Jeff Monson’s first produced play is finally about to rise on Nanaimo’s artistic horizon, after months of anticipation within Harbour City’s art scene.
The Age of Women will be Monson’s debut in live theatre, leaving the writer, actors, and ticket holders excited and nervous for the premiere, as the ongoing rumor of the play’s radically themed story has left patrons within the city’s theatrical milieu on the edge of their seats.
“You can have great writing, great directing, great set design, and great costumes, but if you have bad acting, it destroys the whole thing for me, ...
Take a load off. Consider me your personal secretary because I planned out a full week of shinanigans for you and your friends.
This weekend, I took a few hours out my hectic schedule to finally sit down and catch up on some Netflix. In the spirit of Halloween and all things creepy, I searched up “Halloween” to see what I could find. The list was overwhelming, and I hope to cross a few more off my list this week as Spooktober comes to an end. But for now, I decided on In the Tall Grass. I’d say I made a good choice.
The film, produced by Netflix and written/directed by Vincenzo Natali, is based on the 2012 novella of the same name by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill. So you know it’s gotta be good, right? I ...
VIU’s Nanaimo campus has been designated as a Bee Campus, the first of its kind in BC.
VIU’s Master of Community Planning (MCP) program is working with the VIU Peace Garden Educational Ecosystem student club to spread awareness of the impact pollinators have on a healthy ecosystem. Being acknowledged with the title of Bee Campus by Bee City Canada commits the Nanaimo campus to creating, maintaining, and improving pollinator habitats. Along with these duties, VIU has the responsibility to educate the community about the significance of pollinators and celebrate pollinators during ...
VIU has added a Professional Lands Management Certification for First Nations (PLMC) to their Community Planning Program. It is a new certificate that will kick-off on in summer 2020. It is administered through National Aboriginal Lands Managers Association (NALMA) and funded by Indigenous Services Canada.
PLMC is a wonderful addition to the Community Planning program at VIU which so far has offered just a Masters in Community Planning. The certificate will cover the basics of resource management, community design, sustainable practices and Indigenous lands planning over six courses. ...
Standing outside the first cave, named the Main Cave, for the first time is daunting. Looking into the mouth, most first-timers stop to fiddle with their equipment before taking their last breaths of outside air. Cave crickets—like regular crickets, but sub-dwellers and as big as your palm. Imagination gets the better of you.
VIU announced that the VIU Mariners have become official partners with Adidas and Kahunaverse Sports.
On October 8, following the PACWEST court sport season openers, the Vancouver Island University Athletics and Recreation announced their official partnership with Adidas and Kahunaverse Sports Group. Kahunaverse Sports is now the official T-shirt, sports apparel, and uniform supplier for the VIU Mariners. The new apparel will be worn with pride as the Mariner stalwarts of the PACWEST conference and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA-ACSC) play through the 2019-2020 ...
This Thursday on October 17, prolific hip-hop artist Switch (Luke Thornton) is bringing his album release tour to The Cambie.
His new album, Where Am I, is a reflection of his experiences and draws inspiration from a number of places. “Just everyday life, really,” Switch said. “The past, the future, the people around me and the conversations I have with others. I am also inspired by anyone who has a beat on this album, I can’t make a dope song without a dope beat and of course, knowing my engineer, Teus, will always be able to put his own spin on things, keeps me ...
World Suicide Prevention Day took place in September, and it made me realize that my university has done nothing to meaningfully and publicly address an incredibly tragic suicide that occurred on campus last autumn, one week prior to reading week in 2018.
It is common knowledge amongst anyone who has spent more than a few hours with me that I do not drive. All of my five years commuting to and from the VIU campus have been facilitated by the public transit system. Yet, I often find myself stumbling into conversations about parking at VIU—a topic that manages to wiggle its way almost anywhere, eventually. I’ve experienced both students and professors arrive late to class because of an inability to find parking, and Students’ Union Students’ Advocacy rep Sarah Segal corroborates this, saying that she has “had one faculty member approach me ...
For years, rumours about the ghost, or ghosts, of Malaspina Theatre have been passed down like a tattered copy of Hamlet; but for the most part, the presence of Neil Rutherford (and others) has been a well-kept department secret. Stories about ghost encounters tend to leave with students as they graduate, surprising new actors as they come in.
I first heard of a Malaspina ghost in passing a few years ago and, having been in the theatre only once, brushed it off. Theatres, after all, inspire ghost stories.
The narratives of plays almost always revolve around ghosts: in Charles ...
This article is the extended version from the Nav's October print issue and is intended to educate voters on the candidates of the Nanaimo/Ladysmith riding. The questions try to encompass a personal and professional sense of the candidates.
Editors Note:
There are two candidates that don’t appear in the article due to a lack of contact information. The two missing contacts are Jennifer Clarke of the People’s Party of Canada and Brain Marlatt of the Progressive Canadian Party. They will both appear on the ballots on October 21st. Please visit their webpages and view their platforms ...
I took it upon myself to visit all the restaurants in Nanaimo that serve Japanese ramen. They stretch south to north, each with their own unique flair, restaurant atmosphere, and traditional Japanese qualities: Bistro Taiyo, Nana Sushi, Wa-Ku, Umai, and Nori.
My Japanese friend from VIU, Hikarua Nakamura, came along when she was available and struggled with me through bowl after bowl of unctuous broth, slurpy noodles, and tasty toppings. We have collaborated to judge each establishment out of 25. Each can receive a maximum of five points in five categories: atmosphere, tradition, ...
Tucked away at the side of Chemainus Road lies a farm that would appear to be just like any other. Secluded by trees, you may be able to spot some of the animals out on the field as you drive by if you look hard (and quickly) enough.
This is no ordinary farm, but the RASTA Animal Sanctuary. RASTA, which stands for Rescue And Sanctuary for Threatened Animals, was started by and is primarily run by Lucie Cerny, with the assistance of a crew of volunteers.
The sanctuary originated in De Winton, Alberta, just south of Calgary. Lucie noticed the lack of sanctuaries and advocacy for ...
Digital media and creative writing student Nicola Kapron is being published in a spooky new indie anthology called Little Girl Lost: Thirteen Tales of Youth Disrupted on October 15.
Her piece, titled “Based on a True Story,” will appear alongside 12 other tales.
“[The anthology] contains a number of spooky stories, making it a seasonal treat. I’m sure it will appeal to readers looking forward to—or nostalgically back on—Halloween,” Kapron said.
The anthology was created by indie authors Deidre J. Owen (of Lithia, FL) and Ronald Linson (of Richmond Hill, NY) after they began ...
As summer sunlight slowly slips away, the cool crisp chill crawls up its unsuspecting victim’s spine. The days lose order as they get shorter and as the dead of night approaches, another deadline is missed. Yes, Spooky Season has arrived, and although you might not be chased by goblins, ghouls, or gaseous beings, you could be the victim of Nanaimo’s increasing crime rates.
In 2018, MacLean’s online magazine released its annual list of the most dangerous cities in Canada, based on crime rate statistics, where it ranked Nanaimo at 37. Although the Violent Crime Severity Index was lower ...
Performances will be at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre (building 310) through the end of October and into the beginning of November.
A recent press release suggests that along with the new school year has come an increasingly high demand for support from a national anti-bullying organization.
BullyingCanada is searching for volunteers around Canada to ensure that their services be made available on a 24/7 basis, and they need volunteers to fill various positions.
To meet the high demand for support, BullyingCanada is seeking assistance for administrative and development responsibilities. Aside from data entry and varying administrative roles, BullyingCanada needs volunteers with some experience in grant ...
The Malaspina Theatre hosted the first debate between the candidates of Nanaimo and Ladysmith for the upcoming federal election on Thursday night.
A total of five candidates were present at the debate where topics varied from tuition, healthcare, and to the topical climate change.
Paul Manly of the Green Party, Michelle Corfield of the Liberals, John Hirst of the Conservatives, Brian Marlatt of the Progressive Canadian Party, and the independent, Geoff Stoneman composed the five candidates that shared their platforms.
Bob Chamberlin of the NDP was not present for the debate ...
We are now entering the fifth week of the fall semester. Is the slump feeling real? We’ve settled into the weekly routine of classes for the semester like coffee that’s gone cold. (Although, I hear some people like that?) A project or two have been handed in, some marks have been handed back, tests are being studied for, larger projects loom ahead. Class participation has probably already seen better days. Long weekends will come and go and soon we’ll be counting the days to reading break (maybe some already are), then to winter break, and so on
I’m currently flopping back and forth ...
"I’m looking for a unique, complete story, compelling characters, and a point of view. Let your voice shine through because that’s your most valuable asset."
On Thursday, October 3, Robert Hilles will be holding a book launch to present his new collection of poetry, Shimmer. The event is from 6:30–7:30 pm at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library.
Hilles lives on Salt Spring Island, and is a faculty member of the Creative Writing department at VIU, teaching both poetry and fiction. A master of his craft, his oeuvre is extensive and admirable, to say the least; Shimmer will be his seventeenth book of poetry and twenty-second published book overall. Hilles won the Governor General’s Award for Poetry in 1994 for Cantos From A Small Room, and that ...
The chrome Indian head
of a black ’49 Pontiac Chieftain Coupe,
shimmers in the late afternoon sun.
My Dad had one fifty years ago;
it had leaky brakes
and sometimes he had
to angle it against the curb
to stop it.
It must have died
long ago, but here,
frozen in time, this one
glides past a couple
on their clunky chunky
Chinese bicycle.
She beams
and has one hand
around his waist;
in the other,
a birthday cake.
A little further along,
in an old Mafia hotel,
the ghost of the gangster,
Meyer Lansky
dressed in ...
In a one-room schoolhouse
a cast iron pot belly stove
burned through
great stacks of wood
and sometimes mice
whose necks had snapped
in shiny steel traps.
We all cheered and clapped
when our hero
dangled them by their tails
and flung their tiny corpses
into the fire.
He was a lanky man
with horn-rimmed glasses
and graying hair, who seemed
only a little older than we.
I’d clap when he told us stories
from his youth and tall tales
of derring-do that stirred my blood
and made my eyes shine.
I ...
