arts // no. & Creative Writing Department presents ‘Pearls 37’ > Book launch event takes place March 23 Caroline Ho Arts Editor his Friday, the Creative Writing Department offers the perfect distraction from academic papers and lab reports: A free evening of readings by Douglas College student writers. On March 23, the department will be launching Pearls 37, the latest edition of its annual anthology of student writing. Pearls accepts submissions from all Creative Writing classes, written over the past fall, winter, and summer semesters. The best among these works are selected for publication every March and celebrated at the book launch event. This year’s Pearls launch will feature 10 presenters sharing their writing, in addition to readings from the winners of the Maurice Hodgson Creative Writing Award, according to Shashi Bhat, Douglas College Creative Writing instructor and editor of EVENT magazine. The presentations ont “yd 7 ‘Ready Player One will include works of poetry, fiction, personal narrative, and screenwriting. Every Pearls edition and book launch is a surprise thanks to the diverse writing styles and range of presenters, said Bhat, who spoke to the Other Press through email. This year’s launch promises to be just as unique: Pieces that will be presented include an excerpt from Chlée Rowat’s story, which involves a haunting of cephalopods; a poem by Andy Field about a hummingbird encounter; and a script that starts off with a musical number in a mental hospital, written by Jenny Brown. Bhat said that attending the event, whether as a presenter, a writer published in Pearls, or a fellow student, is a great opportunity to reflect on one’s achievements and one’s journey as a writer. “For most students featured in Pearls, this is their very first publication and first public reading—in some cases, the firsts of many in their writing careers,” theotherpress.ca What"s your story? said Bhat. “Attending the launch is an opportunity for students not only to encourage their peers, but also to witness the breadth of creativity, talent, and skill at Douglas College.” Along with readings that are hilarious, terrifying, quirky, pensive, deeply moving, and everything in between, previous Pearls launch events have also boasted delightful refreshments and a fantastic community of supportive fellow writers and readers. It’s also a chance to motivate and foster further creativity, said Bhat: “Hearing the successes of other young writers can be a real source of inspiration.” (Shameless self-promotion: Inspired writers can also consider submitting their own work to the Other Press’ own creative writing section!) The Pearls 37 book launch is at 7 p.m. in the Douglas College Studio Theatre, on the fourth floor of the New Westminster Campus. Copies of Pearls 37 can be purchased at the event or at the campus bookstore afterwards. ee | > From sci-fi and horror to ’80s classics Veronnica MacKillop Senior Columnist Re Player One is one of the most talked-about movies of 2018, and is set to release April 27. Fans can expect a fantastical virtual reality world created by Steven Spielberg, adapted from the novel by Ernest Cline. Since OASIS, the world created in this film, is a virtual reality, it gives the filmmakers a lot of creative license to include references to other fantasy and sci-fi worlds, just like the book does. Here are some of the references you can expect to see in the film based on the trailers and posters, and what they'll mean for the movie. The Iron Giant One of the first things spotted in the trailer was the giant robot from the 1990s film of the same name. Since he is also in the poster, and quite central, he might have a sizeable role in the film. The DeLorean The car from Back to the Future can be seen both in the trailers and on the poster. Fans assume this car belongs to protagonist Wade’s OASIS character Parzival, since the licence plate says his name. Willy Wonka The latest trailer features a version of “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The OASIS is just that—pure imagination. It could also be a nod to the rumour before Gene Wilder’s passing that he was going to play OASIS creator James Halliday. 80s and ’gos references The franchise released some posters imitating 80s movies such as The Lost Boys, The Matrix, Beetlejuice, and Labyrinth, to name a few. The official movie poster is riddled with even more old-school references, with Wade and other characters imitating poses and costumes from The Breakfast Club, Star Wars, and Say Anything. These references could mean that RPO is following some similar storylines from ’80s movies, with a twist. is packed E' 4 ci 3 ! wa . Harley Quinn and Deathstroke When Parzival enters the OASIS, we see a shot of a Suicide Squad version of Harley Quinn walking in with Deathstroke. This is probably just a fun Easter egg, but maybe we'll see them more than once throughout the film. Another version of Harley Quinn is seen with the Joker in another clip. Christine The bad guys in the OASIS are IOI (Innovative Online Industries), and we can see one the baddies getting out of Christine, the evil car from Stephen King’s film of the same name. It’s only fitting for a villain to be driving Christine. King Kong In another trailer shot, we see King Kong leaping from a tall building overlooking the OASIS, so hopefully he’s an actual character in the film. Some fans are hoping for a Kong versus Gundam fight to play out. Video game characters The trailers show plenty of characters from the popular Street Fighter a ees with references Promotional image for ‘Ready Player One’ via Warner Bros. games like Sagat and Chun-Li. Other video game characters include Battletoads and Overwatch heroes. Horror legends So far, we've seen Chucky and Freddy Krueger, both in the battle scene of the trailer—the first time we've ever seen the two in a movie together. Horror fans can only hope that there will be some interactions between the spooky favourites. Gundam: Anime mecha Gundam from the popular Japanese series of the same name is also expected to play a larger role in the film, since the original Gundam is seen in the trailers and is central in the poster. Gundam’s inclusion may help the movie gain popularity in Japanese markets. These are not even half of the references and Easter eggs from Ready Player One, and it’s fair to assume they're saving some for the film’s release. A movie jam-packed with sci-fi, fantasy, and more ’8o0s references than Stranger Things is sure to be a memorable one.