Irish Poetry Nights

In association with Semiahmoo Arts, the Irish Club Of White Rock is pleased to announce a series of Irish Poetry Nights, to be held the third Wednesday of each month at White Rock’s Slainte By The Pier Gastrobar on Marine Drive. Volunteers from the Irish Club will assist with readings and also present their favourite poets in subsequent months. Other poets to be featured in the series are Seamus Heaney, Louis MacNeice, WB Yeats, Medbh McGuckian and JM Synge.

The readings are intended for anyone wishing to discover and enjoy Ireland’s poets, delivered in Irish accents and in the comfortable ambience of an Irish pub.

Anyone interested in volunteering to lead or read for the remainder of the series should contact Ray Fynes 604.542.3667.

The next reading is presented by Mary Fynes and takes place on Wednesday, May 15th at 7:30pm by leading an evening dedicated to Medbh McGuckian

This casual open mic is a chance for you to meet other local authors and share your work.

Come with plans to read, or just to listen. If you are planning to read, please come prepared, readers are limited to 6 minutes.

Second Thursday of the month, 7:30pm at the Pelican Rouge Coffee House in Central Plaza, (16th Avenue at 152nd Street).

Reader sign-up begins at 7:05pm, open to the public. Come early and enjoy one of the delicious treats or a special coffee.

Dates for 2013: January 10th, February 7th, March 14th, April 11th, May 9th and June 13th

Sponsored by Semiahmoo Arts and Pelican Rouge Coffee House

Thursday, April 25, 7:30pm (Doors at 7 pm)
Pelican Rouge Coffee Co.  15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock
Presented by Semiahmoo Arts. No charge.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with two notable writers who between them cover a lot of literary territory. Catherine Owen is a Vancouver poet and writer, the author of nine collections of poetry, and the recipient of the 2009 Earle Birney Prize and the 2010 Alberta Poetry Prize. In 2012 she published Trobairitz (a series of poems focusing on the links amongst medieval troubadours, their female counterparts, and 21st-century metal music), and Catalysts: Confrontations with the Muse (a collection of essays). Warren Dean Fulton is the publisher of Pooka Press. When he’s not working on films, he produces literary events such as the popular Pub Crawl series, creates poetry videos and chapbooks, and publishes the Vancouver Poetry Calendar.

Join us for what promises to be a very entertaining edition of Readings by the Salish Sea, presented by Semiahmoo Arts. Thursday, April 25, 7:30 pm at the Pelican Rouge Coffee Co. (15142 – 16 Ave., White Rock.) No charge.

Saturday, April 6th, 2013
7:00pm | Semiahmoo Arts in Centennial Park
14600 North Bluff Road, White Rock

Can one person make a difference? Can a small group affect change? Join us for a special evening of readings, personal experiences, art and music by and about people working to create a better world through the arts.

Noted author and poet Penn Kemp has chosen Semiahmoo Arts for the inaugural West Coast book launch for her new anthology, Jack Layton: Art in Action. She has collected anecdotes about how Jack Layton inspired people from coast to coast, to work to create a better world. Kemp was made an honorary life member of the League of Canadian Poets, is a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and served as the inaugural Poet Laureate of London, Ontario. Jack Layton was her brother-in-law.Rounding out the evening, local advocates who have used the arts as a catalyst for change will make brief presentations about a variety social and environmental initiatives that have played out at the local, regional and provincial level. As well, Susan Keeping will be on hand to introduce Penn Kemp. There will be opportunities for the audience to engage interactively – with the speakers and in other ways. A no-host bar, art exhibition, decorative elements, and music will add ambiance. Kemp’s book will be available for purchase.

Catalyst for Change: Art in Action! is part of the Semiahmoo Arts literary series: Readings by the Salish Sea.

Fraser Valley Writing School

The Fraser Valley Writer’s School offers courses to the emerging and intermediary writer in the theory and technical aspects of writing as well as the latest information on the uses of social media, building a writer’s platform, and alternatives to traditional publishing like e-books and self-publishing. Students work towards their required sixty hours of classroom instruction to qualify for their Certificate in Creative Writing by completing courses presented as a combination of lecture, discussion, writing exercises and critiquing by instructors knowledgeable in their area of expertise. Here is a list of the Fraser Valley Writing School’s Classes for 2013.