A flavour of Cascadian Zen is coming to Quadra Island, with poets and other writers reading from a newly released anthology. "We just put out this anthology that is full of famous people, and we were lucky they were willing to do that," says Adelia MacWilliam, the managing editor of Watershed Press' Cascadian Zen Volume One . "Two of those famous people live on Quadra Island, Robert Bringhurst and Jan Zwicky who are both award-winning poets.
They are a big deal on Quadra." MacWilliam and Watershed Press decided to hold the event on Quadra Island because a previous event involving Bringhurst had a good turnout. Bringhurst is a prolific writer, publishing several books of poetry and prose and translated works from Haida, Navajo, and classical Greek and Arabic.
He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013. The Beauty of the Weapons, a collection of poetry originally published in 1982, was nominated for the Governor General's Award. He was again shortlisted for the award in 2000 for A Story as Sharp as a Knife , which was about Haida symbolism.
In 2005, Bringhurst won the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence, a British Columbian award for writers. Zwicky, appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022, also has an extensive bibliography. Zwicky has been shortlisted for the Governor General's Awards for Poetry for Songs for Relinquishing the Earth and Robinson's Crossing .
The former won her the award in 1999. Wisdom & Metaphor was shortlisted for the 2004 Governor General's Award for Nonfiction. Some of her work was shortlisted for other awards, such as the Pat Lowther Award (best book of poetry by a Canadian woman), the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize (best collection of poetry by a resident of British Columbia), and the Griffin Poetry Prize.
Zwicky won the 2004 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize in 2004 for Robinson's Crossing. Zwicky and Bringhurst are married. "We are hoping their names are a draw," says MacWilliam, who will share her work.
"The rest of us are either American and not known on this side of the border or not big fish like them." "I'd say it's a very much place-based writing and people responding to place and through that response finding a way to deal with issues that come up which could be related to the environment or how they are living in it," she says. "The work varies a bit.
There is also art and interviews." The event is on Aug. 25 at the Quadra Island Community Centre.
In addition to Zwicky, Bringhurst and MacWillaim, Paul Nelson, and Jason Wirth will also be there reading their contributions. The event starts at 7 p.m.
and goes to 9 p.m..
