Location: Vancouver, BC, V6A 1R1, Canada

A program for adults, Saturday May 25, 1:00 pm-4:00 pm, Free
Alice MacKay Room, Lower Level

Are you the best Vogon poet in Vancouver? Does your poetic prose melt paint off walls or cause spontaneous vomiting? Do your sonnets make even the most hardened criminals beg for mercy? Prove it and you can win Canadian Earth Dollars!

We are looking for the absolutely worst poems in the universe to be presented slam style at our evening gala.

If selected you will present your work in the most outlandishly horrible fashion possible to gain the favour of five randomly selected judges.

Deadlines for entries is: TBA.
For details see https://www.vpl.ca/events/details/3rd_annual_vogon_poetry_slam_vog-off

Parental guidance is recommended - possibility of offensive poetry/language. Costumes encouraged and welcomed.

For more information please contact VPL - Popular Reading Library at 604-331-3691 (starfishian)… (more)

Local columnist and mom Kelley Scarsbrook signs her book Beautiful Noise
Please join us at Black Bond Books on Sunday, May 26 for a book signing and reading
3:00 pm 4:30 pm

Beautiful Noise is a compilation of humourous and touching reflections on life as a stay at home mom by parenting columnist, Kelley Scarsbrook. During the past six years, Kelley has shared hundreds of her life-changing experiences as a stay at home mom with her readers; both in her parenting column, "Mom's Life", and her website - www.thestayathomemother.com . Her articles have now been compiled in to a book that showcases both the ups and downs of motherhood - discovering the sheer beauty of it all. (starfishian)… (more)

Tuesday May 28, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Are you interested in bee-keeping? Under certain conditions the City of Burnaby allows residents to keep bees. Come and learn how to start your own hive and how to plant your garden for pollinators. Workshop led by Janice Bobic, a Burnaby community member and bee-keeping expert. Includes a Honey Tasting!

This is a FREE event, but space may be limited. Please register at bpl.bc.ca/events or in person at the Tommy Douglas Library or by phone at 604-522-3971 (starfishian)… (more)

Word Whips
A program open to all ages
Tuesday May 28, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm, Free
Take the challenge! Pandora's Collective provides the writing prompts and the opportunity for sharing. 10-15 minutes for each prompt. See what you can whip up.
For more information please contact Britannia Branch at 604-665-2222
Sponsored by Pandora's Collective
http://www.pandorascollective.com and Pandora's Collective
http://www.pandorascollective.com (starfishian)… (more)

A program for adults | Tuesday May 28 | 7:00 pm-8:30 pm | Free
Alice MacKay Room, Lower Level

Our culture seems obsessed with superheroes - certainly in the movies and popular culture. What needs are served by these characters in fiction? Is it a longing for lost gods, an externalization of our narcissistic desire for power, a reaction against the drabness of modern life, or just a desire to see special effects on screen? Talk by Dr. Lindsey Thomas.

For more information please contact Vancouver Public Library at 604-331-3603
Sponsored by Changeways Clinic
http://www.changeways.com (starfishian)… (more)

Incite: An Exploration of Book and Ideas
A program for adults | Wednesday May 29 | 7:30 pm-9:00 pm | Free
Alice MacKay Room, Lower Level

Join us for an evening with acclaimed writer and historian Conrad Black as he talks to Kirk LaPointe about his new book Flight of the Eagle, a strategic history of the United States. Spanning from the New World through the outcome of the 2012 presidential election, Conrad Black examines the rise of the world's supreme power, its recent decline, and its ultimate strengths and future.

Conrad Black is the author of critically acclaimed biographies of Maurice Duplessis, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Richard Nixon. The former head of the Argus and Hollinger corporate groups and of London's Telegraph newspapers, Black is also the founder of Canada's National Post. Black has been a member of the British House of Lords since 2001.
For more information please contact Vancouver Public Library at 604-331-3603
Sponsored by Vancouver Writers Fest
http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/ (starfishian)… (more)

Are you a writer? Do you need help with a poem or piece of prose? Come to the Blue Pencil Cafe. A writer will take a look at something you have written and offer suggestions. Co-sponsored by the Library and RCLAS. To register, email secretary@rclas.com or call 778-714-1772.

Start:
June 11, 2013
18:30:00
End:
June 11, 2013
20:30:00 (starfishian)… (more)

Teen Manga Advisory Group
A program for teens
Thursday June 13, 4:00 pm-5:00 pm, Free
Youth Department, Level 2

Do you love Manga? Come tell us what the library should have on our shelves and meet other manga enthusiasts! All time spent counts toward high school community service hours.
For teens aged 12-18. No registration required.
For more information please contact Children's Library at 604-331-3663 (starfishian)… (more)

Sunday, June 16, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

On Father's Day, treat Dad to some vintage humour at the Burnaby Village Museum – enjoy a lively reading of selected stories from Stephen Leacock's 1912 classic, "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town." The "grandfather" of Canadian humourists, Leacock affectionately portrayed the eccentric characters of a small 19th-century town with his masterful dry wit. Librarians from Burnaby Public Library will read the stories as a benefit for the Burnaby Community Connections' Camping Bureau, which helps Burnaby children go to summer camp.

Recommended for ages 11 through adult. Tickets available in the Museum at the Church door by donation of any amount (suggested donation $10). The Museum is located at 6501 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby. Gate admission to the museum is free. (starfishian)… (more)

A program for adults, Wednesday June 19, 2:30 pm-4:00 pm, Free. Registration required.
computer Training Room, Level 7

Find information on your Vancouver home using directories, historical photographs, and other online resources. We will explore City Directories, the VPL Historical Photos database, on-line fire insurance maps, and other resources.

Prerequisites: Basic computer and Internet skills.

Registration begins April 2nd
For more information please contact Vancouver Public Library at 604-331-3603 (starfishian)… (more)

Historical Society: Cars, Service Stations, and Mr. Trapp's McLaughlin Buick

A glimpse at early automobile history in New Westminster. Guest speaker Gary Miller, with information pieced together by Archie Miller, will describe the local history of cars, auto-related events and service stations in the city.
Start:

June 19, 2013
19:30:00
End:
June 19, 2013
21:00:00 (starfishian)… (more)

Word Whips
A program open to all ages
Tuesday June 25, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm, Free

Take the challenge! Pandora's Collective provides the writing prompts and the opportunity for sharing. 10-15 minutes for each prompt. See what you can whip up.
For more information please contact Britannia Branch at 604-665-2222
Sponsored by Pandora's Collective
http://www.pandorascollective.com and Pandora's Collective
http://www.pandorascollective.com (starfishian)… (more)