Gratitude
BC Housing crisis & shortening eviction notice | It’s Simone’s World
The Void | First Impressions | Calculating the Lowest Common Denominator
The Freaks Come Out at Night | Top 5 Gayest Books in the Library
What am I grateful for?
On the idea of “Gratitude”
Co-Editors in Chief
Avery Nowicki (they/them)
Sara Brinkac (They?She?He!)
This past month, I’ve been repeatedly faced with the question “what am I grateful for?” The start of this school year has presented me with the huge change of a new university— moving from CapU to UBC. Throughout this change, my feelings of gratitude seem to pop up everywhere.
I’m grateful to have gotten into a program I worked hard for. I’m grateful for this new position, and the chance to manage the crew of great young creatives who wrote this issue of The Courier for you. Most of all, it’s made me realize how grateful I am for the things I’d been taking for granted about CapU.
It’s easy to forget how lucky you are to run into friends everywhere you turn on this tiny campus, or to have teachers know our names even in ENGL 100. That’s pretty incredible. Now that I’m at UBC, I’m glad I got to experience all of the benefits a small school offers. CapU definitely isn’t perfect, but I can wholeheartedly say that going to CapU was one of the best choices I ever made.
From the minute you enter your dorm, you are surrounded by kindhearted, creative individuals. With MOPA students, IDEA students, writers and actors everywhere you turn, there’s someone new to befriend and collaborate on ideas with. As I navigate an isolating campus of 72,000 strangers, It’s easy to miss the close-knit nature of CapU. So, take advantage of that. Make connections with your professors, befriend your classmates, and dear god, PLEASE use the resources this school offers.
A smaller school means that any creative idea you have is in your reach, and there’s students everywhere you look that are eager to collaborate. Take my lovely Co-EIC Sara for example, their idea for a student journal (P.O.V) was able to be printed and distributed thanks to the overwhelming support of Capilano faculty, a team of students eager to get involved and the long hours everyone in the community put in to make it all come together. When I decided to make and sell zines, I used Capilano resources to design, print, and bind them on campus, and even just this year, when we decided to throw a concert on campus, we had all the freedom to do so. It also helps that when those resources aren’t available, your voice in a sea of 12,000 is way louder than it would be in a giant university.
So speak up for what you need, and use us as your vessel, The Courier is here to be your platform. Use everything that CapU can give you, and when things are missing, use your voice to make change. Enjoy your time as a big fish in a little pond. Trust me, once you leave this place, you’ll be grateful for all of it.
Sincerely,
Avery Nowicki (Co-EIC)
“What am I grateful for?” Hm. Quite the question. My immediate response seems to be an old checklist I drafted, sometime in grade three, after the umpteenth classroom activity on Thanksgiving: “My mom, my dad, my sister, my friends, being in a country without war, not starving, my dog.” More often than not, when I’m put on the spot to express gratitude, I feel a distance between me and the subject of thanks. I watch other people declare their gratitude for things online and around the table, but very rarely do I feel inspired by what they claim to be thankful for. I tend to spend more time than I’d like to admit, either feeling guilty for not being grateful, or moving so fast I convince myself the crumbs of thanks I express are what gratitude really is.
But then there are those rare moments. When I encounter what I believe to be true gratitude.
When I watch someone shining in a room with gratitude for life, for their family, for the petal of a flower or seemingly anything else around them. That is when I know gratitude. When I am humbled and held by its power. With the presence of gratitude I am reminded that giving thanks is love. Gratitude is letting your mind, which desperately grasps at the idea of “better” rest, and in that rest, finally soften to the miracle of life that is already present.
Often, when we give thanks, we place what we “have” at the centre of things. “I’m thankful I have food, I have people, I have a dog, I’m having a happy day.” Our expression of gratitude turns into a list of things we hold in our account of “good/happy things.” But I believe this foundation of “having” keeps us in an insecure and wanting state, far from the tranquillity of gratitude. What happens when that dog is no longer? When someone has better food? When our day sucks? Does our gratitude dissipate as well? More often than not yes. So, we begin clawing and planning ways to fill the leaks in our lives in the hope that we never feel that same emptiness again.
Now pause. Let’s all take a collective breath and calm down for a second. Maybe try looking around you.
Feel your chest. Feel your heart beating, taking care of you. Your lungs breathing, fresh air. Maybe allow the faintest smile to appear on your lips, feel your lips. Feel your body, the miracle that is your body, in this unique location where you are resting. Take a few breaths and let the quiet moment wash over you.
Now, without wanting, see what gratitudes you discover.
With loving tranquillity, Sara Brinkac
(Co-EIC)
Business Manager
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Sports
Crew
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Sean Finan
crewwritersean @capilanocourier.com
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Adam Wallace humour @capilanocourier.com
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Kate Henderson
crewwriterkate @capilanocourier.com
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Jordan Richert crewillustrator @capilanocourier.com
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Sophie Serendip crewphotographer @capilanocourier.com
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Christien Di Angello videographerchristien @capilanocourier.com
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Lily Rosen crewwriterlily @capilanocourier.com
Advising Manager
Freya Emery
& Contributors
Contributors
Yasmine Elsayed, Miriam Tellez, Hunter Davis, Mars Jones, Mars Palmer, A.K Broznitsky, Jasmin Linton, Ren Zhang,
Illustrators
Cameron Skorulski, Yohahnah Loker, Lauren Howard, Tin Raganit, Kit Vega, JJ Eng, Taylore Lawrence, Rachel Lu, Sasha Lun, Val Kruglikovskaya, Millie Beatch.
Featured Artist
Mesh Devkota, Alexis Chiang, Siobhan Barry
Cover Art & Photo Series
Sophie Serendip
Head on over to capilanocourier.com for more featured articles!
Interested in contributing?
Email editor@capilanocourier.com for potential writers, and production@capilanocourier.com for interested illustrators and/or photographers. Illustrators and Photographers are required to send a portfolio or sample(s) of work.
Contributors :)
648 Kingsway is Shutting Down –Who’s Next?
648 Kingsway is closing its doors due to a 40% rent increase. The beloved music venue is the latest victim of a merciless housing crisis.
Crew Writer
Sean Finan (any pronouns)
Illustrator
Cameron Skorulski (he/him)
For the past two years, 648 Kingsway countered the conceptions of what it means to be a DIY venue. They were a safe haven for the underrepresented in the Vancouver music scene, and a home for young musicians in search for their start., In fact, if you play in a local band, chances are you’ve had a chance to take the stage, or know someone who has. It was crowded, it was beloved—it was forced to shut down.
The co-creators, Clara and Sho, broke the news on the @648kingsway Instagram account: their rent, starting September 2024, was going to increase steeply by 40%. The post explained that their “small but growing team,” who had been working strictly on a volunteering basis, simply could not sustain it. The venue closed its doors officially on August 25th after their four-day-long “People’s Pride Parade,” which had performances from Hoodie Browns, Arrow in the Quiver, Punching Knives, Lilex and many other familiar faces.
Kirc/Jerome and Zak/Willow, members of infamous local “No-Punk” Band “M01E,” have frequently played at 648, and performed on the 3rd day of the People’s Pride Festival. Zak’s first time playing music on a stage was at 648 Kingsway, and he only had positive things to say “All the love to Sho and Clara for giving us an opportunity to play music with our friends. It’s a beautiful thing, I love these people very much.” Kirk agreed,“Clara, Sho, Alyssa, Ava, Maya, Sam, Annie—I owe it to the folks at 648 for allowing me back into just being who I want to be again. Despite us not having the space anymore—the people that made everything happen are still here and that’s what counts.”
The fact 648 Kingsway made a great impact on the community in such a short time speaks to its value. The uplifting of the city’s
underrepresented artists has been the drive for the venue’s existence from its conception; Clara and Sho made it their priority to welcome “whichever weirdos wanted to be a part of the space […] because there’s a crisis in spaces in Vancouver. There’s nowhere for people to go and shit’s expensive.”
Shit is expensive, and the struggle to pay rent is not a new occurrence. According to an interview with Clara and Sho on Discorder Magazine in June 2023, the space was never designed to last forever—Vancouver’s extreme prices make it simply impossible. Clara talked about enjoying the fleeting nature of the project, “What I like about the space is that it has an end date, as all Vancouver spaces do.” They said, “ I don’t think we will be around for more than five years.”
Two years is an extreme kind of impermanence, however common it may be around these parts.
Venues close left and right. Just in the past few years the “Black Lab” and “Bullet Farm” shut down. Even the popular not-for-profit venue Wise Hall is “fighting to stay open” according to an article published earlier this year by CTV News. In a DailyHive interview with Ana Rose Carrico, executive director and co-founder of Red Gate Arts Society, Carrico called it “DIY venue whack-a-mole: one gets shut down, another pops up, then it gets shut down, and so on.” It’s a vicious cycle: grassroot spaces in Vancouver are doomed at birth. Kirc/Jerome of M01E noticed it too, and urged: “Let’s keep the scene alive.”
Skytrain budget doubles amid a Translink funding crisis.
Just months before the election, British Columbia’s public transportation expenses take center stage.
Yasmine Elsayed (she/her)
Contributor
Yohahnah Loker (she/her)
Illustrator
On Thursday, August 15th, 2024, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation announced a press release to update British Columbians regarding the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension. The initial budget for Surrey-Langley was supposed to be $3.94 billion. However, this number has increased by $2 billion, placing the final number at $5.996 billion. The completion date has been pushed back a year; instead of 2028, it will be finished in the late months of 2029. The Ministry justified the expensive changes as a “response to market conditions, including rising inflation costs and key commodity escalation, supply-chain pressures, and labor-market challenges.”
Carson Binda, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, has voiced frustration with the government’s approach in an interview with the Vancouver Sun. He noted that instead of delving deep into why the budget hike occurred, the press release emphasized the benefits of the SkyTrain project— such as reduced travel time between Langley and Vancouver—while discreetly slipping the $2 billion hike into the end of the announcement. “It shows just how little they think of the public,” Binda said – according to him, the government’s behavior demonstrates a treatment of taxpayers as children, naive to the intense impact of the project’s budget hike. Binda also pointed out that the reasoning provided—rising inflation, supply chain pressures, and labor market challenges—has become a scapegoat explanation for any cost overruns, regardless of the project. “By now, the government knows what inflation looks like,” he said. “They should have an idea of how to cost a project.”
Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, also criticized the B.C. government for its lack of transparency. Explaining that downplaying the budget increase and failing to provide more thorough reasoning only fosters public distrust.
“The government only creates suspicion and public distrust when it downplays extra costs and delays or hides details about spending of the public’s money,” said Conacher, “The public has a clear right to know all the details about how their money is being spent.”
Journalist Renu Bakshi, an expert on media training, crisis management, press releases and conferences, describes the press release as a prime example of what not to do. Bakshi explains that the tone of the release shows that the government is trying to control the narrative by not being direct. Bakshi also briefly discusses how the Ministry’s announcement can significantly affect the provincial elections. “With an election looming—and the NDP [New Democratic Party] losing ground to the Conservative Party—this massive cost increase could be a game-changer, which is why they tried to hide it,” Bakshi said. She added that her studies in crisis management show that transparency is critical to building trust and credibility with the public. Had the government addressed the cost increase more openly, they might have been able to soften the blow or demonstrate a commitment to fiscal responsibility.
“The government’s behavior demonstrates a treatment of taxpayers as children, naive to the intense impact of the project’s budget hike”.
Surrey-Langley SkyTrain budget increase is only the latest of a flurry of bleak announcements around public transport. Before the August press release by the B.C. government, TransLink announced $90 million in efficiency measures in June to address the growing funding gap. The measures, which include corporate layoffs and revenue-generating initiatives, are aimed at delaying service reductions that could come as early as 2025. Despite these efforts, the organization is still facing a projected $600 million annual funding gap by 2026, raising concerns about the future of public transit in Metro Vancouver. TransLink highlighted that decisions will not affect current bus or train services. CEO Kevin Quinn states, “Many of the corporate programs we are scaling back played
“A delay in the SkyTrain’s completion means overcrowding on existing routes, especially the South Fraser region bus lines, could worsen for years.”
a key role in bringing riders back to our system, but now we must do whatever we can to reduce our long-term funding gap.” TransLink explains that one of the main reasons for a funding gap is the decline in fuel tax revenue;urther straining the company as the years go on.
The consequences of this budget mismanagement extend beyond just political optics. With the total cost now nearing $6 billion, taxpayers are ultimately on the hook for the increase, raising concerns about how much of the province’s financial resources will be stretched to complete the project. Residents of Metro Vancouver, particularly those living in the communities that the new SkyTrain line will serve, will struggle with these consequences. Critics argue that low-income communities dependent on public transit will be particularly vulnerable. A delay in the SkyTrain’s completion means overcrowding on existing routes, especially the South Fraser region bus lines, could worsen for years.
The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project and TransLink’s financial struggles show a pattern of rising costs, delays and strained resources. SkyTrain promises long-term benefits like shorter commutes, but the soaring budget and delayed timeline raise concerns about public trust and fiscal responsibility. TransLink’s $90 million efficiency measures may delay immediate service cuts, but a looming $600 million funding gap threatens the future of transit services. Both issues highlight the need for greater transparency and sustainable funding to protect essential infrastructure and ensure it serves Metro Vancouver’s most vulnerable residents.
This kind of government spending is one of the central debates of the B.C provincial election coming up. The major parties running are the NDP, and the British Columbia Conservatives. All Canadian citizens that will have turned 18 before October 19, 2024 and have been residents of British Columbia since April 18, 2024, are eligible to vote. That represents a considerable part of Capilano University’s student population, and Capilano Courier will follow the election closely. Campaign news will be reported daily on our website, and we’re moderating the all-candidates forum for the North Vancouver–Seymour provincial election candidates hosted by the CSU. The event will be on October 9th from 5:30-7:30pm. The Capilano Students Union has also organized to provide students a convenient place to cast their ballot. The election booth will be in the Birch Building Upper Food Court #2, on October 15th between 10:30 am and 3:30 pm.
BC Says the Housing Crisis is a Top Human Rights Issue While Shortening the
Eviction Notice Period.
Crew Writer
Yasmine Modaresi (she/her)
Illustrator
Lauren Howard (she/her)
A new report by B.C. Human Rights Commissioner Kasari
Govender found housing to be the most pressing humanitarian issue in the province. Yet, the B.C. government has shortened the notice period for properties being sold.
British Columbia is waist-deep in a housing crisis. Its magnitude has grown so great over the past few years that, in August, a human rights report found unaffordable housing to be the most significant humanitarian concern in B.C. Yet, the government has not made substantial efforts to curb it.
The very idea of housing has become an extremely charged topic for many British Columbians in the past few years. For over a decade, the repercussions of BC’s lack of infrastructure have become increasingly prominent, with housing insecurity and the looming fear of survival becoming commonplace. In tandem with this rising fear, governments around the globe have begun to recognize that thrusting the responsibility of survival upon their citizens is not sustainable. Around the globe, the hyperindividualistic outlook on shelter has died, and legislation after legislation has listed housing as a fundamental human right… including Canada.
In 2019, Canada followed in the footsteps of other nations like Portugal, France, Finland, Scotland, and South Africa, by implementing the “National Housing Strategy Act.” This bill states that housing is a fundamental human right. Yet, in the past few years, British Columbia has witnessed skyrocketing levels of homelessness. The province now holds the title of the most unhoused province in Canada.
This August (2024), the B.C. Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender met with activists, academics and human rights experts to discuss human rights concerns across B.C and found housing to be the most pressing humanitarian issue in the province. The scarcity of affordable homes is a chasm in B.C. welfare that swallows people already at risk. Women and minors in abusive households find themselves with no alternatives or social support. The B.C. housing crisis deepens gendered and racial inequities intrinsic to the operation of local policies.
While acknowledging the severity of the housing crisis is important, it is no substitute for tangible government efforts, which have been conspicuously absent.
Housing costs have increased since the 1980s because of domestic demands, unregulated foreign investment, limitations in land available in desirable locations and a lack of investment in infrastructure in the most expensive regions. A simple solution to such issues is the implementation of rent ceilings, which would limit how much and how frequently rents can be increased. This could involve capping rent increases not just on a percentage basis, but also in absolute terms, preventing landlords from raising rents to market rates after a tenant leaves.
“Enhancing
tenant
protections
to
prevent ‘renovictions’ and strengthening the notice requirements for both rent increases and eviction would help combat housing insecurity.”
Landlords have significant legal advantages over their tenants, such as the ability to evict tenants on short notice to increase their revenue and increase rent indefinitely. While B.C.’s current laws can be seen as liberal to business rights, others may see such a lack of regulations as neglecting to recognize renters rights. Enhancing tenant protections to prevent “renovictions” (i.e. evicting tenants for the purpose of renovating a building, then increasing rent for new tenants) and strengthening the notice requirements for both rent increases and eviction would help combat housing insecurity. The B.C. government instead shortened the notice period for properties being sold. Since the government implemented this change in late August, tenant vulnerability has become a concern. The decision to decrease the eviction notice period is another move that fails to consider British Columbians who are not property owners. Amid a nationwide housing crisis, eviction notice periods were decreased in an effort to streamline property transactions and align them with mortgage timelines, despite the possibility that such evictions will force renters into homelessness.
While public figures on all positions of the political spectrum frequently propose complex solutions for the housing insecurity, many of the first steps are achievable. For example, a provincial allocation of taxes into affordable housing options and social support is a viable option for diminishing the housing crisis. The aid of tax funds and legislation changes, and dedicating a portion of all new buildings to affordable housing through inclusionary zoning policies would significantly mitigate housing insecurity. Expanding social and affordable housing would include creating more units and ensuring that such units are accessible to those with the lowest incomes.
Until (or if) BC’s methods of addressing housing insecurity are changed to meet the humanitarian demands, learn more about your housing rights through the following organizations:
1. The Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC), which provides legal education and assistance to B.C. tenants.
2. Pivot Legal Society, which offers legal advocacy for marginalized communities, with a focus on housing rights and homelessness prevention.
3. Vancouver Tenants Union (VTU): a grassroots organizations fighting for tenant rights, rent control, and protections against evictions.
Voting in the coming election is also a fundamental venue to express one’s opinion. The major parties running are British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP), and the British Columbia Conservatives. All Canadian citizens that will have turned 18 before October 19, 2024 and have been residents of British Columbia since April 18, 2024, are eligible to vote. That represents a considerable part of Capilano University’s student population, and Capilano Courier will follow the election closely. Campaign news will be reported daily on our website, and we’re moderating the all-candidates forum for the North Vancouver–Seymour provincial election candidates hosted by the CSU. The event will be on October 9th from 5:30-7:30pm. The Capilano Students Union has also organized to provide students a convenient place to cast their ballot. The election booth will be in the Birch Building Upper Food Court #2, on October 15th between 10:30 am and 3:30 pm.
Training Your Body and Mind: MOPA Student Completes
A Grueling Ironman Triathlon
Lauren Emery’s Health and Fitness Journey
Sean Finan (Any)
Crew Writer
Tin Raganit (they/them)
Illustrator
Finding peace and joy can be like lifting a weight off the ground. As the year cascades into the winter months, a lot of students take to their toolbelt of mental health mechanisms to combat Vitamin D deficiency and early sunsets. Many people have discovered profound benefits to their mental health from participating in physical activity/sports.
Lauren Emery, a 3rd Year Motion Picture Arts (MOPA) Student, recently completed one of the most challenging endurance races in the world, The Ironman Triathlon.
Lauren has been active for as long as she can think, but her motivation waned after years in competitive rhythmic gymnastics. At that point, Lauren was exercising infrequently and she found that she “lacked energy and motivation,” and her “self-confidence had lowered significantly.” Noticing this, Lauren then began to kickbox and ski, only to tear her MCL during her Ski Instructor exam, which she still ended up passing—torn ligaments and all. When COVID hit the gyms closed, preventing her from training kickboxing.
Lauren provided insight into the effect that lack of exercise had on her life.
“I started to feel a considerable lack of motivation, energy, and overall happiness. I stopped doing any form of exercise because I had no motivation to do so. Around springtime, an unexpected incident occurred and she lost a close friend. Feeling how fragile mortality was from such a close angle was difficult and she felt like she would never be able to feel normal again.
“It was hard, but I started running regularly because I knew that I had no choice but to have some sort of physical activity in order to help improve my overall mental health.”
Fast forward to Summer 2023, “I decided that I wanted to take on a challenge; doing an Ironman triathlon. My dad had already planned on racing Ironman 2024 in Penticton, so I thought I would do it as well.” A lot of people were sceptical as to why she decided to do this triathlon as her first triathlon. “They would question why I didn’t do a marathon, a shorter distance triathlon, or
a half Ironman instead but the way I thought was that I had the opportunity to do something and I wanted to take it.”
Lauren eventually bought a road bike. “I had only ever biked on a road bike once years ago, so it felt like my first time using a road bike. Later in my training plan, around June, my sessions were at an all-time high, I was training 14 hours or more a week.”
Lauren felt a deep sense of accomplishment from training—but accomplishment alone did not stop her from experiencing intrusive— negative thoughts.
“I would worry about being too slow to finish the race, or if I even had the level of fitness required to race, I really wanted to cross that finish line,” she said. “When race day came, I had trained so many hours, and gone through so much physical and mental strain that I really wanted to give it my all.” The Ironman took Lauren fifteen and a half hours. When asked she said that all of the work she put into the race was worth it. “Although I’m unsure if I’ll compete in another triathlon, I know that I’ll continue training for fun.”
Lauren is someone who understands the benefits of exercise, trains to improve her mental health, challenges herself, and has fun in the process. Exercise can be terrifying when you have been physically stagnant for a long time. When there are people like Lauren to show what is possible—it is tremendously inspiring— exercising can feel less scary than it normally might. Although it might get sweaty, lifting weights off the ground is guaranteed to get easier over time.
It’s Simone’s World
Simone Biles flips, twists, and soars like no one else on the planet, but her excellence is about more than her jaw-dropping moves
Lily Rosen (she/her)
Crew Writer
Simone Biles is redefining what it means to be an athlete, sparking conversations around mental health, opportunities for women of colour in sports and owning your own narrative. For athletes at Capilano University, Biles is more than just a gymnast—she’s a blueprint for rewriting the rules.
With 106 medals from the Olympics, World Championships, and U.S. titles, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history. Talk about pressure! She faces the expectations of the sports world [a white- and male-dominated industry], the pressure of those she’s inspired and of herself. Handling the emotional loads of such social pressures takes a toll on your mental wellbeing. As such, Biles became a mental health advocate alongside her athletic career. She truly does it all.
Georgette Reed, Capilano University’s Director of Athletics and Recreation, is a former Olympian and national champion herself. For this article, she reflected on the weight Simone Biles has lifted off the shoulders of many athletes by openly discussing mental health.
“It was great that Simone brought [the pressure of elite sports] to light,” Reed said. “People often don’t realize how much your mental health can be affected by the demands of trying to be the very best.”
Kit Vega (they/she)
Illustrator
Biles, favoured to win gold, shocked the world when she withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She attributed her departure to what gymnasts call the “twisties,” a dangerous loss of mind-body connection and spatial awareness while in the air. Her choice ignited a public conversation about our expectations for athletes and the prioritization of safety. Through it all, Biles stood her ground.
“People have made jokes about it, saying athletes’ choke’ or ‘crack.’ But the things that Simone talked about are critical; in sports at this level, it can be life or death,” Reed continued. Biles’ decision encouraged the world to be empathetic as an audience, seeing competitors on the screen as people rather than some flawless, untouchable celebrities. Reed emphasized the importance of Biles’ stance, saying, “It gave many people permission to start looking after their mental health.”
Athletes at Capilano feel more empowered to seek support when needed, a shift that Reed connects to the rise of powerful figures like Biles. “When you see someone like Simone, who is so high-calibre as an athlete, saying she’s not okay and needs help, it makes you think it’s okay to ask for help too,” she said. This change is visible on the ground. However, there’s still a long way to go. Despite the increased visibility of women in sports, the media often
highlights athletes like Biles by framing them first as poster children of social change. “Sometimes, I find that it’s checking off boxes,” Reed noted. “Rather than just saying she’s an athlete, they always say a black athlete, a black female athlete.”
She believes that while it’s important to celebrate diversity, these labels can overshadow the achievements themselves. “It doesn’t matter what nationality you are or where you come from; you’re still an athlete and trying to do the very best you can.”
In a world obsessed with performance and results, Simone Biles proved that being the best means more than winning—it means taking care of yourself, too. In the wake of Biles’ impact, Reed feels cautiously optimistic about the future of sports. “I would like to hope that the media narrative is changing, but until we find a way of supporting rather than belittling each other for our mistakes, it’s gonna take a while,” she remarked. However, she believes that the more athletes like Biles continue to succeed and advocate for change, the more progress will be made.
Simone Biles’ world is one where excellence, vulnerability and authenticity coexist. For athletes at Capilano University, her journey is a beacon of what is possible. The future of sports isn’t just about winning—it’s about being strong enough to say, “I’m more than what I do. I’m who I am.” And thanks to Simone Biles, that’s a message every athlete can carry with them, both on and off the field.
“It makes you think it’s okay to ask for help too”
“My mum was making me breakfast early in the morning. I was feeling very grateful in that moment.”
Featured Artist
Alexis Chiang (she/her)
The Void
Miriam Tellez (she/her) JJ Eng (they/them)
Contributor
Illustrator
The days are all the same: endless, heavy, boring. There’s no sadness nor happiness. Just a sense of hopelessness that lives rent free with me. Every little thing requires superhuman effort.
The mere act of living feels like carrying a body that died long time ago. I just can’t recall when all this started, and I don’t think it’s ever going to end.
Only one of my friends knows what’s going on. She tries to make me feel better. The advice is always the same, though: “you need to talk about this with someone, Miriam”
Usually, people don’t ask if something is wrong. And even when they do, what should I say? “Oh well, I just feel like I am inherently worthless, something evil and rotten is consuming me from the inside and I feel like I am, in all the sense of the word, doomed and bound to death”
What answer you give to that? Who am I to vent my feelings like this?
My world is confined to a room, one friend, many ignored messages, fake smiles and my phone screen.
Is this all I could ever be?
There are two things that I have always considered essential to my existence: reading and studying.
I knew something was wrong and started to worry more when I considered dropping out of university. Me, the same girl that cried tears of joy with my mother when I got accepted.
But I knew I needed help when I tried to recall the last book that I read.
I couldn’t
I can’t really explain… I just know that for me, reading was being alive.
I was dying.
I was no longer a religious person. God was a weird concept for me.
“Only the weak, the broken ones need a god” That’s what I used to think.
And I was there, miserable, weak and broken. Perhaps God could help.
But God heals and gives comfort to the desperate souls.
I was a corpse. Inside of me was nothing but a painful void. Soulless.
Still, I tried
“God… remind me that I am alive, could you?”
The silence hit me like a bullet in the temple.
I feel the void swallowing me entirely and I can’t take this anymore.
I promise myself that I will find a way out.
My first therapy session was two weeks after that day. I managed to keep myself together.
I was preparing myself mentally for it. But the point of therapy, for me, was letting my guard down.
“So, Miriam. How can I help you, what is going on?”
I was not prepared.
I collapse right there and then, spitting out every single detail of my pain. I allow myself to be honest because even if I wanted to lie, I can’t hold it anymore, and the emotions are like a waterfall. For a moment, I felt stupid and dramatic, but the truth is that I was tremendously desperate, I didn’t care about anything in that first session. I was hopeless, this was a matter of living or dying. I needed some kind of salvation. I am in the hands of whoever this person is, because I don’t trust mine anymore.
They notice it.
Therapy is not a place to get nice advice but a deep dive into yourself, and most of the time, for me, was a direct confrontation with my own thoughts. It’s hard to admit that you are broken, but harder to recall when and how. But it is worth it, I swear.
The good thing is that you don’t have to be that way anymore.
Some sessions are better than others. Some days I feel hope. Some others, the idea of having a different life when I am not depressed feels just impossible, happiness seems like a foreign land to me.
I keep going
This is not all I will ever be.
Finally, I feel alive again. The war against my thoughts is over. I need to remember everything I learned in those sessions.
When times start to get rough, I remind myself a couple of things:
Don’t be confused, this sadness is not tied to your blood. You are not condemned.
You’ll realize it, I promise you: you will.
Never forget that you are alive. Don’t allow yourself to become a walking corpse, a soulless
skeleton. Hold on to everything that reminds you that you are still alive.
You need to get out of your mind. Start by getting out of that room.
You got this.
-Miriam <3
returning to a natural state
if i were a wolf and you were a hen in the morning id pluck out every tooth, every fang, every claw, so i could be soft for you. in the night, when you’re asleep in your little coop, with your little hens, i’d sew each tooth, each fang, each claw, back into place and return to the comforting, natural, brutal life, that i hide so well for you. but did you ever question, did you ever think, even for a second, maybe even a day, that once i was a hen too?
Hunter Davis (she/her)
Contributor
Taylore Lawrence (she/her)
Crew Illustrator
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Home Shopping
Mars Jones (he/they)
Contributor
Jordan Richert (he/him)
Crew Illustrator
1.
I am starting the second year of my life and all the practice that came before prepared me for someone who I did not turn out to be. The first thing I see when I open my eyes is the crumbling popcorn ceiling. The second the diagonal paths of light that don’t follow me far enough in the house. Stopping a little ways past the window. Light used to pummel me from the left and I would turn to the right to escape it. I was no man and I am no man and the skills I never learned never transferred.
2.
Home feels like a waiting room and I am idle. The dishes are not yet done. I am beckoning strangers to sit at my table and begging for them to leave when they stand just past the doorway. I wonder if they see things as I do, but I find myself looking into ocean or lake when I am so used to the trees and dirt. I wonder then if they are confused staring back at me, expecting water and steel but finding nothing providing reflection. Everything feels bigger but me.
He was lovely and I wanted to sleep with him, but sleep in the sense of having control over time. Control over lack of control. Control over a lovely boy who I did not want to sleep with. Not really.
I wanted to sleep with him so I peeled off my clothes and the skin underneath and went home and washed them.
I didn’t look to see if he saw me bare. I never really know what I want, just that I am in want of wanting.
First Impressions
Incoming students’ initial thoughts on CapU and the student experience on the North Shore
Mars Palmer (he/they)
Contributor
Cameron Skorulski (he/him)
Illustrator
Bobo Nguyen, eighteen, sits on the concrete stairs out front of the birch building. He’s sitting in a group of about twelve first years, looking at his shoes. Everyone seems to be either avoiding eye contact or making strained small talk. “I don’t really know how to socially interact. I feel so awkward.” Nguyen admits, walking towards the barbeque line. Nguyen is going into their first year at Capilano’s MOPA program. “I don’t really know anyone here. I don’t think anyone in my cohort came to orientation.” Bobo stops suddenly and walks across the grass towards a third year MOPA student. They exchange pleasantries and small talk before the third year wishes Nguyen well. Nguyen worked as a production assistant on a Capilano film production in high school, something they were able to accomplish through their high school film program.
Nguyen’s favorite part about the campus is how immersed in nature it is. “I like that it’s in the middle of the forest. It’s nice for air, it doesn’t feel like a prison. I find this place very… new, if that makes sense? It’s like I’m discovering everything for the first time.” Nguyen checks his phone for the time, he can’t stay long as he has to pick his sister up from the airport. He explains that his family is from Vietnam, and he moved here alone two years ago to attend highschool. They explain it as casually as the weather, taking a moment to wave and give a brief hello to another third year MOPA student they knew.
“I actually thought I dealt quite well with moving here, because I was exposed to the culture through the internet. So I don’t have that much difficulty living here.” Nguyen waves to a cheery girl standing in line, her hot pink crop top and light blue jeans an almost startling contrast to his all black grungey aesthetic.
Over by the library, two girls stare out at the busy campus, giggling and talking as if they’d known each other for ages. Marin Koshikawa moved from Japan just a week before orientation as part of Capilano’s English for Academic Purposes program. She clutches an informational folder and smiles shyly as she speaks. She was studying economics at Koshiro university in Hokkaido, and is only attending for the semester. “This university feels big. I sometimes lose my way.” Her friend nods in agreement. “But people here are so kind, I like it.” She mentions being nineteen, and her friends’ eyes light up.
“Cool, me too!” Lovedeep Kaur had not in fact known Koshikawa for ages, but rather hours. They weren’t even in any of the same classes. Kaur is attending Capilano to get her associate degree of science. “I’d like to be a doctor… but I have a fear of blood.” She laughs. “But I hope I can be a doctor, or work in the medical field.” Kaur came from Punjab in mid May, she laughs again and waves her hand in dismissal at the idea of going to school in India. “I only looked at schools in Canada. I decided on here because it had so many good reviews.” Kaur talked with her whole body, and had a permanent, carefree smile. She exuded a bold and welcoming sort of confidence. “It’s so gorgeous to see the start of a new journey.” Marin nodded in agreement.
“I like that it’s in the middle of the forest. It’s nice for air, it doesn’t feel like a prison. I find this place very… new, if that makes sense? It’s like I’m discovering everything for the first time.”
Back towards Birch, two men sit side by side on the bottom of the concrete steps. They exchange small talk, both looking out at the grass in front of them. Jonas Damstrom, twenty three, was originally from BC, but moved to Calgary for higher education after high school. “I did a year of journalism at SAIT, then during Covid I moved to Kimberly and worked at a juice factory.” Juice factory worker seemed like a fictional job, like puzzle piece counter or shoe cobbler. His friend raises his eyebrows in mild surprise. He laughs dryly. “Working at the juice factory sucked, I wanted to do more writing stuff in the film industry.” He decided on Capilano’s film program for the same reason many do: its broad range of hands-on learning. “I like that you get a little bit of everything.” Damstrom agrees with Nguyen’s perspective of the campus, “I’ve never been to a campus that’s like a forest! I’ve never hiked to class before.” He laughs.
The Library Through a Student’s Eyes.
A chat with a frequent library attendee.
Jordan Tomlinson (he/him)
Letters Editor
Rachel Lu (she/her)
Illustrator
Sounds of shuffling, scribbling and distant honks echo through the vast sixth floor of the Vancouver Central Library. Working students line the steep walls; heads down, focused on their studies. Simarleen Luthra sits among them, typing away hypnotically, only breaking for the occasional sigh and stretch.
“I was never a big fan of the library in high school.” The second-year student confesses; leaning back, shaking her pencil in hand. “But, this one in particular has really grown on me.” Attending UBC has been a blessing to her, she says, the all-encompassing campus has at least one of everything. Anything you could think of is just a short walk away. No reason to leave; great for first year but can get a little claustrophobic. Quickly jumping up, tugging at her shirt and throwing a braid over her shoulder, she retorts.
“Of course, there’s no problem with that. I love my school. It’s just nice to have another space to come and…exist.” Nothing wrong with a change of scenery, she nods.
Vancouver boasts a whopping 21 different branches of its public library scattered across the city. They all hold a calming, quiet space with books, CDs, DVDs and computers all for public use. Along with their large spaces filled with relatively comfortable seating; they have bookable study rooms and conference rooms, many even feature phone/ device charging stations, free of charge (Ha). Its biggest location would have to be Central, where we sit today.
The towering 10-floor building is quite the sight to behold. “I choose to come here mostly for its views and the building itself.” Luthra praises the Roman Colosseum inspired building that engulfs the block, sitting tightly between Homer, Georgia, Robson and Hamilton St. respectfully. Highlighting its open concept and upstairs patio, “You just get room to breathe.” Smiling, her gaze moves up, admiring the many floors above. She describes herself as being “restless,” not an enjoyer of a cramped lifestyle.
Luthra’s eyebrows shoot up, bracelet jingling while she raises her arm; “I also just like the connection to downtown.” She explains the disconnect she felt from the real ‘city’ experience during her first year in university. “I never really had a reason to come all the way out here. It was really rare that I’d make the trip.” Hailing from Abbotsford, moving out was a big change for Luthra, she expected a high-paced city lifestyle and that was not exactly what she got. “It was definitely for the best, I needed time to get used to everything but now, I’m ready for anything.” Laughing and throwing out her arms, she proclaims.
When asked about the benefits for students, she stops to ponder. Sinking back in her chair, arms crossed, she goes to speak but quickly halts. “I don’t really know of any. I mean, books! Students need books?” She spins around in her chair, looking from wall to wall. “CDs. CDs too. They have that filming lab upstairs.” Luthra speaks on the library’s ‘Inspiration Lab’, half a floor which holds multiple recording booths, a green screen, computers packed with editing software and frequent workshops focused on digital art and content creation. “Other than that, I’m not really sure.”
The VPL also holds various workshops within their ‘Skilled Immigrant InfoCenter’ which holds many events to help get newly-immigrated people to any resource they need to build a career here and helps them even build a business from the ground up. Of course, many of their programs/ benefits are branch-specific, for example; the Joe Fortes Branch on Denman and Haro has the ‘Rainbow Collection’,
a collection of various books that are made for the LGBTQ+ community, many downtown branches have their own community zine section, helping to connect Vancouverites and support local artists.
“I do think that’s something they could improve on. Advertising, because even if they have an event or something, there’s a good chance that I won’t hear about it.” Luthra explains that even her most ‘in touch’ friends have never brought up a Vancouver Public Library hosted event. “The people who know about every show, every screening and nothing.” Across its 21 locations, the VPL holds a wide variety of events ranging from movie nights (Kitsilano) to craft nights (Britannia) to book sales (Central), however information for them can only be found on the VPL website (vpl.ca)
“At the end of the day”, she hesitates, “I think it really is worth it to come and study here. You don’t even have to take out a book!” She exclaimed laughing, despite the hushed tone. The peace surrounding us in the silent floor remains. As the shuffling of shoes against carpet and pencil scratches fill our ears once again, we take a moment to take it all in. “Just come and sit for a minute, I’d really recommend it.”
Playing Tricks for Treats
A Scare Actor’s Guide To Supporting The Best Haunted House Experience
Kate Henderson (she/they)
Crew Writer
Sasha Lun (she/her)
Illustrator
Halloween is one of the most immersive seasons of the year, with our day-to-day life entering an exciting veil of brooding and supernatural each October. Anyone who wants to amplify this spooky energy in their October evenings could attend one of many local haunted houses, each room telling a different horror story. For many Vancouver actors, these rooms are supernatural; a part of their day-to-day lives in the month of October.
For Vancouver film and TV actor Jaira Brownlee, her career expanded into scare acting a few years ago when she saw an ad for Maan Farms on the Vancouver Actors Guide. Once securing the job, Brownlee arrived and “was put in costume, hair and makeup, and sent to [her] location in the corn maze.” Additionally, atmospheric actor Garett Doran Moran shares, through his decade of scare acting, that the early years were quite simple; hair, makeup, scare! However, Moran quickly became a regular scare actor of Vancouver’s largest haunted house company, PNE Fright Nights. He describes there were training videos, 250 coworkers of specific scaring positions and eight haunted houses to fill.
“Please don’t scream in my ear, I don’t scream in yours. Monsters are people too!”
“At Fright Nights, we have roamers, people in the houses and a security guard all within designated scare zones,” Moran points out. However, whilst more elaborately organized, it seems both processes of training have the same result: creating one’s character on the job. Similar to film and TV, Jaira says she enters a rhythm of repetition with each group as she would with different takes. However, unlike her day-to-day acting, the director is one of the attendees of the corn maze. “Reactions are my way of adjusting on the fly,” Brownlee shares. Moran concurs with this, “my job feels like much more than just scaring people, it’s weirding them out, being ridiculous, all finding out what works.”
Brownlee elaborates, “When I get a really good scare, it’s confirmation that my character is working.”
Patrons’ reactions under pressure can typically be summarized into flight, fight, or freeze. However, Brownlee and Moran have seen that and more. “The most common response seems to be flirting,” Brownlee shares that she has even been asked for her social media while in character.
Brownlee recounted her favourite response, saying, “Once when I was working as a cannibal farmer, and I yelled ‘get off my land!’ to a patron, they responded with ‘I’m native, so…’” Moran’s favourite encounter involved a large group with a couple. Once Moran jumped out of fog dressed as a clown and the boyfriend threw his girlfriend at the actor in fear. Moran asked if she was okay, only for her to look back at the group and then leave the Fright Nights grounds. “I noticed the rest of the party seemed to look related to members of the couple, soon realizing this was actually a wedding party.”
Both of these experiences prompted Brownlee and Moran to share the
importance of not only the physical boundaries that are set on the job, but communicative boundaries. “My job in nature is mean, we’re scaring people,” Brownlee acknowledges. “However, when I was working at Cougar Creek, my supervisor pulled our team aside to talk about the importance of making our lines impersonal… Sure, someone has consented to being scared, but not personally insulted.”
Brownlee’s understanding of how to respect customers was well-advised on her jobs at Maan Farm and Cougar Creek, bringing into question how patrons can do their best to support scare actors. “I think the most frustrating thing is when patrons assume our job by hiding and scaring their friends,” Brownlee states this saying it messes with actors’ rhythm. Moran agrees with this, elaborating that customers have even tried to scare him on the job. “Please don’t scream in my ear, I don’t scream in yours. Monsters are people too!”
Brownlee further mentions the importance of patron-to-patron boundaries. “I’ve seen so many parents dragging their kids into our spaces clearly overwhelmed.” While this can be a common experience, Moran mentions the opposite and much more hopeful scenario, “Seeing a kid discover the joys of Halloween for the first time meeting the creatures of a haunted house; creatures that aren’t cast for archetypes–frankly, the most accepting casting space of every shape and size of person–is so exciting.”
While this community is at the forefront during October, Moran made sure to share that atmospheric acting happens all year; support your local theatre troupe! We can get a scare and a laugh at any point in the year, and most of all, support our scare acting community. What am I grateful for?
Ben and Emerson unravel the story of LCD, from their early days of film photography to a print-only magazine, record label, streetwear and beyond
Calculating the Lowest Common Denominator
Crew Writer
Illustrator
Lily Rosen (she/her)
Lauren Howard (she/her)
Lowest Common Denominator (LCD) isn’t just a creative venture—it’s a whole ecosystem. Founded by Benadryl and Emerson in the Lower Mainland, LCD is a magazine, a record label, a merch brand, and a hub for local creatives building community. The duo handles everything in-house, from photography to graphic design to writing, save for the occasional collaborators, such as @_erv_____. With Issue
Two of LCD Magazine dropping soon, the boys sat down to discuss LCD’s journey so far, the messy creative process and why print is still king.
You might be wondering who Ben and Emerson are. Shrugging, Emerson says, “It’s more important what the company is. We’re just some guys.” Their story began like your classic pandemic project, but LCD’s evolution is anything but typical. “I was really into Travis Scott at the time,”
Emerson says. “We want our readers to sit down and absorb it. And there’s something about the permanence of print. Instagram servers might shut down one day, but if someone has our book on their coffee table, it’s gonna exist until the world explodes, ideally.”
Issue One came with similarly explosive creative energy. Ben remembers the process as something organic: “The first thing we ever made was the conspiracy board page in November ‘22, over a year before publication. We built the magazine from a bunch of little ideas like that, where we came up with a concept and then attacked it step-by-step.”
Emerson recalls, “We were interested in elaborate photography: storytelling, staging, sets and props. At first,
“We realized [when we got into photography] Instagram fucking sucks as a way to display your work. So, we thought, ‘What better way than physical media?”
Emerson continues. “I looked at his Instagram and thought, ‘Wow, these photos look so cool, I wish I had cool photos.’ Then I found his photographer, @rayscorruptedmind, and was like, ‘Whoa, he shoots on film!’ So, I hit up [Ben] like, ‘Wanna take some Travis Scott drip pics?’”
One borrowed camera from Emerson’s dad later, the duo plunged into film photography. “We realized [when we got into photography] Instagram fucking sucks as a way to display your work. So, we thought, ‘What better way than physical media?’” What started as a low-key electronic publishing concept blossomed into something bigger and pricier, and Emerson remarks on deciding, “Nah, we’re not releasing this for free. No freeloaders.”
Keeping LCD Magazine print-only is intentional in today’s swipe-and-skip culture. “On the Internet, it’s easy to just skim something, say ‘Oh, that’s cool,’ and move on,”
we were worried it would end up like a photobook. So we did fake ads, two interviews and even an ARG puzzle that still isn’t solved. We just wanted to make cool shit and see what stuck.”
With Issue Two on the horizon, the boys are levelling up. “Where Issue One came from old Internet, glossy Y2K aesthetics, Issue Two takes a more esoteric, mystical, folklore-inspired approach,” Ben explains. “About a third of it is like a graphic novel. Overall, Issue Two is just bigger and better.”
The LCD ecosystem doesn’t stop at print. Their record label supports and showcases local creatives they believe in. “Music is central to all kinds of art,” Ben says. “A lot of our friends and affiliates are great musicians, but they struggle with presentation. So, we help with cover art, music videos— anything visually representing their work.”
“We just wanted our own cool shit to wear, and people fucking loved it”
Emerson chimes in, “With our support, we’re not in the business of royalties. You make the music; that’s your bag to chase. We’re just here to help independent artists actually make some money.”
Then there’s the merch. LCD’s streetwear collection, which started with a simple knit toque, has taken on a life of its own with an exclusive range of high-quality, affordable pieces. “We just wanted our own cool shit to wear, and people fucking loved it,” Emerson says. “Our beanies and shirts have flown off the shelf.”
Rumour has it they’ve dabbled in the rap scene, too. “I’ve been known to cough up a sixteen or two,” Ben laughs, dubbed the ‘Father of Freestyle’ by Emerson. “Our friend @808_kalyan is a super talented producer, so whenever we hang out, I tap him on the shoulder like, ‘Hey man, can I punch in?’” Emerson hints, “There might be something medium to long-term in the works, but we’re not going to speak on that yet.”
Balancing all these endeavours—the magazine, label, merch, events and even rap—is no small feat. So, how do they keep it all together? “We don’t!” Emerson says. “It all depends on deadlines. We have a pop-up in two and a half weeks, and we’re scrambling to put together a new product.” Ben adds, “But we always make it work.”
As Ben and Emerson continue to grow LCD’s brand, one thing’s sure: no matter the venture, they’re making waves. LCD is about fostering a creative community and carving a lasting impact. And they’re just getting started.
When asked what they’d like to promote, the boys pointed to some of their artistic connections, which can be found on Instagram; @maxdahlsam, @jonahwingelman, @xand333r, and @f1lmedbyjean. Learn more about LCD on their website lcdmagazine.com or on Instagram @lcd.magazine.
Featured Artist Mesh Devkota (he/him)
Nitroglycerin: New Band on the Block
A look into the Vancouver underground music scene and the people who form it.
A.K Broznitsky (he/they)
Contributor
Andy Poystila (he/him)
Illustrator
Born out of an old mechanic’s shop, Green Auto Body is one of the many underground music venues that dot Vancouver’s landscape. Venues in Vancouver act similarly to the nurse trees in the forests of the Lower Mainland, and Green Auto is no exception. The physical building of Green Auto was not designed with concerts in mind, but the distance between the band and the audience is negligible. In one section of Green Auto, guests walk up a set of stairs and are prompted by the person at the door to take off their shoes and find a seat on the floor, where they’ll sit about a metre away from the performers. If the underground scene in Vancouver needed to be summarised in one word, it would be “intimate.”
Nitroglycerin is a new and unique sound beginning to permeate Vancouver’s underground subcommunities. This Vancouver-based band has a grunge-punkrock-shoegaze sound, and is an incredible
example of how music genre labels often fall short. They serve as an almost perfect archetype of an underground band: young, passionate and equally as financially troubled as any other 20-something-year-olds in Vancouver. Recently, they played live at the Cobalt ,another nurse tree venue, alongside Autonomous Apes, Hope Slide, and Felisha and the Jazz Rejects. Nitroglycerin set up the event, contacting the other bands and venue to organise the concert.
Community is a key facet of the Vancouver music scene, so members of local bands are usually in the audience for other bands. This sense of intimacy, this tight-knit and friendly community, makes the Vancouver scene so fun to be a part of. Instead of sitting in a crowded Rogers Arena watching some massively popular band play on a far-away stage, the band plays right in front of you and talks to you after their set. It is a cooperative space with a strong sense of camaraderie, and it’s not exclusive to musicians. At these tiny venues, painters sell their art, poets read their work between sets, photographers scurry about snapping photos and writers
sit in isolated corners scribbling notes for a student newspaper.
“If there’s anything musicians know, it’s being broke, sad and alone,” said Nitroglycerin bassist Hannah. “You can’t put all this stuff on alone. You need someone to run sound, you need a place to do it, you need other bands to be with you.”
A cynic might say this attitude comes from a capitalistic sense of networking, a need to make connections to grow your brand and increase profits. More accurately, it comes from a place of mutual respect and love of not just the act of making music but of making art itself.
Vancouver is full of artists creating and experimenting with their art just like Nitroglycerin, and despite the rising cost of living, they show no signs of stopping. New people, whether new artists or new audience members, are always welcome in the music scene. If you have some spare cash, now is the perfect time to start going to underground concerts. The tickets are cheap and the bands would love to see you there.
The Freaks Come Out at Night
And they’re looking as fabulous as ever.
Dear girls, gays and ghouls,
If you’ve picked up this letter, then you’re probably like me—just a little guy who adores Halloween and the spooky season. Maybe you grew up in a very orderly, cis-straight town and always itched for something more crazy and wacky.
Jasmin Linton (she/her)
Contributor Illustrator
Val Kruglikovskaya (she/they)
Halloween allows for wild and elaborate changes from your regular look, and the best part is, no one questions you on it! It’s the perfect night to experiment with new clothing, silhouettes, makeup and a variety of different artforms. For people from similar backgrounds like my own, it can help you discover your queer identity easier without the backlash of your small town. In a rigid community that would sneer at a hair out of place, Halloween became the night of the year where I could let go of any consequences and had space to experiment with my self-expression. I could play around with fashion, gender and all kinds of makeup—and boy, did I ever.
If I had to pinpoint where my obsession with loud, flamboyant glitter-filled makeup began, it would be October 2016. I spent hours watching creepy doll makeup tutorials for a puppet doll costume that I had set my mind to. I thrifted a Wednesday Addams dress and practiced overlining my eyes and making my chin into a gaping mouth. The highlight of that year was bringing a kid to tears from my haunted house performance, though I’ll admit I felt bad about the nightmares I may have caused.
While experimenting, of course I ran into the problem of my ideas being too elaborate to find at your local Halloween store—not like my tiny town even had one. So, I had to get creative. With help from my thrifting queen of a mother—seriously, she could find Dior in a garbage bin—we combed through thrift stores, craft stores, my jewellery, her jewellery, we even scoured her costume trunk. Yes, you heard that right; it’s obvious where my love of dress-up came from.
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“Halloween allows for wild and elaborate changes from your regular look, and the best part is, no one questions you on it!”
The Breakfast Club is one of my top five movies, so one year I dressed up as John Bender. Not only did I love the idea of dressing up as something new, but also the challenge of scrounging together the pieces to make the costume whole. I had the gloves, the flannel and even tied a bandana around my boot. Only one person knew who I was. But hey, you win some, you lose some. I just hoped that at least one person I had to tell who I was went home and watched the movie.
Of course, this wasn’t the only time my peers failed to appreciate what was clearly an amazing recreation. I was in highschool when Tumblr was all the rage and “fandom culture” was the centre of my life; this meant a lot of my costumes really, and I mean really , let my geekiness shine through. After aggressively getting into Superwholock, I was the 11th Doctor for tenth grade, with the sonic screwdriver, a red fez and everything. The following year, I dressed up as a victim of The Silence also from Doctor Who (kudos to you if you know that wildly niche reference). Of course, not everyone gets it but you can’t sweat that. While it’s amazing to find someone into the same random piece of media you’ve been watching since you were twelve, it’s more important to be fulfilled by your own excitement and satisfaction around the art you’ve created.
After becoming more comfortable and confident in my body, Halloween has become another excuse to wear as much glitter as possible and have fun with other flamboyant dressers and newbies to the community who are testing the waters. It’s a night that still holds so much mystery, and seeing the confidence it brings to people is amazing. I still find myself using Halloween as a way to challenge myself and try out even crazier fashion. Whether you are a veteran freak or just started your amazing experimental journey, I couldn’t be more excited about what you’ll come up with next. I’m sure it will be freakishly fantastic.
P.S. As always with dress up, remember to be aware of offensive or triggering costumes. Someone’s culture is not for you to use as a costume for a night. Props like knives, guns and other weapons should also be treated with sensitivity regarding where you’re dressing up to go. No one wants a poked out eye on the dance floor or weapons in the classroom, for obvious reasons.
Featured Artist
Siobhan Barry (she/her)
Top 5 Gayest Books
“What? I’m not homophobic, I’m an ally!”
Ren Zhang (they/them)
Contributor
Millie Beatch (she/her)
Illustrator
“Not to mention Card’s belief that gayness will end democracy, which goes to show how powerful the gays really are.”
It’s Halloween month, and that means the gays are coming out to bat in preparation for the most beloved LGBTQ+holiday. In between crocheting and gluing, why not read some top picks vying for the gayest title?
Number 5: “Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli
A beautiful book filled with homosexual agenda galore. Follow Simon—a 16 year-old boy with a secret that’s worse than being vegan—through a tender coming-of-age story navigating the rocky waves of high school. With plenty of queer angst and pining, you’ll love its pen pal love drama, internal struggles, and irresistible influence that is turning the children of the world gay and trans. That’s right, keep your children well away from any positive representation of difference if you want them to suffer lifelong shame. A great read!
Number 4: “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson
The title says everything you need to know. Filled with funny illustrations and writing meant only for white gay men, you’ll find an inspiring message that it’s okay to be queer. They throw in some sex advice, but if you’re not a gay man then you’re out of luck. If you’re transgender or gender nonconforming, you’ll enjoy the rigid gender binary that this book loves to propagate. And for the asexuals, you’ll love how asexuality is mentioned once at the beginning, and is promptly cast aside when the author writes that everyone, regardless of sexuality, wants to have sex with tons of people. It’s a must-read!
Number 3: “Ender’s Game” by Orson
Scott Card
A beloved science fiction novel, Ender’s Game will curve anybody’s straight arrow. Ender, the main character, has deep relationships with other boys, and sparks fly when that turns into a totally platonic kiss. Not to mention Card’s belief that gayness will end democracy, which goes to show how powerful the gays really are. Delve into an intergalactic adventure where the characters are on a ship and in a ship, spreading that gay love beyond time and space.
“Join in on the fun and get yourself a Harry Potter tattoo, where you’ll be statistically more likely to experience regret than people getting gender-affirming surgeries!”
Number 2: “Twelve Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos”
by Jordan B. Peterson
Number two on the roster is a self-help book by everybody’s favourite armchair-psychologist and intellectual podcaster. Fix your life by following his rules of standing up for others, petting cats when you see them, and pushing the gender binary to the extreme. You’ll love his long rants on how men represent “order” and women represent “chaos.” The gayness is strong with this one—why are you treating men better than women, huh? Seems pretty gay if you ask me.
Number 1: The Entire Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
You’ve been an excellent audience and unfortunately we’ve reached the end of our time together. Coming in at the top spot is the entire set of the Harry Potter series! From saying that Dumbledore is gay to Remus Lupin’s condition being a representation for AIDS, J.K Rowling and Harry Potter truly won our hearts with all the amazing representation. Celebrate diversity with the totally nonoffensive Asian character Cho Chang or Black character Kingsley Shacklebolt. Until the transgenders came along, J.K Rowling was doing just fine! Explore the magical world of Hogwarts, where all the students in the school are definitely cisgender. Join in on the fun and get yourself a Harry Potter tattoo, where you’ll be statistically more likely to experience regret than people getting gender-affirming surgeries!
That’s all folks! Well, except for one more thing.
All joking aside, here’s my list for uplifting, authentic queer stories:
1. “Heartstopper” by Alice Oseman
a graphic novel about queer love that will stop your heart with cuteness and warmth.
2. “Cemetery Boys” by Aiden Thomas
a YA fantasy with a trans main character that will bring you back to life!
3. “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe
An illustrated autobiography by a non-binary author that will hold your hand and soothe your dysphoria.
4. “Light From Uncommon Stars” by Ryka Aoki
The gayness is off the charts with this one. Fall in love with a demon, get invested in violin competitions, and grab a bite from an interstellar donut shop!
5. “The Girl from the Sea” by Molly Knox Ostertag
A graphic novel with a love between a land dweller and a mermaid(?) that transcends more than a relationship.
Top 3 Bathrooms To Not Do Drugs in at Capilano University
I’ve never not condoned not using drugs, so here are my top three Capilano University bathrooms to absolutely not do drugs in.
Crew Writer
Sean Finan (any)
Illustrator
Tin Raganit (they/them)
“Did I mention there are also no window openings anywhere on the third floor? Good luck ventilating that kush exhaust!”
Once upon a time, humans and their bowel movements were one. People used to just go when they felt like it,in the street, in the forest or in their living room on the couch watching Teen Wolf. Not me, though! Never happened to me once. As a baby, I locked myself in a room and potty trained myself so I’d never have to use a diaper. But for everyone else—when the great divide of human beings and shit happened around 3000 BCE– bathrooms were installed into the homes of everyone that could afford it.
Since then, people have been doing drugs in them. But not here at Capilano University, where our bathrooms are far too clean. I’ve never not condoned not using drugs, so here are my top three Capilano University bathrooms to absolutely not do drugs in.
1. The Library Bathrooms
Why the hell would you do drugs in a spot as nice as this? If you’re looking for a place to snort some Grade C Special K you’re surely looking for a dingier atmosphere. More ambient lighting, maybe even some graffiti. The mise-en-scene could be drastically improved.
2. Bosa Centre Bathrooms
Dare I even bring up the Bosa Booty Boxes, the bathrooms on the third floor of the Bosa Centre? Not only are these bathrooms stunning, but they are on opposite ends of a hallway which doubles as a cavernous reverb simulator. If you’re getting dointed on a fat juicy Dank J, you better not fail to inhale; even the slightest cough is going to echo through the hallways,
alerting anyone in the nearby vicinity. Did I mention there are also no window openings anywhere on the third floor? Good luck ventilating that kush exhaust! Any excess THC particles lingering in the air will be sure to get professors and students alike stoned to the bone (which, again, is something we do not want to happen).
3. Birch Cafeteria Bathrooms
This one is a must. As in, you must not even think about engaging in the ingestion, absorption, disintegration, hydration, injection, vaporization, or imperialization of any illicit substances while inside this bathroom. Not only is this bathroom beautifully constructed and equally as innocent as all of the aforementioned bathrooms at Capilano University, it also has people lining up for it that have just been nourished by the Birch Cafeteria. This nourishment, which includes Subway sandwiches, a salad bar and tons of coffee, is sure to cause unwieldy bowel movements in students. This would mean that any drug usage would cause the lines to be further extended, potentially causing life-altering and/or fatal medical issues from the inhibiting of feces excretion.
That’s been my list of the top three bathrooms to not do drugs in at CapU. I hope you have learned a thing or two and are going into these bathrooms strictly to shit and piss and absolutely not to do drugs.
Crossword! (but it’s hopefully right this time)
1. Carrie Bradshaw’s beau (and worst nightmare)
4. Euphoria Jock Jacobs
8. Wee Sheep
12. Word to describe a wolf or ranger, perhaps 13. Adjective for a dry climate
14. “I have no ___.”
15. Between the neck and the legs 16. Winter comfort food 17. Connecting point between paths 18. Brazilian berry 19. Set pay for contractors, maybe 21. DC’s dark knight (she/her) 23. “Spicy” root vegetable
27. Messi’s famous camp
28. Dad rock band, or something for electricians to worry about
30. Citation format
31. Body of water between Alaska and Russia
35. Less “out there”
37. Opera solo
38. Classy AND sporty garment
40. Marsh plant
41. Eldest Stark daughter
43. Where they keep the fanciest wine
45. 19th letter in the alphabet
46. Infamous Broadway to Hollywood adaptation
48. French beaches
49. Ability to sense with your eyes
51. Dessert that sounds like a ratio
52. Halifax time
53. Rodent terraforming
57. West Coast North American state abbr.
60. Sandal brand
61. Nintendo pricess. Not that one, the other one.
65. She called Bob Dylan an “urban hillbilly”
66. American Horror Story actor Peters
67. Foe
68. Ken’s mojo dojo ___ house
69. Fill it with rocks for a last-minute weapon
70. Hotel room
DOWN
1. Fictional Kazakh icon
2. Official emblems of distinguishment
3. Prefix pertaining to the earth 4. Nose related
5. Like your friend with dyed hair and an east-van studio
6. Levels of a hierarchy 7. His skin shines under the sun
8. Like paper you can use for writing
9. Commotion
10. Pre ___
11. Lover, in slang
12. “Bella, where the hell have you been, ___?”
15. You probably have way too many open on your laptop right now
19. Don’t do them!!!
20. Subtlety in sticky situations
22. Charged particle
24. To plunge oneself in something
25. Cup holders?
26. Most difficult 28. Unfathomable measures of time
29. Emily for which an art school is named
31. Bad thing to see loaded if you’re pitching
32. Make blank
33. Counterpart to “repeat” in a common phrase
34. Comedy, but make it short
36. Zone
39. Lukewarm
42. Side effect of puberty
44. Sketchy guys at a bar
47. Pretty rocks
50. Stag and hen party hub in Spain
51. 01/04 tradition
54. Music video giant in the 2010’s
55. Get outta here, abbr.
56. List of food items
57. 105.7 FM
58. Battery type
59. “The” French
62. Garland of flowers, often worn around the neck
63. One of 19d. Similar to effects to shrooms.
64. Pirate yes
by Sofia Musa
Craving for more?
Here are some more articles to expect published on our website, capilanocourier.com:
• Capilano University Chancellor Yuri Fulmer nominated for Conservatives in West Vancouver
• Ahead of the Election: How much do B.C. public servants make?
• Shining a Light on the Stars Behind the Curtain
• Canadian Soccer Fans Wonder: Who Let The Drones In?
• Gun in the hand of a Child by Mars Jones
• Untitled by Mars Jones
• Enroll with Caution
• Vancouver Black Library
• The Art of Sharing Art
• Malls Everchanging
• List of Mascots Formally Rejected by CapU Administration
• Searching Enlightenment? Take Shrooms and Watch The Polar Express in IMAX 3D.
CAPILANO UNIVERSITY is located on the traditional unceded territories of the LíỈwat, xʷməθkʷəỷəm (Musqueam), shíshálh (Sechelt), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and SəỈílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
We recognize our presence here as guests on this sacred land and deeply appreciate the privilege to work, study, and reside in this remarkable place. The Capilano Courier acknowledges that this gesture is just a starting point on the path to reconciliation, and we are committed to amplifying Indigenous voices and sharing their stories.
THE CAPILANO COURIER is an autonomous, democratically-run student newspaper that encourages literary and visual submissions. However, all submissions undergo editing for brevity, taste, and legality. We are committed to not publishing material that the collective deems as promoting sexism, racism, or homophobia. The views expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Capilano Courier publishing society.
Additionally, we prioritize a human-centered approach to content creation and do not support the use of AI in our editorial processes. We believe in the value of human perspectives and storytelling in our publication.
CAPILANO COURIER
What am I grateful for?