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Executive Directors
 Executive
Director/Founding Member -
Bonnie L. Nish is founder of Twisted Poets Open Mic. She is also the
co-founder of Under the Elephant an open mic night, and Pandora's Collective and
The Kitsilano Writing Group both writing collectives in Vancouver BC. A
captivating storyteller, Bonnie allows us to see the world in a slightly unique
way, presenting a refreshing view of life through her poetry. Published widely
throughout North America you may view some of her work (both poetry, prose and
book reviews) in the anthologies, "Undercurrents," and "Quills," and on-line at
luluzine.com, hackwriters.com and greenboathouse.com. In September 2001,
Bonnie's poem "Don Quixote's Love Song," a grand prize winner in the Artist's
Embassy International Dancing Poetry Contest, was performed at the California
Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Bonnie has her BA in English
Literature from the University of Toronto.
www.angelfire.com/art/bonnienish/
View Bonnie's
Extended Resume,
Poets Diectory Page,
Poetry
 Executive
Director/Founding Member -
Sita Carboni has been featured throughout the Lower-mainland at various
events including The World Poetry Readings Series, The Word on the Street and
The North Shore Writers Festival. Her poetry can be found in literary journals
and e-zines including, Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine, The Blueprint Review and
goodgoshalmighty.com. Her love for life has made her a mainstay in the local
poetry community as a writer, reader and promoter of the arts. She is a member
of the Federation of BC Writers and co-founder of the Kitsilano Writers Group,
Word Whips Writing Series and Pandora's Collective. She enjoys the creativity of
authors such as Salmon Rushdie, Jose Saramago and Joy Kogawa and hopes to one
day learn how to sculpt, combining words with three dimensional form.
View Sita's
Extended Resume,
Poets Directory Page,
Poetry
Board
Of Directors
 President:
Mike Peacock is a piano player and singer/songwriter. He is a founding
member of Vancouver-based Band Melic Thrum and co-founder of Peppercorn
Productions. He holds a diploma in Jazz performance from G.M.C.C. in Edmonton
with distinction. He is the principal of a small development company which
specializes in custom home craftsmanship and commercial installations including
architectural stretch ceilings. Mike's love for jazz music has fuelled his
musical growth for the past 15 years and his love of the obscure has helped
maintain a commercially enviable existence in the entertainment industry. Mike
brings his love for the arts and his business experience to Pandora's Board
hoping to help them on their mission to promote good art in an unconstrained
environment for all to experience and enjoy!
Melic Thrum -
Tendu -
Peppercorn Studios
 Vice
President:
Mary Duffy was born in Dublin, Ireland, her mother's home but grew up on
Red Island, Newfoundland which had been her father's family home for
generations. She has two daughters, works as a librarian in Vancouver's Downtown
Eastside/Chinatown and volunteers as a Doula. Her poetry has been published in "Luluzine",
"Quills", "Benches" and "The Return of the Downtown Eastside Poets". She reads
with the "Twisted Poets" and the "The Downtown Eastside Poets" and works as a
board member for "Pandora's Collective". In April, 2006 she worked as one of a
number of community writers on a shadow puppet play on addiction in the downtown
eastside under the direction of Savannah Walling (Vancouver Moving Theatre) and
Rosemary Georgeson and Marie Clements (Fathom Labs). She is currently working on
"Red Island Rocks"; a book of linked story-poems about Newfoundland's outport
resettlement.
View Mary's Poetry
 Vice
President USA:
David McGuire is a musician and teacher in the Great Lakes region of
upstate New York. He has advanced degrees in composition and theory and a
chronic interest in literature, poetry and speculative essay. His compositions
have been played regionally and abroad (most recently in Romania); he is
especially drawn to hybrid genres: music and poetry (sung or recited), music and
dance, music for theatre, etc. He believes the arts are an indispensable
liberating and deepening force for human beings and stresses the need for
ongoing arts advocacy (through venues such as Pandora's Collective). He
sometimes plays his compositions for his cats; their responses are cryptic.
 Treasurer:
Diana Huang was born in Beijing, China and has been in Vancouver since
her move to Canada in 1997. She presently works as an audit manager in a public
accounting firm. Diana obtained her Certificate Public Accountant designation in
2002 and her Certified General Accountant designation in 2004. In addition Diana
has a Bachelors Degree in Engineering, and a Diploma of Financial Management.
She specializes in Not-for-Profit audits and Public Company audits. Her
interests includes reading, watching movies, hiking and swimming.
 Secretary:
Ruth Kozak is a historical-fiction novelist, travel writer and playwright
with poetic aspirations. When she's not wandering the world (mostly around
Greece) she instructs a memoirs writing group, and prompts the muse in three
writing classes for the Vancouver School Board. For many years Ruth was chair
for the West End Writers Club. She is now finishing up an epic historical novel
with the help of the Scribbler's critique group. Ruth is a member of the
Federation of BC Writers and the BC Association of Travel writers. She has
recently taken part (third year running) in the Feds "Off the Page" program
introducing writing to school children. See her "Living the Writer's Life" blog
at www.wynnbexton.blogspot.com
or website at:
www.dreamwater.org/ruthaki/
 Director:
Tara Harris was born in Victoria BC where she was actively involved in
the theatre and dance culture. There she performed, taught, choreographed and
travelled with the Kidco Theatre Dance Company until she moved to London,
England in 1993. Over the years Tara travelled extensively in Europe, Asia and
North America, her passion thriving in the arts. "I love music, theatre and film
- and I write, recreationally, for my eyes only! - Still keep your eyes open for
my upcoming book Other Peoples' Ketchup - One Girl's Battle with Chronic
Waitressing Disorder". Tara recently spent two years in Toronto working in the
film industry but is now happily back in Vancouver. Tara's career in the
hospitality industry is in leadership and development - taking small and large
teams of corporate trainers on the road - facilitating motivational workshops
and helping individuals recognize their own strengths.
 Director:
Carson Tipper was born in 1957 in Edmonton Alberta, raised in the Yukon
and is 12th generation Canadian. He moved to Vancouver, BC at the age of 11 and
is now living in Richmond. Husband and father of three children ages 16 to 21,
Carson has been a self employed contractor for the last twenty years. He has
read his poetry in Vancouver over the past 3 to 4 years and has been writing for
over thirty years. In 1976 he attended The University of British Columbia
favouring subjects such as creative writing, linguistics and Greek. Carson
attended Langara College Arts Program in 1978 to study design, Greek mythology
and various arts. In 1980 he attended The Emily Carr College of Art and
graduated with honours in sculpture and ceramics in 1984. He has since taught
sculpture at UBC continuing education programs and has continued drawing and
sculpting privately with most all of his work focused on the human figure.
View Carson's Poets
Directory Page.
Previous Board Members
 Treasurer:
Joanne Kim originally from S. Korea, has been in Vancouver since her move to
Canada in 1996. Presently working as a Certified General Accountant for
non-profit and profit organizations. Her skills are an incredible asset to
Pandora's Collective. Surprisingly, in Korea, Joanne majored in French
Literature. She is now fluent in Korean, English, French and Spanish. Her
interest and love encompass all of the arts. She is presently taking weekly
piano lessons, Flamenco dance lessons and continuing her studies of the Spanish
language. Her passion for life, knowledge and her generous personality has made
her an integral part of Pandora's Collective. When she is not working as a CGA
in Richmond, or taking one of her many lessons, you may find her fly fishing,
hiking, travelling, cooking up a storm or doing yoga, photography or watching
foreign movies.
 Vice
President, Canada:
Don Simpson
Donald W. Simpson.
Retired businessman, dabbler, sesquipedalian, literary
traditionalist, ectomorph.
 Director,
USA:
Edmond Chow has a strong technical background and is presently working at
one of the US national labs near San Francisco. He is also an active member of
the arts community, having been involved with poetry and creative writing for
about 15 years. He is on the Board of the Kearny Street Workshop, a non-profit
Asian American Arts organization in San Francisco as well as Pandora's
Collective. Edmond has taught poetry classes for the Kearny Street Workshop for
the past three years and before that taught several creative writing classes for
his local city's Adult Education Department and for a high school
extracurricular program organized by the Asian American Renaissance while he was
living in Minneapolis. Edmond is a published poet.
Kearny Street Workshop
Previous Director
 Heather
Neale is a Vancouver-based freelance writer published in The Georgia
Straight, The Times Colonist, The Globe and Mail, etc. An original member of
Pandora's Collective, her enthusiasm helped to spark the early stages of
Pandora's Collective. She is the editor of luluzine and a regular writer for The
Kitsilano View and Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine. When she is not writing she
can be spotted shaking up the dance floor.
luluzine
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