The McGill library is getting literary.
The North Burnaby branch of Burnaby Public Library is planning two upcoming book events.
On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the library will host a book launch for Shy, An Anthology.
The anthology is filled with personal essays and poems by authors and poets who have been labelled as "shy."
"Here they proudly own up to their shyness, and their message is clear: they don't need to be 'cured,'" a press release says. "This moving anthology appeals to us all, either because we are shy or because we know someone who is."
Three contributors to the anthology - Elaine Woo, Sylvia Stopforth and Dhana Musil - will read and talk at the lunch, and books will be available for sale.
All are welcome. The event runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Feb. 6, the library is then playing host to Librarians' Choice: Varieties of Love.
Burnaby librarians will be on hand to present fast-paced reviews of books about the varieties of love - "familial, romantic, intellectual and passion for life itself," as a press release puts it.
It runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Both events are free, but space is limited, so register ahead at www.bpl.bc.ca/events/mcgill, call 604-299-8955 or drop in to the library at 4595 Albert St. to register in person.
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Enjoy top-calibre music and a good lunch at Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
The Shadbolt is continuing with its A Little Lunch Music series.
The series features noon-hour concerts by Shadbolt Centre music instructors, as well as a variety of local musicians in all genres of music including jazz, classical, pop and folk.
The concerts happen on the fourth Thursday of the month at the centre's Encores Café, which features a special buffet lunch for $12, starting at 11:30 a.m. The concerts run noon to 1 p.m., and the music is free - all are welcome.
Coming up on Jan. 23 is guitarist-songwriter Tim Hearsey, with Rocket Science on the bill for Feb. 27.
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Simon Fraser University students are trading books for bhangra.
North America's only bhangra dance class for university credit is back at SFU this semester after a three-year hiatus, a press release from the university announced this week.
The course, Introduction to Contemporary Popular Dance Forms: Modern and Traditional Bhangra, was filled to capacity by the third day of registration - 50 students have registered and 20 more are waitlited.
"The popularity of the class has been mind-blowing," said instructor Gurpreet Sian. "The course is unique because it's a cultural dance form that's being offered by a top university. People are so excited tolearn about a different culture, work out and have some fun."
The class includes students who are majoring in a wide range of programs, from computer science and business to health sciences. It doesn't require any formal dance training.
"Some people will really excel, but that's the same thing with anything, whether it's dance or calculus," Sian said. "What we're really looking for is students who have a great attitude, and the majority of the marks are based on participation."
And, incidentally, the course is very culturally diverse - in fact, there are no South Asian students in the class.
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It's not too late to catch D.O.A. in concert.
Canada's legendary punk band - led by Burnaby's own Joe Keithley - is celebrating the release of its new live album, recorded over three nights between June 4, 2011 and Jan. 19, 2013 at the Rickshaw Theatre.
Welcome to Chinatown: D.O.A. Live includes punk classics pulled from albums like Something Better Change, Hardcore 81, War on 45 and Northern Avenger.
A release party is being held at the Rickshaw, 254 East Hastings St., on Friday, Feb. 7.
Check out www.suddendeath.com for details.
One lucky reader can also snag a copy of the new album - I'll set it aside for the first reader who emails me with the subject line "Welcome to Chinatown."
Email [email protected] to win. (You'll have to pop in to our office to pick it up.)
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Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, [email protected], or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
