If you're interested in photography, then mark this one in your calendar.
The Burnaby Photographic Society is holding its 19th annual showcase at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts on Saturday, Jan. 31.
The showcase will include an evening of slide shows set to music, plus a display of prints.
A press release promises the showcase "will sweep you off to exotic places and cultures, and bring you up close to wildlife, fine art and visual surprises."
Along with the showcase, the society is holding a free print exhibition in the lobby at the Shadbolt Centre in the week leading up to the event - starting Jan. 25, you can pop in to the centre at any time to check it out.
The showcase night starts at 7 p.m. in the Shadbolt's James Cowan Theatre, 6450 Deer Lake Ave. Tickets are $18. Contact Chris Ostenstad at [email protected] or call 604-351-9499, or see www.burnabyphotographicsociety.com.
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Lovers of the written word, check it out.
The Burnaby Writers' Society is holding its next Spoken Ink night on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at La Fontana Caffe in North Burnaby.
Featured readers this month are Susan McCaslin and Pam Galloway, who will read starting at 8 p.m. Their presentations will be followed by an open mike session (sign up for the open mike starting at 7:30 p.m.).
McCaslin is the author of Into the Mystic: My Years With Olga, a spiritual autobiography combining creative non-fiction and poetry that explores her apprenticeship with an elderly mystic.
Galloway is the author of Passing Strangers, a memoir in poetry that covers the years of her marriage, issues of fertility and infertility, pregnancy and loss, motherhood and eventually divorce.
The Spoken Ink reading series is presented by the writers' society on the third Tuesday of each month (except July and August). See www.burnabywritersnews.blogspot.com or email [email protected].
La Fontana is at 101-3701 Hastings St.
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Joseph Elworthy is back onstage with the Koerner Quartet in an upcoming Valentine concert.
Elworthy is a Burnaby native and St. Thomas More alumnus who's now the executive director of the Vancouver Academy of Music. He's also the cellist with the Koerner Quartet, which also features violinists Nicholas Wright and Jason Ho, plus Emilie Grimes on viola.
They'll be onstage on Sunday, Feb. 15, in a concert titled Notes of Love and Protest.
The performance will open with Vermilion, by Juno-nominated Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock.
"I first collaborated with Jocelynin 2010 for the Parisot Cellofest at VAM when I commissioned her to compose a cello quartet in honour of my mentor, Aldo Parisot, who was celebrating his 50th year as a distinguished professor of cello at Yale University," Elworthy said in a press release. "I have since performed many of her works, including a soon-to-be-released recording of her double cello concerto, Aeromancy."
The concert also includes an arrangement of Elvis Costello's acclaimed The Juliet Letters, featuring baritone Alan MacDonald.
"Elvis Costello's The Juliet Letters hit me like a ton of bricks when I was at university," Elworthy said. "The coupling of these beautifully crafted pop/art songs with a string quartet was daring, to say the least. We're delighted to be presenting this exceptional piece."
The afternoon closes with Benjamin Britten's String Quartet No. 2 in Time of War.
It's on at 2 p.m. at the Vancouver Academy of Music's Koerner Recital Hall, 1270 Chestnut St. Tickets are $18, or $15 for students and seniors. Check out www.koernerquartet.com for information and tickets.
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Is there a teenage bookworm in your house?
The Burnaby Public Library is inviting all teen readers to sign up for a teen book club at the Cameron library branch (9523 Cameron St.).
Teens are invited to read each month's book offering, then hang out with others in grades 8 through 12 to talk about the book.
January's Teen Book Club title is The Martian, by Andy Weir - which chronicles the story of Mark Watney, one of the first people to land on Mars, left for dead by his crew after a dust storm.
The book club meeting to talk about it is set for Thursday, Jan. 22 from 4 to 5 p.m. There will also be meetings on Feb. 19 and March 19, with titles to be announced.
Check out www.bpl.bc.ca for more on the teen book club and other events.
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Storytelling is an art - and it's in the spotlight at the Tommy Douglas branch of Burnaby Public Library.
The library is continuing its Oral Storyteller Circle series on Sunday, Jan. 25 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
The event - suitable for teens and adults - will centre around tales of new beginnings, and light refreshments will be offered.
Email [email protected] to sign up. Space permitting, drop-ins will also be welcome.
Check out www.bpl.bc.ca/events for more details.
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, [email protected], or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
