The best of Vancouver food and culture. Currently on sabbatical from her teaching job, when we recently caught up with the artist and educator, she had just wrapped up a solo painting exhibition, and was preparing for a two-month-long stint at The FEELed LAB in Vernon...Fortunately, she had a bit of spare time to share what she’s been up to in the studio …

Maintaining a sunny disposition throughout a Vancouver winter is a challenge all its own. Luckily for us, we have 'Elio'- the namesake bright and bubbly younger cousin to Banda Volpi's sage and savvy Osteria Savio Volpe (aka 'Savio') - with its light-hearted lean towards cocktails and shared plates, to take comfort in over the season ahead.

16 Jan 2025 · Hi, It’s Me (McLelland & Stewart), by Fawn Parker | To say that Fawn Parker (the protagonist in author Fawn Parker’s literary-pseudo-memoir) is an “overthinker” is an understatement. A LOT goes on in Fawn’s head over the mere 24-hour-long time period in which Hi, It’s Me is framed.Granted, her mother has just died via assisted suicide that very …

11 Oct 2024 · GRAPHIC: B is For Beer (HarperCollins), by Tom Robbins | Considering the amount of time I spend drinking and thinking about beer and reading (often at the same time), it’s surprising that Robbins’ 2009 “A Children’s Book for Grown-ups” or “A Grown-up Book for Children” hasn’t come onto my radar sooner! A cheeky illustrated tale about a precocious little …

10 Dec 2024 · The Reeds (ECW Press), by Arjun Basu | Power is the overarching theme of The Reeds, a new novel by Montreal author and podcaster (The Full-Bleed Podcast), Arjun Basu.Over the course of a singular story, each member of the titular family – husband and wife, Bobby and Mimi, and their adopted children, teenaged Dee and newly adult Abbie – takes turns retailing …

18 Nov 2024 · Vladivostok Circus (Open Letter), by Elisa Shua Dusapin | A modern day story about a young woman literally running away (in part from a failed art school relationship) to join the circus. Only for protagonist Nathalie, her role is as costume designer for a Russian Bar trio – a job acquired through a connection with a higher-up in the circus company – and the circus is …

25 Mar 2024 · On Misanthropy, Mental Illness and Marpole, with Local Author, Carleigh Baker | The most recent book by teacher and award-winning local writer, Carleigh Baker, is a collection of short stories called Last Woman, released by McClelland & Stewart on March 5th, 2024.We shared our early anticipation via a shout out to the title in our Scout Book Club, Vol. 9; but after …

27 May 2024 · The Gulf, by Adam de Souza | Universal coming-of-age themes are treated with adept sensitivity and lyricism in this Vancouver-based cartoonist/author’s most recent graphic novel.The Gulf follows a determined young woman running away from familial/authoritarian pressures and expectations, in search of another, better, more collaborative and sensical way …

31 Oct 2024 · PARADE OF LOST SOULS | Every year around this time a shadowy procession of characters meanders through the streets of East Van for the Parade of Lost Souls. Inspired by Day of the Dead celebrations, this community-driven Dusty Flowerpot-fuelled parade encourages participants to join the procession in costume, remember friends and family members who …

22 Aug 2024 · COMING SOON: The Capital of Dreams (HarperCollins), by Heather O’Neill | The latest novel from the Montreal author is a fantastical coming-of-age story, set in the made-up European country of Elysia. Artistic expression proliferates and is celebrated in its metropolis, the Capital, at times to extremes. From opera singers to authors, its wildest and most absurd …