Category Archives: Joy Kogawa & Kogawa House

2009 Year of Gung Haggis Fat Choy from Royal BC Museum in Victoria to Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh

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2009 was an amazing year for Todd Wong and Gung Haggis Fat Choy

2009 opened with a life-size picture of Todd Wong included in “The
Party” exhibit at Royal BC Museum, and by November 30th – Todd was
encountering a life-size picture of himself at Scottish Parliament in
Edinburgh for the exhibit This is Who We Are: Scots in Canada.

It was an exciting year for the Joy Kogawa House Society, as the long sought dream of a writer-in-residence program became a reality.  Montreal Arab-Canadian author John Asfour became the inaugural writer-in-residence and helped writers at Kogawa House as well as hosted events at the house, Vancouver Public Library's Central and Carnegie branches.  By Christmas time author Joy Kogawa was enjoying her first Christmas season living in the house (temporarily) since she and her family had been forced to move in 1942 when they were sent to Internment Camps during WW2.

On November 28th, I set foot in Scotland for my first time ever.  Since first wearing a kilt in 1993 for the SFU Robert Burns ceremonies and hosting the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner since 1998, I no longer have to say that I've never visited Scotland before.  It was a short but exciting trip as I attended the closing night reception at Scottish Parliament for the exhibit This Is Who We Are: Scots in Canada – co-hosted by the Scottish First Minster and Presiding Officer.  I also visited Edinburgh Castle and many things Robbie Burns, as I made my way to Alloway in Ayrshire to visit the birthplace of Robert Burns at Burns Cottage.  It had only just re-opened to the public and I had a special tour by manager of the Burns National Heritage Park.

This is a review of some my my favorite stories and events from 2009.

January 1st, 2009
A life-size picture of Todd Wong aka “Toddish McWong” is included in Free Spirit exhibition at Royal BC Museum.  The exhibit closed on January 14th 2009.

Photo Library - 2907 by you.


January 20th

VisitScotland comes to Vancouver to celebrate Homecoming Scotland with Toddish McWong and Gung Haggis Fat Choy
and brings special limited edition of 37 year old Famous Grouse whisky to auction off at the 2009 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.

Raise Money for your Favourite Charity with Limited edition bottles of The Famous Grouse up for Auction


January 20th
Georgia Straight news article
 

Georgia Straight: Why Canada will never have an Obama, except maybe Todd Wong


January 22nd

Westender: Gung Haggis celebrates Canadian interculturalism – article by Jackie Wong


January 25th Robbie Burns Day 250th Anniversary celebration at Burns Statue in Stanley Park

250th Anniversary of Robert Burns recognized with poems at statue in Vancouver's Stanley Park

2009_January 178 by you.


January 25th Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner
The
2009 Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's 250th Robbie Burns Birthday
Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner was a big success – worth 2 ceremonial
haggis.

DSC_3928_103489 - Mayor Gregor Robertson doing the honours by FlungingPictures.

February 4th
Louis Lapprend makes a youtube video of the 2009 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner event


Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2009 Dinner highlights on Youtube

February 15th
Seattle Gung Haggis Fat Choy, Sunday February 15th.

3rd annual Gung Haggis dinner in Seattle Washington, hosted by Bill McFadden of the Caledonian and St. Andrew's Society of Seattle.  Bagpiper Joe McDonald and Todd Wong travel to Seattle to perform and MC the event.

March 15th

Gung Haggis Pipes & Drums & dragon boat paddlers… brave the snow in the Vancouver Celticfest St. Patrick's Day Parade

2009_March 104click here for Flickr photo set


April 6-11th Tartan Week in Vancouver


Tartan Day and Scotland Week celebrated by SFU's Centre for Scottish
Studies with Michael Russell, Scottish Parliamentary Minister for
Culture!

April 20th
Al
Purdy Party at Joy Kogawa House with Shelagh Rogers, John Asfour &
3 nominated poets for BC Book Prizes: Daphne Marlatt, George Stanley
and Nilofar Shidmehr

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May 19th

John Asfour, Kogawa House writer-in-residence gives reading at
Vancouver Public Library with Marcus Youssef and Adrienne Wong of
Neworld Theatre

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May 22nd – Todd and Deb go kayaking on Mayne Island

Kayaking in the Gulf Islands: we visit Belle Islets Chain

and visit

May 30th – Final event for Kogawa House inaugural writer in residence John Asfour with Gary Geddes, Ann Erikson and Shelagh Rogers

Another Magical Evening for final event of Historic Joy Kogawa House's inaugural writer-in-residence program

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June 20/21

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team has a great weekend at Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival

2009_June 060 click for Flickr pictures

July 18th

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team places 4th overall at Richmond Dragon Boat Races


July 24/25

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team heats up Vernon Races

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August 8th

Todd Wong elected to board of The Land Conservancy of BC

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October 10

Gung Haggis paddlers compete at Ft. Langley Cranberry Festival Canoe Regatta: 1st in B Final 5th in A Final

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November 29
Todd's first day in Scotland
I start off in Glasgow, visit a Haggis exhibit at Kelvingrove Museum, take the train to Edinburgh and attend the official Homecoming Finale ceilidh on the Golden Mile.

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November 30
Toddish McWong arrives in Scotland for inaugural visit and reception at Scottish Parliament for “This is Who We Are”

2009_Scotland_ThisIsWhoWeAre 097 by you.

November 30
CBC Radio interview from Scottish Parliament – On the Cost with Stephen Quinn
“Vancouverite Todd Wong has been celebrating Scottish culture in this
city for years with his Gung Haggis Fat Choy celebration. Now he's in
the home of the Highlands. Stephen caught up with Todd to find out what
he is doing in Edinburgh this week. Listen to the interview.(runs 6:58)”

December 4th
Todd Wong visits Robert Burns Cottage in Alloway Scotland.  After extensive renovations, Burns Cottage is reopened to the public on Nov. 30th.  Todd Wong has a special tour with Caroline Green, manager of Burns Heritage Park.

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December 21st
Christmas Party at Kogawa House
This is the 1st Christmas season, that author Joy Kogawa has spent at her childhood home, since they were removed and sent to WW2  internment camps in 1942.  Friends and family of both Joy Kogowa and Kogawa House attend. 

December 31st
Todd does a short CBC Radio One interview for On the Coast – answering
questions about the Scottish origins of singing Auld Lang Syne.

To be continued

Save TLC committee is the best prepared to lead The Land Conservancy of BC for the Aug 8th election of new board.

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The Land Conservancy of BC (TLC) is holding an Extraordinary General Meeting on August 8th to elect new board members.


TLC founder Bill Turner gives a positive “thumbs-up” approval with proposed board members from the Save TLC Committee.  They all attended a one day workshop and meeting on July 5th in Saanich with other proposed board members, committee members and community leaders.
Standing: Todd Wong, Bill Turner, Ken Millard, Magnus Bien
Sitting: Cheryl Bryce, Elspeth McVeigh, Briony Penn

The Land Conservancy of BC (TLC) is one of the important players in land conservancy in Canada.  It is a non-profit organization, based on the The National Trust of England, Ireland and Wales.  TLC purchases lands and creates environmental convenants in order to lands, and buildings of environmental, scientific, historical, cultural, scenic and recreational value that would otherwise be loss to destruction, demolition, or development.

TLC: What happened?

On March 27, TLC executive director and founder Bill Turner was “fired” without warning or rational explanation.  This is only three years after the founding visionary was appointed the Order of Canada for  “his tremendous energy and selfless dedication to preserve his province's
natural environment. A realtor, he founded the Land Conservancy of
British Columbia (TLC) to advocate for the protection of the
environment through conservation covenants and ecological gifts.”

According to Save TLC website Q's and A's “At the same time, “another Director gained access to TLC's head offic, once the staff had left for the day, disabled TLC's communications network and changed the locks on the doors.

When Turner was notified of his firing, a replacement had already been hired – without any public search.  Now to be called  Chief Operating Officer (COO) this replacement has no experienc managing land trusts or non-profit organizations, and has never even worked in one.  On Monday, March 30, the COO also fired TLC's long-time Deputy Executive Director, Ian Fawcett – again, without warning and without any explanation.


TLC members were shocked to learn of the events, and of the allegations by the TLC board about the TLC founder Bill Turner.  The Save TLC committee was founded to support the return of Bill Turner and senior management staff to TLC.  As well, the TLC committee has diligently worked to challenge the TLC board on its allegations, and to inform TLC members about these events.

The Save TLC committee has recruited 11 proposed board members that have worked with TLC in many capacities and/or have related experience and background to helping TLC recover from this current situation.

Both the Save TLC committee and TLC Board have
agreed on a procedure that would see all members of TLC vote to
elect a full 11 member Board at the EGM. All Directors of the current
board will resign at the EGM and those eligible may stand for
re-election.

I am pleased that Bill Turner asked me, Todd Wong, to be on the Save TLC slate.  I have worked with TLC and Bill Turner since December 2005, when TLC became partners with the Save Kogawa House Committee, in an effort to save the childhood home of famous Canadian author Joy Kogawa from demolition. 

I have always been interested in the history of BC, and especially its pioneers.   I have always loved the natural history of BC, and am very aware of the need to protect its environments and eco-systems.  I was honoured that David Kogawa nominated me for the BC Community Achievement Award, citing my community work with the Save Kogawa House Committee, as well as my multicultural community events for Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.

Former Founding Director Briony Penn has written a letter and sent it out to friends and members of TLC.  Briony writes:

I have received a large number of calls and emails from members
asking me who to vote for regarding the upcoming mail-in ballot for
electing 11 new Board members of  TLC The Land Conservancy of BC and
what my thoughts are.

Members
will be receiving a ballot with 23 names. I would recommend this
wonderful team of grassroot individuals with trusted and proven
experience with land trusts that have put their names forward under the
ballot of Save TLC (savetlc.ca) and consider them for the board. Then
vote through the mail-in ballot which you will be sent.

Barry Glickman, professor of biology at UVic
Cheryl Bryce, lands manager for Songhees and spokesperson on First Nations issues of land conservation
Magnus Bein, an ecologist working on the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program in the interior
Alastair Craighead, former Victoria City councillor and cycling activist
Elspeth McVeigh, a Vancouver business woman and historic building specialist
David Merner, a dynamic conflict resolution lawyer and community volunteer
Ken Millard, a veteran lands trust director and Galiano Islander
Carol Pickup a retired Saanich coucillor interested in heritage conservation
Frances Pugh, a farmer and chair of the Saanich Inlet Protection Society
Todd Wong who was active in Vancouver on the Joy Kogawa House and an award winning multiculturalist community organizer
and myself, a Founding Director of TLC and consultant environmental communication/education

We
have already met as a group and identified our respective skills and
roles that we would bring to restore the organization. All of us are
hard workers in our communities and understand that the financial
security of the organization relies on the relationships we form with
members/donors as this is our biggest asset for the long term financial
and social stability of the organization.

We have all spent time
going over financial statements and addressing the financial
allegations levelled at the senior management by the existing Board
with an independent chartered accountant and a trust lawyer expert that
we hired. The allegations were incorrect and a misinterpretation of the
Charitable Purposes Preservation Act. No law has ever been broken, the
lawyers that resigned were going on verbal advice based on an informal
conversation (one lawyer's)  about blending trust fund accounts, which
is common practice for charities. It is only illegal in a lawyer's
practice in some instances e.g., where you need to separate different
client's accounts that are accruing interest. (for full legal opinion,
trust lawyer David John's letter will be on the tlc website tomorrow,
savetlc.ca)

Ironically, the old board did put forward a motion
to sell Keating Farm which would have been illegal under the Act.  The
Board perceived they needed to do this to alleviate  “crippling debt”
but this again was an incorrect characterization according to the
accountant. The organization was healthy at the point when the staff
were fired. At the end of the day, nothing has waivered our belief in
the skills, competence and commitment of the staff. We did identify
many areas for improvement including the need for Board members to
spend more time fund raising and working directly with the Executive
Director and staff so the two solitudes of Board and Staff never occurs
again.

Part of the biggest problem I believe was that the Board
became more and more distanced from and distrustful of senior staff
because of a difference of interpretation over the financial
circumstances, the law and the selling of properties. The latest slate
of members are already doing their homework and have started on a full
analysis of what went wrong. All of us have worked on projects from the
trenches—either as activists, donors, in political and other supporting
roles. We all know what it takes to make projects successful, attract
members and keep the money rolling in. I believe this slate consists of
people capable of working even in the most challenging circumstances.
That might be what we face August 8th.

Prior to us getting
together last week, Bill Turner had picked me up from the Sunday 6:15
am ferry and we went to Elk Lake to set up the Bottle Drive for TLC. We
spent the next couple of hours picking up and assembling the stands,
bags and tables for the bottle drive. The bottle drive was part of our
commitment to raise money for TLC as the membership contingent of Save
TLC which has been very successful with over $100, 000 raised in a
month. When you are considering which board members to vote for and who
should lead the organization, consider asking the different candidates
who got up at 6 on a Sunday morning to get a bottle drive organized to
raise the funds to save special places?

I know where my vote lies.

Briony

Final event for Montreal poet John Asfour at Kogawa House, with Gary Geddes and Ann Eriksson

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MONTREAL POET WRAPS UP RESIDENCY THIS WEEKEND

 

Historic Joy Kogawa House celebrates success of its first writer-in-residence

 

2009_April_Kogawa 060 by you.
On April 20, inaugural Kogawa House writer-in-residence John Afour welcomed Shelagh Rogers, Jean Baird, George Bowering and George Stanley to Kogawa House for a joint Purdy Party with three BC Book Prize Poetry nominees Daphne Marlatt, George Stanly and Nilofar Shidmehr – photo Todd Wong

Kogawa House writer-in-residence John Asfour leaves a trail of inspiration behind as he packs his bags to return to Montreal on Sunday, May 31.

Final reading with Gary Geddes and Ann Eriksson on Saturday, May 30th.

During
his residency in Vancouver Asfour has hosted a number of writers for
readings at the house, including Judy Rebick, Ann Diamond, and Daphne
Marlatt, George Stanley, and Nilofar Shidmehr—three poets nominated for
this year’s Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. On Saturday, May 30, Gary
Geddes and Ann Eriksson join him for a final reading.

 

Asfour
has also welcomed visits from writing classes and he has coached
numerous individual writers. Following an evening class at the house,
SFU Writers’ Studio lyric poetry instructor Rachel Rose wrote: “John
has been so generous with his time, meeting many students for
individual consults.” Another writer said: “I had a very good,
productive meeting with John and learned more in meeting with him than
I had learned in a whole year studying creative writing at university.
He taught me how to edit.”

 

Asfour’s frequent writing consultations did not keep him completing a book of poems entitled Blindfold,
which is partly autobiographical—born in Lebanon, Asfour was blinded at
age 13 during the Civil War in 1958. His poems explore feelings of loss
and displacement and suggest that the disabled often feel like
foreigners in their own land, hampered by prejudice (sometimes
well-meaning), communications barriers and the sense of “limited
personality” that characterizes the immigrant experience.

 

2009_May_KogawaHouse 005 by you.
John Asfour was featured at the Vancouver Public Library on May 19th with Neworld Theatre's Marcus Youssef and Adrienne Wong read his poems in English – photo Todd Wong

While
in Vancouver Asfour also presented poetry readings to a variety of
audiences, including the Canadian National Institute for the Blind,
Christianne’s Lyceum of Art and Literature, the BC Muslim School and in
collaboration with Neworld Theatre at the Vancouver Public Library. On
Thursday, 58 students from Killarney Secondary School will practice
their creative writing while scattered over the lawns, patio, and deck
at Kogawa house.

 

Asfour
is the author of four books of poetry in English and two in Arabic. He
translated the poetry of Muhammad al-Maghut into English under the title Joy Is Not My Profession (Véhicule Press), and he selected, edited and introduced the landmark anthology When the Words Burn: An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, 1945–1987 (Cormorant Books).

 

Further information can be found on the website of the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society at www.kogawahouse.com or by calling (604) 263-6586.

 

ends/more

 

Contacts:

Kogawa House Society: Ann-Marie Metten (604) 263-6586

 

Notes to Editors:

1. Information on Historic Joy Kogawa House

 

Historic
Joy Kogawa House is the former home of the Canadian author Joy Kogawa
(born 1935). It stands as a cultural and historical reminder of the
expropriation of property that all Canadians of Japanese descent
experienced after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Between 2003 and
2006, a grassroots committee fund raised in a well-publicized national
campaign, and with the help of The Land Conservancy of BC, a non-profit
land trust, managed to purchase the house in 2006.

 

Together
with Joy Kogawa, the various groups decided that the wisest and best
use of the property would be to establish it as a place where writers
could live and work. Following the models of the writer-in-residence
programs in place at the Berton House Writers’ Retreat in Dawson City ,
Yukon , and Roderick Haig-Brown House in Campbell River , BC , the
Historic Joy Kogawa House writer-in-residence program brings
well-regarded professional writers in touch with a local community of
writers, readers, editors, and librarians. While in residence, the
writer works to enrich the literary community around him or her and to
foster an appreciation for Canadian writing through programs that
involve students, other writers and members of the general public.

Beginning
in March 2009, as a partner with TLC, the Historic Joy Kogawa Society
will begin hosting writers to live and work in the house on a paid
basis. Funding is provided through the Michael Audain Foundation for
the Arts, the BC Arts Council, the Canada Council and through donations
from the general public.

Poet John Asfour, Kogawa House writer-in-residence joins Neworld Theatre May 19th at Vancouver Public Library

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2009_April_Kogawa 018 by you.

John Asfour with “Joy Kogawa” and Judy Rebick at the April event for Historic Joy Kogawa House inaugural writer-in-residence programming. – photo Todd Wong

Two more events with John Asfour
will round out his third and final month in residence.

Tuesday,
May  19 at 7:30 p.m., John presents an evening of Arabic poetry in
translation. John performs on the oud, or Arabic lute, as actors
Adrienne Wong and Marcus Youssef of Neworld Theatre read his poems and those of
Syrian poet Muhammad al-Maghut and Mahmoud Darwish, Palestine’s national poet.
This event will take place in the Alma VanDusen and Peter Kaye rooms on the
Lower Level of the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library, 350 West
Georgia Street. Admission is free.

Back at Kogawa house on
Saturday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m.—the final
evening of John's residency with us—he welcomes Gary Geddes
and Ann Eriksson for readings in celebration of John's residency. Gary Geddes
has written and edited more than 35 books and won a dozen national and
international literary awards, including the Gabriela Mistral Prize and, most
recently, the Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence in BC. He will
read from Falsework about the collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge in
Vancouver. Ann Eriksson’s new novel, In the Hands of Anubis, has been
described by the critics as wise, wicked, touching and funny. It ranges from
Cairo to Calgary to Ucluelet and has a cast of coyotes, tractors and dog-headed
gods. Her novel, Decomposing Maggie, appeared on bestseller lists in
2003. This event takes place at Kogawa house and seating is limited. To
reserve a seat, please respond to this message. 

I look forward to seeing you at one or both
events,

Ann-Marie Metten
Executive
Director

       
       
Contact
Information

Telephone:  604-263-6586
Email:  
kogawahouse@yahoo.ca
       
       
Historic
Joy Kogawa House |  1450 West 64th Avenue |  Vancouver  | BC
|  V6P 2N4 |
Canada

Al Purdy Party at Joy Kogawa House features 3 poets nominated for BC Book Prize

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JOY KOGAWA HOUSE TO HOST AL PURDY PARTY

This is going to be an exciting event, created for BC Book and Magazine Week.

4 poets in an intimate setting with special host Shelagh Rogers.  Innaugural Kogawa House writerinresidence John Asfour has invited  3 nominated poets for the BC Book Prizes Dorothy Livesay Poetry Award: George Stanley, Nilofar Shimehr and Daphne Marlatt.

Shelagh Rogers did the last public  interview Purdy at the Eden Mills Writers' Festival. Shelagh says “He was awesome,” and will share her Al Purdy memories with the audience.
www.cbc.ca/wordsatlarge/blog/2008/05/al_purdy_an_uncommon_poet_memo.html

This will be also be a fundraiser for Save the Al Purdy A Frame… in the Joy
Kogawa childhood home, a house that was saved from demolition to be
turned into a writer in residence program and a historical/literary
landmark for all of Canada

April 21 is National Al Purdy Day.
http://www.poetrymap.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=35

from www.kogawahouse.com

Shelagh Rogers, host of “The Next Chapter” on CBC Radio, to emcee

with John Asfour – inaugural writer in residence at Joy Kogawa House, George Stanley, Nilofar Shidmehr and Daphne Marlatt

George Stanley (Vancouver: A Poem), Nilofar Shidmehr (Shirin and Salt Man) and Daphne Marlatt

When: 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 20

Where: Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Avenue, Vancouver

Admission by donation. Space is limited. To secure a seat, please RSVP kogawahouse@yahoo.ca  

Three
BC Book Prize-nominated poets—George Stanley, Nilofar Shidmehr and
Daphne Marlatt—have accepted an invitation from writer-in-residence
John Asfour to read at Historic Joy Kogawa House on Monday, April 20,
as part of BC Book and Magazine Week. 

Asfour,
a Montreal poet, is the first writer-in-residence at Kogawa House and
will present poetry readings to a variety of audiences, in
collaboration with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Simon
Fraser University’s Writers Studio, Christianne’s Lyceum of Literature
and Art and the Vancouver Public Library. 

Asfour
is the author of four books of poetry in English and two in Arabic. He
translated the poetry of Muhammad al-Maghut into English under the
title Joy Is Not My Profession (Véhicule Press), and he selected, edited and introduced the landmark anthology When the Words Burn: An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, 1945–1987 (Cormorant Books). 

CBC
Radio host Shelagh Rogers will emcee the event, which is a
co-presentation of Historic Joy Kogawa House and the West Coast Book
Prize Society. George Stanley (Vancouver: A Poem), Nilofar Shidmehr (Shirin and Salt Man) and Daphne Marlatt (The Given) are finalists for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. 

The
event takes place the evening before National Al Purdy Day, and the
League of Canadian Poets has invited all Canadian poets and lovers of
Canadian poetry to host a Purdy party to raise funds for the Al Purdy
A-Frame Project—Purdy’s former home on Roblin Lake, Ontario—and to
create a poet-in-residence program there that is similar to the
writer-in-residence program now under way in the childhood home of the
author Joy Kogawa. 

This
poetry reading will be held at 7:30 pm at Historic Joy Kogawa House,
located at 1450 West 64th Avenue, Vancouver. Entrance by donation.
Space is limited. To secure a seat, please RSVP kogawahouse@yahoo.ca 

Judy Rebick comes to Joy Kogawa House

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Meet Judy Rebick

Special guest at Historic Joy Kogawa House
with writer-in-residence John Asfour

from www.kogawahouse.com

When: 5 p.m., Friday, April 17
Where: 1450 West 64th Avenue, Vancouver

Admission by donation. Space is limited.

To reserve a seat, please RSVP kogawahouse@yahoo.ca

Writer-in-residence
John Asfour welcomes Judy Rebick to Historic Joy Kogawa House on
Friday, April 17. Rebick is a veteran activist, former host of CBC
Newsworld, chair of Social Justice and Democracy at Ryerson University
and former publisher of www.rabble.ca. Come join us on Friday, April 17, as Judy Rebick speaks about her new book Transforming Power.

One
reader commented that Transforming Power “[is] a powerful, inspiring
treatise on a paradigm shift in social action that is taking place from
around the world. It offers new pathways to change making that are
critically needed in this time of crisis, and is an exciting window
into stories of hope and possibility around the world.” To attend this
event, please RSVP kogawahouse@yahoo.ca.

1st Writer-in-residence reading at Joy Kogawa House with John Asfour and guest Ann Diamond on April 6th

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Writer-in-residence John Asfour welcomes novelist, playwright, and essayist Ann Diamond to read excerpts from My Cold War, stories from 1950s Montreal


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Montreal writer John Asfour met the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society at a board meeting March 23.  John (with dark glasses) stands beside life-size photo of Joy Kogawa used in the Royal BC Museum exhibit “Free Spirit.” – photo Deb Martin.

 

Monday, April 6, at 7:30pm, by donation

 

Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Avenue, Vancouver

 

Ann Diamond's best-known work is a long poem, A Nun's Diary
(1989), which was adapted for theatre by Robert Lepage and became the
subject of a National Film Board documentary, “Breaking a Leg” directed
by Donald Winkler. Her first novel, Mona's Dance, was chosen by CBC as the best small press novel of 1988. In 1994, a story collection, Evil Eye, won the Hugh MacLennan Award for fiction. As an experiment, she self-published her novel Static Control after it had been accepted by DC Books and Les Editeurs XYZ.

 

Since 2002 when Diamond began work on her memoir, My Cold War,
she has reincarnated as a researcher and haunter of libraries,
fine-tooth-comber of documents and files, and explorer of a forbidden
chapter in recent Canadian history. This ongoing project has been, in
many ways, about reclaiming her own history as the daughter of a
Canadian Air Force intelligence officer, who came to Quebec from Sea
Island, BC, in 1943 to “hunt for Nazi spies.” Learning of her father's
secret activities led her inevitably into a wide-ranging study of the
history of that period, some of which remains classified to this day.

 

It
has also changed Diamond's relationship to the community she came
from–Anglo Montreal. It was a mixed blessing to live in a city with a
rich cultural tradition and a multi-layered history. By the mid-1980s,
when I began publishing fiction and poetry, Montreal had wandered off
the literary map of Canada. Diamond waged a personal campaign to change
that, writing for the Gazette, Books in Canada, Canadian Forum, CBC, Montreal Mirror, Room of One's Own, Geist, and so on.

 

Today
Diamond continues to study the history of Cold War experiments on
children, a secret program that spanned the country. Her birthplace,
Montreal, was the epicentre of a project that has altered our future in
countless ways which need to be faced. After five years of research and
writing, Diamond is pleased to shared those stories with a Vancouver
audience at Kogawa house.

 

Join us on Monday, April 6, at 7:30pm at Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Avenue in Vancouver. Admission by donation.

Montreal Poet John Asfour is the inaugural writer-in-residence for Historic Joy Kgoawa House

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MONTREAL POET ARRIVES IN VANCOUVER FOR FIRST WRITER RESIDENCY

2009_March 095 by you.
Inaugural writer-in-residence John Asfour poses with life-size picture of Joy Kogwa, and the board members of the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society.
– photo Deb Martin

Historic Joy Kogawa House chooses first writer-in-residence 

Historic Joy Kogawa House is pleased to announce our first writer-in-residence, Montreal poet John Asfour. 

Upon
arriving in Vancouver, Asfour said: “I am pleased to be chosen as the
first writer-in-residence at Kogawa house. I’m here to learn how a
community like the Japanese Canadian would turn a part of their
historical suffering into something positive by establishing a place
where writers can live and work. Japanese Canadians were very
supportive of the community of Arab Canadians and what it had to endure
after September 11.” 

Asfour
is the author of four books of poetry in English and two in Arabic. He
translated the poetry of Muhammad al-Maghut into English under the title Joy Is Not My Profession (Véhicule Press), and he selected, edited and introduced the landmark anthology When the Words Burn: An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, 1945–1987 (Cormorant Books). 

The majority of the writer’s time in residence will be devoted to work on a book of poems entitled Blindfold,
which exposes the “rich and strange” possibilities of a life that has
undergone some frightening transformation and is displaced from its
element. The book is partly autobiographical—born in Lebanon, Asfour
was blinded in 1958 at age 13 during the Civil War there.

The
poems also explore feelings of loss, displacement and disorientation
experienced by the disabled and relates them to immigrant themes that
Asfour has previously addressed. Asfour suggests that the disabled
often feel like foreigners in their own land, hampered by prejudice
(sometimes well-meaning), communications barriers and the sense of
“limited personality” that characterizes the second-language learner.   

While
in Vancouver between now until the end of May, Asfour will present
poetry workshops to a variety of audiences, in collaboration with the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Simon Fraser University’s
Writers Studio and the Vancouver Public Library. Opportunities for
consultation on work in development are also available. 

Further information can be found on the website of the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society at www.kogawahouse.com and TLC, The Land Conservancy of BC, at www.conservancy.bc.ca or by calling (604) 263-6586.  

Contacts: Kogawa House Society: Ann-Marie Metten (604) 263-6586 

TLC, The Land Conservancy of BC: Tamsin Baker (604) 733-2313  

Information on Historic Joy Kogawa House Historic
Joy Kogawa House is the former home of the Canadian author Joy Kogawa
(born 1935). It stands as a cultural and historical reminder of the
expropriation of property that all Canadians of Japanese descent
experienced after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Between 2003 and
2006, a grassroots committee fundraised in a well-publicized national
campaign, and with the help of The Land Conservancy of BC, a non-profit
land trust, managed to purchase the house in 2006.  

Together
with Joy Kogawa, the various groups decided that the wisest and best
use of the property would be to establish it as a place where writers
could live and work. Following the models of the writer-in-residence
programs in place at the Berton House Writers’ Retreat in Dawson City,
Yukon, and Roderick Haig-Brown House in Campbell River, BC, the
Historic Joy Kogawa House writer-in-residence program brings
well-regarded professional writers in touch with a local community of
writers, readers, editors, publishers, booksellers and librarians.

While
in residence, the writer works to enrich the literary community around
him or her and to foster an appreciation for Canadian writing through
programs that involve students, other established and emerging writers
and members of the general public.

Beginning
in March 2009, as a partner with TLC, the Historic Joy Kogawa Society
will begin hosting writers to live and work in the house on a paid
basis. Funding is provided through the Michael Audain Foundation for
the Arts, the Canada Council and through donations from the general
public.  

Vancouver Opera is showcasing Asian-Canadian singers in their “Voice of the Pacific Rim”

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Opera has led to many cross-cultural musical fusions… name an opera set in Asia…


Here I am playing accordion, with soprano Jessica Cheung.  We are performing the “Farewell Song” used in the Naomi's Road opera, accompanied by Mats on guitar and Harry Aoki on bass.  Jessica is one of my favorite sopranos!  This photo is from the first open house event at Historic Joy Kogawa House. – photo Deb Martin

Some of my favorite opera arias are set in Asian.  The famous tenor aria Nessun Dorma, is from Puccini's “Turandot”, set in ancient Peking.  Puccini's beautiful “Un Bel Dei” is from Madame Butterfly, set in Japan.  I like playing both of them on my accordion.

And the “Flower Duet” from Lakme, composed by Delibes, is set in India.  You will recognize this from many television commercials.  It is always so exciting to hear it performed live.  Here's a beautiful version on youtube with Sumi Jo & Ah-Kyung Lee.  And then there is also Bizet's “The Pearl Fishers” set in Ceylon.

It's a wonder that in a Pan-Asian city such as Vancouver, there isn't a real push to feature more Asian performers.  Music has always been a prime mover in breaking down racial barriers.

The Vancouver Opera is featuring their 2nd annual “Voices of the Pacific Rim” recital.
Sunday, Feb 8th, 7:30pm.

This show features young Asian-Canadian artists.  I got to know Jessica Cheung, Gina Oh and Sam Chung, when they did the Vancouver Opera Touring production of “Naomi's Road,”  which debuted in September 2005.  I saw the show many times in many venues.  The opera was based on the children's novel “Naomi's Road” which was based on the adult novel “Obasan” by Joy Kogawa.

The presence of the opera, really helped to build awareness for the “Save Kogawa House” campaign, as well as 2005's One Book One Vancouver, by the Vancouver Public Library, which featured the novel “Obasan.”

Voices of the Pacific Rim


February 8, 2009
7:30pm

Vancouver Playhouse, Hamilton & Dunsmuir
Tickets:  $20, including GST
To purchase call 604-683-0222

Vancouver Opera brings Asian and western cultures together in Voices of
the Pacific Rim, a recital of popular opera selections combined with
traditional Asian songs, performed by rising Asian Canadian opera
singers and celebrating and honouring the Chinese, Korean and Japanese
communities.


Featuring Jessica Cheung, Lucy Hyeon Kyung Choi, Sam Chung, Joyce Ho,

Brian Lee, Michael Mori, Stephanie Nakagawa, Gina Oh, Asako Tamura, Szu-Wen Wang 


Music Director:  Kinza Tyrrell


Artistic Curator:  Gina Oh

Artwork:  Marco Tulio, courtesy of Artspace


Community Partners:

Powell Street Festival Society

Canadian Society for Asian Arts

Joy Kogawa attends AGM for Historic Joy Kogawa House Society.

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CIMG0189 April 2008 – Joy Kogawa holds the Globe & Mail Story about the revealing of the $500,000 anonymous donor who helped save her childhood home from demolition, to become a literary and historic landmark and a writers-in-residence program – photo Todd Wong

It's always a special feeling walking into the Joy Kogawa House.  This is the house that a six year old future Order of Canada recipient was forced to leave when Japanese Canadians were interned during WW2.  This is the house that was saved from demolition when a dedicated few led a rally by thousands of supporters across Canada.

The first Annual General Meeting was held for the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society on Dec 11th, 2009.  It was a special meeting because writers Hiromi Goto and Caroline Addison were there to give their insight and share their experiences as the Writers in Residence for the Vancouver Public Library for 2007 and 2009.

It was more special because author Joy Kogawa was present, having just flown in from Toronto to spend time with family.

Executive director Ann-Marie Metten had brilliantly organized the evening, and it had a strong exciting buzz as wine and gourmet snacks were served.  Books by Kogawa, Goto and Addison were for sale.  Board members and guests mingled with authors and the representatives from The Land Conservancy of BC, the owners of the house.

The evening unfolded with a good in depth descriptions of what it was like to be a writer in residence for the Vancouver Public Library.  Hiromi Goto and Caroline Addison freely shared their experiences and their expectations as the Historic Joy Kogawa House now prepares for their first writer in residence program to be created with author Madeleine Thien, author of Simple Recipes and Certainty.  It is somehow fitting that it is Madeleine who is the first WIR author, as she returns to the city where she not only lived before and wrote about, but also the city where the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop first granted her the ACWW Emerging Writer's Award that was shopped to publishers and became the award winning “Simple Recipes” short story collection.  Currently I am president of Joy Kogawa House, and co-president of Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop.

During the AGM part of the evening, Ann-Marie Metten gave an update of the grants applied for and recieved and how the WIR program will unfold with Madeleine. 

The Land Conservancy of BC was proud to report that Historic Joy Kogawa House has recieved a Heritage B category from the City of Vancouver, and we can now proceed with the next steps for re-zoning and re-conditioning the house.  We hope to restore the house to what it was like when the 6 year old Joy Kogawa, her 10 year old brother Timothy and their parents were living in the house before they were sent to the BC interior to spend the next 10 year living in delapidated buildings and beet farms.

I gave a President's report that recapped events in 2008 that involved Joy Kogawa in BC, and events at Joy Kogawa House.
Here is my report:

On Feb 3rd,
Sharon Butala attended the Vancouver opera production “Voices of the Pacific Rim” with members of the Joy Kogawa House Society, and was introduced to some of the singers who had performed  the Naomi's Road opera, based on the children's novel by Joy Kogawa

Sunday Feb 24
Author Sharon Butala mesmerized the packed audience at historic Joy Kogawa House on Friday night.  The Order of Canada author talked how she helped established a writer in residence program at Wallace Stegner's childhood home in Eastend, Saskatchewan.

March 2008 – Royal BC Museum
Joy Kogawa is guest of “THE PARTY”: 150 of BC’s most interesting people

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 “The Party” exhibit with some of BC's “fascinating” citizens including: (front row) founding governor James Douglas, Betty Krawcyk, Joy Kogawa, Karen Magnusson, Herb Doman; (second row): Vikram Vij, Cindy Lee, Gordon Campbell, Gordon Shrum. – photo Todd Wong

April 10 Vancouver Kids Books reading and Naomi’s Tree book launch
It was a good event for the launch of  Naomi's Tree.  So good that all the books that had been delivered in advance to Kidsbooks sold out.  When Joy performed her reading, she told the audience of children and adults that she had fallen in love with a tree.  It was a special “Friendship Tree” – a cherry blossom tree.

April 25th Kogawa House cherry tree planting + recognition of Sen. Nancy Ruth
3pm press conference, introduction of formerly anomnynous $500,000 donor (Sen. Nancy Ruth) + baby cherry tree planting

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At 3:40pm, we sat inside the living room of Historic Joy Kogawa House and listened to CBC Radio One's Arts Report by Paul Grant.  Paul had interviewed Sen. Nancy Ruth, Bill Turner and Joy Kogawa for his story on how the house was saved, and how Sen. Nancy Ruth's formerly anonymous gift of $500,000 was important.  In this picture Hon. Iona Campagnolo, Sen. Nancy Ruth and Joy Kogawa.- photo Todd Wong

8pm  Music and Poetry with Joy Kogawa and Friends,
Following the music, Joy was presented with the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award from BC Bookworld Publisher Alan Twigg, Vancouver Public Library Community Programs Director Janice Douglas, and historian Jean Barman.   

Joy Kogawa accepts the award

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Alan Twigg speaks of Joy's accomplishments         Joy Kogawa accepts the George Woodcock lifetime achievement award

This morning Joy Kogawa sent this email out to our Historic Joy Kogawa House Society
Dear Friends,
 
For a day of unalloyed happiness —
 
I have had many many wonderful days in my life — but this one!  It was the happiest. If ever I've felt at home…. Or felt the love that underlies all…

My friend Heather Pawsey, soprano wrote:
Last night was one of the most beautiful and profound evenings of my musical life.  Heartfelt thanks to everyone behind Kogawa House.  May it continue to rise and spread its wings.

Photo Library - 2900

Where is Joy Kogawa in this picture? 

This is the interactive photo display in front of the Royal BC Museum, in Victoria BC,  for the “Free Spirit” exhibition celebrating the 150th Anniversary of British Columbia. 

Sep 22
Kogawa House cherry tree at Vancouver city hall is given a plaque on the 20th anniversary of the Japanese-Canadian redress.
 
“Friendship Tree” plaque at Vancouver City Hall for the “Kogawa House cherry tree” graft – photo
Ann-Marie Metten.