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A twisty tale of transformation

May 2nd, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on A twisty tale of transformation)

Martha Carter shares a multimedia performance reflecting her own ‘twisted’ journey of living with a crooked spine while pursuing a career in dance

picture 471THE STRAIGHT (Vancouver)—Martha Carter empties a little black bag onto the dance-studio floor. Before us lies a pile of glittering steel bits—hooks, bolts, and rods that look like hardware ripped out of the Terminator. “Don’t worry. They’ve been cleaned,” she jokes. These are pieces of the apparatus that was once used to straighten her spine. Surgically implanted in the ’70s, they were a symbol of what she couldn’t do. Now, they’re a symbol of what she can.

Thirty-six years ago, at the age of 14, as Carter lay immobilized in an itchy body cast, a career in dance seemed like an impossibility. Before doctors had surgically fused her vertebrae and inserted the metal rods, they had made it clear that her training would have to end. (more…)

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A mother’s story of her son’s addiction

February 7th, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on A mother’s story of her son’s addiction)

June Ariano-Jakes shares a search for answers and the lengths she went to in trying to help her drug-addicted son

June Ariano-Jakes is the mother of five adult children and the grandmother of four. While she worked by day as a Licensed Childcare Provider, June spent literally thousands of nights poring over books and articles in the search for answers to help her son Nathan battle what would become a twenty-year-long heroin and cocaine addiction.

Addiction: A Mother’s Story is June’s account of addiction through a mother’s eyes. The book portrays the progression of Nathan’s addiction as the chapters unfold, how his addiction progressed to devastating and life altering circumstances and how it affected Nathan, his family and his mother. (more…)

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West coast poets and authors get their close-up

November 22nd, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on West coast poets and authors get their close-up)

A new book capturing the images of some of the west coast’s most admired authors and poets has been launched

A new book called 111 West Coast Literary Portraits features rare portraits of emerging, mid-career and well-known writers who have lived in British Columbia, accompanied by excerpts of their writing. Photographers Barry Peterson and Blaise Enright began photographing writers in 1998, travelling the Coast and Gulf Islands seeking the famous and infamous. They took pictures of writers in their personal spaces, intimate portraits of B.C.’s best, most honoured, as well as emerging, literary talent. (more…)

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The great house concert tour of 2013 on its way

November 22nd, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (0 Comments)

If you’d like to invite Eric Harper to bring his award-winning music into your home, you can join his house concert tour

Award-winning guitarist Eric Harper has plans for 2013—and you could be a part of those plans. He says: “I’d love to do a House Concert Tour but I’m in need of House Concert hosts. Basically, someone who’s willing to host a concert in their living room just for the sake of having live music in their home. If you, or anyone you know, would be interested in hosting a House Concert* please let me know. I want to start the tour in January 2013. But all the planning has to start now.” (more…)

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Adventures to be had when you’re over 60

November 15th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Adventures to be had when you’re over 60)

Stories and reflections encourage and support readers in living vibrantly through wholeheartedly embracing life’s challenges

Gail Boulanger is a coach and counselor for “vibrant living” in Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island. She says that vibrant living infuses our lives with energy and enthusiasm just as sun infuses the day with light and warmth. But Gail also says that vibrant living rests on a foundation of healthy grieving. (more…)

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Story about ‘nobody’s dog’ looks at a child’s grief

November 8th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Story about ‘nobody’s dog’ looks at a child’s grief)

Ria Voros’ debut novel uses a special relationship to explore the grief of a child whose parents were killed in an accident

For thirteen-year-old Jakob, the summer is looking pretty bleak. A few months before, he was in a car accident that killed both his parents, and though he can’t remember exactly what happened, he can’t stop turning it over in his mind. (more…)

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