The Growing Room Festival is Room magazine’s inaugural literary festival, a celebration of diverse Canadian writers and artists
Date/Time: Mar 12 2017, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Vancouver, Creekside Community CentreCost: Free
10:30am–12:00pm
Writing in (the) Community
Leah Horlick, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Audrey Thomas | Moderator: Amber Dawn
In his acceptance speech for the National Book Award in 2016, Colson Whitehead said, “Be kind to everybody, make art, and fight the power.” Writing of all kinds has always been central to the fight against systemic oppression and injustice—and now, more than ever. As we move forward into an uncertain future, and fight to have our voices heard, writers and community activators Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Leah Horlick, Amber Dawn, and Audrey Thomas discuss writing against the grain and creating spaces for everyone to speak their truth.
1:00pm–2:30pm
Just Try to Stop Me
Juliane Okot Bitek, barbara findlay, Doretta Lau, Christine Lowther, Alessandra Naccarato, June Hutton
When the odds are against you, and everyone’s telling you to quit, what do you do? Do you give in to fate, to social expectations, to fear—or do you keep fighting? Meet six writers who, in their careers, their personal lives, and through their writing, have done the unexpected, taken on seemingly impossible challenges, and inspired others to do the same. Spanning different genres, historical periods, and forms of injustice, these readings will leave you fired up and ready to fight the power.
3:30pm–5:00pm
Character Development: Writing About Pregnancy and Parenthood
Marianne Apostolides, Nicole Breit, Cynthia Flood, Fiona Tinwei Lam, Audrey Thomas
Multipurpose Room #2 @ Creekside Community Centre
Writing about the topic of pregnancy and parenthood is just as varied as the people who become pregnant and/or parents, and explores the full gamut of human emotion. Marianne Apostolides, Nicole Breit, Audrey Thomas, Cynthia Flood, and Fiona Tinwei Lam have written about pregnancy and parenthood extensively through the years—and to much acclaim. Join us as they give us a glimpse of the various facets of this simultaneously very private, and very public, experience.
3:30pm–5:00pm
Poetry Free For All
Cyndia Cole, Junie Désil, Leah Horlick, Jónína Kirton, Chelene Knight, Evelyn Lau, Alex Leslie, Alessandra Naccarato, Beni Xiao
Multipurpose Room #4 @ Creekside Community Centre
Don’t read much poetry? That’ll change after this event. Say hello to nine of Vancouver’s most inspiring poets as they take to the stage for a feminist poetry extravaganza. These wordsmiths will take you to far away places, and reveal the secrets of the human heart, with a kaleidoscopic array of verse that spans various genres and styles.
More info