Dear Readers, I am delighted to introduce the new collection of articles, which challenge us to consider afresh what it means to give our best to what matters to us the most…those goals, relationships, and efforts. We intend to make “Kerrisdale Playbook” a regular publication and to use it to keep you in touch with news and developments happening in the community, while creating a platform for conversations and exploration. The launch of the “Kerrisdale Playbook” in January 2012 was a major step for the Kerrisdale Community Centre Society (KCCS) – as part of our first “online” community engagement effort! Looking back, I am impressed by the progress made in the last two full years. Something is shifting; real hope for strong social connections is starting to emerge! I am now much more confident of our ability to isolate what matters most and the means and motivation to give our best to that….. And we have learned a great deal about people bringing whatever they value the most to our society, such as passion, empathy, creativity, and community. Finally may I thank all of you who contribute to the “Kerrisdale Playbook” and to its fruition and beyond. I would also like to add my thanks to my team who is the energetic powerhouse behind the scenes.  I am keen to respond to the interests of our readers and look forward to your feedback and comments on our articles.  Happy readings and Happy Valentines’ Day!   Keiko Honda, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief and Chair of Community Engagement, KCCS   February...

By Haley Cameron Photos by Noriko Nasu-Tidball   When I walked into The Arthritis Society Learning Centre in the Mary Pack Arthritis Centre, at West 10th Avenue and Laurel Street, I was met by two welcoming women who were more than happy to be at the office after hours for the opportunity to spread the word about their work. As an introduction to what that work entails, Linda Freisen, Health Education and Learning Centre Coordinator, opened a book to picture of a bed-bound young boy with unnaturally inflamed joints holding together a skeletal frame.   The MPAC began in 1945 as the vision of Mary Pack, an empathetic and innovative schoolteacher, Linda explained. The young Rheumatoid Arthritis victim depicted in Linda’s book was a student of Mary’s who inspired her to take on the cause singlehandedly 65 years ago. “Mary basically put on a uniform and went to battle for Arthritis,” Linda tells me. Joined by Joanna Li, Manager of Education and Services, the two ladies described how far we’ve already come in terms of managing the evasive disease. “Thanks to her we’ll never again see a case as bad as this,” Linda motions back towards the book. “Is there still a long way to go? Absolutely.” These days it is Linda, Joanna, their co-workers, and a mass of volunteers who don the same uniform and continue Mary’s fight.   When Mary Pack first took on this cause over half a century ago, there was very little support in place for those suffering from Arthritis. Without disability pension or medical coverage only marginal welfare existed to help those affected. Working with a team of local health care providers, Mary constructed a one-stop shop Arthritis patient program, which has since become an international model for...

By Haley Cameron Photos by Noriko Nasu-Tidball   When Georgia Youngs finds our indoor seclusion from the fiercely cold evening rain she is protectively bundled from the elements. But as she removes her big winter coat and knit toque she immediately begins to open up, as though unwrapping her story along with her winter layers. As our pre-amble winds down and Georgia takes off her fogging eyeglasses, she leans in to reassure me that she is a “good sharer”, as though confiding a secret. I quickly discover that Georgia’s willingness to share is anything but.   It’s difficult to narrow down Georgia’s career by definition. Artist, Art Teacher, Gallery Marketer, Curriculum Developer, Consultant; while being firmly entrenched in the fine arts field, Georgia’s numerous titles and trades seem to cover a little bit of everything. When I ask Georgia how she got her footing in the ever-changing industry of art she replies quite simply, “I just said yes to every opportunity that presented itself.”    As it turns out, Georgia’s career plan was not always fine arts focused. She describes her upbringing fondly, acknowledging that she is lucky to have come from a family that instilled a strong sense of confidence, but admits that her education was streamlined towards either a commercial or academic future. “You chose commercial if you were going to be a secretary, and you chose academic if you were going on to university,” she explains. Georgia chose the academic route, and became a paediatric nurse.   It wasn’t until her late twenties that Georgia found an art program with flexible hours that could accommodate her shift work as a nurse. As soon as she began the program, Georgia realized that this source of art was filling a hole in her...

By Katja De Bock   When Karen Lam walks by the Louisa Apartments on Kerrisdale’s East Boulevard, she laughs out loud remembering how she once almost set the building on fire trying to cook a meal. A highly educated Asian-Canadian from Manitoba with degrees in English literature and law, Lam never learned how to cook until she moved into her first Vancouver flat near Arbutus and West 41st Ave. That’s twenty years ago now and Lam has moved on to become an incessant cook, passionate tuque-knitter and oh, one of the world’s few female horror film directors. Her second feature, Evangeline, about an abused college student seeking to avenge her perpetrators, will open the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival(VIWIFF) on March 6. In 1993, Lam needed an inexpensive flat providing easy access to UBC. Kerrisdale was offered no distractions for the avid student. Squabbles with elderly neighbours about the central thermostat in the cellar of the apartment building were a daily routine.   Who knows if murder was on her mind in that dark Kerrisdale cellar, but creepy cellar-like torture chambers with devilish spirits are abundant in Evangeline, which was partly shot at UBC. The campus eerily made headlines for unsolved sexual assaults, which happened throughout 2013. The supernatural revenge fantasy deals with freshman Evangeline (Kat de Lieva), who is missing after hanging out with an enigmatic, violent fraternity leader (Richard Harmon) and his pals. Beaten and left for dead in the woods, Evangeline finds herself trapped in a supernatural nightmare, and starts a violent quest to avenge her perpetrators. In spite of a brutal storyline and mesmerizing visual effects, the film is not mere entertainment for the bloodthirsty. It asks the question whether it is better to turn the other cheek or...

By Dave Wheaton Photos by Noriko Nasu-Tidball   It’s sexy, fun, intelligent, and provocative. The RezErect exhibition at Bill Reid Gallery of North-West Coast Art is an exploration into erotica, something we tend to forget when thinking about Indigenous culture. But what does it take to make an exhibit like this possible? Beth Walters has been on the Board of the Bill Reid Gallery of North-West Coast Art since its beginning. She suggested we meet at the gallery on Hornby Street to experience it firsthand. We’re thrilled that we did. “This is an unusual gallery” – Beth   We start with a tour of the gallery, led by the co-curator of the current show, Kwiaahwah Jones.  RezErect is an amazing exhibit with a variety of pieces across a variety of mediums. The provocative theme of the exhibit is realized in so many ways; some artwork is funny, some is scandalous, some is empowering, and some rebellious.  Bill Reid Gallery is the first to host an exhibit of aboriginal erotica, earning the greatest response the gallery has seen. But most of the gallery’s shows are original concepts so Bill Reid Gallery is no stranger to this sort of venture. In the past, the gallery has hosted a show on Aboriginal humor and a show on textiles. Original ideas like these help Bill Reid Gallery stand out and appeal to all audiences. Emphasizing these unexplored aspects of coastal First Nations’ culture has defined Bill Reid Gallery as a cultural authority here in Vancouver. “Exhibitions such as this are like stories”, says Beth, “They open your mind and your heart to new ideas”.   While discussing Vancouver’s Bill Reid Gallery with Beth we also met the Executive Director of the gallery, Mike Robinson, who explained a little...