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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Nanaimo Arts Council
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261021
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261022
DTSTAMP:20261014T205509Z
CREATED:20261014T205232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T205509Z
UID:78102-1792540800-1792627199@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:2026/27 Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poet Readings and Lecture Series
DESCRIPTION:Renowned poet Stephen Collis is Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poet for 2026/27. \nCollis’s lecture is October 22nd from 7 to 8:30 pm on the Nanaimo campus in Building 355\, Room 203. It is free to attend and will be followed by a catered reception\, cash bar\, and book signing in Room 211. \nCollis will also perform two poetry readings. First\, there will be a reading and Q&A for students on October 21st from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm in Building 310\, The Malaspina Theatre lobby. Second\, there will be a community reading that night (October 21st) at Windowseat Books (321 Wesley St) from 7-8 pm; student poet Lee Groen will open for Collis\, and there will be music. \n*** \nCollis’s lecture on October 22nd\, “Small Craft Warning\,” will trace and explore the recurrence of small boats as both images in and an image of his work in poetry. In his abstract for the lecture\, Collis writes the following: \nIn a small craft one cannot buy into the lie of mastery\, but must come to the elemental world asking\, in respect\, seeking nothing more than fluid intra-relation\, slipping over the surface of powerful forces and Big Things Beyond your Ken. What are Big Themes but swelling seas? What can one’s craft do with them\, other than skirt their limits\, ride their swells\, stay afloat and seek safe harbour? \nVIU professor Dr. Mike Roberson will introduce Collis at the Distinguished Poet’s Lecture. In reflecting on the impact of Collis’s poetry\, he offers the following celebratory words: “Stephen Collis is a Punk Romantic!  Imagine Johnny Rotten channeling Henry Thoreau among the climes of Wordsworth’s Lake District suddenly transported to the various brambles of southwest BC\, without an amp and microphone (although perhaps a megaphone)\, but with a narrow pad of paper and a fierce love for the unownable—words and water alike.” \nVIU Chair of Media Studies Joy Gugeler notes the poignant interplay of responsibility and wonder she feels when reading Collis’s work: “Stephen Collis keens for nature winnowed of awe and we are powerless to deny the heaving reckoning his words demand. His poems necessarily capsize\, for ‘Who sank us sank a seed in sound’.” \n*** \nStephen Collis is the author of fifteen books of poetry and prose\, including A History of the Theories of Rain\, which was a finalist for the 2021 Governor General’s Award for poetry; The Commons; the BC Book Prize winning On the Material — all published by Talonbooks. In 2019\, Collis was the recipient of the Writers’ Trust of Canada Latner Poetry Prize. Stephen’s newest book is 2024’s The Middle\, is the second volume in a trilogy. The final volume of the trilogy\, Sweet Vernal Grass\, is forthcoming in 2027. He lives on unceded Coast Salish Territory\, and teaches poetry and poetics at Simon Fraser University. \nCopies of Collis’s books and a series of limited-edition Gustafson Distinguished Poet’s Lecture chapbooks will be available at the VIU bookstore and at the reception. The Gustafson Distinguished Poetry Chair was established in 1998 from the estate of the late\, preeminent Canadian poet Ralph Gustafson and his wife Betty. \nFor more information\, please email Dr. Neil Surkan\, Chair of the Gustafson Committee (Joy Gugeler\, Mike Roberson\, Sonnet L’Abbé) at Neil.Surkan@viu.ca.
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/2026-27-ralph-gustafson-distinguished-poet-readings-and-lecture-series/
LOCATION:Vancouver Island University\, 900 Fifth St\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/NeilS_Gustafson-Poster_8.5x11_02-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261022T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261022T203000
DTSTAMP:20261014T205454Z
CREATED:20261009T230300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T205454Z
UID:78078-1792697400-1792701000@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:2026/27 Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poet Readings and Lecture Series
DESCRIPTION:Renowned poet Stephen Collis is Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poet for 2026/27. \nCollis’s lecture is October 22nd from 7 to 8:30 pm on the Nanaimo campus in Building 355\, Room 203. It is free to attend and will be followed by a catered reception\, cash bar\, and book signing in Room 211. \nCollis will also perform two poetry readings. First\, there will be a reading and Q&A for students on October 21st from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm in Building 310\, The Malaspina Theatre lobby. Second\, there will be a community reading that night (October 21st) at Windowseat Books (321 Wesley St) from 7-8 pm; student poet Lee Groen will open for Collis\, and there will be music. \n*** \nCollis’s lecture on October 22nd\, “Small Craft Warning\,” will trace and explore the recurrence of small boats as both images in and an image of his work in poetry. In his abstract for the lecture\, Collis writes the following: \nIn a small craft one cannot buy into the lie of mastery\, but must come to the elemental world asking\, in respect\, seeking nothing more than fluid intra-relation\, slipping over the surface of powerful forces and Big Things Beyond your Ken. What are Big Themes but swelling seas? What can one’s craft do with them\, other than skirt their limits\, ride their swells\, stay afloat and seek safe harbour? \nVIU professor Dr. Mike Roberson will introduce Collis at the Distinguished Poet’s Lecture. In reflecting on the impact of Collis’s poetry\, he offers the following celebratory words: “Stephen Collis is a Punk Romantic!  Imagine Johnny Rotten channeling Henry Thoreau among the climes of Wordsworth’s Lake District suddenly transported to the various brambles of southwest BC\, without an amp and microphone (although perhaps a megaphone)\, but with a narrow pad of paper and a fierce love for the unownable—words and water alike.” \nVIU Chair of Media Studies Joy Gugeler notes the poignant interplay of responsibility and wonder she feels when reading Collis’s work: “Stephen Collis keens for nature winnowed of awe and we are powerless to deny the heaving reckoning his words demand. His poems necessarily capsize\, for ‘Who sank us sank a seed in sound’.” \n*** \nStephen Collis is the author of fifteen books of poetry and prose\, including A History of the Theories of Rain\, which was a finalist for the 2021 Governor General’s Award for poetry; The Commons; the BC Book Prize winning On the Material — all published by Talonbooks. In 2019\, Collis was the recipient of the Writers’ Trust of Canada Latner Poetry Prize. Stephen’s newest book is 2024’s The Middle\, is the second volume in a trilogy. The final volume of the trilogy\, Sweet Vernal Grass\, is forthcoming in 2027. He lives on unceded Coast Salish Territory\, and teaches poetry and poetics at Simon Fraser University. \nCopies of Collis’s books and a series of limited-edition Gustafson Distinguished Poet’s Lecture chapbooks will be available at the VIU bookstore and at the reception. The Gustafson Distinguished Poetry Chair was established in 1998 from the estate of the late\, preeminent Canadian poet Ralph Gustafson and his wife Betty. \nFor more information\, please email Dr. Neil Surkan\, Chair of the Gustafson Committee (Joy Gugeler\, Mike Roberson\, Sonnet L’Abbé) at Neil.Surkan@viu.ca.
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/small-craft-warning/
LOCATION:Vancouver Island University\, 900 Fifth St\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/NeilS_Gustafson-Poster_8.5x11_02-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261025T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261025T160000
DTSTAMP:20261014T210752Z
CREATED:20260715T182052Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T210752Z
UID:77602-1792922400-1792944000@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:2026 Craft Fair - Art/Crafts/Bake Sale
DESCRIPTION:The Nanaimo Golf Club is hosting its annual craft fair on October 25\, 2026. The event features thirty tables of local crafts and home businesses\, as well as a bake sale. Proceeds go to the Salvation Army. \nWhen: Sunday\, October 25\, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM\nWhere: Banquet Hall\, Nanaimo Golf Course\, 2800 Highland Boulevard \n 
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/2026-craft-fair-art-crafts-bake-sale/
LOCATION:Nanaimo Golf Club\, 2800 Highland Blvd\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/CraftSale-2026-Poster-to-print-3-large-scaled.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261104T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261104T203000
DTSTAMP:20261014T210938Z
CREATED:20260924T224848Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T210938Z
UID:78032-1793817000-1793824200@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:Sketchy Folks: November Meetup
DESCRIPTION:Join the next Sketchy Folks session – a casual gathering of drawing\, collaging\, and journaling. Bring a sketchbook\, notebook\, or binder with paper. A prompt will be provided. \nWhen: November 4\, 2026 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Future dates TBA\nWhere: White Sails Brewing
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/sketchy-folks-november-meetup/
LOCATION:White Sails Brewing\, 125 Comox Rd\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, V9R 3H9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/unnamed1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261108T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261108T150000
DTSTAMP:20260820T225412Z
CREATED:20260820T224942Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T225412Z
UID:77866-1794142800-1794150000@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:Köln 75
DESCRIPTION:Köln 75 (2025) is a biographical film detailing the true story of 18-year-old Vera Brandes (Mala Emde)\, who defies parental disapproval and industry sexism to promote a 1975 jazz concert. Despite logistical nightmares\, including the wrong piano and a difficult artist\, her efforts result in Keith Jarrett’s legendary\, improvised Köln Concert.
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/koln-75/
LOCATION:Vancouver Island Conference Centre\, 80 Commercial Street\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured,Film Screening
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Event-Koln-75-1-pm-cover-image.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261108T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261108T210000
DTSTAMP:20260820T225556Z
CREATED:20260820T225417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T225556Z
UID:77873-1794162600-1794171600@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:Köln 75
DESCRIPTION:Köln 75 (2025) is a biographical film detailing the true story of 18-year-old Vera Brandes (Mala Emde)\, who defies parental disapproval and industry sexism to promote a 1975 jazz concert. Despite logistical nightmares\, including the wrong piano and a difficult artist\, her efforts result in Keith Jarrett’s legendary\, improvised Köln Concert.
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/koln-75-2/
LOCATION:Vancouver Island Conference Centre\, 80 Commercial Street\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured,Film Screening
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Event-Koln-75-1-pm-cover-image.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261121T191500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261121T201500
DTSTAMP:20260917T184959Z
CREATED:20260917T182200Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260917T184959Z
UID:78003-1795288500-1795292100@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:Green Revolt
DESCRIPTION:Interested in being a part of discussions to bring positive environmental change to Nanaimo? Join the Green Revolt Action Group.
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/78003/
LOCATION:Oliver Woods Community Centre\, 6000 Oliver Rd\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/1000007384.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261206T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261206T150000
DTSTAMP:20260820T225920Z
CREATED:20260820T225920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T225920Z
UID:77875-1796562000-1796569200@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:Mother and the Bear
DESCRIPTION:The Mother and the Bear (2024) is a comedic drama about Sara\, an overbearing Korean mother who flies to Winnipeg to care for her daughter\, Sumi\, who is in a coma after a freak accident. While waiting for Sumi to wake\, Sara navigates cultural alienation by meddling in her daughter’s life\, including trying to find her a husband.
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/mother-and-the-bear/
LOCATION:Vancouver Island Conference Centre\, 80 Commercial Street\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured,Film Screening
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Event-Mother-and-the-Bear-1-pm-cover-image.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261206T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261206T180000
DTSTAMP:20260820T230510Z
CREATED:20260820T230510Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T230510Z
UID:77881-1796572800-1796580000@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:The Choral
DESCRIPTION:The Choral is a testament to music’s power to sustain our souls in troubled times. This inspiring drama depicts a British choir director’s efforts to assemble an ensemble during the darkest days of the First World War. Dr. Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) is forced to recruit his singers from among the town’s adolescent population. Under his guidance these teens will come to know the transcendent joys of singing together\, while steeling themselves for their impending conscription. The Choral reminds us of the importance of cultivating community and using art to process anxieties and generate hope.
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/the-choral/
LOCATION:Vancouver Island Conference Centre\, 80 Commercial Street\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured,Film Screening
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Event-The-Choral-4-pm-cover-image.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261206T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261206T210000
DTSTAMP:20260820T230138Z
CREATED:20260820T230123Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T230138Z
UID:77878-1796583600-1796590800@nanaimoartscouncil.ca
SUMMARY:Mother and the Bear
DESCRIPTION:The Mother and the Bear (2024) is a comedic drama about Sara\, an overbearing Korean mother who flies to Winnipeg to care for her daughter\, Sumi\, who is in a coma after a freak accident. While waiting for Sumi to wake\, Sara navigates cultural alienation by meddling in her daughter’s life\, including trying to find her a husband.
URL:https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/event/mother-and-the-bear-2/
LOCATION:Vancouver Island Conference Centre\, 80 Commercial Street\, Nanaimo\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Featured,Film Screening
END:VEVENT
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