Raspberry magazine - Fall 2018 by Raspberry

PUBLISHED BY

Fall 2018

Katie Stobbart EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jess Wind ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Dessa Bayrock LITERARY ARTS CURATOR

Aymee Leake VISUAL ARTS CURATOR

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Katie Stobbart

CONTRIBUTORS

Hannah Celinski Lian McIntyre Jessica Milliken Sarah Sovereign Danielle Windecker

COVER ART

Living Bridge Media Canada Feat. Teresa Trask

8 Harman Kaur: Connection, community, and Phulkari

Chilliwack: 24 photos in 24 hours

Poems from The Summer Josie Was Born

Jessica Millikenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s handmade chapbooks

Art of the Book: a travelling exhibit

On the cover

TESSA: music, community, and recovery

City leaders don’t prioritize arts and culture by Katie Stobbart Like its Fraser Valley neighbours, Abbotsford is home to incredibly talented artists, dedicated advocates of arts and culture, and citizens who are generous with their time and resources at local organizations. Yet a thriving local culture doesn’t seem to be a priority for many Abbotsford municipal leaders. During this fall’s municipal election, I attended Abbotsford’s All Candidates Debate on Sports, Arts, and Culture. Council does not allocate adequate funds or resources to support a thriving arts community, particularly at the grassroots level. Based on the answers to the one arts and culture question at the debate (out of four questions), it doesn’t look like that will change. To the question, “How will you ensure local grassroots arts organizations are supported by the City?” many candidates did not have a direct answer. Two clear answers emerged: that there need to be more local arts facilities (this key issue was raised by only one candidate, who was not elected); and that the City should have a funded arts department separate from Parks, Recreation, and Culture. For an example to follow, we wouldn’t have to look further than the Township of Langley, which has a department of Arts, Culture, and Community Initiatives that drives forward an Arts and Cultural Services Plan (published in 2011). Abbotsford, meanwhile, has identified its lack of a dedicated Culture Plan, in its recent Parks, Recreation, and Culture (PRC) Master Plan (draft adopted by Council in June, 2018):

“The City has not yet prepared a Culture Plan. If Abbotsford wishes to become a regional hub, a Culture Plan would provide clear objectives, explore long-term

service delivery options, set the direction for investment, and identify sources of funding and revenue. The Heritage Plan, which is outdated, could be incorporated within the Culture Plan.”

for a paint night. Though arts and culture can also bring a wide range of community benefits, including economic ones, there are no City ambassadors for cultural growth and development in Abbotsford.

As Abbotsford has been defining and driving forward its plans to accommodate a significant growth in population, and setting its sights on becoming a hub of the Fraser Valley region, it has, so far, largely left arts and culture out of the vision.

City councillors attend arts (and other) events throughout the year and speak about how valuable the arts are, how valuable it is to have a thriving local culture, and how much the City appreciates artists’ and organizers’ work and skill. But at their dedicated opportunity to speak about how to improve and support local arts and culture, most council candidates at the debate couldn’t name a grassroots arts organization in our community.

To better support cultural growth, the City of Abbotsford doesn’t even need to look at other cities; it could use a similar model to its own Economic Development department (CAED), which provides resources and support to businesses and entrepreneurs. “Think of us as ambassadors for economic growth and business development,” their website encourages. CAED provides consultations, connections and networking, and government incentives and support for people wanting to do business in Abbotsford.

Council does not allocate adequate funds or resources to support a thriving arts community, particularly at the grassroots level. Parks, Recreation, and Culture doesn’t provide anything near that level of support or engagement for arts and cultural groups. The only arts-related item on their website at time of writing is an ad

The Reach was mentioned in some responses to the debate question, as was the long-established and grossly underfunded Abbotsford Arts Council. While both of these are valuable community assets, the Reach is not a grassroots endeavour, and the AAC has been around for nearly 50 years. As far as the arts go in this community, knowing about the Reach and AAC is the bare minimum. Many candidates skirted the question, and many deferred responsibility for supporting organizations — such as encouraging arts organizations to apply for non-municipal grant funding, or just stating that City staff present recommendations to Council on what’s needed. And City staff have brought forward recommendations — the PRC Master Plan draft identifies a number of limitations and opportunities for Culture, including visual arts, performing arts, public art, heritage, entertainment and festivals, and libraries. Community input on what Abbotsford lacks and needs to support a strong vision for arts and culture is included at the end of the document. So why don’t the people who want to

5 Photos: Deron Tompke People viewing art at Raiseberry event, June 2018

lead our city, some of whom adopted that draft, have clearer answers for what the city can do next? The idea of a separate (funded) arts and culture department is a start and had some support from a few candidates, but a subsequent response from an incumbent referred to the City getting its financial house in order, implying that money is not forthcoming for the arts. No, Council candidates can’t know everything. Yes, a balanced budget is important, as are other demands on City resources. But ultimately, this isn’t about ignorance or having the funds; it’s about priorities. And it’s hard to hear all the words from our leaders throughout the year about the arts’ value to this City, when it clearly isn’t a priority. A few candidates at the debate tried to express how they valued the arts by talking about what their grandchildren are taking home from art class. Some were frank about their disinterest. But even those who had productive things to say didn’t inspire much hope. I’ve written at length about the value of the arts, which extends beyond just making and enjoying art oneself. The impact a thriving local culture has on a community is much, much more than an individual experience, or window dressing. I’m aware of preaching to the choir about the value of arts and cultural spaces and activities. The arts present opportunities for cross-cultural understanding. They provide positive venues for community gathering, and they increase our collective sense of belonging and pride in the place we call home.

For more evidence of how far-reaching the arts can be, you only need to read further in this issue. Among other things, Teresa Trask brings her music into recovery homes, correctional

The impact a thriving local culture has on a community is much, much more than an individual experience, or window dressing. facilities, and mental health facilities in hospitals. Sarah Sovereignâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photography lends visual impact to local stories of social justice, health challenges, and the power of community to make a new place home. A conversation with Harman Kaur on her poetry opens the door to relevant discussions on big topics like our local struggles with gang violence; racism; feminism and gender; and recognizing the sovereignty of indigenous peoples. As someone who devotes no small amount of time to local arts and culture in the Fraser Valley, I consistently hear from people who want to be more involved, who want to see more, who are just looking for a way in. People are looking for a presence that most grassroots arts organizations are unable to provide due to lack of funds, lack of adequate facilities, and, clearly, a lack of real, dedicated interest from our leadership. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to do better.

Co an

by Ha

In 2015, I was standing in line at The Superstore in Abbotsford. The young woman who rang me through was extraordinary. I felt compelled to ask about her life goals, and she quickly replied, “I want to be a poet.” We exchanged information, and this chance meeting became the foundation of a friendship between two women who were both studying English at Simon Fraser University. I will look back on that day as a wonderful twist of fate that allowed me the pleasure of knowing Sikh poet, Harman Kaur. After taking a year off to finish her book, Kaur now balances university life with book tours. We met at a local Starbucks to discuss Phulkari. So, who would you put on your dream reading list? Well, I have my dream reading list this semester. I was not looking forward to going back to school, and if I’m being honest, I was lazy picking courses. I usually do a professor, course, and syllabus check. This semester, I just signed up. I took a British Columbia literature course, and an Asian diasporic literature course. When I showed up at the bookstore

Photos: Harman Kaur

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onnection, community, nd Phulkari

annah Celinski

ized the reading list was freaking amazing written by people of colour, Indigenous le, Asian writers, even Punjabi writers, and I stunned. Then I got to my first class with Dr. tine Kim, and I fell in love with her. We had a ection.

Wednesday, we covered the Komagata Maru, hat holds a special place in my heart. Those Punjabi, Sikh people on that ship. But she nted it in a way that I had never learned it e. I was sitting in class crying because I was ateful to have my people’s story told. That’s made me realize: maybe that’s how people when they read my book. I didn’t really get it that moment. Thankfully we were watching movie and the lights were out, so people didn’t my tears.

derful. Now, looking forward, you are doing ngs in the area and signings in California. is the book being received?

well. I have received messages and I go back to

them sometimes. These are people that don’t know me, but they pour their heart out to me. I’m just someone whose book they read. But maybe it’s unfair to say they don’t know me, because sharing is an intimate act. It’s been commercialized, but putting out my vulnerabilities and having someone else read them — that is an intimate act. In a way they do know me — obviously not all of me — but parts of me. I’ve cried at some of the messages.

That is what the Sikh identity means to me, it is sovereign from any sort of system of oppression. What is it that people are connecting to? Is it the overall message, or particular passages?

Some of the ones that stick out to me the most are girls who look like me, who are Punjabi, who are Sikh, and they talk about being able to see a book with the name Kaur on the spine. I remember feeling like that when Rupi Kaur first published her books. Kaur is a last name used by Sikh women, and I never saw that before. I grew up never seeing anything written by a Kaur. The best feeling is when I get young Kaurs telling me that they are excited to be reading work written by a Kaur. Those are the most special messages that I receive. This is a common last name? Tell me more about itâ&#x20AC;Ś Our religion was founded in 1469, but our identity was established in 1699. Punjabi men use the last name Singh. Kaur is for women and Singh is for men, to wipe away the caste system and inequalities. You can tell a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caste by asking their last name. Names carry a lot of weight. These two names were given to wipe that away. Here in the west, people tend to use them as a middle name and use their last name instead. A lot of people may not know what they are carrying and that is why I dissected it, in my book. I use only

Kaur, because it would be contradictory to why it was printed in the first place. Kaur is often mistranslated as princess, but it is a Sanskrit word that means sovereign, like a ruler. That is what the Sikh identity means to me, it is sovereign from any sort of system of oppression. I am sovereign from that. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what Kaur basically means.

I love talking about this generation of women. We are very strong, empowered, outspoken ... That power comes from our mothers. There are poems in the book that address this directly. What are some of the other topics you address in the book that you feel strongly about? I have a whole chapter on womanhood. Mostly the point of view of the Punjabi girl, and what it means to be a woman. I love talking about this generation of women. We are very strong, empowered, outspoken. That comes from somewhere, right? That power comes from our mothers.

We forget our mothers in this narrative of feminism and empowerment. Sometimes we hate our mothers. We forget that they’ve had this oppression ingrained in them for so many years, that now they don’t know what they are without it. We must remember that they come from a different place, a different time.

I talk a lot about the body as well. The idea of covering versus uncovering, the idea of housing a child. If someone were to ask me which one chapter to read, it would be that one.

It makes me sad that we leave these women who have done so much for us out of the narrative. I actually wrote two poems about that. I think it’s, “Brown girl, in your taste for freedom, do not let your mother starve.”

In a way, but I don’t like to idealize motherhood either. I feel like it is often romanticized and presented in a way that is unrealistic. I do think that there is a channeling of power between mother and child, forward and back. For me and my

Do you think becoming a mother offers strength that is then passed forward to children?

mother, it is definitely there. It is a beautiful symbiosis, but I don’t like to make that assumption for everyone else. In another of my works I ask, “where does the worth of a woman come from?” You know, one of the things in society is when we talk about women, we talk about motherhood. What about women who can’t become mothers? What about women who want to have children and can’t, or women who can have children and don’t want to? There are so many complexities that accompany being a woman that I feel like you have to explore them all, or you are not doing justice to examining what it is to be a woman. That is where I saw myself represented, and I never see myself in conversations around motherhood. That was very profound for me. You also talk a lot about your father. Yes, my father has a Master’s in English. This was part of our first conversation, you said that he inspired a love of literature. Yes, he did. Thinking about how he could have been a retired professor here, if it wasn’t for the Canadian system, makes me really sad. Seeing him working a labour job while he is so educated, that makes me sad. My Dad and I are closer than my Mom and I in some ways. We have this beautiful relationship where he is one of my best friends, and I often think of him and all the struggles that he goes through. One of the poems that I wrote about him in my book was the accent poem, I don’t know if you remember that one. It’s in chapter three. Yes, I remember. When I started to recognize hate, I remember being in a store and this guy

kept telling him to repe though it was perfectly was asking. My father’ man.

My dad raised me. M and my dad stayed ho a child I observed a re My dad taught me ho little pigtails and every this bond between my

When I start recognize ha remember b store and th telling him to what he said though it wa clear what m was asking.

When I write about m what he left behind. I is. I mostly explore wh home and come to a n father’s eyes. It may be I talk about these thing are about both of my write it through my fat is the person that I narratives with.

You talk about con parents, and explore throughout the book. form of material that is you open with frayin that idea of fraying, j the poems about conn

eat what he said, even y clear what my father ’s accent bothered this

My mom would work, ome with me, so from eversal of gender roles. ow to walk, he did my ything, so it developed y dad and me.

ted to ate, I being in a his guy kept o repeat d, even as perfectly my father

my dad, I am focused on don’t know what that hat it is to leave your new home through my e because my dad and gs more. These stories parents, but I tend to ther’s perspective. He talk about immigrant

nnections with your various connections . The title is about a s woven together. But ng. Can you speak to juxtaposed against all nection?

So, for me, this book was about coming together. We as human beings go through so much, and at one point I was going through such a hard time that I thought that I wouldn’t get better until I finished this book. I told myself that everything would get better as soon as Phulkari was done, and it has. I started with the fraying because I wanted everything to come together instead of having the fraying at the end and everything fall apart. That is why I end with the healing and the coming together and the flower work and the weaving, just because it was significant to me in my personal life. It was how I wanted everything to come together. If the reader decided to start at the beginning, I wanted to get the sadness out of the way. You also look at the community that you live in, and some of the trials we are facing. That particular poem, “Apne III”, really struck me. That is something that should be published in our community for people to see. It’s funny because last week I had an interview with the Abbotsford News, and he asked me to read a poem. I thought that one was appropriate, the Abbotsford News one. I didn’t consciously realize that I fired shots at newspaper reporters, but he was so kind. He was new to the community as well, and he sat me down for a separate interview right away and was asking me about context. What can we do better? So, I did a second article where I explained everything to him. He was very thankful and I am very thankful for him because he helped me give a voice to my people. There is a problem with all these brown boys killing each other. Just a month ago there was a death, and I knew him, he was my friend’s brother. We are a smaller community than most, so if there is a name in the newspaper,

you are likely to know them. I graduated high school in 2014, and a few months later someone had died. Someone I graduated with who was a friend. I’ve been seeing that go on ever since, all these young boys dying. Where do you think the gang influence is originating? I don’t know too much about the politics of gang life, but I do know one thing: it takes a village to raise a child. As cliché and corny as that sounds, it’s not just parents that are raising these children. They’re going to school, to other places. It’s the community that raises these children.

It’s not just parents that are raising these children. They’re going to school, to other places. It’s the community that raises these children. That’s right. We are doing something wrong. I agree. For example, I went to high school not that long ago, and I saw the micro-aggressions against brown boys. When these boys grow up thinking that they are not going to amount to anything, they are not going to amount to anything. I have these conversations with my brother, and he graduated three years after me. Brown boys can’t stand together in groups in hallways,

that doesn’t look right. saying hurtful things, so joking, but when these hard for us to admit, b might be racist. I’m not

I hate to put this questi could locate a place w be fundamentally diff what would you sugges

I would start between you know there is a gr at risk…

Is it the flip into teenag

Yes. Another aspect t miss is the toxic masculi community and our cult

Toxic masculinity takes entire world is strugglin When it is embedded, eradicate.

Yes. And the third poi context of the Punjabi doing better, we are ma not enough. People gro the idea of mental hea brown fathers who are refusing admit they’re drinking their sorrows aw to domestic abuse, and this. It becomes a cycle.

Yes, a cycle, and on to they’re not allowed to c allowed to express them is pent up.

How does it come out?

Aggression. One of my said that when brown think someone else m

Even teachers, outright ome might think they’re boys internalize it… It’s but our school system saying all of it, but…

where you get this idea of violence, aggression, guns, right? I’m not saying that getting involved with gang life is not a choice. I’m not taking agency away from these boys, they’re all making their own choice, and I accept that.

tion on you, but if you where something could fferent in the system, st?

I don’t think there is enough inter-community connection, and that’s not just the fault of other communities, that’s our fault too. But there seems to be a distance.

n grade five and six. If roup of people that are

gehood?

that newspapers often inity that feeds into our ture as well.

s on a lot of forms. The ng with that right now. it becomes difficult to

int is mental health, in i community. We are aking progress, but it is ow up not believing in alth, but then you have e refusing to get help, depressed, and they’re way. Then alcohol leads d kids grow up watching

op of that, they’re told cry about it, they’re not mselves, and all of this

friends put it best. She boys are hurting, they must hurt for it. That’s

Do you think that racist reverberations that run through the community limit opportunities for engagement and employment for these young people? I think so. Even though we have a large Punjabi community, I don’t think there is enough intercommunity connection, and that’s not just the fault of other communities, that’s our fault too. But there seems to be a distance, or gaps that need to be bridged. I told [the Abbotsford News reporter that journalists] keep spreading this narrative of spoiled children… Where do you think that comes from? I see wonderful examples of parenting all the time. And I am not a parent, I am an observer. I explained to him that you can’t look at everything through a western lens, especially when you have people who have just recently immigrated to Canada. You have to consider the Punjabi lens of what it means to parent. What it means to parent, as a Punjabi parent, is you live

We trust the Malcom X q the newspap oppressed a He really u newspapers w that I actually t It felt so good. It a brother or mys but it is my story in and you die for your children.

It reminds me of h another. If there is a Pu I’m with my mother, my mo apne.” “Apne” literally transla I don’t know who you are, yo

My parents live and die for me, and when I have kids, I will live and die for them. We don’t move out when we are 18, we don’t pay rent. I still live with my parents, and I hope to live with them for a very long time. Some of us even stay with our parents long after we get married. When we have kids, our parents help us take care of those kids. You can’t just place a western lens of parenting over this picture.

There is something very bea recognize another so intima that in English.

It doesn’t capture it properly. Parents buy their kids cars and material goods. They measure success by how well they can care for their children. For some of them, the main reason they have moved here is to provide better lives for their children. Our parents are our main source of influence, only to a certain age. We have friends, we have teachers, we have coaches, all these different people. These children are not just raised by their parents, they’re raised by their community.

The news represents our community. If they don’t understand, you’re right — that lens is really off.

Yeah, that’s how I learned that term apne, and wove neighborhood. Even if we d he is still our own. That poem

That is fantastic. That poem that anyone can understand you approach it from.

Another thing I wanted to your life here through the community, but you also loo we live on Stó:lō land. I’m in to that poem. It reflected lan way.

If you were to ask me this would have had no idea wh but there’s some backgroun from Punjab in India. Sikhs ar

e news. Reminds me of that quote, “If you’re not careful, pers will have you hating the and loving the oppressors.” understood how influential were. So, I am happy to say talked to someone about it. t’s not my story, I don’t have self involved in this lifestyle, n a way.

how Punjabis refer to one unjabi sitting right there, and other will say, “Oh, that’s an ates to, “our own.” So even if ou are my own.

autiful in that, that you can ately. There isn’t a word like

about community. I took e it with this story of our don’t know who that boy is, m is loaded.

examines the issue in a way d, no matter what direction

ask you about: you look at lens of your country, your ok at the deeper layer: that nterested in how you came nd recognition in a beautiful

s question five years ago, I hat you were talking about, nd needed. My family hails re persecuted there. In 1984,

there was an attempted genocide. On one of the holiest days in the Sikh nation, a day when many gather at the Golden Temple, the government attacked the temple. This was in 1984? Yes. It was very recent, and the Sikh community is still suffering. We have been suffering pre-partition. That’s when the British ruled. Sikhs are a minority, so they have always been persecuted. So, my concept of home is very confusing. I’m from Punjab, but there is so much stolen land there too. It wasn’t India that was cut. Regions of Punjab were cut to form Pakistan. There are so many Sikh shrines and holy places that are on the other side of the border that tensions exist. There is a loss of land and people. Even now we refer to people in Pakistan as our people because technically that is still Punjab. So, home gets complicated. Where my parents are from, we are in a country that doesn’t want us, so that gets confusing.

Home gets complicated. Where my parents are from, we are in a country that doesn’t want us, so that gets confusing. So, we come here, and as I’m growing up I hear about the treatment of Indigenous people, unfortunately not as much in high school — we just grazed over Residential Schools. Thinking about the immigrant narrative: Canada and multiculturalism, it’s beautiful. Then thinking about how my family is benefiting from this land as settlers, what does that mean to me and my identity?

I used to be a very proud, patriotic Canadian, but thinking about what it means to have things taken away from you, thinking about DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) in the States, and the pipeline here, not being able to do much about it. I know what that feeling of helplessness is. We are so helpless back in the Punjab and Indigenous people have had to watch all this unfold in front of them. There is so much intergenerational trauma, right? That’s right.

I can’t think of a sovereign Punjab if I don’t think of the sovereignty of Indigenous people. Indigenous people have been treated so poorly. There are parallels between my community and Indigenous [nations]. Things like language erasure. In Punjab, the Indian government is not allowing Punjabi to be spoken. The people are rebelling and removing the Hindi from street signs so that only the Punjabi remains as a sign of rebellion, because if you want to erase the people, you need to get to the language first. We have seen that happen with the Indigenous people (in Canada). Not many people speak the languages anymore, and people are trying to get language back. I see parallels between my people and the Indigenous people. I can’t think of a sovereign Punjab if I don’t think of the sovereignty of Indigenous people as well. It doesn’t make sense. In Punjabi, punj means five, aab means water; Punjab was named that because we have five rivers, just like the five lakes in Canada. During partition, it was all cut off. All these rivers were sent somewhere else. I think Punjab has two of them, the five rivers

that we are known for. Since we are an agricultural state, we need that water, but they are diverting it and selling it to other places. Thinking of how important Punjab’s water is, I can’t fight for the idea that Punjab has rights to its water, and not talk about Indigenous land. If I feel a certain way about my community, there’s no way in hell that I can’t think the same way about the Indigenous community. I think of myself as an Indigenous ally, and I think that is where that comes from, really. It is this connection that we have, and that’s why I strongly believe in the idea of unceded land. A huge connection, wow. Yes, very much so. What is next for you? You have the book out, it’s selling, you’re touring and having the opportunity to meet people who have read your work, what do you see coming next? A second book. Already? Yes. I must admit, I was struggling to finish this one, and as soon as it was done and in my hands, all this writing came at me, like a hurricane. The notes app in my phone is full of ideas, so, I’m already writing my second book. I want to get into the publishing industry and see how it works. Hopefully my next book will have a little logo on the spine. Poetry is really popular right now. Words are so important. Do you subscribe to the idea that having a book, having the words near you, can offer energy? That’s actually a big part of Punjabi culture. You are not supposed to disrespect books — have them on the ground, put your foot on them — because words are sacred, no matter what it is. Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

DAY 1 | 6 PM

Chilliwack

24 PHOTOS IN 24 HOURS a snapshot by Sarah Sovereign The 24 hour Portrait Project means taking portraits of rad people every hour, for 24 hours, in two days — getting a small glimpse of Chilliwack, B.C. Part of the reason I decided to start this project is because I kept seeing and hearing cyclical conversations that were beginning and ending with problems. As a therapist, and artist passionate about my community, I fully believe that there is healing in connection and community — and this project very much reflects that. I love meeting with everyone during the project, and I definitely feel the support from the people following along throughout the project day. Yes, there are issues, heartache, and hardship in our city, but I absolutely believe that working together with empathy, love, and support can bring positive change. Let’s highlight and connect with what an amazing group of people we have living in our beautiful city.

To see the full project, visit instagram.com/sarahsovereign

EMILY

DAY 1 |

“I was born in Bella Coola, up north, nuzzled in the isolated, rugged terrain of the deep valley with glacier rivers and grizzly bears who roamed in my backyard. Later we moved to Victoria which was surrounded by the ocean everywhere we looked. You couldn’t go far without hearing the rhythmic waves or feeling the salty breeze. So even though I have spent the majority of my life in Chilliwack, my formative years were around water and that’s very much where I feel at home. Chilliwack doesn’t have that quite in the same way; but the thing and I love about this city is the sense of community and support that I learned to love and rely on from my time in Bella Coola. Everyone would help each other. They would build homes together, babysit each other’s kids, cook together, eat together, etc.

| 8 AM

Chilliwack isn’t where I envisioned myself staying forever, but the bonds of friendship are strong. My partner is a forest firefighter and works out of town 8 months of the year. This year he left for work the week after I found out I was pregnant and he got home last night, only days before our baby girl will be born. I couldn’t have made it through my difficult pregnancy, working full-time, and raising my ten-year-old son without the support of the wonderful people around me. “Home” can mean a lot of things: where you keep your things, where you are familiar, or where you are loved. Chilliwack isn’t where I envisioned myself staying forever, but the bonds of friendship are strong. My family is very loved and supported here. Chilliwack is an amazing city because of the people who live here.”

AIMEE & KATHRYN DAY 1 | 1 PM

sugars affect your everything. I fight everyday to be here for my family. But “I am a Type 1 Diabetic (T1D) new ever since I was diagnosed my life has changed even in better ways. My mindmom. set has changed on how I look at things, “Should you being eating that?” I fell even more in love with my husband as he stuck with me through the worst “Can you have this?” of it, it also gave me my next love; my “Should you really being eating that. It’s daughter. She was able to grow healthy not really healthy for your baby.” and strong. Without T1D I don’t know “Would you like ....? Oh, sorry you can’t have this.” This is just the beginning. I al- My mindset has changed ways grew up feeling like the odd one on how I look at things, I fell out and now it’s even worse while ev- even more in love with my eryone judges what I can or cannot eat they are also trying to give me advice on husband as he stuck with me something they know nothing about no through the worst of it, it also matter how many times I explain. I got gave me my next love; my so tired of repeating everything and needed something small for everyone to daughter. understand. My explanation of T1D; “Type 1 dia- how my pregnancy would have gone betes is just like a truck. You have the because T1D taught me so much on automatic transmission and a manual. how to take care of my own body which You are the automatic and I am a manu- taught me how to take care of my little al. We can both 4x4, I just have to shift girl. I am happy to say she is here be24 gears at the appropriate time.” On top of cause of what happened to me 3 years that no one sees what goes on on the in- ago. Just don’t judge a book by its cover. side. You have no idea how much blood Know your facts before you speak.”

VANESSA & ELIZABETH

DAY 1 | 6 PM

“We are 31 year old twins, Vanessa and Elizabeth. We love being creative, especially when it comes to all things nerdy. Dressing up is one of our favourite things to do! In our spare time you will probably find us doing something Disney related. One memory we seem to always talk about with fondness would probably be the snowstorm of 1996. We’re sure it was a nightmare for most adults, but as careless 10-year-olds jumping 25 off our garage into a huge snowbank and warming up with hot chocolate was a great way to spend a few days!”

A AL YS S

DAY 2 | 6 AM “I am a free spirit, artist, baker, mother, and adventurer. I have a two-year-old daughter who is a wild soul. You can often find us outdoors, gardening, exploring or taking photos. I also love painting on my patio surrounded by all of my beautiful succulents and ferns. I am a real green thumb gardening, art and baking are my passion. I have been the head baker at Sarabella’s gluten free cafe since we’ve opened. Here at Sarabella’s we strive to make gluten free food that is locally sourced and tastes “just as good as the regular stuff”. If it doesn’t taste like the, regular gluten filled version, we won’t serve it to you.

Sarabella’s believes in supporting local businesses. That’s why we source as many of our ingredients as we can from local suppliers. We love Chilliwack and want to be a part of building a connected community!”

“What’s to say? I’m The Book Man, and have been for the last 28 years. I love books, and try to get books to the people that love books too. I’m 79 years old and want to keep doing this for quite some time yet. [My favourite thing about Chilliwack?] I think I would have to say the people. I come in contact with them all of the time. They’re not big city people; they tend to be more personal. In the big city, people are so busy that they don’t have time for strangers. Here, people seem to have the time. When I started The Book Man 28 years ago, I wanted to build the best bookstore. I feel that over the years, it has become a reality.”

DA VE

DAY 2 | 9 AM

WILLOW

A regular citizen c difference through

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to show how a regular citizen can make a real difference through small actions. Prior to January 2017, I had never been politically active (other than voting). Then after the mosque shooting in Quebec, I helped organize and emceed an event called You Belong Here to show support for our Muslim neighbours and other minority groups. In November 2017 and January 2018, I helped organize rallies in support of LGBTQ youth and SOGI 123 after a local trustee made harmful and intolerant statements on Facebook. In January 2018, I sat on the organizing committee and served as emcee for the first March for Women in Chilliwack. These activities connected me with others in our community who want to create positive change and also inspired me to run for school trustee. I am an artist, and most recently I have been focusing on fabric design. I have a shop on Spoonflower, spoonflower.com/profiles/willowbirdstudio I am also currently running for school trustee on a platform of Inclusion, Learning Support and Communication.â&#x20AC;?

DAY 2 | 1 PM

can make a real h small actions.

DAY 2 | 3 PM DANICA & RAVEN

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have been friends for nine years and these past few years we have become closer. We are both mothers so we try to find time to do things when we can. We have lived in the area all our life & now Chilliwack is only a 10-15 min drive from where we live and our favourite spots are Starbucks & the movie theatre. We love a good coffee & I love convincing her to go 29 watch some horror movies.â&#x20AC;?

Patrick and I collaborated on this image, with him wading into a slough of tangled lily pads fully clothed. I often bring my experience as a therapist, and my own experiences with mental health, loss, and anxiety into my artwork. I believe there is a tremendous amount of healing to be found in the visual arts: they give us opportunities to share what cannot be conveyed with mere words, thickening our stories and strengthening our connections.

For me, this signifies the sometimes exhausting daily work that goes into caring for, working with, processing, and struggling with our mental health. Having access to resources, making connections, empathy, and understanding — not just from others, but for ourselves — is essential to working and walking with our mental health needs. Anxiety and depression are so often silent and hidden — we can so easily get lost deep, deep into the reeds. Every action we take is In the image Patrick is tangled — but con- made harder, every movement challenged, nected to the viewer — his hand closed into by the tangles surrounding us. a fist of determination, struggling to keep his Still, Patrick looks out, resilient and seeking head above water. connection. He continues to fight to keep his head above water.

There is a tremendous amount of healing to be found in the visual arts: they give us opportunities to share what cannot be conveyed with mere words. I urge us all to listen, to watch, to be open with others, to check in on one another — to check in with ourselves. Most of all, to meet ourselves with kindness and care. We chose to do this image as part of the 24 Hour Portrait Project because it is such an integral part of my own art practice, selfcare, and connection to others. I’ve been so incredibly lucky to be able to make connections with others through the art we create

DAY 2 | 4 PM

together — it’s where I first started to truly understand the importance and healing found within art and communities, big and small. The 24 Hour Portrait Project, truly, is an extension of the work I started years ago when I first picked up a camera to help process my own experiences with grief and anxiety — it’s community-building, connection-making, storytelling, spirit-strengthening — healing art-making.

PATRICK

ALEXIS & GWYN

DAY 2 | 5 PM “Family is everything to me. I am so blessed and grateful that I have a family I can rely on, who I can learn from, and who encourage me to grow. I know I can turn to my family for love, support, guidance, kindness, and acceptance. My grandma is someone I turn to for support because she is unconditional. She always has time for a cup of tea, and she’s always excited about what I’m doing and supportive of my ventures. Plus, she cracks me up! I’m her only granddaughter (with 8 grandsons, and of course there’s granddaughters in law and great granddaughters now!), but she still makes me feel special and important. 32 I love that she’s so down to earth, and I love listening to her stories and learning about our family. Her house is

so soothing and comforting because it’s where my grandma and grandpa raised my dad and aunts, it’s where our family has always come together in good times and bad for comfort and security. We’ve celebrated christmases and birthdays in this house, it was a hub when my grandpa was sick and passed away, it’s housed family and friends while visiting town or in times of need, and you can always count on a cup of tea and some homemade goodies. There’s a rich history of love and warmth there, and you just feel a sense of relief when you walk in, which I think is largely to do with the unconditional kindness of my grandma, which her and my grandpa used as the foundation to build our family.”

DAY 2 | 6 PM “I work for an amazing organization named Xolhemet Society; they are a second stage facility for women and children choosing a life without family violence. They run a transition house named Wilma’s House and they have helped an enormous amount of our community.”

Wilma’s Transition House From their website: Wilma’s Transition House offers temporary safe shelter at a confidential location. We are available by phone to contact 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If you are in an emergency situation please phone us at 1-604-858-0468 or 1-888-558-0468

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FA N

“We are committed to assisting women and their children in the difficult transition from an abusive and violent domestic environment to a positive, independent, and non-violent lifestyle. We primarily offer safe, temporary shelter with access to support services for women and their children who are victims of the many facets of family violence”.

The Summer Josie Was Born

Poems by Jessica Miliiken

At 5:02am on July 18th 2015 Amanda tells the story, never start to finish, and never all the details. Her midwife is there, as well as the pediatrician and a team of NICU nurses waiting with an isolette. With one final push, Josie enters this world. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quiet, her wide eyes look at her cold new home. They have a few moments, before the pediatrician steps in. But five months of preparation cannot prepare, and my sister surrenders her minutes-old baby as Josie turns purple. Amanda tells Mike to â&#x20AC;&#x153;follow our baby!â&#x20AC;? but he finds the hospital floor as his body restarts itself.

The Red Room I sit with Amanda, capturing a moment in my phone. She holds Josie and a vial of milk attached to the G-Tube through Josie’s nose and down her throat. 45 days in the Red Room blur together. The Red Room is not named for its red door, or red stripes around the walls but its level: Danger. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for babies who won’t make it on their own. An isolette bursts through the automatic doors with a baby inside. His cries are muffled by the glass walls around him. Two nurses and a pediatrician giving instructions follow it in. And then a man, his hair on end, voice frantic, who doesn’t understand why his brand new baby isn’t in his wife’s arms. His wife, where is his wife? Stethoscopes and clipboards settle the new tenant as his father looks around the room. I smile at him: you’re not alone here. His neighbours are a boy with no voice box who cries like a kitten and had a seizure while his father was holding him, twins slumber partying in one isolette, a baby with an extra chromosome born weeks too early, one preemie, one with wet lungs and Josie, one of the permanent residents. He only stayed for a handful of hours.

She was Three Weeks Old When Amanda says “Okay, sit down,” I don’t pretend I’m not crying. I’m heading back to Mission for a final exam unsure of my return. No less than three days, no more than seven, but a possible lifetime when the bells ding in the Red Room. I squeak as she fluffs a blue pillow under one of my arms, a nurse hovers closely with tissues. Amanda lowers the side of the neonatal crib scoops up her daughter, minding each wire and tube and places the tiny human in my cradled arms.

Jessica is a recent UFV graduate with an Honours Degree in English: Creative Writing and an Extended Minor in Theatre. She also studied painting for a year, which was only a bit of a mess. She is currently a live-in auntie with a rollicking extended family in a sitcom of a house, where she drinks a lot of tea and reads a lot of books. She is an anxious poet, a prolific writer, and an unabashed cheerleader of everything Fraser Valley. You can find her at her blog Strong Female Lead, or managing productions at Locomotive Clothing & Supply. These poems are from her debut chapbook, The Summer Josie Was Born, which chronicles the summer her niece entered both the world and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The book can be purchased from Jessica on Facebook or at Western Sky Books in Port Coquitlam. 40

Photos: Jessica Milliken

“Jeneece Place saved my family that summer” Handmade chapbooks commemorate the summer Josie was born by Dessa Bayrock, feat. Jessica Milliken These poems are set in 2015, and yet only came together in a chapbook this year, in 2018. When did these poems start demanding to be written? Most of these poems were written during the final year of my undergrad degree for my Honours dissertation, which was an 80-page poetry manuscript. These pieces were a section in a much larger story. They were written in moments of trying to understand, for myself, what happened that summer. I was trying to remember, and keep those memories permanent. My family was on the island, I was living and taking classes in the Valley, and I basically spent the entire summer on BC ferries (four times a week, and it was almost always The Queen of New West, which is the worst ferry. It has no ice.). Time was different in each place, life was different in each place. I was living two lives, two personalities, with no rest or sense of purpose in either. Can you talk a bit about your decision to put these poems together in a chapbook for Josie’s third birthday, especially given that she’s probably not reading poetry yet? Is it sort of a time capsule gift, a gift for her to appreciate later? You’d be surprised at what a three-year-old gets into. When I had the first printed copy of the book, I sat in my room with Josie on my lap and

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was living two lives, two personalities, with no rest or sense of purpose in either.â&#x20AC;?

Elliott at my feet and read them the book. This project was about the moment Josie saw a picture of herself in the book and said â&#x20AC;&#x153;thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s me!â&#x20AC;? as I told her of the first time I held her. Five dollars from each book are donated to Jeneece Place, the house which provides space for families, including yours, to stay while their children are in hospital for extended periods. Can you talk a little about that? The decision to do the project and the decision to donate ongoing came hand in hand. There was never a moment where one existed without the other. Simply, Jeneece Place saved my family that summer, as it saves families every day. Because of the generous donations of time and money, my family had a safe place to call home, steps from where Josie was fighting to breathe for her life in the hospital. Is there anything else you loved about this process or this project that you wanted to share? Anything that you found surprising, or exhausting, or strange? Now that the writing is over, the thing I love and the thing I find most exhausting are the same thing: the actual creation. The book is entirely handmade by me in my bedroom, with a very simple printer. I print each page individually, then flip it over to print the other side. Each are then folded exactly and cut to size, with holes in the spine punched with a sewing needle. I cut and hand sew the ribbon into the book, tie each piece, and glue the middle and ends. The ribbon tying/ gluing are the most tedious tasks. It probably takes about 40 minutes to an hour to build each book, but I love having a physical creation in my hands. When I held the first copy of the chapbook in my hands, it felt as if I had finally closed that summer, finally let go of the exhaustion that I still felt three years later. We have to keep moving forward, we have to keep building, we have to keep writing.

Art of the Book

Unparalleled enthusiasm for bo art in the Fraser Valley By Danielle Windecker

With only two BC stops, the 2018 Art of the Book exhibition is nestled this fall within the lush, green campus of the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), in the campus library.

Jose Villa-Arce, chair of the exhibition’s organizing committee, said they chose UFV as one of the exhibit’s hosts for its layout and attention to detail, and have since been impressed with the “sheer enthusiasm with which the show has been greeted.”

Worries about traveling exhibit unfounded In Victoria, the only other BC stop on the show’s tour, the exhibit was housed in the visual arts building at the University of Victoria. While the guild was initially nervous about the success of an August show on campus, concerns about attendance were quickly laid to rest. Approximately 1,000 people attended over 16 days, including participants in 10 tours. They also sold 118 catalogues, making for an extraordinary reception at a time when the school is often quiet. The exhibit seems to be similarly popular in Abbotsford, with about 300 people attending as of the end of October, in addition to a faculty

members bringing classes i opportunity. At UFV, the ex interesting juxtaposition: bo surrounded by students us most practical sense, for rese and assignments.

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Bookbinding and book arts are unique, expressive forms growing in popularity, and visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; obvious enjoyment of the pieces has been observed. Mary-Anne MacDougall, the exhibit coordinator with UFV, was delighted to share how inspiring and beautiful

45 Art by Jerene Lane Photos provided courtesy of Art of the Book 2018

... books on display as ar students using books in th visitors have found the works. For many, MacDougall says, it is the first time they have seen books presented with such creativity and fine detail.

The variety of works that the criteria of CBBAG, are Book exhibition so outstand

Creativity in many forms

Quinquennial c of art and books

Each piece in the exhibit is beautiful and meaningful in its own way, whether conveying a societal message or evoking joy. Especially interesting is how each artist expresses themselves so differently, united under the same art form. Some works focus on rebinding old books, while others feature calligraphy, papercraft, or textiles. While the differences are vast, each is still undeniably recognizable as a book. Mary Conley (Victoria, BC) depicted a whimsical scene in her book (right): reminiscent of winter, it features an intricately cut-out tree, moon, and animals. Conley’s diverse artistic talents include book art, card making, copper enamelling, watercolour painting, pastel, and papier-mâché. Another Victoria-based artist, Jerene Lane, features minimalist, impactful calligraphy in The Fisher’s Boy (see previous page). A self-confessed lifelong creative, Lane’s background includes studying fine arts, art in design and cartography, creating hydrographic navigational charts, and participating in the Fairbank Calligraphy Society.

Art of the Book is an intern members of CBBAG. It occ different chapters hosting a 2018, the exhibition is put o and will travel to nine provin

To showcase a range of bo entries are accepted in categ

Fine Binding Fine Print Artist’s Books Calligraph Paper Decoration Papermaki Box Making Restoratio

This year, four internation recognized jurors examin 124 entries from 10 countr They chose 67 to be exhibi and selected 10 for awar One of the jurors, Jan Elst

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national, juried exhibition by curs every five years, with and organizing the event. In on by the BC Islands Chapter nces including BC.

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co-owns Barbarian Press, a printer of fine press books and limited editions in Mission, BC. In particular, her presswork of wood engravings has earned her renown. In addition to the exhibit, a print catalogue is available which includes the jurorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; explanations of the factors considered and selection process. For those not able to see the books at UFV, all the works can be viewed online at ArtOfTheBook18.ca, though it is much easier to appreciate each detailed and moving work in person. The exhibit moves on from UFV on December 7, 2018. There is no cost to attend the exhibit, and the opportunity to witness such skill is invaluable. Art by Mary Conley

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MUSIC, COMMUNITY, RECOVERY AND ONE KISS WITH TESSA By Lian McIntyre 48

Photos by Living Bridge Media Canada

TESSA, a.k.a Teresa Trask, is a transplant from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is the executive director of Lifehaven, a non-profit organization which provides counselling and transitional support services to women going through recovery. When she is not writing and performing her own music, she is part of The Shiyr Poets with Brian Doerksen, Brian Thiessen, and Calum Rees. I had the opportunity to sit down with Teresa to talk about her forthcoming solo album, One Kiss. She started by sharing some of her experience as a solo artist.

>>> 49

TESSA>>> Most of my musical career has been pieced together working with different bands, different artists as background vocal. I’ve been part of a band called The Shiyr Poets where I’m a writer and one of the lead vocalists. As a solo artist I’ve really focused on writing and performing for people that are on the peripheral of the community. People that, for whatever reason, find themselves incarcerated. Bad choices. Struggles with addiction. Issues of generational poverty that seem hard for families to shake, and then they’re just stuck in that feeling like they’re just never quite able to get into the flow of community. I’ve always felt this drive to write and perform for people who need a sense of hope, that they can find their way into that. When I was listening to the album, I definitely noticed the themes of freedom and release in a lot of the songs.

I’VE ALWAYS FELT THIS DRIVE TO WRITE AND PERFORM FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED A SENSE OF HOPE.

As I’ve been writing — and of course as you grow and mature — you broaden your horizons as a writer a bit. My father was a musician, and I was in his country band when I was nine years old. We used to go down to the Booth Centre, which was run by the Salvation Army in Winnipeg, and play in their soup kitchen — perform for the people coming in to eat their dinner. Seeing that was just amazing. I just saw music bring hope and relief and some peace in the midst of this chaos that people were living in, that were living literally homeless and on the street. So I think I still see that in myself today.

I JUST SAW MUSIC BRING HOPE AND RELIEF AND SOME PEACE IN THE MIDST OF THIS CHAOS THAT PEOPLE WERE LIVING IN.

What was it about right now that made you decide it was the right time to do a solo album? I think it was the new songs I’ve been writing. I kind of turned my attention to [the idea that] perhaps this is for a broader audience. I focused on taking my guitar, into recovery homes, correctional facilities, mental health facilities in hospitals, where something about music in that genre just, I don’t know, something just calming enters the room.

I’ve started to realize that life is this chaotic journey for all of us, no matter what type of background we have, where we’re from. So, the songs I’m writing now are a little broader, and more enveloping of the human journey rather than a very specific human journey.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Talk about the album a little bit. It’s called One Kiss. Yeah. “One Kiss” is one of the songs I had written just before the Raiseberry concert that we did [June 9, 2018] I wasn’t sure if I was ready to present it that day, but I did. That song was a surprise to me as well, that it was the title track I landed on for the album. I had been leaning in another direction. But that song to me encapsulates what I just expressed to you, about this broader vision. You’ll hear links to fairy tales within the song, like Sleeping Beauty, asleep for 100 years just waiting for Prince Charming to come — then one kiss and whoo! Awake. Fairy tales are cute for kids, and people love the stories and going to the movies, but I think they can instill this expectation that life will be a certain way and look a certain way and can lead to a lot of disappointment and disillusionment — especially when you’re younger and you see that life doesn’t always go that way. [Or] sometimes [people] are walking around doing the motions of life, but inside we just feel not alive, not ourselves, not fully engaged. I feel like in those moments we’re waiting for that “one kiss,” but what that represents to each person is different. Sometimes it’s a spiritual awakening, sometimes it’s literally a person to come along that actually supports your dreams and gives you that boost you need, that confidence. I felt like that was kind of the heart of the album, so I decided on that as the title track.

SOMETIMES [PEOPLE] ARE WALKING AROUND DOING THE MOTIONS OF LIFE, BUT INSIDE WE JUST FEEL NOT ALIVE, NOT OURSELVES, NOT FULLY ENGAGED. I FEEL LIKE IN THOSE MOMENTS WE’RE WAITING FOR THAT “ONE KISS,” BUT WHAT THAT REPRESENTS TO EACH PERSON IS DIFFERENT.

One of the songs, “Wishes,” I wrote one night after working with victim services. In this situation, there’s domestic abuse and you go home and you’re looking at someone’s lack of options rather than their options. It’s so difficult. For me, the cathartic way to deal with some of it is to write a song, but my songs always land with some hope. Whether that’s a spiritual connection, or just a hope that life will turn around and get better. Talk a little bit about your work with Lifehaven.

Lifehaven was birthed out of a gap that I saw in the community. So, my little tagline is “bridging the gap,” and that’s what we’re attempting to do: bridge the gap between women who have gone through addiction recovery, they’ve done all the hard work that involves, and then they go back out into the community and there’s these huge roadblocks. It’s this chasm they can easily fall into if they don’t have the right bridging to get to that next step, or the next steps, whatever those are. At that time I’d been going into women’s recovery homes with my guitar and just doing music and trying to use my craft to support people in the community that were in this struggle, and I started to gain these relationships with women and see them after recovery just drop off into these holes where they had these needs. Sometimes the community actually provides services, but they aren’t aware of them. The next time I’m in another recovery house it’s the same person, and it’s just this cycle of recovery.

LIFE IS CHAOS, AND WE ALL NEED HOPE And at the same time I started working with the police department as a victim services crisis worker, and that same gap was evident there and often. All of a sudden, I started seeing “oh, so this is a bit of a gap that I’m seeing within the community.” I was fresh to Abbotsford at the time, from Winnipeg, and in Winnipeg I was really involved working with people who were still active in addiction, using prostitution as a means to support addiction, struggling with homelessness. When I got to Abbotsford I couldn’t really navigate that, I didn’t really know the community well. So, through doing these types of things I was starting to see there was this need and identifying it. Then I had some friends that were willing to help me back it, so I did all the paperwork to get the charitable status and we went from there. I was already doing the work, but I wanted to broaden that, and be able to touch more of that within the community. And with more resources you can do more. How would you say your music relates to your work at Lifehaven? I know you’re more on the business side, and you’ve got the experience in working with victim services, but does your music overlap with the work you’re doing now at Lifehaven at all? Absolutely, it does. One thing we do — or I do — is I put on a big concert for our clients and women in the community for the recovery houses.

I WANT TO START USING MY MUSIC TO SUPPORT THE VISION OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WORKING AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND ISSUES THAT ARE BORN OUT OF POVERTY.

I think part of recovery is figuring out how to go out and have a good time without using. Without being drunk, without drinking. to just go out and have food and coffee and friends and great music. We have so many amazing musicians in this town and they all love to give to these things, so I bring in amazing artists and we put on a really great night of music, and the women love it. So I do use the music to encourage them, but also just to throw a concert and have a really good time. I do still occasionally take my guitar and go in, because I kind of miss that.

Music, to me, kind of transcends. You can sit and talk to someone, but when you sing it kind of gets beyond what you’re thinking and gets down into the heart and emotions and I feel it’s a really powerful tool and I’m trying to use it to do the best I can to support and serve the community.

But I am hoping now with broadening my reach, I’m going to start meeting with a couple of different organizations. I want to start using my music to support the vision of organizations that are working against human trafficking and issues that are born out of poverty. I want to get a little more global with what I’m doing. I’ve traveled and done music in other nations and I want to always focus on my local community, but I also have a vision and a heart to serve globally in those areas. So that’s what I’m trying to do now — create those links. It’s really neat that you’re framing your music in terms of people who are on the fringes of our general perception. People who don’t have the same supports and resources. That might be a presumptuous way of saying that. Maybe that people feel like they’re on the outside, you know what I mean? It feels a little bit like there’s this cultural stream that we all grow up and get into and find our little track in there.

I think people can’t find their way into that sometimes. I think our community has lots of supports, but I feel like sometimes there’s little missing links [for] people finding their way into all of those tracks. The church that I’m a part of here in town adopted a family of refugees, and just seeing these highly educated individuals who had built a life for themselves, a career, a home for their family, just lose it all in this devastating war, and come here and just literally have this little tiny apartment that they’re sharing all of them together with all their relatives and just trying to make a go of life. I realized, you know what, life is chaos, and we all need hope. Whether we lose someone we love, we get sick ourselves, we lose the means to support ourselves, you know all those things that happen. What are your thoughts on the music and arts community here in the Fraser Valley? A lot of the bands playing are friends of mine, people I’ve worked with, people I’ve recorded with, because in a community like this, you all know who does what. I just love this integrated community of artists who know each other, and work together, partner together. I think it’s going to start flourishing even more. I think it’s always been really great. They’ve done all the festivals downtown and had local musicians, but I feel like the local musicians themselves now are starting to gel and create their own opportunities. And I’m really excited. The future looks really bright for that. There’s not a lot of venues in the Valley. Do you think that’s a hindrance for those trying to break into the music scene? I think with the emergences of some of the microbreweries, we’re getting a few more opportunities now for local bands. But as for just performance venues? I really love Abbotsford, but I wish they would find a way to create more. And maybe it’s just not feasible financially, I don’t know why, I don’t know the ins and outs, so I don’t like to judge something like that and wonder why “Why aren’t they doing this?” because maybe it’s just not worked, maybe they’ve tried. But I would love venues that are actual concert venues. You know, where you serve food. Like some of those, you go to Vancouver and they have these great, like the Commodore, where there’s food and seating and a dance floor. A place like that in Abbotsford, to me, would be brilliant. And I think our population is growing, and I think we may be able to fill venues like that. I absolutely agree. I think there really is a demand for smaller venues, because if you want to go see somebody play, you don’t necessarily want to go to a bar. And it is difficult for performers. Performing when people have come for beer or whatever, a visit, and you’re background noise. That’s a totally different feeling for the artist. It’s hard to connect with your audience People look up once in a while and cheer. It’s a little different. You have the big concert, which you sell tickets and you do your concert, you have the bar which you’re background music. Then you have the perfect middle, which is this little concert venue where you get your food and it feels cozy, and the environment’s great. But you’re still connecting with the artist because you’re there to hear the music, right? I love those kinds of venues. I think this community would get into that.

Our contributors Dessa Bayrock is a Fraser Valley ex-pat who lives in Ottawa with two cats and a variety of succulents, one of which is growing at a frankly alarming rate. She used to unfold paper for a living at Library and Archives Canada and is currently a PhD student in English, studying literary awards and the production of cultural value. She really likes books and has a tattoo of Mount Cheam on her arm. You can find her, or at least more about her, at dessabayrock.com, or on Twitter at @yodessa. Hannah Celinski is pursuing her PhD in Education at Simon Fraser University where her research interests include curriculum theory, embodiment, movement as communication, and technology. She also teaches in the Communications department at The University of the Fraser Valley. Aymee Leake studied visual arts at UFV, and is a staunch arts advocate in Abbotsford. She has been an enthusiastic administrator and coordinator in a variety of organizations, including the Abbotsford Arts Council and a number of galleries. In 2016, she was nominated for the Christine Caldwell Outstanding Arts Advocate award. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quirky, passionate, and patently hilarious. These days, you can find Aymee painting eyes and firing up the kiln at the Clay Cottage. Lian McIntyre is a graduate of UFV with a Bachelor of Arts in English which ultimately led to her current job as a legal administrative

assistant. New to the world of non-profits, Lian is passionate about cultivating social engagement in the community and about giving artists, writers and other creators a platform for their work. Lian is a voracious consumer of all things media and a selfproclaimed armchair critic. Jessica Milliken is a recent UFV graduate with an Honours Degree in English: Creative Writing and an Extended Minor in Theatre. She also studied painting for a year, which was only a bit of a mess. She is currently a live-in auntie with a rollicking extended family in a sitcom of a house, where she drinks a lot of tea and reads a lot of books. She is an anxious poet, a prolific writer, and an unabashed cheerleader of everything Fraser Valley. You can find her at her blog Strong Female Lead, or managing productions at Locomotive Clothing & Supply. Sarah Sovereign loves storytelling, coffee, colour, and the first day of summer. She is married to a pretty wonderful guy named Jamie. They live in an apartment in Chilliwack covered in knick-knacks, with their cats, Jax and Beans. Sarahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s background is in film, visual arts, and English at UFV, and she is currently getting her Masters in Counselling. Her passion is working with others in visual storytelling, creating safe spaces in which to hold and photograph the stories we carry with us. One day she plans to mix this with her counselling practice.

Raspberry is a magazine devoted to Fraser Valley culture and community life. Established in June 2016, Raspberry publishes reviews, event coverage, and other local 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 more. f RaspberryZine

t @RaspberryZine www.raspberrymag.ca

i @RaspberryZine

Katie Stobbart is the founding editor of Raspberry and the heart and soul behind Red Press Society. By day she organizes many things as Executive Assistant at Abbotsford Community Services, by night she organizes many things as DM to a bumbling party of adventurers in D&D. You can find her writing, painting, or tending to her apartment jungle. Jess Wind teaches communications at the University of the Fraser Valley and is an editor at Raspberry. She has an M.A. from Carleton University, a B.A. from UFV, and enough zombie research to survive the apocalypse. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a pop-culture nerd, a retro-loving geek, and a writer of many things. She also shares a birthday with Harry Potter. Danielle Windecker was born and raised in Abbotsford; her work as a writer and marketing professional has seen her live and travel in Canada, the UK and the United States, contributing to publications as diverse as wedding magazines and football blogs. Danielle loves the rich creativity of people who call the Fraser Valley home. When sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not writing she reads voraciously, dabbles in arts and crafts and obsesses over her cat, Aurora, who emigrated from the UK in 2016.

The Red Press Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the profile and stimulating the growth of local arts, culture, and community life in the Fraser Valley.

Jess Wind PRESIDENT

Dessa Bayrock SECRETARY

Aymee Leake TREASURER

Lian McIntyre MEMBER-AT-LARGE

Katie Stobbart EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

f RedPressSociety t RedPressSociety i RedPressSociety www.redpresssociety.ca