Pandora's Collective - Literary Events
Pandora's Collective - In Person Events On Hold
Book Talks Book Club is offered via Zoom (see below)
Hello Pandora's members. Under the evolving circumstances with Covid-19, and the government's recommendation for physical distancing, we feel that it is best to put in person Pandora's Collective events on hold. We wish everyone well and will do our best to reschedule in person events, when appropriate. For now we are offeing some events via Zoom. ~ Pandora's Collective
Book Talks Book Club is offered via Zoom (see below)
Hello Pandora's members. Under the evolving circumstances with Covid-19, and the government's recommendation for physical distancing, we feel that it is best to put in person Pandora's Collective events on hold. We wish everyone well and will do our best to reschedule in person events, when appropriate. For now we are offeing some events via Zoom. ~ Pandora's Collective
Pandora's Collective normally offers the following on-going literary events. They are currently onhold except Book Talks which is now offered via Zoom.
|
Vancouver:
Word Whips Vancouver East: 2nd Tuesday of every month Word Whips Writing Series: 3rd Tuesday of every month Book Talks - Book Club: 4th Wed of every month Via Zoom Twisted Poets Literary Salon: 4th Thursday of every month Poetry and Art at the JCC: Misc dates Poetic Pairings: Quarterly North Shore: Word Whips North Shore Edition: 4th Tues of each month White Rock: Word Whips By The Water: 1st Wed of each month |
Vancouver Events
Trauma The Road Back: Two writing workshops that can help you build back your self-confidence and give you a positive way of dealing with some of life’s hardest situations. The opportunity to submit your written piece to a potential anthology.
While the workshops build on each other, they can also be taken individually. $80 for two workshops, $45 for an individual workshop.. To register please email Bonnie Nish at: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca Please pay at: https://www.pandorascollective.com/donate.html April 30th online 10:30- 12:30 pm Moon Flower: Blooming in the Dark Trauma is anything that happens to us, physically or psychically, that is beyond our capacity to cope given our personal circumstances and development. Trauma devastates individuals and those who support them. Dr. Bonnie Nish (2020) How does one navigate through the complex journey of reconnecting with self after trauma? Is it possible to find meaning for oneself in the wake of trauma and to reengage with life in a productive way? Recovering is different for each individual. Using writing for healing is a powerful tool which allows the writer to access previous experiences, understanding and information. Join us in this 90-minute online writing workshop and allow your imagination to help you open spaces, peel back layers and let go of trauma. Writing can help you build back your self-confidence and give you a positive way of dealing with some of life’s hardest situations. We invite you to bring your coffee and join a community, where coming together helps us feel connected and promotes further healing. Write, share and then eat your words. Seeing your words is just as important as sharing them. We will invite you to send us a line from what you write and we will create a unique edible flower with your words on it. You are welcome to eat them (ink is edible as well), display it, or share the words with the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq6bPQSJVHM Edible flower with poetry Please note that one of the purposes of this workshop is to generate writing that could possibly be included in a new anthology of personal stories surrounding trauma. Meet our Facilitators. Dr. Bonnie Nish is Executive Director of Word Vancouver, Western Canada’s largest free literacy arts festival. Bonnie’s first book of poetry ‘Love and Bones’ was released by Karma Press in 2013. Bonnie has a Masters in Arts Education from Simon Fraser University and a PhD in Language and Literacy Education from the University of British Columbia where she currently teaches. Her next book “Concussion and Mild TBI: Not Just Another Headline” an anthology of concussion related stories, was published by Lash and Associates in 2016. Bonnie is an Expressive Arts Therapist with a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from the Vancouver Expressive Arts Therapy School who has worked extensively with youth and adults in high-risk situations. She has conducted writing and expressive arts workshops for over 20 years across North America. Her latest poetry book, Cantata in Two Voices, co-written with Jude Neal was released by Ekstasis Editions in 2018. Bonnie lives in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada. Find out more about her at https://bonnienish.com Dr Natasha Boškić is a Director, Learning Design in the Faculty of Education and teaches in the Master of Educational Technology program at UBC. Natasha writes poetry and short personal narratives. She is fascinated by the opportunities to combine analog and digital technologies, and use a variety of media to tell our stories. She likes bringing poetry into every day in fun and engaging way. Her collaborative transmedial installation, “Still/ed here,” has been exhibited in Canada, Portugal, Serbia, Denmark, England and Ireland, and was awarded the 1st prize in the category of Digital and performative multimedia art in Surrey Art Gallery in 2019. The video poem, “On the Margin of History”, part of the installation, was also screened at various film festivals. Her poems have been published in anthologies and poetry journals and magazines in Canada, Europe and US. Natasha’s latest short poetry film, “Legacy”, was exhibited at the Polygon galley in North Vancouver in January 2022. More about her work at onlywords.ca Saturday, June 4th, 2022 online 10:30- 12:30 Back to Wholeness Uncover some hidden pieces of your story as you pull together a collage of art and words to help you come back from events which may have had you stuck for years. Time to break molds and piece a new creation together. Surprises? Absolutely. Epiphany? Hopefully. Connections? Definitely. No experience necessary. We will invite you to send us a line from what you write and we will create a unique edible flower with your words on it. You are welcome to eat them (ink is edible as well), display it, or share the words with the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq6bPQSJVHM Edible flower with poetry Please note that one of the purposes of this workshop is to generate writing that could possibly be included in a new anthology of personal stories surrounding trauma. Meet our Facilitators. Dr. Bonnie Nish is Executive Director of Word Vancouver, Western Canada’s largest free literacy arts festival. Bonnie’s first book of poetry ‘Love and Bones’ was released by Karma Press in 2013. Bonnie has a Masters in Arts Education from Simon Fraser University and a PhD in Language and Literacy Education from the University of British Columbia where she currently teaches. Her next book “Concussion and Mild TBI: Not Just Another Headline” an anthology of concussion related stories, was published by Lash and Associates in 2016. Bonnie is an Expressive Arts Therapist with a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from the Vancouver Expressive Arts Therapy School who has worked extensively with youth and adults in high-risk situations. She has conducted writing and expressive arts workshops for over 20 years across North America. Her latest poetry book, Cantata in Two Voices, co-written with Jude Neal was released by Ekstasis Editions in 2018. Bonnie lives in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada. To find out more about her please go to https://bonnienish.com Dr Natasha Boškić is a Director, Learning Design in the Faculty of Education and teaches in the Master of Educational Technology program at UBC. Natasha writes poetry and short personal narratives. She is fascinated by the opportunities to combine analog and digital technologies, and use a variety of media to tell our stories. She likes bringing poetry into every day in fun and engaging way. Her collaborative transmedial installation, “Still/ed here,” has been exhibited in Canada, Portugal, Serbia, Denmark, England and Ireland, and was awarded the 1st prize in the category of Digital and performative multimedia art in Surrey Art Gallery in 2019. The video poem, “On the Margin of History”, part of the installation, was also screened at various film festivals. Her poems have been published in anthologies and poetry journals and magazines in Canada, Europe and US. Natasha’s latest short poetry film, “Legacy”, was exhibited at the Polygon gallery in North Vancouver in January 2022. More about her work at onlywords.ca 
4th Wednesday of every month (via Zoom)
The Wednesday May 25th date has been postponed until June 22nd Pandora’s Collective and Britannia Library Present BOOK TALKS - BOOK CLUB Bring your favourite passages, points of interest, and share your reading experiences with us. Each person is responsible for either borrowing or buying their own copy to read. (4th Wednesday of each month except December) Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm Via Zoom. June 22, 2022 - Five Little Indians by Michelle Good Taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are barely out of childhood when they are finally released after years of detention. Alone and without any skills, support or families, the teens find their way to the seedy and foreign world of Downtown Eastside Vancouver, where they cling together, striving to find a place of safety and belonging in a world that doesn’t want them. The paths of the five friends cross and crisscross over the decades as they struggle to overcome, or at least forget, the trauma they endured during their years at the Mission. Fuelled by rage and furious with God, Clara finds her way into the dangerous, highly charged world of the American Indian Movement. Maisie internalizes her pain and continually places herself in dangerous situations. Famous for his daring escapes from the school, Kenny can’t stop running and moves restlessly from job to job—through fishing grounds, orchards and logging camps—trying to outrun his memories and his addiction. Lucy finds peace in motherhood and nurtures a secret compulsive disorder as she waits for Kenny to return to the life they once hoped to share together. After almost beating one of his tormentors to death, Howie serves time in prison, then tries once again to re-enter society and begin life anew. With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of these residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward. Registration Required. Email booktalks@pandorascollective.com to receive the Zoom link. Hosts: Mary Duffy, Sita Carboni, Natasha Boskic www.pandorascollective.com 
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO A TRANSMEDIAL PROJECT: Trauma, the road back: Your stories in augmented reality:
Trauma is anything that happens to us, physically or psychically, that is beyond our capacity to cope given our personal circumstances and development. Trauma devastates individuals and those who support them. Dr. Bonnie Nish (2020) As our journey though trauma and challenging times continues to unfold, we discover that it is full of surprises, grief, loss, joy and wonder as well. It is full of grace and resiliency. “. It is through grace, the ability to hold my head high and move with elegance no matter what, that I find I am able to bear the magnitude of these changes (Nish, 2020).” We are collecting short narratives or poems depicting personal experiences of trauma and resiliency. These are important stories. How has the journey impacted your life and the lives of those close to you? We will be looking for a publisher with the aim of having the book published sometime in 2023/2024. Every story/poem may be accompanied by a short video turned into augmented reality experience. So, we will be asking for a 1-3 min recording. Please note that sending in your piece of writing is not a guarantee it will be included in the anthology. Only those selected for the collection will be contacted with more details about the video recording requirements. Please tell your story -in no more than 500 words. Please send to blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca - by July 25th 2022. - please put “Trauma, the road back” in the subject line. 
2nd Tuesday of every month (on temporary hiatus)
Vancouver Public Library and Pandora’s Collective Present Word Whips Vancouver East 6:30-8:30 Take the challenge. We provide the writing prompts and the opportunity for sharing. 10 -15 minutes to write to each prompt. See what you can whip up. Hosts: Jami Macarty & Leanne Boschman Guest Hosts: Lilija Valis (March, May), Fran Bourassa (April) Location: Vancouver Library--Hastings Branch 2674 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V5K 1Z6 Contact: blnish@pandorascollective.com 
3rd Tuesday of every month (on temporary hiatus)
Britannia Branch and Pandora's Collective Present WORD WHIPS WRITING SERIES Take the challenge. We provide the writing prompts and the opportunity for sharing. 10 -15 minutes to write to each prompt. See what you can whip up. (3rd Tuesday of each month except Dec) Host: Bonnie Nish and Sita Carboni (January Guest Host: Wayne Smith) Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm Location: Britannia Library, Gallery Room, 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver, BC http://www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/branches/details/britannia_branch Contact: blnish@pandorascollective.com www.pandorascollective.com 
4th Thursday of every month (on temporary hiatus)
Pandora's Collective Presents TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON 7 - 9:30 pm Location: HOOD 29 4468 Main Street, Vancouver, BC Three Features + Open Mic. Suggested donation at the door: $5 Twisted Poets is supported by the Writers Union of Canada and The League of Canadian Poets. Contact: blnish@pandorascollective.com www.pandorascollective.com |
North Shore Events
4th Tuesday of every month (except August) (on temporary hiatus)
Pandora's Collective Presents WORD WHIPS - THE NORTH SHORE EDITION A warm environment, writing prompts and the opportunity for sharing. Great for beginners or seasoned writers. Get past the inner critic by writing ten to fifteen minutes on each prompt. See what you can whip up. Host: Fran Bourassa Time: 6:30 to 8:30pm Location: The Silk Purse Arts Centre 1570 Argyle Avenue, West Vancouver, BC, V7V 1A1 Contact: Fran at fbourassa@hotmail.com www.pandorascollective.com |
White Rock Events
1st Wednesday of every month (on temporary hiatus)
Pandora's Collective Presents WORD WHIPS BY THE WATER We provide writing prompts and encourage people to take the challenge. Emphasis is on exercising the right brain in a safe environment – sharing is optional. Host: Karen Shaw Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm Location: White Rock Library on Buena Vista Avenue. 15342 Buena Vista Ave, White Rock, BC V4B 1Y6 (604) 541-2201 Contact: pcwhiterock@yahoo.ca or Karen Shaw, chezshaw2013@gmail.com www.pandorascollective.com |
Annual Events
|
2010 - Present: Annual Gala Awards Night.
2004 - 2014: The Summer Dreams Literary Arts Festival (an annual, multi-day, summer festival, than ran for 10 years) |
