Dear Friends &: Klara du Plessis, Khashayar "Kess" Mohammadi, Sonnet L'Abbé

Oct 5, 2023
Field:

Performance

 Location:

Grand Luxe Hall, Western Front

 Time:

7:30 p.m.

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 fifth event of the series included readings by Klara du Plessis, Khashayar “Kess” Mohammadi, and Sonnet L’Abbé. Plessis began the evening with a selection of poems from her collection Ekke (2019) before being joined onstage by Mohammadi to present work from their collaborative translingual publication G (2023). Following their combined reading, Mohammadi shared work from their unpublished text “Bedfruit.” To close the evening, L’Abbé presented a twenty-minute set that included sound poems drawn from Sonnet’s Shakespeare (2019) that they performed on acoustic guitar. 

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. The backdrop Vistan produced reflected on Junie Désil, Tawhida Tanya Evanson, and Isabella Wang’s readings during the previous month’s Dear Friends &, and their shared acts of writing into the body from places of variousness or change. Vistan documented the water-marked backs of new paintings on puckering manila paper, alongside drawings that relayed a family story about lightning striking a coconut tree.

The evening was hosted by Lauren Lavery, managing editor of The Capilano Review, and Kiel Torres, assistant curator of Western Front.

Presented with support from Kootenay School of Writing.
Lauren Lavery speaks into a cordless microphone while holding her notes in her left hand. She wears a white silk top, blue jeans, and brown boots. Behind her is a projected image by Christian Vistan of yellow water-based paintings arranged on a black background.
Kiel Torres smirks towards the audience while holding a cordless microphone in her right hand and speaking notes in her left. She wears a blue button-up shirt under a black shift dress, and white sneakers. Behind her is a projection of water-based paintings by Christian Vistan.
Klara du Plessis stands behind a lectern in the Grand Luxe Hall while holding an open copy of her book Ekke. She wears a black linen dress, and is speaking into a microphone on a stand while staring out at the crowd.
Klara du Plessis stands behind a lectern in the Grand Luxe Hall. She wears a black linen dress, and holds an open copy of her book Ekke with both hands. On the lectern are two other books with red covers and a grey towel. She speaks into a microphone while gazing to the side. Abstract water-based paintings are projected in the background.
Khashayar Mohammadi wears a blue sweatshirt and blue oversized glasses. They gaze down towards a book held open in both of their hands. Klara du Plessis stands behind them, wearing a black linen dress.
Klara du Plessis stands behind a lectern in the Grand Luxe Hall. She speaks into a microphone positioned on a stand while holding a book open with both hands. Klara gazes towards the audience, and wears a black linen dress. To her left, Khashayar Mohammadi gazes downwards towards the book they’re holding. They wear glasses, a blue sweatshirt, and orange pants.
Klara du Plessis wears a black linen dress and gazes down at an open book she holds with both hands. To her right, Khashayar Mohammadi speaks into a microphone positioned in front of a lectern. They wear glasses, a blue sweatshirt, and orange pants, and hold an open book in their hands. They gaze towards the audience in the Grand Luxe Hall, some who are visible from behind. Klara and Khashayar Mohammadi stand in front of a projection with abstract, water-based paintings by Christian Vistan.
Klara du Plessis stands behind a lectern and speaks into a microphone positioned on a stand. She wears a black linen dress and holds a copy of her book G with both hands. Various objects are arranged on the lectern’s surface, including reading notes, a blue mask, a grey towel, Apple headphones, a wallet, an iPhone, and two books. To her right, Khashayar Mohammadi reads along, gazing down at their copy of G. They wear glasses, a blue sweatshirt, and orange pants.
Khashayar Mohammadi stands at a lectern in the Grand Luxe Hall next to Klara du Plessis. An image by Christian Vistan composed of eight abstract water-based paintings on white and manilla paper is projected on the screen behind them. The audience is seated and visible from behind.
Khashayar Mohammadi is seen in profile standing behind a lectern in the Grand Luxe Hall. They hold loose sheets of printer paper and are reading into a microphone that is affixed to a stand. Khashayar wears oversized glasses, a blue sweatshirt, and orange pants. On the lectern, a copy of their book G is seen next to a wallet, blue disposable mask, and Apple headphones bundled in a knot.
Khashayar Mohammadi stands behind a lectern and reads into a microphone that rests on a stand. They hold a stack of papers in their hands, and are wearing oversized glasses, a blue sweatshirt, and orange pants. A blue disposable mask, a leather wallet, and Apple headphones rest on the surface of the lectern.
Sonnet L’Abbé speaks into a microphone affixed to a stand. They hold a tablet with both hands, and are wearing orange glasses, and a green hoodie with botanical illustrations and text reading Harm Reduction is Good…
Sonnet L’Abbé plays acoustic guitar in the Grand Luxe Hall. They smile at the audience from behind their microphone and music stand. Sonnet wears orange glasses, a light green hoodie, and light wash blue jeans.
Sonnet L’Abbé speaks into a microphone on a stand in the Grand Luxe Hall. They hold a digital tablet in both hands, and wear orange glasses, a light green hoodie, and blue jeans. A black music stand is positioned next to them.

Related People

Captions:

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.

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