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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Read Local BC
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260505T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260505T200000
DTSTAMP:20260723T161513
CREATED:20260316T183412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T183412Z
UID:49671-1778004000-1778011200@www.readlocalbc.ca
SUMMARY:Pretendianism
DESCRIPTION:Esteemed novelist Joseph Boyden\, acclaimed film director Michelle Latimer and former University of Saskatchewan professor Carrie Bourassa have all made front-page news in recent years for the same reason: each is alleged to have been a “pretendian.” \nThe term “pretendian” has come to refer to someone who claims distant Indigenous heritage that doesn’t stand up to deeper scrutiny. But why would someone fake an Indigenous identity? \nThat question is the premise of The Pretendians (2022)\, a documentary from The Passionate Eye and the latest film featuring Anishinaabe author and playwright Drew Hayden Taylor. The documentary follows his cross-Canada journey\, revealing what really lies behind this explosive issue. \nRating: PG / Runtime: 44 mins\nPresented in partnership with CBC Gem.\n— \nAfter the film\, join Cee Peal\, the 2026 VPL Storyteller in Residence for a discussion around Pretendianism and the harm and division that it creates in Indigenous communities. \n— \nCee Peal is a theatre artist from the Nisga’a First Nation of Northern B.C. now working in Vancouver on the traditional\, unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam)\, səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh)\, and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) peoples. He brings to the library his experience in storytelling\, theatre\, and image making\, drawing from his experience working as an actor\, director\, writer\, dancer\, and producer on various productions. With a passion for Indigenous studies and cultural evolution\, Cee is also the Indigenous outreach coordinator at The Cultch and the artistic associate at The Carmen Arts Group. \nTo find out more about Cee’s residency and keep up with his upcoming events visit: vpl.ca/storyteller
URL:https://www.readlocalbc.ca/event/pretendianism/
LOCATION:VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
CATEGORIES:Author Discussion,Panel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.readlocalbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ThePretendians.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Vancouver Public Library":MAILTO:candie.tanaka@vpl.ca
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260519T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260519T200000
DTSTAMP:20260723T161513
CREATED:20260316T180601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T180601Z
UID:50131-1779215400-1779220800@www.readlocalbc.ca
SUMMARY:The Flash of Fireflies: Writing the Short Story
DESCRIPTION:Celebrate short story month with four talented fiction writers\, Alix Ohlin\, Andrea Routley\, Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross\, and Shashi Bhat\, in conversation with local author Jen Currin about the art and craft of this wily and often misunderstood genre. \nAlix Ohlin’s most recent book\, the story collection We Want What We Want\, won a Lambda Literary Award. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker\, Best American Short Stories\, and many other places. She teaches creative writing at UBC. \nAndrea Routley is the author of the short-fiction collections This Unlikely Soil and Jane and the Whales\, and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction and the Malahat Review Novella Prize. She has taught creative writing in both institutional\, community\, and one-on-one settings\, with a focus on writing as an orientation to the world\, one that cultivates curiosity and compassion. She is the editor of Walk Myself Home: An Anthology to End Violence Against Women\, and was the founding editor of Plenitude\, Canada’s queer literary magazine. \nJacquelyn Zong-Li Ross is a writer and editor based in Vancouver\, the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam)\, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish)\, and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph\, and her fiction\, poetry\, essays\, and art criticism have appeared in BOMB\, C Mag\, The Ex-Puritan\, Fence\, Mousse\, and elsewhere. The Longest Way to Eat a Melon\, her debut collection of short fictions\, was published by Sarabande Books in 2025. \nShashi Bhat is the author of the story collection Death by a Thousand Cuts (McClelland & Stewart)\, and the novels The Most Precious Substance on Earth (M&S\, Grand Central)\, and The Family Took Shape (Cormorant). Her fiction received the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize\, the Writers’ Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize and a silver National Magazine Award. She has been a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for fiction\, the Danuta Gleed Award\, the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award\, and other prizes\, and was longlisted for the Giller Prize. Shashi’s work has appeared in publications across North America\, including Hazlitt\, The Fiddlehead\, The Malahat Review\, Best Canadian Stories\, and The Journey Prize Stories. She is the editor-in-chief of EVENT and teaches creative writing at Douglas College. \nJen Currin has published two collections of stories\, Hider/Seeker (Anvil\, 2018) and Disembark (House of Anansi\, 2024)\, and five collections of poetry\, most recently Trinity Street (Houseof Anansi\, 2023). Currin lives on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Halkomelem-speaking peoples\, including the Qayqayt\, Musqueam\, Kwikwetlem\, and Kwantlen Nations\, in New Westminster\, BC. They teach creative writing and English upgrading at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
URL:https://www.readlocalbc.ca/event/the-flash-of-fireflies-writing-the-short-story/
LOCATION:VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Meet & Greet,Panel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.readlocalbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/shortstory.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Vancouver Public Library":MAILTO:candie.tanaka@vpl.ca
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260627T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260628T200000
DTSTAMP:20260723T161513
CREATED:20260525T220811Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260525T220811Z
UID:54600-1782565200-1782676800@www.readlocalbc.ca
SUMMARY:LiterASIAN 2026: Re-Generation
DESCRIPTION:The LiterASIAN Festival returns for its 14th annual edition with “Re-Generation\,” a timely exploration of how Asian Canadian writers are reshaping literary culture today. \nRunning from June 27-28 across Vancouver\, the festival brings together leading and emerging voices for a national celebration of storytelling\, community\, and creative exchange. \nWidely recognized as Canada’s premier festival dedicated to Asian Canadian literature\, LiterASIAN 2026 spotlights a new generation of writers who are reimagining inherited narratives and pushing the boundaries of form\, voice\, and identity. \nThis year’s lineup features Jinwoo Park (Oxford Soju Club)\, Evelyn Lau (Parade of Storms)\, Yasuko Thanh (To the Bridge)\, Larry Grant and Scott Steedman (Reconciling)\, Kagan Goh (Surviving Samsara)\, Steffi Tad-y (Notes from the Ward)\, Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho (Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street)\, and Keiko Honda (Hidden Flowers). \nAdditional speakers include Jessica Gin-Jade Chan (former Ricepaper Editor-in-Chief)\, Bonnie Quan Symons (poet and chapbook author)\, and Taslim Jaffer (editor\, writer\, and professor at the University of King’s College MFA program). \nFestival programming includes feature readings\, panel discussions\, and workshops. Events will take place at leading cultural and literary venues across Vancouver\, including the Chinatown Storytelling Centre\, the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum\, and Centre A: Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. \n“Fifty years after Inalienable Rice\, the first anthology of Asian Canadian writing\, we are witnessing a renewal\,” said Festival Director Allan Cho. “LiterASIAN 2026 brings together writers who are not only reflecting on cultural inheritance\, but actively transforming it.” \nHighlights include: \n● Literary Walking Tour — A guided exploration of Vancouver’s Chinatown through history and literature with filmmaker and photographer Larry Chin \n● Emerging Writers Showcase — Featuring new voices from the Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers’ Award \n● Writing Workshop — Exploring expressive writing as a practice for reflection and healing \n● Chapbook-Making Class — A hands-on introduction to editing\, sequencing\, and design for a cohesive\, self-published work \n● ACWW Community Builders Award — Honouring leadership in advancing racial equity in Asian Canadian communities \n● Live Drafting Session — An intimate\, behind-the-scenes look at writers developing new work in real time \nLiterASIAN 2026: Re-Generation is presented by the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW)\, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts\, ACCESS Copyright Foundation\, the Department of Canadian Heritage\, the City of Vancouver\, and community partners. \nFor tickets and full program details\, please visit www.literasian.com.
URL:https://www.readlocalbc.ca/event/literasian-2026-re-generation/
LOCATION:Chinese Cultural Centre Museum\, 555 Columbia Street\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6A 3X3\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Author Discussion,Festival,Panel,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.readlocalbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/LiterASIAN-2026-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Asian Canadian Writers Workshop":MAILTO:allancho@asiancanadianwriters.ca
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260720T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260720T200000
DTSTAMP:20260723T161513
CREATED:20260625T002842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T002842Z
UID:56441-1784568600-1784577600@www.readlocalbc.ca
SUMMARY:Contemporary Romance for a Swoon-worthy Summer
DESCRIPTION:What’s not to love about the huge surging interest in romance books and ebooks? With #RomanceRecs\, #BookTok and #FriendsToLovers hashtags influencing reader behaviour find out what’s hot in the world of romance at the library. \nJoin us for a sweet summer social hangout with workshops\, author readings\, meet and greets with local romance authors and more! Bring your favourite books to discuss and recommend to the community. \nThis event features local Mother-Daughter romance authors Jody Holford (AKA Sophie Sullivan) and Kalie Holford\, Lily Miller\, Lindsay Maple\, Hunter Snow\, Sara Blaydes\, Sophie Sullivan\, Anthony Nerada\, and Julia Jarret. Joining as well will be moderators Amy Pelletier (Perfect Match) and Courtney and Lauren from River City Reader Events. \nIn partnership with Perfect Match Bookshop (Vancouver’s first romance bookstore).
URL:https://www.readlocalbc.ca/event/contemporary-romance-for-a-swoon-worthy-summer/
LOCATION:VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL LIBRARY
CATEGORIES:Meet & Greet,Panel,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.readlocalbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Book-Covers-Romance-Event.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Vancouver Public Library":MAILTO:candie.tanaka@vpl.ca
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