The Enlightened Nerd is a column designed to enlighten the inner nerd in all of us through local whimsical and intellectual events, people, and places. Know a nerdy person, event, place, or thing in Vancouver? Send it in here or tweet it to @karolinathecat (#theenlightenednerd)!
Courtesy of Incite
One of my favourite things in creative writing class during university were the guest speakers - accomplished and witty authors, editors, screenplay writers and story illustrators - passing down their tips and stories to us fledgelings. Academic writing classes may be behind me but interacting with literary gems and extracting golden nuggets of knowledge shouldn’t be, especially with fabulous literary programs like Incite existing in Vancouver. Incite features readings and discussions with authors and is brought to the public through The Vancouver Writer’s Fest and the Vancouver Public Library.
Artistic Director Hal Wake created Incite a few years ago to bring great writers to the Vancouver literary landscape. The Incite series is a Spring feature from January to May that gives authors, local and widespread, a platform to speak at. These gatherings are free, open to all ages, and held every two weeks in the Alice MacKay Room at the Vancouver Public Library. Attendees can expect short readings by each participant after which the floor is opened up to questions and discussion.
Anne and Nicholas Giardini, editors of Startle and Illuminate. Courtesy of Incite
This Wednesday April 27 Incite welcomes Anne and Nicholas Giardini who will be discussing kin Carol Shields’ Startle and Illuminate. Anne is Carol Shields’ daughter and she and her son Nicholas have put together a book of Carol’s work on writing and her advice to writers. Contrasting this will be two first-time short fiction writers, Elizabeth McLean (The Swallows Uncaged) and Laura Trunkey (Double Dutch). Elizabeth is debuting her first book at 73 years old while Laura is half her age which Hal says he hopes will bring about a discussion on how and where to learn the writing craft and get work published, at any time in life.
If you can’t make it out there will be two more Incite talks this season on Wednesday May 4 and Wednesday May 18 with equally articulate writers and altering discussion. “If you’re interested in books and ideas and conversations about ideas then this series is for you,” Hal concluded. Read on!
