Poetic Justice is back.
The poetry reading series is up and running for the new year, and everyone is invited to stop in to enjoy the Sunday afternoon sessions in the backroom at the Heritage Grill.
On Sunday, Jan. 19, Dennis E. Bolen hosts, with featured readings by Fran Bourassa, Joan Boxall and Timothy Shay.
On Jan. 26, host Sho Wiley is at the helm, and poets Alan Hill, Jonina Kirton and Garry Ward will be featured.
All the sessions also include an open mike portion.
The Heritage Grill is at 447 Columbia St., downtown. Poetic Justice sessions run from 3 to 5 p.m.
Check out more at poeticjustice.ca.
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Theatre aficionados have a chance to take in a Western Canadian premiere in New Westminster at the end of the month.
City Stage New West is presenting the Couch Trip Collective production of Freud's Last Session, by Mark St. Germain.
It stars Richard Newman as Dr. Sigmund Freud and Damon Calderwood as British author C.S. Lewis.
The play tells the story of Freud's last days when, dying of cancer, he summons Lewis to his London home to discover why the intellectual and former atheist converted to Christianity.
It will be onstage at Galbraith House, 131 Eighth St. from Jan. 29 to Feb. 9, with two-for-one preview night on Jan. 28.
That's set to run from 7 to 9 p.m.
Check out www.citystagenewwest.org for more.
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Love to sing? Parlez-vous français?
Maillardville's francophone choir, Les Échos du Pacifique, is welcoming new singers for its 40th season.
And though it's not in New Westminster, I know there are many Royal City types involved in the choir - and it's just a hop, skip and jump over to Maillardville for rehearsal.
The first rehearsal of the new year was Jan. 13 - the choir meets Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. at Place Maillardville, 1200 Cartier Ave. in Coquitlam.
For information, call 604-936-6993 or email [email protected]. You can also check out the choir's website at www.lesechosdupacifique.com.
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It was a merry Christmas for City Stage New West this year.
The group's Kickstarter campaign, which you read about in this column in December, was a resounding success.
As you may remember, the theatre group was hoping to raise $3,000 towards the cost of making a professional cast recording of Stump City Stories - the original musical by George Ryan which debuted in 2009.
In the end, with some 66 backers stepping up to the plate, they raised $3,415.
Kudos to everyone involved in the project - we're looking forward to hearing the new CD in the spring!
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Fibre art and clay models are among the finds you'll discover at the New Westminster Public Library this month.
The library is hosting two art shows on display until Jan. 31.
On the ramp gallery, on the main level, is Louise Smith's show Dropped Threads. A press release notes that the delicate fibre art depicting landscapes, fruit and flowers is created using hand stitching and free motion machine embroidery on hand-painted silk - a technique that results in a distinctive three-dimensional effect.
Upstairs, you can check out Shavon Cheng's show The Nature of Life. The release notes that the show represents her journey through nature, with watercolours, pastels, acrylics and unique models of clay and plasticine.
"She believes that life is filled with colour and when you notice the small, hidden details, they will catch you by surprise and show you to an unexpected experience," the release says.
You can check out the art any time during library hours at 716 Sixth Ave. For more, call the library at 604-527-4660.
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Are you a writer hankering to share your work?
The Royal City Literary Arts Society is continuing its short story open mike sessions in the backroom at the Heritage Grill.
The next session is on Wednesday, Jan. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m.
It's hosted by Margo Prentice. All writers are welcome to share short stories or excerpts from books. Storytellers are also welcome to take part.
Check out more at www.rclas.com, or just stop in to check it out.
The Heritage Grill is at 447 Columbia St., downtown.
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Another one for the writers out there ...
The Writers' Discovery Group meets on the second Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon at the New Westminster Public Library.
The group welcomes all members wanting to read their work and meet other writers to discuss their writing.
The next meeting is Feb. 12, and new members are welcome.
Stop by the library at 716 Sixth Ave. to check it out.
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If you haven't checked out the Music at Queens concert series yet, don't miss the next event.
The Hazeltones band holds a concert and sing-along on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. at Queens Avenue United Church.
The church is at 529 Queens Ave.
Call 604-522-1606 for tickets or information.
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Want to learn how to build suspense in your writing?
Author Colleen Cross is leading a free workshop, High Stakes: Crafting Suspenseful Stories.
The workshop is offered by the Royal City Literary Arts Society at New Westminster Public Library on Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Cross is the author of the Katerina Carter fraud thriller series, which includes Exit Strategy and Game Theory. She's currently working on the third book in the series.
She also has a non-fiction book, Anatomy of a Ponzi: Scams Past and Present, being released this month.
Find out more about Colleen at www.colleencross.com.
To attend the workshop, pre-register by emailing [email protected].
The library is at 716 Sixth Ave., uptown.
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Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, [email protected]. You can also find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
