Issue 11 May 2017
magazine
Cover art: Mallory Donen
Editor-in-Chief Katie Stobbart
Publisher Anthony Biondi
Associate Editor Jess Wind
FRESH Curators Aymee Leake - Art Alex Rake - Fiction
Business Dessa Bayrock - Ad Sales
Writers Alex Rake Ron Sweeney Kelly Wong
Raspberry publishes letters to the editor of 150 words or less. Letters should be sent via email to info@raspberrymag. ca. The editors reserve the right not to print a letter for any reason. If you have a tip for arts, culture, or community coverage, let us know.
Contents
The poetry of home Ron Sweeny discusses the latest poetry of Michelle Elrick's then/again and her connection to the Lower Mainland.
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FRESH Art This month's art feature is Mallory Donen. She explores women and their relationships to computers.
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www.raspberrymag.ca
Contents Abby Eats CafĂŠ p.6
Chilliwack's first cider fest p.10
Columns FRESH Art: Mallory Donen p.16 Art on the Wing p.26 FRESH Fiction: Robert Martens p.34 Local Harvest book review p.36 Let's Play game review p.38
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The Red Press Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the growth of the literary arts in the Fraser Valley; publishing works which stimulate local arts and culture, including Raspberry magazine; and promoting awareness and readership of contemporary Canadian literature.
New restaurant to fill spaces
in Abbotsford’s class gaps
Abby Eats Café will allow patrons to “pay what they can”
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Alex Rake Kelly Wong
I
t’s an old trope: a bumbling restaurant patron discovers they can’t afford their meal, and, after a big commotion, they work off their debt by washing dishes and serving customers. In the real, less comedic world where everyone needs food but not everyone has the means to get it, this sort of system would have merit, but it just doesn’t seem to happen in real life. At least, not in Abbotsford – or at least, not yet. But in early 2018, Abbotsford will have Abby Eats Café, a social enterprise eatery functioning on a pay-what-youcan model. Customers can pay whatever they’re able to muster, and if money isn’t such a viable option, then they can assist the café as a server, or a dishwasher, or with whatever other helpful service they can offer. They may also pay toward someone else’s meal with money or vol-
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unteer work. Kyle Dyck, the front man for the project, is not working to give simple handouts to the less fortunate. Instead, he’s trying to create a less class-divided community. “You’re trying to engage all social classes,” he says. “A big part of it is creating that culture, where you know when you walk in there you’re loved, valued, you’re cared for, no matter what you look like, or believe, or how much money you make.” “I’ve had conversations with people where they’ll go, ‘Does that mean if I bring my family in there, I might be sitting next to some homeless or some poor person?’ And I’m like, yeah, that’s the hope – and that people won’t cast judgement right away.” The planning for Abby Eats began in January. Dyck had just resigned from a
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church in Abbotsford after eight years of serving as a pastor. He was wondering what the next step in his life was going to be when, during an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, he was introduced to the concept of social enterprise eateries. “I loved the concept,” he says. “I made the decision that I’m going to pursue this 100 per cent, until there’s too many roadblocks and it’s not going to work.” “I have no business experience,” he admits. “I’m not a chef … But I do have a vision and a dream, and I think enough problem-solving skills to make this thing go forward.” This isn’t to say Dyck is rushing into this project in total ignorance. During his time as a pastor, his church ran a recovery ministry where he gained experience “working alongside and caring for some really at-risk, addicted, struggling people.” And with rising rent costs and an increasing homeless population, he recognizes that “food insecurity is a major issue, a major social justice need” in Abbotsford. “I have a heart for helping people in Abbotsford,” he adds. And Abby Eats “could really put Abbotsford on the map in a cool, creative way in terms of social enterprises around here.” Dyck and his team are not the first community-minded people in BC to have an idea for this kind of eatery. Vancouver’s Heartwood Café used a similar pay-what-you-can model for its “Soup for the People” menu, but closed its doors in August last year because, as Simran Singh of The Daily Hive reports, “with
rising rent and operational costs, Heartwood’s primary funder, Trinity United Church, could no longer afford to keep the restaurant open.” The Abby Eats model, however, won’t have to worry about Vancouver-level real estate prices, and will also rely less on paid positions. The goal is to have three paid positions (Dyck, a chef, and a volunteer manager), and Dyck has a budget in mind. “75 grand gets us open and running,” he says. “After that, though, to be sustainable, we will need probably about $50,000 a year to not go into the red … We’re not making money, there’s no profit, so this is just to keep the lights on, pay a lease, pay a couple staff.” According to Dyck’s research into already existing social enterprise eateries, the most realistically sustainable division of payment is 60 per cent of patrons paying full price or more, 20 per cent paying partially, and 20 per cent not able to pay at all. Therefore, “a lot of the marketing down the road is going to be geared toward middle-upper class,” he explains, “because you need those people in there giving more to make up for the lower class who can’t pay the full amount or are paying less.” Dyck is encouraged by the amount of people who have already approached him to express interest in volunteering at
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Abby Eats. “People love the vision and the concept,” he says. “Most people haven’t even met me before – they’ve just read something online. So, it’s not really even my personality or like I’m a friend of somebody; they love the vision and mission of what we want to do.” These volunteers are also “coming from everywhere … It’s not just like religious people, or this or that type of person.” “I don’t think it will be a problem at all to get volunteers,” he says. “[But] right now we’re not in that stage. It’s our core team, and it’s trying to find people who know how to do fundraising and setting up stuff.” The next steps for Abby Eats include hiring a head chef, forming relationships with local farmers, businesses, and organizations, and continuing to build a volunteer database. Their first crowdfunding campaign began April 25, with a goal of $25,000 in 60 days. That campaign can be accessed online at https://chuffed.org/project/ abbyeatscafe.
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Getting to the
Core
of the Lower Mainland's
Growing Cider Industry Jess Wind When non-cider drinkers think of cider, they picture smuggling Growers into the basement at family dinners to indulge in the may-as-well-be-juice, entry-level alcohol. But cider has been growing in popularity as a bright, sweet, summer drink and alternative to beer. The first annual Fraser Valley Cider Fest turned skeptics into apple appreciators with its stellar lineup up of BC cideries.
The Event The same appreciation for local, unique, and fresh that makes craft beer so popular translates easily to cider. But at this cider celebration, as I notice looking around the Tzeachten Community Centre in Chilliwack, the demographic is different. Beer festivals tend to attract the same crowd each time; Fraser Valley Cider Festival brought in the wine drinkers. It blends craft culture with those that are used to drinking out of stemmed glasses. Hosted by the Chilliwack Community Arts Council, the festival featured cideries from Vancouver Island to the Okanagan. Sample glasses and starter tokens were provided with admission to give a taste of all there was to offer. I quickly spotted some of the usual suspects including Lonetree and Broken Ladder (BC Tree Fruits Cider Co.,), and couldn’t wait to sip samples from Fraser Valley Cider Company and the island’s Sea Cider. If I didn’t know it was the first, I wouldn’t have guessed. The festival was branded with a simple, bold apple logo on the walls, and plenty of real apples as centre pieces. Each guest received a “cider shopping list” to keep track of their favourites and was encouraged to take part in the 50/50 draw. There were sample menu items from local cuisine including Curly Kale Eatery, and plenty of standing tables for mingling, plus a seating area with live music. There was also special designated driver pricing with complimentary non-alcoholic beverages — a smart and considerate touch. Overall Fraser Valley Cider Festival had the polish and attention to detail of a well-seasoned annual event.
The Scene I started as a craft beer drinker years ago, but my body chose cider and I’ve been hunting for a craft batch of well-balanced apples in BC ever since. I returned to my favourite liquor store in Mission, hoping their stellar reputation for craft beer had translated to cider. This was how I stumbled on Ward’s Picker’s Hut Winter Spice cider out of Kelowna. It was rich and full of flavour, bringing in spiced notes to get me through those cold snowy months. But it’s not winter anymore, and I already bought out the store’s supply of Winter Spice. So my attendance at the Cider Festival had dual purpose. One was to sample and review BC cider, the other was to scope out the growing cider scene and this year’s summer drink. Ward’s Hard Cider was sampling their Picker’s Hut Premium and noted that just like craft beer, craft cider has a quickly growing fan base. "It's growing! Just like craft beer— now cider is getting in on it too,” they said. Sea Cider’s mainland representative noted that their cider has been producing for 10 years, but the island location kept it isolated from reaching its full popularity. Kaylan Madeira, owner and cider-maker at Twisted Hills, said it was great to see events like the Cider Festival coming out of the Fraser Valley. It shows the still small scene is changing and growing. “Craft cider is still so small that I could phone … and talk to anyone, which is a lot of fun,” she says, adding, “It is absolutely growing — it's one of the fastest growing beverage markets right now.” It was impressive to see so many successful cider companies (and up-and-comers like Fraser Valley Cider Company) in one place. Some I’d heard of, and tried at local restaurants — Lonetree and Left Field are both available at Bow and Stern — and others were entirely new. I was excited to try them all. But the most excitement was coming from the cider-makers themselves. They were buzzing as they got to know their guests, talked about apples, and encouraged visitors to visit their tasting rooms around the province. Time to plan a cider-centric summer road trip!
The Ciders Wondering what to pick up for your first back yard barbecue of the season? Looking for something new as the nice weather quickly approaches? Check out my response to some of the ciders featured at Cider Fest. Many were tried, but these stood out as favourites. Find them in your liquor store, or plan your summer vacation around visiting their tasting rooms.
Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse Saanichton, Vancouver Island
This cidery was happy to get off the island to see what the mainland has to offer. They fit right in with their unique flavours and polished presentation. What I tried: Rumrunner Aged in rum-soaked bourbon barrels for six months, this hearty cider drinks like the smooth glass you offer guests after a good meal. Its rich profile lets the rum flavours shine, while its light finish reminds us it’s a cider.
Twisted Hills Craft Cider Cawston, Okanagan
This cidery sources all their own apples with everything certified organic. They shared the knowledge that for it to count as cider, it needs to be 90 per cent apples. Anything less, and it drifts into cooler country. What I tried: Kingston’s Twist This cider hits the spot. Finer bubbles make for a less aggressive mouthfeel than most other carbonation. It’s a well balanced semi-dry that walks that line with confidence. Overall Twisted Hills makes for easy drinking from the beginning of the night to the end.
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Dominion Cider Co. Summerland, Okanagan
Dominion runs two orchards, but only one is for cider. They have a huge variety of apples — some for eating, and others like the “Yarlington” which serve their purpose better as cider. What I tried: Craft Cider Cider’s have a tough job in trying to be full of flavour without being too sweet. Dominion finds this balance with their Craft Cider. It was crisp and light and comfortably between sweet and dry. A great medium drinking option for those warm summer nights.
Fraser Valley Cider Company Langley, Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley Cider company represents the only cidery in the valley. A recent addition to the ranks, they’re excited to open their tasting room in Langley this spring. No need for a road trip, take an afternoon and check out this neat new local offering. What I tried: Elderflower Well balanced with just enough floral aroma to set it apart, this cider begs for a lazy summer afternoon. Its brightness and smooth finish made it an instant favourite this season.
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fresh art Mallory Donen
About the artist Mallory Donen is an interdisciplinary artist from White Rock, British Columbia. In June 2015, Donen graduated from UFV with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Arts Major. Her specialties include painting, drawing, photography, and digital media. Donen is expected to graduate in October 2017 with a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Manitoba. Recent group shows include Dis:// Connections: Emerge Annual Exhibition in Abbotsford, BC, and The Annual Double Exposure: Photography & Poetry in Surrey, BC. Horror Vacui is an upcoming group exhibition, in October, at the Deer Lake Gallery, in Burnaby, BC.
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Think Like A Human Act Like A Machine
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Artist statement
"Women truly were the first computers." In 1833, Charles Babbage with the help of the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace, designed the Analytical Engine based off of the Jacquard loom. The Jacquard loom was a mechanical innovation of what was previously woven and greatly influenced by women. In turn, women learned their skills and techniques from the first pioneers of them all, spiders and moths, natures weaving experts . Hence, by looking at the historical timeline of machines and the digital computers of today, it is evident that they were initially inspired by women’s practices. In addition, Lovelace’s experience as a computer programmer, demonstrates how women have been doing mechanical tasks that men did not seem to want
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Think Like A Human Act Like A Machine: Interior
to bother with for a very long time. Women truly were the first computers, executing the mundane, detailed, repetitive, semiautomatic operations now assigned to digital computers. But is it really because men couldn’t be “bothered” to complete such mundane tasks? Perhaps it has something to do with the way men and women’s brains work differently, contrastingly to Alan Turing’s notion that machines think in a unique way . Accordingly, it is possible that the ways in which women and machines think may be comparable. For centuries, needlework, crafts, and other domestic art forms have been passed down by generations of women. (1)
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When I Cross-Stitch I Feel Like a Machine: 88 Hours of SelfLove and Self-Reflection is part of series of cross-stitched embroidery works, which produce a digital aesthetic similar to pixels that make up a digital computer image. To say that one feel’s like a machine, may have a negative connation but it can also be seen as a way of creating a personal connection with machines and positioning oneself in relation to the ways in which machines think. Thus, Donen wants to make the connection between centuries old domestic practices and new age digital technologies.
[1] Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. MIT press, 2001, 45. [2] Plant, Sadie. "Zeroes and Ones: Digital Women and the New Technoculture." (1997), 13-14. [3] Ibid, 35-36. [4] Turing, Alan M. "Computing Machinery and Intelligence." Mind, 59, No. 236, 1950, p 433-460.
The Machine Knitting Ouroboros
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Instructional Table 1.2_v1
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Instructional Table 2.2_v1
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Instructional Table 3.2_v1
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When I Cross-Stitch I Feel LIke A Machine_88 Hourse of Self-Love and Self-Reflection
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art on the wing Anthony Biondi
Emerge Spotlight: Amanda Vergara Amanda Vegara was recently displayed in Art on Demand 3.2, curated by Christina Billingham. Currently, Vergara is completing her BFA from UFV.
What inspires you in your art?
Many of my personal experiences are what inspire my art: sharing my private life with the public. I enjoy watching or hearing the reactions that people get when viewing my art.
What is your preferred medium?
I don't exactly have a preferred medium because I find that it all depends on how I feel. One thing I do find myself doing before anything is focusing on the installation of my art which seems pretty backwards but I think how I install it really affects how the piece can be read by people and I just can't leave that until the end.
Do you have any big artistic plans on the horizon? Any new inspirations?
I'm graduating from the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at UFV so I have been really focusing on my final piece for the grad show on April 28. Other than that there's not too much I'll be working on but I hope to gather some inspiration over the summer and photograph more.
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At Home in
Poetry Reading Michelle Elrick’s then/again in Abbotsford
Ron Sweeney
"Wh Abbo
What kind of place is poetry? What place does poetry have in Abbotsford? On April 3, Michelle Elrick returned home to Abbotsford to read from her second collection of poetry, then/again (Nightwood Editions, 2017). The book is a spectacular examination of her desire for home which occurs simultaneously with a need to find home elsewhere. Home, notes Elrick, is as much a feeling as it is a location. For a time, during frequent moves, she “began to think of home as ‘what you take with you when you go’” (10). Living and writing now in Halifax, Elrick’s poems seek to locate home in a moment of revisiting and return.
Elrick is back home in Abbotsford to give three readings. The first took place in her family home, in the same space in which some of these poems were written. I attend the two readings the following day, first at the University of the Fraser Valley, and then at a basement informally known as the West Railway Speakeasy. In the readings, she reflects on being home. Home, she notes, is a feeling of place as much as the place in itself. And in the place of the home, hearing Elrick read is familiar and strange.
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hat kind of home can otsford be for poetry?" Then/again is a beautiful book and quite appropriately published under the blewointment imprint, as the illustrations of Pawet Bignell evoke the image-poetry fusion of bill bissett. Bignell’s drawings meditate on space. Scratched and topological, they connect to the geographical exploration of home that Elrick writes. The epigraph to then/again comes from Gaston Bachelard’s Poetics of Space: “Language bears within itself the dialectic of open and closed. Through meaning it encloses, while through poetic expression it opens up.” This sets the theme of Elrick’s ongoing work. Her first book, To Speak, attempted to find a language to recover language. This book continues that mission by looking to the home as a place of language. There is a dialogue between how we create spaces of home and what we experience in those constructed spaces. Home is a sense of place. “At the centre,” she writes, “this is a story of encounter” (10). Elrick’s book locates this encounter with place through Doreen Massey’s For Space: “[T]he truth is that you can never simply ‘go back,’ to home or to anywhere else. When you get ‘there’ the place will have moved on just as you yourself will have changed” (9). The poems of then/again dwell in the relation of the self to the space of home. As in her poem “crow, (v.)” Elrick verbs the home. She writes a homing poetry, a poetry that is headed home, but is no sooner there than it realizes that home is no longer there: “memory and momentum bent into a geometry of place / where(in) to be becomes to dwell” (32). Later she notes “I can’t stay here forever” (36). The feeling of home is not here permanent. It must be left and then found again and again. In the poem “spilt flour” the poet looks at our ways of saying goodbye and leaving. The speaker finds it difficult, “running out of the room // with only one shoe on, saying ‘I will stay in touch’” (51), while “You go not knowing where” (54).
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Notes from Abbotsford Elrick’s earlier project “Notes from the Fort,” some of which is reprinted here, explored the fragmentary and temporary nature of home. She would set up a temporary dwelling, reminiscent of the blanket forts children build, or the hiding places she was drawn to as a child, and write poetry as a way of encountering the place. Space is transitional and home keeps moving. And in this series of poems, home is the place of safety and hiding, the temporary assertion of belonging or ownership over a space in a living room or secret closet. These places are by necessity transitional. She writes, “something has changed: the fort is just a fort. I am not hid / after all. besides, who is searching? (60)
What kind of home can Abbotsford be for poetry? At the readings, Elrick prefaces the poem with stories of the places. “You may know this place,” she says. “I rode my bike on this street.” In an Abbotsford basement, she reminds those present of the familiar landmarks, and then breaks the familiarity to reveal an underlying strangeness.
Elrick explores prodigality and return. Reflecting on the idea of Abbotsford, Elrick mentions two stories. The first of these is that of the Prodigal Son. The second is that of Lot’s wife (pillar of salt, 77) the Home as a sense of place. But there is also here the danger of looking back. Because “place domesticates” and so home is a place the poet will eventually leave. All of the homes are behind rather than forward.
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The poem “Rain Drive: Abbotsford, Reykjavík” explores this confluence of place: “grey needles stitch us together” (61). The place-ness of Abbotsford can be found in the grey rains of Iceland. It gives a momentary sense of home, a feeling of familiarity with strangeness as “one hand waves and the other hand reaches” (61). This gesture of between—the slash of then / again— is emblematic of Elrick’s poetics. How do we dwell in momentary place? This is what Jordan Abel notes is a “between-ness that is triangulated by space, by time, by memory.”
Growing up in Abbotsford, in the suburbs, we are very aware that we are outside the centre. Everything seems to be happening elsewhere. As someone who has returned to Abbotsford, I read Michelle Elrick’s poems carefully, searching for recognition, but also listening for dismissal. Can the poet be welcomed home?
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Poetry in the Hotel Matsqui Then/again is composed of alternating sections of prose reflections and poetry. The prose portions of then/again are inspired by Calvino’s Invisible Cities and like his book they form a cartography of the possibilities of the city. By re/making the sense of exploration of the Calvino book, Elrick undoes the cartography of possession and makes strange the cities we find ourselves at home within. The space of the ordinary dwelling is rendered fantastic. Elrick’s homes and cities are here shown in the deep sense of becoming. Nowhere is this more evident than in “Hotel Matsqui.” The familiar landmark of Matsqui Village is “escaping the weight of time” (29). It is transformed under Elrick’s inhabitation into a fantastic hotel staffed by a young, white ram. The guests of the hotel linger through the poem, but “engaged in the business of dwelling” they are “without histories and without dreams” (29-30).
Place is not place without the poet’s pen. It is via poetry that we can see the impact of the place on the self. As one again and again returns through Elrick’s poetry to familiar and unfamiliar places, it is the self that is being changed. I see Abbotsford differently now. I remember the Hotel Matsqui as simply a place across the street from my Grandmother’s house. I have never been inside. It is solid and square. Reading Abbotsford: what kind of space is Abbotsford and how do we return to it? Nostalgia is the word we most often think about here, but I want to stress in Elrick’s poetry this is without the sentimentality we associate with nostalgia, this goes back to the root of the word, “return home” from the Greek nostos, “A homecoming or homeward journey as a literary subject or topos; spec. the return of Odysseus” (OED Online).
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"What kind of space is Abbotsfor and how do we return to it?"
Then/again explores the ideas of home and the ways in which the space between home and return functions. Elrick is constructing this place through poetry. What is the Abbotsford the Elrick returns to? Can we find the poetry here? Traditionally the poet leaves her home town, must go to find her way into a centre, but for one day at least, Michelle Elrick came home, to show us our invisible city.
fresh fiction Robert Martens
Robert Martens grew up in the ethnic Mennonite village of Yarrow, where he experienced love and power face-to-face. He moved on to the global awakening which was Simon Fraser University during its years of student revolt. Robert eventually settled in Abbotsford, where he has co-written and co-edited numerous local histories, periodicals, and a literary anthology, Half in the Sun. He writes poetry in a quixotic attempt to re-experience love and power. Robert’s latest book of poems is hush, Ekstasis Press.
the nightmare’s right behind you the castle and the song case number one: a landscape painted by hitler, attached to an email, and what do you think of this, my friend? atrocious art, is it not? well, no. hitler’s dreamy castle floating in bavarian hills is just bland. hardly there. as with case number two: a dance tune blasting from the neighbours, and after that a dance tune blasting from the neighbours. unlistenable crap? no, just bland. hardly there. so lounge back, my honey-glazed friends, put up your slippered feet, let this sea of whipped cream float us from cradle to bed. and look, there, a dreamy castle drifting by.
the smell of mendacity his intentions are clear as a rotting sausage. the bully at the podium, his heels digging into your belly, and a gun wedged between his thighs. their intentions are not. wellsuited, and a swish of white wine. good party, nice to meet you. he extends a hand. he smiles. omg, what’s that dangling between his thighs?
tea with stalinhitlermao the castle is a welcome home tonight. the three great grandfathers of crime are sipping black tea together. the table is modest: bread and butter, a shaker of salt. they feel at peace. their bureaucrats wait patiently in the back room. over the lake flies an angry raven. it perches on the windowsill. it screeches birdly babble. not a ripple on the whipped cream lake. not a cloud in the peppermint sky. nothing, no one, can break this peace. a bureaucrat steps in. jellied raven for dessert.
Local harvest Home grown Westcoasters Dessa Bayrock and Jess Wind bringing you some local literary flavour. We review works set in the valley, written by authors from the valley, or that have that British Columbia, Fraser Valley vibe. Come back each month to see what the Fraser Valley has to offer.
The sheer grimness of a thing Eden Robinson’s brightly dark Son of a Trickster
Dessa Bayrock Haisla/Heiltsuk novelist Eden Robinson is the author of a collection of short stories written when she was a Goth called Traplines. Her two previous novels, Monkey Beach and Blood Sports, were written before she discovered she was gluten-intolerant and tend to be quite grim, the latter being especially gruesome because, halfway through writing the manuscript, Robinson gave up a two-pack-a-day cigarette habit and the more she suffered, the more her characters suffered. Son of a Trickster was written under the influence of pan-fried tofu and nutritional yeast, which may explain things but probably doesn't. — Eden Robinson’s biography in the back of Son of a Trickster Monkey Beach was one of the best
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books I read last year, and I was so afraid that Eden Robinson’s new novel wouldn’t measure up that Son of a Trickster sat untouched on my bookshelf for three months before I could get up the nerve to open it. Reader, I have good news: it measures up. The novel is exactly what you’d expect and hope for: a seamless blend of indigenous myth into the grim present of drug abuse, poverty, and the terrifyingly casual viciousness of teenagers. Our 16-year-old protagonist Jared is a normal guy; he navigates the salty waters of family politics and divorced parents, does his best to graduate high school despite its sheer and total boredom, shovels the driveway for his elderly neighbours, and harbours a crush on the mystifying girl next door. Unfortunately for Jared, life isn’t exactly simple. His dog dies; he sells pot cookies to support his father; he treads lightly around his loving, but violent mother; he treads even more lightly around her suspicious, drug-dealing boyfriend. There are stranger problems, too — like the swarm of glowing, poetry-spouting fireflies that only he and the girl next door can see, or the fact that his grandmother seems to think he is Coyote — the trickster— reincarnate. No matter the odds, or the cost, Jared
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is as wryly sarcastic about his situation as he is grimly determined to make things work. The universe might be intent on pushing him down, but he’s not going without a fight. Son of a Trickster has more than its fair share of violence, terror, and viscerally disturbing imagery, but somehow remains tender, warm, and seriously funny. It’s grim, in a lovely way; it’s lovely, in a grim way, and this balance is the most intriguing thing about the novel. I haven’t read Blood Sports, but Monkey Beach certainly played with —centred on, obsessed over— the same push and pull. Monkey Beach skews to the dark — finishing with weight, a stern and inescapable finality, the sort of dusky shadow that lingers between the impenetrable trees of Haida Gwaii. Yet somehow, up to this point, the novel fights to be fiercely bright. The ending is grim, sure, but Robinson knows how to paint grimness without edging into gloom. This is the other balance defining her work: not just the evenness between dark and light, but the evenness between dark and dark. This is what Robinson’s work does —throws the reader into a diving bell to explore layers of grimness, of what it means to be dark without quite being
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dark. Because how can a novel have such grimness and still be so, so light – as light as a dust mote, shining in the sunlight from an open window and floating up, and up, and up? How to reconcile this luminescence with the sheer grimness of the thing? Nothing proves and inhabits this impossible two-ness more than Son of a Trickster —Robinson’s masterwork in the subject. The novel follows a similar arc of familiar, familial tragedy, mystic intervention, an unwanted coming of age, and increasing bad luck and trouble resulting in grimness on grimness on grimness until the conclusion, the dark conclusion, seems inevitable. And yet, somehow, Jared struggles out alive —not only alive, but still his own— not belonging to the violence of his family history, or the weight of myth, or the insidious possessiveness of drugs. He stands solidly on his ground —and as small and as tattered and as grim as that patch of earth may be, it represents the most unexpected and lovely of endings: a happy one.
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LET'S
y a l p
Game Reviews from the Geek Beat It doesn’t matter if it’s board, mobile, video, role-playing, or card — games are a way to bring people together, to learn and hone new skills, and to collaborate on elaborate world building. They are for first dates, family fun nights, team-building, or any other social gathering. It can’t be denied there’s a game culture thriving right here in the Fraser Valley. So what are we playing? With so many ways to play, it can be daunting to pick up and learn a new game. We’re here to help you along as we play new games, or discover classic favourites. We’ll even tell you where you might find these games to play yourself.
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Raspberry Magazine
Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre Or, Battle Wizards, for those of us who can’t remember the whole title. This game was dropped in front of us one lazy Sunday afternoon at a board game lounge in Ottawa. “You like wizards? Try this,” said the server. The artwork on the box suggested we were in for a bloody battle of cartoon magic and mayhem. It certainly looked epic. Battle Wizards is a card based game in which you build a spell from a handful of spell components. Generally, a spell consists of a source, quality, and delivery. When strategically combined, these spell parts make one mega spell that delivers damage to your duelling wizards. The goal is to outlive your opponents and become the last wizard standing. A full spell war means you’ve earned that title twice. At first this game looks intimidating. The artwork is busy, and colourful, and there’s a lot of it. Each card features action text that affects your spell and your
target. You’re dealt a hand of eight cards and it usually takes a beat to make sense of what’s happening. After a few rounds though you start to see how spell pieces fit together and the illustrative planning that went into each individual card. Without fail, someone in a new group of players eventually takes a step back after looking at their complete spell: “All the pictures connect!” The artwork blends in such a way that suggests the artist was having way too much fun drawing this game. Battle Wizards is a great game for new gamers. It sounds crazy to explain: “Figure out your speed, then consider the glyphs in your spell. Oh, you’re dead? Here’s a Dead Wizard Card.” But the barrier to entry is relatively low — just start playing and the spell pieces will fall into place. It can be played with up to six people, but plays best with four. Grab some of your best duelling opponents and settle in for the wizard battle of a lifetime at the base of Mt. Skullzfyre.
Our contributors Alex Rake is a musician from Mission, where he has a great view of the mountains and eats poems for breakfast, which is said to be beneficial to one’s level of metaphor in the viscera. He recently masqueraded as Shakespeare dragging a corpse. Alex did not write this bio, but gave us permission to make stuff up. We didn’t. Anthony Biondi is an artist and writer living in Abbotsford. He has been previously published in The Louden Singletree, and served four years on The Cascade’s editorial board as Art Director and Production and Design Editor. He is a humourless crab, and fundamental contrarian, whose cholesterol may be higher than his IQ. | www.anthonybiondi.com Dessa Bayrock is an ex-journalist with a soft spot for the Fraser Valley. She currently lives in Ottawa and studies the apocalypse as part of her M.A. in English. You can find her reviewing books online at Bayrock, Bookrock and for Ottawa Review of Books. If you rearrange the letters of her name you can spell “abyss croaked,” “as bark decoys,” or “brocade as sky,” all of which describe her in one way or another. @YoDessa www.bayrockbayrock.wordpress.com Jess Wind somehow managed to earn two degrees by writing about zombies. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from UFV and an MA in Communication from Carleton University in Ottawa. Jess is an ex-editor of The Cascade,
is published in The Louden Singletree and has been known to blog about entertainment media and culture. She likes her coffee black, her video games retro, and her sports local. Katie Stobbart is a writer and editor from Abbotsford. She has edited The Cascade newspaper, Louden Singletree literary magazine, and the Pacific Rim Review of Books. She is also a proud co-founder of QuiQuill Communications. A selection of her poems will appear in a co-authored chapbook soon to haunt local library shelves, dentists’ offices, and hotel lobbies: It looks like a chicken. Katie is also working hard to improve her patio gardening game. Kelly Wong is a born-and-raised Abbotsfordian who is an ardent supporter of the arts. Whether taking in live music, checking out opening exhibitions, or attending plays, she is at home in creative environments. Kelly is happy to contribute to Raspberry magazine and looks forward to being a part of the Fraser Valley’s growing arts and culture community. Ron Sweeney is a writer and teacher living in Abbotsford. He teaches a comics course at the University of the Fraser Valley and is always ready to talk about the best and worst superheroes in existence. He has three daughters and needs more coffee. You can usually find him on twitter @wronsweeney. He insists the W is silent.
Raspberry magazine is a monthly Fraser Valley magazine devoted to arts, culture, and community life. Established in June 2016, Raspberry publishes reviews, event coverage, and other arts-friendly content online as we work toward our goal of publishing in print. You can follow us on social media for updates on our progress, information and insights on the Fraser Valley arts and culture scene, and fresh arts coverage.
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