerc, Christy Hill, Daniela Elza and Steve Duncan will read poetry inspired by artist Linda Frimer’s work.
The main event happens on Saturday, August 22nd with a free, all-day, large scale happening at Lumberman’s Arch in Stanley Park, showcasing the talents of numerous musicians, spoken word artists and storytellers, children’s entertainers, dancers, as well as resource tables and panel discussions by writing and publishing experts. The festival will also be holding 2 days of workshops (Aug. 23rd and 29th) designed to help writers grow professionally and creatively. Some topics and facilitators include S.R. Duncan talking about chapbook design and marketing; and Jen Currin unraveling the mysteries of the prose poem. For more information about the workshops, or to register, contact Bonnie Nish at blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca
Pre-registration and payment is necessary. Spaces are limited so sign-up now or be disappointed. For media information and full festival details visit http://www.pandorascollective.com/sdrfestival.html
or call Steve Duncan at 604-788-8340. srduncan@shaw.ca.

Pandora’s Collective would like to thank the following sponsors for making this event possible: Giest, Vancouver Review, Subterrain, Event, Room With A View, 3 Day Novel Contest, Prism, Capilano Review, One Cool Word, Vancouver Story Tellers, Vancouver Public Library, Quills, Nestor's Market, Graphic design by CWCLCOGY with Wera, Vancouver Parks Board, 2008 Celebrations Grant c/o The City of Vancouver and The Office of Cultural Affairs, CBS Outdoor, Starbucks, VanCity, Christianne's Lyceum, Coast Capital Savings, The Federation of BC Writers, Burnaby Writers Society, Industrial Alliance Pacific Life Insurance Company, BC Poetry, Jaffer Speech and Language Services, Irene Livingston, Don Simpson, Joyce Statton, Randy Jacobs, Bernice Lever, Andrea Winterbottom and Robin Susanto.

Come be a part of Vancouver’s best-kept summer secret!

July 8, 2009 ~ Alyx Dellamonica

Alyx Dellamonica is a Vancouver writer whose first novel, the apocalyptic fantasy INDIGO SPRINGS, will be in bookstores this November. Filled with sexual tension, unrequited love, messy ethical dilemmas and an ecologically unbalanced form of magic, the book tells the story of three friends who inadvertently cause the mystical equivalent of a nuclear meltdown in a small town in Oregon.

Dellamonica's fiction began to appear in print in 1986, and despite repeated washings, remains in circulation in a variety of print and on-line locales. Her alternate history of Joan of Arc, "A Key to the Illuminated Heretic," was short-listed for the 2005 Sidewise Award and in 2006 she was awarded a Canada Council for the Arts' Grant for Emerging Artists for her novel THE WINTERGIRLS. She teaches writing through the UCLA Extension Writers' Program.

In her spare time, she sings alto in the Vancouver Lesbian and Gay Choir, gardens, and is an avid digital photographer. Her twenty-year marriage to wine enthusiast Kelly Robson became legal in 2005.

"Being a writer is like being Spiderman. It may not always be easy--at times, it can be terribly hard. The highs are stratospheric, while the lows... occasionally, you even want to quit. But storytelling is a form of superpower; once it gets hold of a person, it will express itself one way or another. The trick is to find a way to tell your tales, to the best of your ability, while living a full and vibrant life."