Nationally acclaimed writers Laisha Rosnau and Jay Ruzesky read from their works and talk to writing students and the public at The Bean Scene Artist Salon Reading Series Wednesday.
The evening will be hosted by John Lent and he promises it will be a fascinating night.
“Both Jay and Laisha are incredibly versatile writers who have distinguished themselves in fiction, poetry and non-fiction. It’s a great opportunity for new writers to listen and talk with writers at such confident points in their careers,” said Lent.
Rosnau grew up in Vernon, and became noted as a writer for the success of her first novel, The Sudden Weight Of Snow (2002), and three volumes of poetry: Notes On Leaving (2004), Lousy Explorers (2009) and Pluck (2014). She won honorable mention for her novel in the Amazon/Books First Novel Award, and the Acorn-Plantos People’s Poetry Award for Notes on Leaving, and was a finalist for the Pat Lowther Award for Lousy Explorers.
“Laisha has such humanness and wit in her writing,” said Lent. “Her’s is such a strong, rich voice that is in it for the long haul. She’s amazing.”
Rosnau is married to Aaron Deans and they are raising their two children in Coldstream. She has taught creative writing classes at UBCO, Okanagan College, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Film School, and is part of the local writers group, Spoke.
Ruzesky lives in Duncan and teaches literature, writing and film studies at Vancouver Island University. He became noted in Canada for his poetry in Am I Glad To See You (1992), Painting The Yellow House Blue (1994), Blue Himalayan Poppies (1995), and his non-fiction book of essays, Writing On The Wall (1996).
His latest book, In Antarctica (2014), is a non-fiction account of Ruzesky and his brother returning to the South Pole to celebrate the journey of their great-great uncle Raul Amundson, the explorer.
“Jay is one of those seasoned writers who loves toying with the shapes of narratives, in poetry and prose,” said Lent. “He is one of our strongest and most thoughtful writers. If I were a new writer, I’d really want to know what makes Ruzesky tick the way he does in his writing. He’s a great model.”
The second event in the recently launched reading series, Lent hopes to draw readers, writers, students and teachers of Canadian content together in an experience that includes both writing performance and discussions of the writing process.
The series takes place in the artists’ salon on the second floor of the Bean Scene. Doors open at 7 p.m. Student tickets are $5; general public $10, available in advance at the Bean Scene.
