Arts

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Vancouver’s Cherry Blossom Festival is in full bloom

 
   

By David Hollinshead, Staff Writer

tarting this Thursday, from
Gaon 5 to the 20, the sixth

annual Vancouver Cherry
Blossom Festival will be in season.
The festival has grown to be a
very popular event in Vancouver,
celebrating not only the thousands
of beautiful cherry trees throughout
BC, but also the diversity of
Japanese culture, as it brings people
together in sparking international
friendships and cross-country
exchanges.

There are many things to
check out at the festival this year.
One such event is the Cherry
Blossom Umbrella Dance, which
celebrates the rain and blossoming
of the cherry trees. Another is the
Cherry Jam Downtown, where

the Umbrella Dancers will be
heading to Burrard SkyTrain with
performances and lessons to those
who wish to learn. The Jam also
offers a special lunch box, prepared
by some of the most accomplished
Japanese chefs in Vancouver.

The Sakura Days Japan Fair is

another event that takes place over
two days, and includes cultural art,
performances, and food. Guests will
be able to sample premium sake,
festival food, and even partake in a
Japanese tea ceremony. In addition,
there will be a children’s tent,
where the kids can learn how to
fold origami, dress in yukata (a type
of kimono), experience storytelling,
and exhibit Japanese toys. There
will also be tree talks and walks,
where observers can enjoy narrated
journeys through the cherry
orchards. There are several walks to
go on, so you never know what you
just might see.

Long before these many events
(and more) were established, the
festival began in 2005 as a non-
profit society, based on the tradition
of the Japanese Sakura Festivals.

By 2007, the festival had expanded
into a charitable event, featuring
activities ranging from public
lectures to musical performances
to fine art and craft exhibitions.
However, the festival didn’t have
a secured home until 2008, when it
was Offered a place at the VanDusen
Botanical Garden. It was there that
the David C. Lam Cherry Grove
was planted in honour of one of
the festival’s kindest benefactors,
nicknamed the “Blossom

Benefactor,” David Lam (1923-
2010). Thanks to him, gardens were
planted across Metro Vancouver,
and 37,000 trees now span, amongst
other places, David Lam Park and
the UBC Botanical Garden & Centre
for Plant Research.

Dr. Lam was a huge supporter
of the festival, and showed his
passion with many different stories
and imparting “cherry wisdom”
upon us all, exhibited in a quote
displayed proudly on the festival’s
website:

“When you promise to do
something, give it all you’ve got
and be like the cherry. The cherry
tree gives us everything it has: its
beauty, fragrance, and colour, and
asks for nothing in return. Alas,
they have but only a short life; they
give us everything they have to
make us happy. I am mindful of
the shortness of my own life,’ and
with all of us helping, he wished to
make his life the fullest and make as
many people happy as possible.”

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom
Festival will have all of the events
listed and more taking place
throughout the city during April.
Be sure to start your spring off
right, and come out to celebrate this
fantastic cultural experience.

 

Every word counts

Check out ‘Pearls 31’ at a Douglas bookstore near you!

By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor

ach spring, the Creative
HE Writing Department updates
and releases an anthology

book entitled Pearls. Many of
you creative writing and English
students are already aware of
this, but for those that aren’t,
Pearls features a collection of the
best writings by Douglas College
students who've taken creative
writing courses in the past year.

This year’s edition, Pearls 31,
debuted with the annual Evening
of Pearls book launch. The free
event, which took place on Friday
March 23, featured readings of
selected short stories, poems,
and other works by several of
Douglas College’s finest writing
students: Laura Cuthbert, Avalon
Doyle, Bryce Tarling, Morgan
Nicholsfigueiredo, Renee Barry,
Will Richter, Leslie Sakata, Matt
Szekeres, and Theresa Henry-
Smith. Accompanied by music,
each reading brought a different
perspective of style and content
based on the many different talents
involved in this year’s publication.

Every rendition of Pearls has

specific pieces selected by a team
of creative writing professors at
Douglas. Glenda Leznoff, who
teaches screenwriting (film and
theatre screenplays), personal
narrative, and fiction, was one of
the professors who worked on
Pearls 31. Leznoff shared a few
words with us in regards to process
behind and the content of this most
recent edition.

“This issue includes
poetry, fiction, personal narrative,
and scripts (play and film),” she
states. “Students who are signed
up for any of [the creative writing]
courses are potential candidates for
Pearls. At the end of each term, the
CRWR [creative writing] instructors
select the best pieces of writing
from his or her classes, and then
pass this work to another instructor
for editorial judgment. This ensures
that each piece is read by an
impartial judge.

“We look for excellent writing
that displays a high level of skill
and entertainment value. Over
the years, the size of Pearls has
expanded—this issue represents
almost 50 writers.” Leznoff
elaborated by saying, “Perhaps

the larger issue is due to the
increased number of courses we
offer in creative writing, and also
to the quality of students we are
attracting.”

As an occasional student of
creative writing courses, I can say
it’s true that there’s been something
of an upturn in the standard of
student writings; it’s amazing to
find what some of your peers can
produce. It was in one of Leznoff’s
Writing for Film classes last year
that I was given the pleasure to hear
readings from one of her personal
picks in Pearls 31, entitled “Rum
for Wisdom” by Brock Zawila,
which Leznoff went on to state was
“this year’s winner of the Maurice
Hodgson award.”

Amongst her other picks from
this year’s Pearls, Leznoff said,

“T haven’t read all the pieces, so

I can only speak to the ones I’m
familiar with. [That said,] Leslie
Sakata wrote a fascinating story,
“Universal Point After,” based on
her experience as a hostess in [a]
bar in Japan. [Another is] Morgan
Nicholsfigueiredo, [who] wrote a
comic and touching story about
the childhood fort that was built in

 

 

Douglas College Department of Creative Writing Proudly Presents

 

om
An Archology
of Work by
Dougias Cofege
Creative ting,
‘Students
Dougie College
Studio Theatre
Room 41001
700 Royal Awe.
th Floor H
He iinet Book Launch
An Anthology of Work by Douglas

‘One block from the Mew
‘Westminster Skytrain Station

College Creative Writing Students

Readings by:

Laura Cuthbert

Avalon Doyle

Bryce Tarling

Morgan Nicholsfigueiredo
Renee Barry

‘WILL Richter

Leslie Sakata

Matt Szekeres

Theresa Henry-Smith

DOUGLASCOLLEDE

Music by Sheldon Witt
Light refreshments will be available.
Everyone i welcome to this free event.

 

his backyard.”

Pearls 31 can be picked up
at your local Douglas College
bookstore. Do yourselves and
your fellow students a favour, and
take the time to read what these
brilliant minds have created. Who
knows, you may even be inspired to
become the next featured author in
Pearls 32!