Lifetime Learning Centre News
With events happening nearly everyday there’s always something new at the Lifetime Learning Centre!
Open House And Program Registration at Lifetime Learning Centre
Wednesday, September 23, 1-3 p.m.
Lifetime Learning Centre Program Registration and Open House for the fall semester takes place on Wednesday, September 23, at 1 p.m. Choose from a wide selection of programs, ranging from general interest, arts and humanities, elder college, and health and wellness programs. Join us for refreshments while you choose your programs. This semester’s keynote speaker is Dr. Tim Cooper, Physics, University of the Fraser Valley; Dr Cooper will speak on the Global Warming, aka Climate Change. Visit Lifetime Learning Centre at our new location: 32444 Seventh Avenue (the Fraserview Elementary School building).
Upcoming highlights for this semester include: The Health Care Series of three programs starts Thursday, Sept 24th @ 1p.m., with subsequent programs on Oct 7th and in November (details are available at Open House on Sept23); Silverdale Remembrances with Molly Ungar– and oral histories on “What was life like before electricity” - documenting our community history – a series of programs held at Carrington House; the monthly Philosophers’ Cafe Series (this year’s location is Kingsway Arms (Cedarbrooke Chateau), all other programs are held at Lifetime Learning Centre: Great Books Discussion Groups- held the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, and Exploring the Valley field trips to SPARC Radio Museum in Coquitlam, Silverdale Tour and Apple Harvest, and Reiffel Island Field Trip.
The Wellness fitness programs are held every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 9 a.m. Please note: The fitness and Osteoporosis programs are specifically tailored to the needs of seniors and third age specific requirements & Nordic Pole walking is proving to be a new favourite for any age - join us for this fun way of exercising while walking. Until further notice, the fitness and Osteofit programs continue on at 7756 Grand St. (St. Andrew’s gym), the walking groups start from Lifetime Learning Centre on Seventh Avenue.
New programs this semester include the following: In September, Canoeing the Kasan River, with Freda and Ted Mellenthin will be held at Mission Library , 7 p.m. In October, join us for: How Did we get to the 49th Parallel? With Molly Ungar, UFV; Global Warming: Science, Politics and Solutions, with Dr. Tim Cooper, UFV; Galapagos Island and Machu Picchu Travels, with Lee Treloar; In November: Remembrance Day program , War and Peace Poetry and Music with Molly Ungar (join us for tea and scones at our annual Remembrance Day Tea and Sing-a-long); Wellness Gathering, celebrating the benefits of healthy living, exercise and listen to guest speakers on health issues; How secure is your home? With Sharon Siluch, RCMP; An Afternoon Book Launch and Reading, with John Herl; a Quilt Trunk Show featuring local quilters and their creations; and in December, our ever-popular Christmas Party and Sing-a-long.
In addition to these programs Lifetime Learning Centre Society initiated Mission’s Oral History collection program early in the 1990’s (to date we have a large, and growing collection (oral history subject areas can be viewed on our website at www.lifetimelearningcentre.org); To research our collection ask for our Oral History Department, or Executive Director Diana Muntigl for further information.
Volunteer opportunities exist in a wide range of areas. If you are interested in volunteering, and for further information or for program dates and times, please call 820-0220 Tuesdays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. All our program fees are kept low to make them affordable for everyone. Please pre-register.
Lifetime Learning Centre is moving May 5, 2009!
our new location will be Fraserview School 32444 7th Avenue, Mission BC V2V 2B5 - We hope to see you there!
PRESS RELEASE - download pdf
For Immediate Release:
April 24, 2009
Contact: Diana Muntigl, Executive Director
604-820-0220
Mission Writers’ & Readers’ Festival 2009
Keynote Address by Hal Wake, Artistic Director for the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival
May 9, 2009 - 9:30am – 4:00pm
Location: UFV Mission Campus – Heritage Park Centre, 33700 Prentis Ave.
Mission’s 2nd Annual Writers’ and Readers’ Festival takes place Saturday, May 9th at UVF Heritage Park Centre Campus. Of interest to all writers and readers, this festival features a day of exploration in writing and publishing, including panel/ fishbowl discussions, workshops, poetry readings and a chance to meet local and regional literati, editors, publishers and book people. This year’s keynote address explores “Can the pot keep getting bigger” with Hal Wake, Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival Artistic Director.
A Lifetime Learning Centre program, this Festival draws on the rich creative writing and publishing resources of our Fraser Valley region. MC for the day’s events is award-winning author Marion Quednau.
The MORNING FISHBOWL FORUM addresses Why We Bother: The Pain and Pleasure of Writing. The diverse experience of writers on this panel, including journalists, poets, musicians, editors, historians and contrarians; Panelists: Lilian Dudfield, Heidi Greco, Anthony Hutchcroft, Robert Martens, Christina Toth, Shirley Walker, will shed some light on the precarious function of turning words into meaning. And yes, it's bound to be entertaining! For the MORNING SESSIONS and WORKSHOPS choose from the following: Laurel Bieber: Graphic Novels: from Maus to Manga ; Heidi Greco: I Never Promised You a Prose Garden: Pruning a Poem; Gordon Mohs: The Thrill of the Mystery; Brian Murdoch: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly of Book Collecting; Daphne Sleigh: Developing Character in Historical Writing.
LUNCH features Book Sales, and Poetry Reading by David Pullen followed by a performance of Shelley Haggard’s Poem, The Tap .
The AFTERNOON FISHBOWL FORUM looks at: At Your Peril: Is Reading a Political Act? The word "political" isn't always what you think. And reading isn't always for light entertainment but learning a new approach to contentious information, and sometimes that creates a challenge to others. Find out what reading with a flashlight under the covers is really about! Panelists: Linda Fornal, Shelley Haggard, Cathie Marcellus, Janet Vickers.
AFTERNOON SESSIONS and Workshops follow the Fishbowl and include: Lilian Dudfield: Personal Stories - Writing for Family ; Joan Fishleigh & John Herl: The Word Keepers – Mission’s New Writers’ Group; Linda Fornal: Joy of Reading: Enhancing Your Reading Experiences ; and Jo Haste/Margaret Knott: Roots of Book Clubs-The Great Books Series ; Lisa Kenney & Ann Mohs: What’s Hot in the Editing & Publishing World; and Robert Martens & Janet Vickers: Mother Macaroni.
Partnerships include Fraser Valley Regional Library - Mission Branch, and a host of authors, publishers, book stores and more….. Registration also entitles participants to Prize Draws & more ….plus Special Mother’s Day Door Prizes!
To register after April 24, cost for the Full Day is $30, or register for workshops only : $10 each for am. or pm (plus Registration Fee ($15). Registration fee includes—Keynote address, fishbowl forums and poetry & book readings. Lunch will be available for purchase—$5/person (cash only). For program details, please call Lifetime Learning Centre at 604-820-0220, or visit on-line at www.lifetimelearningcentre.org
For additional information for workshops and profiles please see below:
Session / Workshop Descriptions
Laurel Bieber: Graphic Novels: from Maus to Manga If you think comics are all about superheroes, think again! Graphic novels now run the gamut from biographies to fantasy to historical fiction. Whether you're looking for something funny, fantastical, or frightening, you'll find something here to pique your interest.
Heidi Greco: I Never Promised You a Prose Garden: Pruning a Poem
What poet and editor, Heidi Greco does promise is to help you make your way from ‘lines of arranged prose’ to poems ready to burst off the page. A tweak here, a nudge there – she'll demonstrate the many subtle ways to make a poem bloom.
Gordon Mohs: The Thrill of the Mystery Gordon’s passion is writing. He carries three traditional names: Sxwoxwiyam (“legend” or “storyteller”), El:oliye (“vision” or “dreamer”) and Pop’qoles (“snowberry bush”). Gordon’s first novel was published in 1997. He is currently working on his second Eddie Julian mystery called Masked Dancer.
Brian Murdoch: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly of Book Collecting You don’t have to have a bottomless pit of money in order to enjoy the fun of collecting books. Brian will share his wealth of information regarding the collecting of rare and antiquarian books, including the pitfalls surrounding the identification and collecting of books in this age of the internet. He will have some of his own reference materials at the session.
Daphne Sleigh: Developing Character in Historical Writing
Having just released her latest biography, this writer will be offering her ideas on the problems and goals of developing character in biography writing.
Lilian Dudfield: Personal Stories - Writing for Family
A British War Bride, whose Canadian husband was killed in action, Lilian crossed the Atlantic with a baby, to the Saskatchewan home of her husband’s family. She will read some of her book and talk about the process from “inspiration to publication”.
Joan Fishleigh & John Herl: The Word Keepers – Mission’s New Writers’ Group Word Keepers offers encouragement & recognition for all writers from the closet author to the published author. Using the format of their regular meetings, this session will be facilitated by founding members, Joan Fishleigh & John Herl
Linda Fornal: Joy of Reading: Enhancing Your Reading Experiences
Do you want to keep up to date with popular authors or just find really good books? Linda will provide an overview of Novelist, an online tool, which will help readers with these questions and more.
& Jo Haste & Margaret Knott: Roots of Book Clubs-The Great Books Series. This book club began 45 years ago in Mission, then moved to the Abbotsford campus of what was then Fraser Valley College. It returned to Mission as one of LLCS’s many programs. They follow the Chicago Great Books philosophy of “discussing ideas between people.”
Lisa Kenney & Ann Mohs: What’s Hot in the Editing & Publishing World
Sharpen your pencil and bring your notebook to this fast-paced, information-packed session, which will include handouts indicating helpful websites for writers. Ann & Lisa will have their own “go-to” resource collection for you to look at, and there will be a short Q & A at the end.
Robert Martens & Janet Vickers: Mother Macaroni
Remember kindergarten when you made Mother's Day cards with macaroni glued to the cover? Well now you're old enough to paste the pasta of your essential wit and warmth on the inside, creating aphorisms to make Hallmark weep. Create a truly unique Mother's Day memory in your own authentic voice!
Writer / editor/ publisher profiles:
Profiles for Mission Writers' and Readers' Festival:
Abbotsford Children’s Theatre – information yet to come
Laurel Bieber is a Library Technician specializing in children’s & Teen’s literature at the Mission Library. A number of years ago she picked up Ranma 1/2, which she enjoyed so much that she attempted to read every graphic novel in the library. She hasn’t finished yet, mainly because the library buys them faster than she can read.
Lilian Dudfield is a War Bride who lives in Mission. She is the mother of six married children, grandmother of 23 and great-grandmother of 3. She is an active volunteer in the community and has received several awards for her work in those areas. Lilian’s book, A War Bride’s Story recounts her experiences.
Joan Fishleigh actively encourages fellow writers to publish and deposit their works in Canada's National Library. Joan is currently planning a lecture tour featuring the manuscript of her latest venture, Canada's Voices...generation to generation, which includes contributions of more than 500 Canadians. Many family traditions and backgrounds have emerged, making this project an oral history in book form.
Linda Fornal is a Librarian who has worked at the Mission Library for six of the nine years she has been with the Fraser Valley Regional Library.
Heidi Greco works as a writer and editor in South Surrey. Her diverse work has been published in books, anthologies, newspapers and magazines in North America and the U.K. Her most recent publication is a poem in A Verse Map of Vancouver, an anthology edited by Vancouver’s Poet Laureate, George McWhirter. She keeps an occasional blog at www.outonthebiglimb.blogspot.com .
Shelley Haggard has won several prizes in poetry contests and has published poems widely in various anthologies and online. Her work can be found online at www.poetry.com and www.poetspotpourrisociety.com and you can find her video poems at www.youtube.com/shelleyhaggardpoems
Jo Haste and her husband Ian live in Mission. She was a school librarian and he was a teacher in Abbotsford. Both are from England, and are particularly known for their interest in the problem of who wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Jo has been a member of Lifetime Learning’s Book Discussion Group for many years.
John Herl was born in Denmark, and was employed by the University Library in Copenhagen. In 1967 John and his family immigrated to Canada, settling in Mission. John is a consultant to the National Institute for Genealogical Studies in Toronto, submitting a yearly article for the Danish-Canadian Yearbook. He co-chairs Nordic Research at the Scandinavian Community Centre in Burnaby, & President of the Mission Genealogy Club. www.johneherl.i8.com
Anthony Hutchcroft is a freelance copywriter, and has also written articles for the POST, Immigrant Magazine and Visibility Magazine. He is best known as a writer, performer and production manager for stage, dance, music and radio. Anthony is also percussionist, production manager and performer with The Fraser Valley Youth Dance Theatre. He is currently co-writing an inter-generational, multi-media production scheduled at the Clarke Theatre on July 5th.
Lisa Kenney started editing in 1997. While researching the editing field, Lisa found that she fit the description of the best editors as being obsessive about details, and lifelong learners who have a little knowledge in many subject areas. Naturally curious, and an avid reader about many diverse topics, Lisa’s motto is Ancora Imparo – I am still learning. www.EagleEyeEditing.ca
Margaret Knott and her husband, John, live in Hatzic. She was born in New Zealand, raised in England, and had a fine career as a geriatric nurse. She belongs to Lifetime Learning’s Book Discussion Group and volunteers for Lifetime Learning in many capacities.
Cathie Marcellus came to Mission as a doctor’s wife in 1947. A dedicated volunteer, she was named Citizen of the Year and Freeman of the City. She graduated from Queen’s University in 1943 with a B.A., and forty years later from SFU with a Master’s. She taught at SFU, UCFV, and co-authored Mission’s Living Memorials, the story of Mission’s original hospital. She remains active with Lifetime Learning.
Robert Martens was born and raised in a Mennonite village and entered the individualism of the wider world when he attended Simon Fraser University during its years of student revolt. Robert has written and co-edited regional histories, and has been a contributor and assistant editor of an anthology of west coast Mennonite writers, entitled Half in the Sun.
Ann Mohs began a career in Media Resources after obtaining a B.A. in Anthropology. She moved into the book publishing industry, later to discover her great grandfather was a book-maker. Ann’s Mission-based company, Longhouse Publishing, has published two books, as well as numerous booklets, reports and other print materials. Ann is committed to producing quality First Nation books that will inspire, educate and entertain.
Gordon Mohs is an anthropologist, archaeologist, writer and story-teller. He brought public attention to Xa:ytem, the Hatzic Rock Site outside Mission. He was a driving force behind its designation as a National Heritage Site and development as a First Nations Interpretive Centre. For the past decade, Gordon has been working on a trilogy of murder mysteries based in the Fraser Valley. Devil's Run is Gordon's first novel.
Brian Murdoch, together with his wife, Ann, has been operating a shop in Mission dealing in used, rare and antiquarian titles since 1993. With booksellers on both sides of their family tree, their knowledge in the field extends many decades before that date. While the strength of their inventory relates to BC and Canadian non-fiction titles, their experience extends to modern first editions, signed books, and literature. www.abebooks.com/home/murdochsbookshoppe
David Pullen has been a lifelong farmer including 10 years as a field trials officer, working with cattle, sheep and pigs. He and his wife, Ann, ran a small farm and B & B in Nova Scotia in the summer from 1992-2000, and he milked cows for a neighbour during the winter. His poetry is inspired mostly by his love of the countryside and animals.
Marion Quednau has received many accolades, including the Smithbooks-Books in Canada First Novel Award. Her most recent is the 2009 Malahat Long Poem Award. Her novel, Broken Entries is due out in 2009. A children’s novel, The Gift of Odin, was published in 2007. Marion resides in Mission, works in a leadership program with youth, gets on famously with animals, and writes to live, lives to write.
Daphne Sleigh was born in England, and has lived in the Fraser Valley since 1963. She was curator of the Maple Ridge Museum from 1975 to 1981. Her first books were local histories of the Central Fraser Valley, but she now focuses on biographies. Her latest book, issued in 2008, is a biography of Major Matthews, the extraordinary man who founded the Vancouver Archives.
Christina Toth is a reporter for the Abbotsford-Mission Times, covering all issues related to the community. In 2008, she shared a first place award for historical writing from the BC Yukon Community Newspaper Association. And back in the 90s she earned a first place award, also bestowed by the BCYCNA, for co-writing a collection of stories on sex abuse in the Mennonite community.
Janet Vickers' way of participating in the global movement to change the world gently is through writing poetry. Her poems have appeared in several anthologies and literary journals. In 2002 her poem, You Were There, won the poetry category of the Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival Contest, and is the title of her chapbook published in 2006.
Hal Wake (Keynote Speaker) has been engaged with Canada’s literary community for over 30 years. In the mid ‘80’s he was the book producer for CBC Radio’s Morningside with Peter Gzowski. He has hosted or moderated hundreds of literary events at Festivals around the globe. His reviews have appeared in the Georgia Straight and the Vancouver Sun. He is Artistic Director of the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival.
Shirley Walker grew up in Trail B.C. A registered nurse, she eventually worked as a public health nurse, and then took on a second career as a real estate agent. She has travelled widely and pursued interests in history, photography and gardening. She has lived in Mission for the last 34 years. Her book, From Sailing Ships to Spitfires, was published in 2006 by Borealis Press.
Festival Committee: Shelley Haggard, Lisa Kenney, Teresa MacLeod, Cathie Marcellus, Diana Muntigl, Marion Quednau, Suzanne Vermeer