It will be a weekend of books, magazines, story-telling, and “literary mayhem” when the 18th annual Word on the Street Festival comes to the Vancouver later this month.
The three-day festival starts on Friday, September 28, 2012 at Banyan Books & Sound and at Historic Joy Kogawa House. On Saturday there are events at the Central Branch (Library Square) and the Carnegie Branch (on Main and Hastings). Sunday, September 30, 2012 will take the festivities to the streets around the Central Branch downtown (click here for Sunday’s site map).
Exhibitors, tents and booths will be setup around the Library Square Marketplace for the weekend as well as along Homer Street, Hamilton Street and inside the Library. There’s also event space downstairs for The Word Under the Street. There will be activities and entertainment for every age group and level of reader. Check out the Family Literacy Tent and Kids Tent for the young ones, meet writers at the Authors Tent, and enjoy Visual Exhibits.
Follow the Word on the Street Festival on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and their blog.
I attended my first Interesting Vancouver conference in 2008 at the Vancouver Rowing Club and through a line-up of diverse, knowledgeable, and creative speakers, I walked away feeling inspired and motivated. What did they each talk about? Something completely different. Interesting Vancouver invites speakers to share some time on stage to talk about anything. Really, anything.
Confirmed speakers for September 2012:
Toby Barazzuol – lessons learned from the Downtown Eastside
Lloyd Bernhardt – adoption and capitalism
Aamer Haleem – reflections on a career in television
Ron Shewchuk – BBQ and how it can benefit the workplace
Roy White – an unexpected opportunity at an unlikely time
Tori Holmes – rowing across the Atlantic
Corinne Lea – bureaucracy and the limits it imposes on culture
Boris Mann – sailing the South Pacific in a tall ship
The evening’s aim is to impart new knowledge, things you’ve never known, or thought about. Open up parallel thinking ports. Activate parts of your brain that for even the brainiest person may have been neglected or unexplored. There will be a degree of spontaneity, unexpected moments, and learnings. It is a splendid collage of interesting ideas and passionate people.
The audience is as interesting as the speakers. It will be a mix of artists, photographers, lawyers, librarians, social marketers, micro finance specialists, university professors, accountants, visual effects artists, journalists, marketing strategists, and more. The people sitting around you will be just as interesting as those on stage.
At the event in 2008 I walked away with stories of comic books, museums, social spaces, media, and Pikachu floating around in my head. All in all, it was a very interesting evening.
The next Interesting Vancouver will take place Friday, September 28, 2012 from 6:00pm to 10:30pm at the Museum of Vancouver. Tickets are currently on sale for $25 or $21 if you’re a Museum of Vancouver member.
The event is already about 80% sold but I have a pair of tickets to give away, here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment stating what you think is the most interesting thing about Metro Vancouver (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 10:00am.
Update The winner is Steve!
The Port Mann Bridge is nearing completion and amongst talk of tolls and travel times comes a distinct recognition — an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. At 65 metres from side to side, officials confirm that it will be the world’s widest bridge.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge at 49 meters wide is currently the widest in the world. Here are a few more facts about the new Port Mann Bridge:
- Total length: 2,020 metres
- Number of lanes: 10 (5 in each direction)
- Number of cables: 288
- Total width: 65 metres
50 metres of roadway (including shoulders)
5 metre wide path, with 3 metres of clearance for pedestrians and cyclists
10 metre gap/median where pylons support the two bridge decks
- Tower height: 160 metres, including 42 metres of navigational clearance
Tolls will start at $1.50 per crossing and those who sign up before November 30, 2012 will receive a $30 credit on their account. HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane users will also get a 25% discount during peak hours throughout the first year and drivers can sign up for a monthly pass starting at $75. [Source: Vancouver Sun]
Tolling registration can be done online, via a link on the Port Mann Highway 1 Improvement Project website and the bridge will be free for the first month when it opens this December. Follow @PortMannHwy1 on Twitter for daily updates.
The world’s tallest bridge is the Millau Viaduct (1,125 ft) in France; the world’s longest is the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge (540,700 ft) in China; the world’s highest bridge is the Sidu River Bridge in China (1,627 ft).
Related posts: Port Mann Bridge Photos, Port Mann Bridge Time Lapse Videos.
This Saturday the Voices in the Park concert will take over Brockton fields, near Brockton Oval and Brockton Point in Stanley Park. The Brockton Point lighthouse is one of Vancouver’s most recognizable landmarks and with so many other areas of the park sharing the name, I thought it would be timely to read up on some Brockton history.
Francis Brockton was an engineer on a ship that was captained by George Henry Richards, the namesake for Richards street in Vancouver. Captain Richards surveyed Burrard Inlet and it was Brockton who, in 1859, discovered a vein of coal in the area1. Richards gave Coal Harbour its name and then honoured his engineer by naming the eastern tip of Stanley Park — Brockton Point — after him.
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The second annual Stack the Rack event is coming up on Monday, October 1, 2012 to benefit QMUNITY. Presented by Marquis Wine Cellars and Mark Brand Inc. this unique fundraiser combines a reception with a wine purchasing experience, all for a cause.
QMUNITY is BC’s leading queer resource centre. Located on Bute Street in Vancouver’s West End they are a hub for the lesbian, gay, trans, bi and queer community.
Marc Smith of Amuse Consulting is the brainchild behind Stack the Rack. “I created this event for QMUNITY in 2011,” he told me. “I felt they were the unknown engine of support for our community and they needed a bigger profile and donor base.” Marc added that QMUNITY reaches over 35,000 people every year through their work in the LGBT community, providing programming for youth, adults, older adults and volunteers — and they’ve been doing this for the last 30 years.
Tickets for Stack the Rack are $135 and in return give you an $85 tax receipt along with $50 purchasing power to pick up some fantastic wines from Marquis Wine Cellars on the spot or following the event. There will be delicious wine pairings, live music from pianist Sara Davis Buechner, eeveryone receives a gift bag, and silent auction items will be up for grabs.
Stack the Rack will be emceed by Isla Traquair and Fred Lee at the old Boneta event space at 1 West Cordova downtown. The event will run from 6:30pm to 9:30pm on October 1st. Support a cause and pick up supplies for your wine rack this holiday season all in one stop. Find out more about QMUNITY by following them on Twitter and Facebook.
