On March 24 and 31, the Nanaimo Art Gallery will host the athut / Words Bounce reading series, which consists of two afternoons of poetry from emerging and celebrated poets.
The Nanaimo Art Gallery annually devotes an entire year’s programming to a specific thematic inquiry. This is the gallery’s third year in which they’ve come up with a theme that takes the form of a question. This year’s inquiry: “scekwul yuxw ‘alu kws nec’s tu sqwal ct,” which is in Hul’q’umi’num, the language of the Snuneymuxw people, and translates to “how can we speak differently?”
The athut / Words Bounce ...
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), timing and secrecy is everything. The release of Black Panther in 2018, just before Avengers: Infinity War, introduced MCU fans to the kingdom of Wakanda and T’Challa (Black Panther). This increased the emotional blow when the audience saw him disintegrate into dust from the snap of Thanos’ fingers in the latter installment. While crumbling superheroes came as a shock to everyone, the set-up felt natural and unforced. Captain Marvel is a great movie, but, this time, in anticipation of another Avengers blockbuster, it feels like an unnecessary ...
How long have you been Head Coach of the Mariners Men’s Volleyball team, and how did you get the position?
This is my ninth year as head coach of the Men’s program. Chris Densmore was the head coach at the time, and he asked me to help out as a team physician. As an athlete all my life I never thought I’d be a head coach, but after establishing my clinic I had more time so I figured why not. That kind of got my foot in the water.
How would you describe your coaching style?
I’d consider myself a motivator first. I’m not the yell-and-scream-to-get-his-point-across type of coach. ...
Sandwiched between the old Island Highway and Wallace Street is a gallery and classroom, dedicated to the development of ceramic arts. Facing Wallace Street, four floor-to-ceiling windows showcase pillars of pottery and ceramics, while to the right of the building a courtyard homes the large crowns of trees, flooded with sunshine.
In May of 2018, Bronwyn Arundel transformed the bright, open space into something that could host large workshops and show off the delicate skill of the artists that practice in it. The studio and gallery share the same roof and aqua-blue flooring, with the ...
In January of this year, I started an internship at Windowseat Books in Nanaimo, in partnership with a creative writing course at VIU. The object of the course is to familiarize students with areas of interest, primarily in the editorial industry. This parallels my interest—my hopes, I suppose—for after graduation, but conceptualized as more of a means to the end than something pursued out of passion.
The internship at the independent bookstore taught me many valuable things, but foremost it was a confirmation that doing something you’re passionate about will always bring pleasure. ...
Stop #117 — Kingly and Seventh — 6:54 AM
He woke and slowly detangled his body from hers, folding her limbs back on herself like origami. Lost in her dreams, she murmured softly into his shoulder, her hair a tangled veil across her face. He paused, and trailed his fingers down the dinosaur ridges of her spine, exposed through her thin cotton shirt. He imagined each little vertebra was a speed bump, and his hand was a race car, dipping, swerving, sliding. Then he got up and was halfway out the door before she stirred, pulling the blue raincoat he left across her legs around her body ...
Current and former BC students celebrated the Budget 2019 announcement on February 19 that eliminated interest from provincial student loans, effective immediately. This follows years of work done by students, volunteers, and allies calling for meaningful relief from the increasing cost of accessing post-secondary education.
The announcement makes BC the fifth province to recognize the impact interest has on students; following Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (Newfoundland and Labrador offer non-repayable grants). The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives estimates ...
Due to the recent measles outbreak in Vancouver, BC Health Minister Adrian Dix has announced his plan to have mandatory vaccine registry in place for the beginning of the school year in September. All students in both public and private schools would be required to provide proof of immunization against measles and other diseases.
The new regulation is expected to help health officials locate and assist parents who might be unaware their children are not vaccinated, haven’t kept their immunizations up to date, or don’t have access to vaccinations. Those who refuse based on religious or ...
March started off with VIU announcing Dr. Deborah Saucier as the university’s next president and vice-chancellor. She will join VIU for a five-year term starting July 4, 2019. Saucier was most recently the president of MacEwan University, taking on the position in 2017.
VIU held an international search for the next president, tapping into internal and external communities of the university. Saucier was recommended by a collection of students, faculty, and staff that made up a Presidential Search Advisory Committee. For Saucier, VIU’s commitment to quality teaching, student success, ...
Back in 2014, a study by the American Psychological Association found that teens reported higher stress levels than adults, especially during the school year. In 2019, the Pew Research Centre found that 70 percent of teens reported anxiety and depression as a major problem among their peers. We know young people are stressed the hell out—but why?
According to the Pew Research survey, teens reported that they feel pressure to get good grades, the pressure to look good, the pressure to fit in socially, and pressure to be involved in extracurricular activities. While half of teens ...
The seemingly benign practice of setting clocks forward one hour in the spring and one hour back in the fall, daylight saving time (often erroneously called daylight savings time) is not without its consequences.
According to a 2012 study from the University of Alabama Birmingham, the Monday and Tuesday after clocks are moved forward in March is associated with a 10 percent increase in heart attacks.
“Exactly why this happens is not known but there are several theories,” said Martin Young, the study’s author. “Sleep deprivation, the body’s circadian clock and immune responses all ...
On Saturday, March 23, Evolve Nightclub will be hosting Seven Deadly Sins, presented by Nanaimo’s only drag entertainment collective: WIG.
Thematically, the show will be a unique interpretation of Dante’s Inferno, paying homage to the 14th century literary classic with WIG’s distinctive brand of dance, theatre, musical narrative, and of course—divine comedy.
The audience will follow Dante, played by WIG performer L’Empress, as she embarks on a journey down into the frightening, but fabulous, depths of hell. In her purgatorial pursuit, Dante will be met by the Seven Deadly ...
As Vancouver Island University continues to integrate Indigenous perspectives on campus, the university celebrated two new pieces of Coast Salish art that will be displayed at the Nanaimo Campus.
The unveiling ceremony for the Te’tuxwtun (Mt. Benson) totem pole was held in the newly constructed Centre for Health and Science (CHS) on February 9. William Good, artist of the Te’tuxwtun totem pole, and his family attended the ceremony. Footprints of the Wolf, a Snuneymuxw drumming family, was a highlight of the event. Good drummed in the younger members of the group as they performed the ...
How long have you been calling Mariners Games?
I think my first year was 2008.
How would you describe Mariners culture?
I think what the culture has done is developed a culture of winning, but I think also as a culture of developing really outstanding human beings.
I’ve never had to go through the rigors of training as well as doing studies and that sort of stuff, but I’m forever in awe of the students who do that and contribute both academically and through sports teams. I mean you’re not always going to win, just as you’re not always going to get an A in class. But what ...
Playing in her final season at VIU guard Emma Platner has a lot to be proud of. Throughout her five-year career, coaches and teammates have relied on her leadership both on and off the court. She took time to chat with the Nav about the team’s preparation for the upcoming provincials, and personal takeaways from such a remarkable university basketball career.
Thoughts on the team’s performance in the 2018 Pacwest tournament:
We worked so hard all season; maybe the results are disappointing, but I’m not disappointed with the effort that our team gave during the tournament. We were ...
Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the best game for the Nintendo Switch period. Matter of fact: Smash Ultimate is the greatest Smash game of all time.
Smash Bros Ultimate is the most recent installment in the Smash Bros franchise. It launched for the Nintendo Switch on December 9, 2018, and has since become the fastest selling Nintendo game of all time. So, why has Smash Ultimate sold so quickly? Because it’s amazing.
Let’s touch on a few of the game’s most impressive elements: Smash Ultimate features 74 playable characters, and 103 stages from games like Metroid, F-Zero, Final ...
Tastes like cardboard,
you say, face scrunched,
wistful of a mother’s recipe
you haven’t yet mastered.
I swallow my offense:
this may be the last time
I hear it; your voice.
Stacked by the front door with my fellow fallen
comrades,
our frayed edges fluttering in the burst of cold
each time you pass.
If I were to speak of taste,
I would tell you of damp paper, your childhood drawings
filling my corners with mildew dreams.
Once, I was a magic carpet, Pandora’s
hope, a portal away.
Now, your conversation turns to leases, graduation,
a long-term job—
of no ...
The comfort zone can easily be mistaken as a place of safety, but the greatest rewards await just beyond internalized walls. The natural tendency to cling to familiarity isn’t a reputable safety net. In fact, it holds people back. Pushing against the barriers of the comfort zone is uncomfortable, but the ability to lean into discomfort wholeheartedly will result in freedom.
Choosing to stay within the limits of the comfort zone comes from a place of deep fear. Perhaps it’s the fear of failure, embarrassment, or simply not being enough. Accessing the intrinsic spark of bravery within ...
We met in the local mall. I was hanging out in a department store when he walked in. I noticed him immediately. He was tall, clean-shaven. He wore dusty Carhartts, and his steel toes echoed loudly across the linoleum floor. He looked at me, smiled, and sauntered over. He reached out his hand and touched me with a calloused palm. I was too surprised to react, and he stared at me.
“Wow, you’re beautiful,” he murmured.
The sales associate came over.
“Can I help you find anything, sir?” he asked, shooting a glance at me, and then back at the man. The man shook his head and didn’t ...
The 14th annual Islands Short Fiction Contest (ISFC) received a boost in funding from the Vancouver Island University Department of Creative Writing and Journalism, putting the total to be bestowed at over $2200 in cash and prizes to be awarded over three categories. ISFC is a regionally-focused competition intended to highlight the work of writers in the area, and submissions are only accepted from residents of Vancouver Island and the northern and southern Gulf Islands.
The entry deadline is March 29, 2019, by 12 pm. Complete details and entry forms are available here.
The Nav ...
It can be hard to find independent films on the big screen, with the mainstream big-budget box office production companies monopolizing movie theatres across the country. However, independent film in Canada survives through festivals like Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) or, on the western coast, the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), and various other festivals scattered across the country.
In Nanaimo, indie movies have found another way to survive and even make it onto the big screen. In its 19th year, Fringe Flicks, an independent film series hosted by ...
I cannot consent to swallow your love cold—
down my throat you pour, I choke.
At five years we left your stranglehold.
From you, my childhood was pigeonholed,
left alone, you couldn’t phone despite us being kinfolk.
I cannot consent to swallow your love cold.
At nine I suffered from your mould.
Ten I counseled once again, heartbroke
that at five years we left your stranglehold.
As a child, I was too young and couldn’t be told
how to recover from your garrote.
I cannot consent to swallow your love cold.
The memories of you I tried to remove sevenfold
but time made it ...
This year Literacy Central in downtown Nanaimo will host a weekly workshop for emerging writers aged 15 – 30. The workshop will be facilitated by Greg Brown, a Nanaimo-born writer whose work has been published in Paragon, Postscript, Pulp Literature, Tate Street, Prism International, The Journey Prize 30: The Best of Canada’s New Writers, and others.
During the summer, Brown teaches at the University of Virginia’s Young Writer’s Workshop, and says that he enjoys working with young writers because of their enthusiasm for the craft.
“I found that the younger kids in general were ...
February can feel a bit like fitting into a new pair of pants. Having just peeled yourself out of the previous year’s pair, the new ones aren’t quite worn-in enough to be comfortable yet. You’re optimistic though. Every morning you squeeze yourself back in, stretching that fabric out just a little bit more. These new pants are practically still fresh enough to avoid washing them for another week—unless you’re hitting the gym. But let’s face it: February’s already here. If you haven’t gone by this point, you’re not ever gonna go.
With respect to ill-fitting pants, February is also the ...
