WESTERN FRONT – Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman

Description:

Produced in partnership with The Capilano Review, Dear Friends & is a monthly series showcasing the work of local and touring Canadian writers. Taking place on the first Thursday of each month, readings are hosted in the Grand Luxe Hall and made available to virtual audiences by livestream.

The series’ name draws inspiration from the salutations and sign-offs used by Roy Kiyooka in Transcanada Letters (1975), a collection which details the comings and goings of his literary sociality across Canada, the network of people and relations that enfold his writing, and the longings of his “Heart’s Geography” to be near the ones he loved. Kiyooka was an important figure for both Western Front and The Capilano Review, and this series invites his spirit of kinship, connection, and conviviality into the reading space.

The second event of the series featured readings by Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, and Cristina Holman. Each writer presented twenty-minute sets that included new work and selections from published texts. Dunic opened the evening with excerpts from her forthcoming book of lyric prose and photography Wet (2024). This was followed by a presentation by Hunt of a selection of work exploring grief, family, and wrestling. Holman closed the evening with a set that featured poems from her chapbook Repeater (2021), and a new collection of work titled Glaze.

The readings unfolded against a projected image by resident artist Christian Vistan, who was invited to inhabit the peripheral spaces of Dear Friends & through a series of conceptual graphics, backgrounds, interventions, and ephemera reflecting on themes of friendship and correspondence through art. Vistan’s image was composed of rubbings made of various carved and cast place name signs found around their home in Ladner. Considering the origin of the ampersand as a combination of the letters e and t, Vistan presented a composite typography that formed the words “place,” “where,” “we,” “were,” “sweet,” and “lot” to think through ideas of joining, gathering, and conjunction.

The evening was hosted by Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross, art editor of The Capilano Review; and Kiel Torres, content writer & editor at Western Front.

Presented with support from Kootenay School of Writing.

Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross stands holding a cordless microphone with her right hand and an issue of The Capilano Review in her left hand while addressing the audience in the Grand Luxe Hall.

Leanne Dunic stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. In her left hand, she holds a calendar with an illustration of a callalily. A purple water bottle and small blue duffle bag rest on top of the lectern.

Leanne Dunic stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. She gazes towards the audience while loosely holding a stack of paper in her left hand. The pages rest against the surface of the lectern next to a purple water bottle.

Leanne Dunic stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. She looks out towards the audience while reading from a set of printouts. Her purple water bottle sits open on the surface of the lectern.

Leanne Dunic stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. She gazes towards the audience with her hands crossed on top of a stack of paper that are positioned next to a purple water bottle.

Leanne Dunic stands behind a lectern in the Grand Luxe Hall. She is positioned in front of a projected image by Christian Vistan that is composed of various rubbings of letters that overlap to create a composite typeface. Spanning fifteen pieces of manila paper, the letters spell “place,” “where,” “we,” “were,” “sweet,” and “lot.” Audience members in the first three rows of seating are visible from behind.

Wearing a purple Whitney Houston t-shirt, Dallas Hunt stands behind a lectern in the Grand Luxe Hall, gesturing idiosyncratically while speaking into a microphone. A can of craft beer sits next to his open laptop on the lectern. A projected image by Christian Vistian is visible in the background.

Wearing a purple Whitney Houston t-shirt, Dallas Hunt stands behind a lectern in the Grand Luxe Hall. His laptop is open on the lectern as he smiles towards the audience. A projected image by Christian Vistian is visible in the background.

Wearing a purple Whitney Houston t-shirt, Dallas Hunt stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. A can of craft beer is positioned on the lectern next to his open laptop.

Dallas Hunt stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. He gazes towards the audience while holding up his right palm. A can of craft beer is positioned on the lectern next to his open laptop.

Dallas Hunt stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. He speaks to the audience while gesturing idiosyncratically. A can of craft beer is positioned on the lectern next to his open laptop.

Kiel Torres stands holding a cordless microphone in her right hand and a piece of printer paper in her left hand while addressing the audience in the Grand Luxe Hall. She is positioned in front of a projected image by Christian Vistan that is composed of various rubbings of letters that overlap to create a composite typeface. Spanning fifteen pieces of manila paper, the letters spell “place,” “where,” “we,” “were,” “sweet,” and “lot.” Audience members in the front row are visible from behind.

Cristina Holman stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. Addressing the audience, her hands are folded on top of printouts with her reading material. She is positioned next to a projected image by Christian Vistan that is composed of various rubbings of letters that overlap to create a composite typeface. Spanning fifteen pieces of manila paper, the letters spell “place,” “where,” “we,” “were,” “sweet,” and “lot.” Audience members in the first three rows of seating are visible from behind.

Cristina Holman stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. She reads from a stack of printouts. Light refracts through a nearby window and leaves a diffused pattern on the far wall.

Cristina Holman stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. She reads from a stack of printouts.

Cristina Holman addresses the audience in the Grand Luxe Hall while standing behind a lectern affixed with a microphone.

Cristina Holman stands behind a lectern affixed with a microphone in the Grand Luxe Hall. Her fingers are curled into air quotes. Printouts with her reading material are neatly stacked on the lectern. A projected image by Christian Vistan is visible in the background.

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Captions:

Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, video documentation, Jun 1, 2023. Camera by Qiuli Wu.
Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Leanne Dunic reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Leanne Dunic reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Leanne Dunic reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Leanne Dunic reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Dallas Hunt reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Dallas Hunt reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Dallas Hunt reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Dallas Hunt reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Dallas Hunt reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Kiel Torres at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Cristina Holman reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Cristina Holman reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Cristina Holman reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Cristina Holman reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Cristina Holman reading at Dear Friends &: Leanne Dunic, Dallas Hunt, Cristina Holman, Jun 1, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.

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Western Front is a non-profit
artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.