Nanaimo – Living Library

Black Cat

Discover Black Cat, the enchanting self-titled anthology from our new publishing house in Victoria, BC.

Black Cat is a collection of thirteen supernatural stories set in the Pacific Northwest of British Columbia, penned by a diverse group of Western Canadian writers. Black Cat‘s cover was illustrated and designed by Lydia Avsec. Its interior was designed by Derek von Essen.

From historic to futuristic, these tales of fiction are guaranteed to chill readers to the bone. With entities both monstrous and misunderstood, Black Cat is an anthology unlike any published before. Each story includes a cameo of a mysterious black cat. Continue reading “Black Cat”

Huldowget by B. A. McKelvie

Huldowget is a 1926 novel by Bruce Alistair McKelvie. It’s an entertaining read–in a historical sort of way–but it is also offensive.

McKelvie was an editor for Victoria’s Daily Colonist. He is remembered for his involvement in the Native Sons (a colonist heritage fraternal order) and for promoting lost civilization theories (over Indigenous rights) through books, newspapers, and speeches.

I recently published an article on Ancient Pages about the Hepburn Stone, which is on display at the Nanaimo Museum. McKelvie was the main person who promoted the stone as a 15,000-year-old lost civilization artifact. I read some of his nonfiction during my research and was surprised to discover he had authored fiction, as well. Continue reading “Huldowget by B. A. McKelvie”

Vancouver Island Booksellers Operating During the Covid-19 Outbreak

The following Vancouver Island bookstores are selling books online or by phone (free local delivery for some) while Covid-19 social restrictive measures are in place:

Munro’s Books (Victoria)

Bolen Books (Victoria)

Russell Books (Victoria)

Ivy’s Bookshop (Victoria) – now open for phone-in and online ordering

Camas Books (Victoria) – every book is washed with “75% solution of isopropyl alcohol”

Cavity Curiosity Shop (Victoria) – “no contact” pick up service only

Tanner’s Books (Sidney)

Salt Spring Books (Salt Spring Island)

Galiano Island Books (Galiano Island)

Talisman Books (Pender Island)

Volume One Bookstore (Duncan)

Strong Nations Gifts & Books (Nanaimo) – now “open for orders as usual”

Continue reading “Vancouver Island Booksellers Operating During the Covid-19 Outbreak”

VIU’s Creative Writing Program: A Graduate’s Review

I enrolled at Vancouver Island University during the summer of 2014.

I’d been diagnosed with chemotherapy-caused nerve damage – something I still deal with to this day. I was being medically released from the military and had been offered two years of postsecondary education as part of a payout package.

My disabilities from the nerve damage include sensory pain, digestive issues, fatigue, and cognitive challenges, including slower memory recovery and occasional slurred speech. I feel hung over every morning. My vision can become blurry and it can be difficult to concentrate. As fate would have it, I was also diagnosed with PTSD. Continue reading “VIU’s Creative Writing Program: A Graduate’s Review”

Why the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Could Be Genocide

An increase in tanker traffic could be the death of the Coast Salish people, not an oil spill. A review of the Coast Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth testimony presented to the National Energy Board of Canada.

Continue reading “Why the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Could Be Genocide”