Dear Friends &: Elisa Ferrari, River Halen, Kaie Kellough

Jul 4, 2024
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 his 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.

This event included readings by Elisa Ferrari, River Halen, and Kaie Kellough. Ferrari opened the evening with an excerpt from Ana Anani Amiata, a series of translingual acrostics in collaboration with Peter Culley; followed by a sound collage from an ongoing performance and research project titled in increments of 13, which explores popular medicine, translation, minerals, and sound. Halen then presented the poems from their book Dream Rooms (2022), as well as an excerpt from their upcoming novel Thunderhead. To close the evening, Kellough read poems from a new manuscript in progress titled “Position.”

The reading unfolded against a projection of resident artist Jonathan Alfaro’s monotype print Jungle Cactus from the series Daylight Lover (2024). Produced especially for Dear Friends &, Alfaro’s new suite of works were inspired by the imagined flourishes that might be found in the margins of love letters.

The evening was hosted by Deanna Fong.

Presented with support from the BC Arts Council.
A woman with mid-length brunette hair, a blue cast on her arm, and a mauve sleeveless top addresses a crowd from a lectern. To her right is a projector screen displaying flowing, abstract red and white art. We can see the back of a handful of audience members’ heads, illuminated by sunlight.
A poet with chin-length dark hair and bangs smiles as they address the crowd from a lectern, emanating warmth. She wears a brown loose knit sweater rolled up at the elbows, with a black tank top underneath.
Side-angle view of a poet with chin-length dark hair wearing a brown knit sweater and jeans. She addresses an audience from behind a podium, looking down at a paper in their hand as she speaks.
Angled wide-shot of the Grand Luxe Hall. A poet addresses an audience of roughly fifty people from a lectern. They are accompanied by a projection of red and white abstract art displayed to their left. The space has an intimate, sophisticated feel.
A poet with short brown hair, a mustache, and a short-sleeve, blue and white patterned button down addresses a crowd from a lectern. They hold a small stack of papers with both hands and appear deeply engaged in their speech.
Seen in profile, a poet with short brown hair, a mustache, and a blue and white patterned shirt addresses a crowd from a lectern. They stand in front of a projection of red and white abstract art, holding a small stack of papers as they speak.
A poet with short white hair and salt-and-pepper stubble addresses a crowd from a lectern. He gestures with his right hand, appearing quite serious and perhaps slightly solemn. He wears a long-sleeve black and white striped shirt.
Seen in profile, a poet with short white hair and salt-and-pepper stubble addresses a crowd from a lectern. He holds his hands by his sternum, giving the impression of both solemnity and earnestness. He wears a long-sleeve black and white striped shirt.

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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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