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Poetry and Art Salon with Janet KvammenANVIL CENTRE | STUDIO 417
JANUARY 25 SUNDAY
Time - 2:00-4:00 pm Drop-in. No registration required.
Special Guests: Poet Jónína Kirton & Artist Nancy Whiteside
Theme – Winter Renewal, Reflection and the Natural World
Join Janet Kvammen, Poet Laureate of New Westminster, for a free afternoon of poetry readings, art “Show & Tell” chats and more! Come listen, share, and connect.
In partnership with Royal City Literary Arts Society and the City of New Westminster.
BIOS:
Jónína Kirton, an Icelandic and Red River Métis poet was born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Treaty 1, the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Dene peoples and the homeland of the Métis. She graduated from the Simon Fraser University’s Writer’s Studio in 2007. She released her first book, page as bone ~ ink as blood, in 2015 and was sixty-one when she received the 2016 Vancouver’s Mayor’s Arts Award for an Emerging Artist in the Literary Arts category. Her second collection of poetry, An Honest Woman, was a finalist in the 2018 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Her third book, Standing in a River of Time, released in 2022, merges poetry and lyrical memoir to take us on a journey exposing the intergenerational effects of colonization on her Métis family.
Jónína currently lives in seniors housing in New Westminster BC, the unceded territory of the Hul’qumi’num speaking peoples. A chronic pain sufferer she has walked with her husband as he has faced life threatening health issues. Living in a subsidized senior housing she has also witnessed, firsthand, the challenges of others as they age and live with health issues while on a low income. This journey is documented in her fourth book. Save Your Prayers – Send Money, which will be released in April 2026 with Talonbooks.
Nancy Whiteside says:
“I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing, painting and making, art. I come from a family of artisans, stitching, weaving, woodworking, and painting their way through life, one project at a time. When I retired, I was able to attend Emily Carr, where I obtained a Continuing Education certificate in Fine Art. Over the last 5 years I’ve participated in a number of group exhibits, as well as 3 solo shows.
My work is primarily representational, but I love the alchemy that’s created when abstract imagery is combined with an element of realism. The beauty of the west coast is an endless source of inspiration. There is a visual abundance of light, colour and pattern in the natural world that is revealed when we look with intention.
Why Corvids?
There is a certain mystique about Ravens in particular, that is compelling. They are intelligent, playful and social. They love shiny things, and mate for life. They are known to grieve at the death of a mate. They’re the most magical of creatures.”
Janet Kvammen is a poet, mixed media, lens-based artist and community arts volunteer living in New Westminster on the unceded and unsurrendered land of the Halkomelem speaking peoples. A founding member in 2012, Janet is the President of the Royal City Literary Arts Society. The recipient of the Bernie Legge Artist of the Year Platinum Award in 2023, Janet is the coordinator of local reading events such as Poetry in the Park, the Cogswell Award and New West Artists’ exhibitions. Janet is the current Poet Laureate for the City of New Westminster, BC.
IG @janetkvammen @iheartnewwest
Facebook PlanetJanet Creations
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Anvil Centre, 11 Alexander St, New Westminster, BC V3M, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
