Coast poet John Pass's new collection of poems, crawlspace, has just been released from Harbour Publishing, and all are invited to the launch on Monday, June 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the Arts Centre in Sechelt.
Pass will also be making an advance appearance at Bluewaters Books in Madeira Park where he will sign books from 1 to 3 p.m. this Saturday, June 18.
His new poems, from "the low room/understory navigated at a crawl's pace in aging, beneath the weight of everything built and grown in one's time," are richly, deeply shaded. Contending with grief, decline, renovation, they nonetheless celebrate family, language, the environment, culture.They are grounded, as his work always is, in time and place. There's even a poem that precisely locates the Arts Centre (where he's launched three books and two chapbooks since the 1990s) on Canada's cultural map.
Pass's last book, Stumbling in the Bloom, went on to win the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry in 2006. High Ground Press is offering a broadsheet of one of the poems from crawlspace to celebrate the launch, available only at the event, free to anyone who buys a book.
Dick Harrison will introduce the poet, and Talewind Books will sell books. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
Goldmoss show
Goldmoss Gallery at 2840 Lower Rd. in Roberts Creek opens a new show, Infinity,of original, contemporary work by eight artists this Saturday. All are invited to an opening reception from 4 to 8 p.m. See www.goldmoss.com for more.
This weekend
Rock, Pop and Mellowis the title of a concert by the Suncoast Singers tonight (Friday), at 7:30 p.m. at Gibsons United Church and Sunday, June 19, at 2 p.m. at St. Hilda's Church in Sechelt.
The SC Music Society presents a solo concert tonight (Friday) at 7:30 p.m. from soprano Elizabeth Currie Buono during the inaugural Homecoming Weekend. Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. showcases Coast "alumni" musicians. Both concerts are at Gibsons Heritage Playhouse.
Fibreworks
You won't see your grandmother's rugs at this latest Fibreworks Gallery show. Instead, established rug hooking artists Rachelle LeBlanc and Michelle Sirois-Silver take the very best that traditional hand-hooked rugs have to offer and use innovative and contemporary approaches to design, colour and application.No Floors Required is a contemporary hand-hooked rug exhibition. The work is personal and reflects themes around family, life and dying.The exhibition is from June 18 through July 31.Opening reception is Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. with Sirois-Silver in attendance.
Gallery hours are Wed-nesday through Sun-day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Contact curator Yvonne Stowell for more information at 604-883-2380 or e-mail [email protected].
Artist in the garden
Sunshine Coast Nursery presents its second annual Artist in the Garden series, beginning this week with Susan Furze, stained glass artist.She will show her unique and innovative work until June 26. You can meet the artist on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Garden Centre, located on West Reed Road and the highway near Gibsons. Show hours are Mondays to Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
101 art
This month, 101 Office Supplies in Sechelt is displaying quilts by the Out of Bounds gang. This is a prelude to the Sunshine Coast Quilters' Guild show at Gibsons and Area Com-munity Centre, July 2 to 3.
SOPA
The annual Showcase of the Performing Arts (SOPA) opens at the Heritage Playhouse inGibsonson July 7. Music, theatre, film and fun are in the works. I'll have more details in the coming weeks.
Cooking series?
Join the New Moon Society cooking series for a culinary experience.
Cook, learn and enjoy a South Asian meal with Del Lobo, who will be chef for the day on Friday, June 24, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Cost is $28 (includes demonstration, recipes and dinner). Space is limited, so please sign up early. Learn to prepare the following dishes: butter chicken, cumin rice, dhal soup and cucumber raita. For further information or to register, call Del at 604-885-8103 or Joyce at 604-740-8094.
Deadline Tuesday
Send items for Art Beat (include who, what, where, when, why and ticket info as briefly as possible) to me via e-mail ([email protected]) or phone 604-886-4692. No Facebook messages, please. My deadline is Tuesday before 5 p.m.
