Two of the best-known social justice writers in B.C., Tom Wayman and Carmen Rodriguez, will join local author Don Sawyer at SAGA Public Art Gallery Saturday, Sept. 22 at 7:30 for an engaging evening of readings and discussion.
Wayman, winner of numerous awards for his poetry, including the A.J.M. Smith Prize for distinguished achievement in Canadian poetry, will be reading from his new collection of poems, Dirty Snow, which unflinchingly considers the impact of the Afghan War and its absence and presence in Canadians’ everyday lives.
“From the drone of bagpipes on Kandahar Airfield to jet bombers dropping Canadian schools and hospitals on far-flung Afghan villages, Wayman is a master of potent imagery, approaching his subject with a voice that is passionate and dark,” noted one reviewer.
Carmen Rodriguez is a Chilean-Canadian author, poet, educator, political social activist, and novelist. Along with her husband and daughters, she fled to Canada after the Chilean Coup of 1973.
Her latest book, Retribution, was described by Gary Geddes as a, “stunning and heart-wrenching work of fiction about several generations of Chilean women whose histories revolve around the coup and dictatorship.”
He adds, “Retribution is a rich tapestry, epic in scope, painstaking in its detail, and an important reminder that while forgetting is not an option, love and decency are the ultimate revenge against violence.”
Don Sawyer will read from his recently published young adult novel, Running.
This, his second young-adult novel, focuses on the intertwined lives of three teenagers, each scarred by childhood trauma.
But, as a reviewer noted, “This trio learns to fight back. And they do it with cleverness, planning and chutzpah. Their outrageous plot to get even with the immediate villains as well as an adult world that is indifferent to their pain and situation while re-establishing their power and agency is also funny and fun to watch.”
After the reading, the floor will be opened for discussion about the authors’ books and experiences and the general theme of social justice – in Canada and around the world.
