Room magazine is celebrating 40 years of publishing women with a three-day festival of panels, workshops and readings in Vancouver March 8-12, 2017.
Here are some of the people involved!
Amber Dawn, Marianne Apostolides, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Carleigh Baker, Adèle Barclay, Meghan Bell, Juliane Okot Bitek, Ali Blythe, Nicole Breit, Kat Cameron, Roxanne Charles, Cyndia Cole, Karla Comanda, Lorna Crozier, Francine Cunningham, Jen Currin, Dina Del Bucchia, Junie Désil, Samantha deVries-Hofman, Dora Dueck, barbara findlay, Cynthia Flood, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Chantal Gibson, Hiromi Goto, Jane Eaton Hamilton, Rachel Hartman, Leah Horlick, Aislinn Hunter, June Hutton, Kyla Jamieson, Rachel Jansen, Vici Johnstone, Jónína Kirton, Chelene Knight, Sonnet L’Abbé, Fiona Tinwei Lam, Doretta Lau, Evelyn Lau, Jen Sookfong Lee, Alex Leslie, Christine Lowther, Carrie Mac, Tanis MacDonald, Alessandra Naccarato, Kellee Ngan, Nilofar Shidmehr, Sylvia Symons, Audrey Thomas, Betsy Warland, Beni Xiao, Jennifer Zilm, Daniel Zomparelli
I am delighted to be on two panels; one as a participant and one as a moderator. Due to place constraints most events need tickets to keep track of attendance numbers.
Both panels “sold out” of free tickets right away but organizers added more seats so I hope you can come. There are lots of other events that I am going to attend – the scope of the festival is pretty amazing.
The Only Way Out is Through: Writing About Trauma
Evelyn Lau, Christine Lowther, Sonnet L’Abbé | Moderator: Elee Kraljii Gardiner
March 11, 10:30am–12:00pm | Free | Multipurpose Room #2 @ Creekside Community Centre
Many of us seek to escape the traumatic memories that haunt us—to heal and move on from the things that have happened to us. Could writing be a way through? Many recommend writing as a method of healing from trauma, but it’s easier said than done. Join Evelyn Lau, Christine Lowther, Sonnet L’Abbé, and Elee Kraljii Gardiner for a powerful discussion about sitting with your memories and leaving it all on the page.
Writing in (the) Community
Leah Horlick, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Audrey Thomas | Moderator: Amber Dawn
March 12, 10:30am–12:00pm | Free | Multipurpose Room #2 @ Creekside Community Centre
In his acceptance speech for the National Book Award in 2016, Colson Whitehead said, “Be kind to everybody, make art, and fight the power.” Writing of all kinds has always been central to the fight against systemic oppression and injustice—and now, more than ever. As we move forward into an uncertain future, and fight to have our voices heard, writers and community activators Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Leah Horlick, Amber Dawn, and Audrey Thomas discuss writing against the grain and creating spaces for everyone to speak their truth.
