Dear Friends &: Cody Caetano, Dorothy Trujillo Lusk, Fred Wah

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 Cody Caetano, Dorothy Trujillo Lusk, and Fred Wah.

Fred Wah opened the event with a selection of poems accompanied by a projected image of David Garneau’s painting Spine, which depicts a buffalo vertebrae balanced between two hardcover books. Wah’s set concluded with a poem written in response to this painting, which was commissioned for the publication Dark Chapters: Reading the Still Lives of David Garneau (2025). Dorothy Trujillo Lusk presented a selection of published, new, and collaborative poems featuring texts reflecting on brain injury. The evening closed with visiting reader Cody Caetano who shared a chapter titled “The Pink Robots” from his novel in-progress, followed by his poem “Bardo” (2023). 

The reading unfolded against a projection of resident artist Jonathan Alfaro’s monotype print Satsuma Orange 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.