The Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre is a three-suite apartment where visiting artists and graduate students can work on their writing projects.
Cabin in the woods is the perfect setting for mid-summer eve creative events
What:Woodshed Reading and Writing Series
Who: UBC faculty, artists, and writers from across the country
When: Various activities throughout the summer
Where: Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, 969 Raymer Rd., Kelowna, except where noted.
UBC Okanagan’s cabin in the woods is the setting for a summer of readings, writing, and creative moments as the Woodhaven Eco Culture gets set for a busy summer of activities.
The Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre is a former residence — converted into a three-suite apartment house for lodging visiting artists and graduate students — in a park-like site adjacent to the Woodhaven Nature Conservancy Regional Park in the southern Mission neighbourhood of Kelowna.
The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC’s Okanagan campus hosts a series of summer events as part of the Woodshed Reading Series, sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts. Activities include a full line up of readings, talks, music, workshops, and visits from notable authors throughout the summer.
“There are few things more delightful than a summer evening of poetry and storytelling in the lovely woods of Woodhaven with a cluster of amazing Canadian authors,” says Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies Associate Professor Nancy Holmes. “This year, we are offering cold refreshments and snacks so people can linger, talk to the authors, and watch the stars come out. It’s a special event, always.”
The Woodshed Readings are free and open to the public and start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Upcoming Events
Friday, June 12: The Woodshed Reading Series welcomes Fred Stenson, novelist and author of Who by Fire: the story of a southern Alberta farm family suddenly confronted by a dangerous gas plant on their doorstep. As part of the evening Nils Loewen will present a live cello performance.
Friday, June 19: The Woodshed Reading Series hosts poet Jeff Latosik, author of Tiny, Frantic, Stronger. Latosik’s award-winning poems have appeared in magazines and journals across the country. He won the P.K. Page Founders Award from The Malahat Review in 2007, placed first in THIS Magazine’s Great Literary Hunt in 2008, and was a finalist for the Bronwen Wallace Award for 2008. He teaches at Humber College in Toronto. Live music is presented by Natalie Ingram.
Saturday, June 20: Local eco artist Lori Mairs hosts a workshop called One Square Foot, at Woodhaven. One Square Foot aims to help us “cultivate and enrich the senses, to focus closely on what is in plain sight and ‘see’ the invisible world in the forest.” There is a $40 entrance fee for this all-day event. For more information contact Lori Mairs at art@lorimairs.com.
Saturday, June 27: UBC and the Artists for Creative Alliance host an evening of art, elegance, and mystery. Forest Call: an evening of artists in the wild is a collaborative project curated by Lynda Norman and Lori Mairs. Their intention is to capture the wonder and delight evoked through the experience of coming upon random beauty in wild places. The audience will be led by procession through the forest at the Eco Culture Centre at nightfall. In this silent walk the audience will encounter musicians, dancers, performance artists, poets, and visual artists engaging with and addressing the forest. There will be an entrance fee for this event.
During July, UBC Okanagan offers a summer writing intensive program from July 5 to 17, followed by a visual art summer intensive from July 20 to 31. See UBC Okanagan’s FCCS website for details: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/programs/graduate/summer. While these courses are for students of the university, there will be many public presentations by attending authors and artists.
In mid-July, FCCS hosts the second annual Beat Salad event, an artistic smorgasbord of poetry, prose, live music, and a 100-mile potluck. Participants will bring dishes made from Okanagan ingredients.
Programming continues throughout August, with Sarah De Leeuw and Theresa Kishkan visiting Woodhaven and hosting public readings. Woodhaven will also be the site for several art and drama camps for children during August. Details are at: www.creativealliance.ca.
People can join the Facebook group, The Woodshed Readings, for detailed information about visiting authors, or check out the blog at blogs.ubc.ca/woodhavencentre for information about all the events planned this summer.
The Woodshed Reading Series is sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC, The Association of Literature, Environment and Culture in Canada, and the Regional District of the Central Okanagan.
The Woodhaven Nature Conservancy is located at 969 Raymer Rd., Kelowna. All events, unless otherwise indicated are free and open to the public. Street parking is available on Raymer Road or in the parking lot.
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