First poetic readings of semester show lively creative writing scene

There’s much ado about the creative writing program at Kwantlen.

Though the first live poetry reading of the semester was attended by a modest group of 20-some students, the small crowd was lively and inquisitive on Monday, Sept. 28.

The reading featured noted B.C. poets Marguerite Pigeon and Chris Hutchinson, who came to speak with the students about the nature of writing.

Each read from their latest published works, featuring vastly different poetic styles, yet both agreed on the writing process as natural and instinctual.

Hutchinson, wearing a mustard-yellow sweater and wool cap, read from his poetry anthology “other people’s lives,” with a Ginsberg-esque drone and ‘60s-‘70s beat tonality.

“My process is very intuitive, I never know where a poem is going to take me,” he said.

Pigeon’s book “Inventory,” on the other hand, explored her relationships with inanimate objects, personifying, beautifully, their attributes.

The students had much to ask the established writers about the writing process, including their inspirations and their roadblocks.

“Resist!” Hutchinson laughed, addressing situations when being told the correct way to formulate poems.

But can creative writing really be taught? Kwantlen students wanted to know.

“It’s a funny thing to have writing in school because it puts two things that are at odds together,” Pigeon said. “It’s built like that [because] it pushes people through learning whether they like it or not and they come out a little more structured. But at the same time writing is not about following any structure, it’s very intuitive.”

So where is the creative writing program going?

“The program is going towards integrating with the interdisciplinary arts,” said creative writing professor Matthew Rader. The program, which has already grown by over one-third in enrolment this year, has several possible outcomes.

“[Learning writing is important] because writing to start with is the primary negotiator in all disciplines and [excellence] is achieved by imagination in that skill,” said Rader.

Pigeon assured students that all people are writers, whether it be filling out surveys, chatting on facebook or sitting down to write some fiction.

Still, when it came to serious writing, some students said that they couldn’t help but be defensive about their work.

“The more you write,” Pigeon offered, “the less you care that one thing you wrote was bad.”

Pigeon said she wanted to write her entire life, but didn’t think it would be realistic, so she was “a journalist instead.”

“If you believe in writing,” she said, “it will save you.” That is the sentiment that Rader wanted to get across by having live readings in school.

“[I want] to show aspiring writers that professional writers exist,” he said. “There’s a chance that these people are like us and they’re right here.”

According to Rader, there are five different possible futures for the creative writing students at Kwantlen, but at the moment it’s important for “people in university to be engaged in the community.”

To keep in touch with the writing program at Kwantlen, follow them on Twitter or attend these readings:

• Oct. 22: Jan Conn, 1 p.m., Room D224, Surrey
• Oct. 28: Marilyn Simonds, 6 p.m., Room D144, Surrey
• Nov. 3: Sachiko Murakami, 2 p.m., Room D224, Surrey
• Dec. 29: Elizabeth Bachinsky/Open Mic, Time and location TBA

Find a Valentine’s Day squeeze at Langley’s speed-dating bash

The Langley Kwantlen Student Association is putting on its first-ever speed-dating event on Feb. 11, just in time to find a last minute date for Valentine’s Day.

The idea came from Jennifer Campbell, campus representative for the Langley campus. She recognized that there were a lot of singles on campus and found that there was an interest when the KSA did a survey last September.

Speed-dating events are popular at universities, she said. If successful, the KSA will look into putting them on at other Kwantlen campuses.

“I think it’s good because it’s a way for students to get to know each other through different programs,” she said.

“A lot of times if you’re in a set program, all you see are those people. Although those people may be nice, they may not be the match you’re looking for.”

The speed-dates will take place on-campus, in the cafeteria from 7-9 pm. They will be about five minutes long and students will receive a package of icebreaker questions at each table. At the end of each date, students will write down whether they like the other, and if there’s a match, they will receive each another’s email at the end of the event.

“This gives a chance for students of all different backgrounds and different dreams about what their schooling is a chance to get to know each other and maybe find a match — or maybe find a new friend.”

If you want to join, visit the Langley campus and register at the Kwantlen Student Association. Sign-up sheets are on the door of the KSA office.

Power Smart teams wades through campus to promote contest

“Do you want $2,500?”

Angela MacDonald’s sales pitch doesn’t get any simpler than that.

MacDonald, a member of BC Hydro’s Power Smart team, was roaming Kwantlen’s Richmond campus in blue and orange scuba gear on Wednesday promoting Invent the Future, a new online contest that pays you for your energy conservation ideas.

“We’re here trying to convince people to enter their videos and their essays, and we’re trying to promote conservation,” she said, “because our energy demands are going up 45 per cent by 2020 and our infrastructure is about 50 years old.”

Invent the Future gives B.C. students a shot at a top prize of $2,500 in exchange for a 1,000-word essay or 30- to 60-second video detailing their energy conservation idea.

The goal, according to BC Hydro, is to find ideas that foster energy conservation or discover a “new technology or innovative practice” resulting in increased efficiency.

The contest, open to individuals or teams, ages 13-29, has a second prize of $1,000 and an iPod Touch for the people’s choice in each category.

Anyone can vote for their favorite entry online until Nov. 4, and simply for registering, voters are entered into a draw for four iPod Nano’s.

The deadline for entries is Oct. 31, and more information is available online at www.inventthefuture.ca.

Green Wednesdays push sustainability, healthier living

Kwantlen’s Langley campus will promote environmentally-conscious ideas in a new series called Green Wednesdays. Every second Wednesday of each month will be devoted to movies that deal with environmental issues, as well as presentations about sustainability and healthy living.

Gary Jones, horticulture instructor at Kwantlen, is putting on the event along with the Green Ideas Network. Jones says that the event is open to everyone because “we want what we do here to be relative to the community.”

Jones said that last semester, they put on a similar event called the Environment Around Us, which was held only three times in the spring. He said that they had a great turnout and, by the last event, they had 120 people show up.

This year, the Green Ideas Network approached Jones and said it wanted to get involved and include its movie picks in the itinerary. Jones, along with students from Kwantlen and the horticulture sector, set up the evening, bring in guest speakers and make sure that everything is running smoothly.

The Green Ideas network, consists of two women, Doreen Dosdwell and Joyce Rostron. It’s a non-profit society, based in Surrey. Jones said that Dewell and Roston share his goal for the environmental series, which is “to make people more aware of issues surrounding food security, community development landscape, housing development.”

Jones said that he hopes people will leave the series with an idea about issues such as sustainability, alternatives to oil and challenges to the food supply. He hopes that people will teach these issues to other members of their communities so people will “decide to do something, specifically, that they can implement themselves and make a change on a local level.”

The first Green Wednesday will be held Wednesday, Oct. 8 at the Langley campus auditorium. King of Corn, a movie about farmers finding out what happens to their crops in a “fast-food nation.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 for the general public and $4 for students.

Setting the table

The Canadian Chinese Table Tennis Federation is coming Kwantlen, hosting a tourney Sept. 20 and the invitation has gone out to students and employees to form a team and get in on the action. E-mail Xing Liu or Hasan Pasha for details.