The Childbearing Year - New Column by Aimee Sturley

Massage in the Childbearing Year

Part of a holistic prenatal care program

Although massage is thought of by many as a treat for special occasions and spa visits, many medical professionals are coming to understand its importance as a form of complimentary healthcare. Family doctors, obstetricians and midwives are all increasingly recommending massage for their perinatal patients. If you are expecting a child or have already had one (or more) you are aware of the enormous physical and emotional changes that occur in the childbearing year. Receiving regular massage is preventative, restorative and pleasurable and can help you to prepare your body for pregnancy, labour and postpartum recovery.

How does massage help?

Increased weight, the changes in both your hormones and structural alignment, combine with the emotional stresses often experienced during this time can contribute to physical distress and tension. Massage addresses many of the aches and pains experienced during the childbearing year and helps to instil a feeling of well-being.

Circulation of both the blood and lymphatic systems is also improved with massage which results in better nutrition and more efficient elimination of toxins for you and the baby, as well as decreased swelling and varicose veins. Regular massage can help to improve muscle tone, posture and flexibility, all of which will undergo heavy demands during labour and in the postpartum period as well. Massage can also help you to train your mind and body for one of the most important parts of birth: noticing tight muscles and being able to relax them. Regular massage throughout pregnancy can contribute to a shorter labour and reduce distress, complications and interventions.

A Note About Safety

As with any alternative or complimentary healthcare practise, it is important to consult your physician or midwife before engaging the services of a Pregnancy Massage Practitioner. If there are any complications with your pregnancy it is imperative that you relate them to your Massage Practitioner so that they may contact with your doctor or midwife to ensure the most appropriate and effective care. It is safe to begin massage in the first trimester, and it is highly beneficial to begin treatments early before unhelpful habits get established. Your Massage Practitioner can help you to overcome many challenges from sleeping positions, to leg cramps, to ergonomic difficulties while nursing. Getting massage every two weeks in the second trimester and weekly in the third trimester will prepare your body for labour and delivery and the demands of a new baby.

Many expectant parents are told that massage should be avoided during pregnancy because there are certain areas that can send the client into labour. These points (they reside in the shoulders, hands, legs, ankles and feet) are known to those trained in Pregnancy Massage; your Practitioner will strictly avoid these points.

Positioning

If you’ve ever gone for massage before, you have likely spent a good deal of time on your belly and this might make you wonder how on earth a pregnant woman could receive an effective massage as her belly grows. But don’t worry, when the time comes, your practitioner will be very comfortable in treating you in the left side-lying position and will make sure that you are well-supported with a variety of special cushions and pillows. This is the same position that is recommended by healthcare professionals as the safest for sleeping, ensuring unobstructed blood flow through the body and to your baby because the major blood vessels are slightly to the right of the center of your back.

Some practitioners have a table that allows the belly to hang down through a hole into a supportive net. While this may be very comfy for many women, it is also a controversial practise as it has the potential to put the undo strain of the belly’s weight on the relaxed muscles, ligaments and tendons in that area.

In Labour

When you are in labour, massage can assist with your ability to cope with contractions by providing a feeling of reassurance and by blocking pain messages.[i] Your Practitioner can also show your partner or support person a variety of massage techniques that they can use on you during labour. This in turn can lead to an increased feeling of intimacy between the two of you.

In the postpartum period, massage can assist in your recovery by relaxing the muscles that have worked so hard, encouraging structural realignment and abdominal healing (including healing from a Caesarean birth), and provide essential respite from the postural strains and emotional stresses of tending to your newborn. It is usually considered safe to begin massage as soon as you like after a normal delivery and you may wish to find someone who will visit you at home in the first weeks after delivery when getting to a studio or clinic might not be such a simple task The childbearing year is full of tremendous changes physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually; as you give all your heart and soul to your new baby, make sure that you take the time to replenish your reserves.

---

[i] Massage employs something called, “the gateway theory of pain”. The idea behind it is that the “ports” in the spinal cord can only receive a limited amount of information from the body at any one time. The nerves that hook up to these “ports” will deliver messages faster if they are wider in diameter and slower if they are narrower. Because the nerves that deliver messages about pain are narrower than those that deliver messages about touch, the touch messages can reach the spinal cord first and occupy those “ports” so that they are unable to receive the pain messages. This doesn’t make pain disappear, but it can diminish it’s influence. (Melzack, Ronald. "Evolution of Pain Theories and the Neuromatrix". Medscape Today. June 21, 2007 .)

Summer Camps with Naomi Steinberg

STORYTELLING SUMMER CAMPS in JULY -

At Britannia Community Centre

1661 Napier (just off Commercial Drive)

To register please phone : 604.718.5800

Turn on the Light!!

Storytelling Camp for Children

July 23- 27

10am-12pm

$50

Using fairytales from around the world as a foundation for exploring our common humanity and for reveling in our diversity, children participating will have an opportunity to find their voices and practice telling what they perceive.

There are no mistakes possible as the whole world becomes a playground for our stories to come out and play….a playground full of fun, opportunities and consequences…

Once there Was….And Once There Was Not….

Storytelling camp for Adults

July 23- 27

4 pm- 6 pm

$ 75

The intention of the workshop is to familiarize people with the power of storytelling and each person’s power to tell stories.

During the Camp, we will be working with traditional folk and fairytales. Individuals are asked to bring a fairytale to work on over the course of the 5 days. (Resources will be brought in for those who are unable to find something on their own).

Using imaginative exercises, journaling, light body movement/play, discussion etc, participants will discover layers of meaning and relevance within each story. The camp could culminate in a small ‘telling event’ (this will be decided upon by the participants).

This workshop is guaranteed to be fun, moving and revealing – just like all good stories!!

Absolutely no experience necessary.

Spoonie Gets His Day in the Sun

Love him or hate him, you can't escape him!

Special Event: Fearless Festival Sets Its Stages!

Hip, young rapping sisters Genetics are just one of the great acts getting ready to kick off the 1^st Annual Fearless Festival happening July 1^st at Pigeon Park.

The line-ups on both the Pigeon Park main stage and the Coop Radio Courageous Words stage at Sunday’s event is eclectic and rapid-fire.

Other main stage acts include performances by City Opera, Poco Locos, The Rockin’ Guys, Dalannah Bowen, Heidi Morgan and Nightlife, which features Michelle Richard, who will also MC the day’s mainstage event.

Commercial Drive poet Leanne Sjodin, coordinator and host of the Coop Radio “Courageous Words” stage has also assembled an impressive roster of talent, including Roger Blenman & Chris Perrotte, Slam favourites Sean McGarragle and Brendan McLeod, plus Kevin Wilkie, Anne Miles, Adam Sheepbelly, Kagan Goh, Peter LaGrand and Bryn Williams. This stage will be broadcast live on Coop Radio 102.7fm and will feature the premiere performance of two new radio plays by East Vancouver’s notorious Theatre in the Raw.

There will be stuff for kids, bicycle decorating, break dancing demonstrations and more. The fun starts at 3pm at Pigeon Park with opening ceremonies and the national anthem led by Michelle Richard.

For a complete list of events, go here…

On July 1^st, Be Fearless!

Proudly supported by the City of Vancouver, Office of Cultural Affairs, The British Columbia Arts Council The Community Arts Council of Vancouver, the Community Arts Network and the Canadian Unitarian Council.

http://FEARLESSFEST.blogspot.com

Special Event: The Rollergirls Are At It Again!

Tickets are available at:
TerminalCityRollergirls.com
&
Rollergirl.ca

OR, on site *after July 10th:

*Rollergirl Rollerskates
1387 Odlum Drive
Van, BC
Mon-Fri 12-5

Event Name: Bring It On (live roller derby action)
Event Date: Saturday, July 28th/07
Event Time: Doors at 5:30, Pre-show at 6:30, Game at 7:00
Event Location: Minoru Arena, 7551 Minoru Gate, Richmond, BC (98 B-Line
takes you there)
Ticket Price: $15 advance, $20 at the door

ThisCityRocks - Episode 3: C.R. Avery Band

Special Event: Aboriginal Food Security Meeting

Good Food Box, Community Gardens, etc

Coffee/Tea House Community Meeting and Discussion

Are there foods that you wish you could access, but struggle with accessing? What does traditional food mean to you, and are you accessing these foods yourself? What are you not able to access for you and your family? Please come prepared to discuss these matters, and share everything that you are dealing with regarding good food.

This is a Community Meeting for Aboriginal People in Vancouver, and there are two meetings being held this week, to follow up from our Community Feast on May 3,07.

We welcome people who identify as Aboriginal, Native Canadian/American, Indigenous to North/South/Central America, Indian, Metis, Inuit, etc.

Thursday June 28. 2007

3:30-6:30 PM

Britannia Community Centre

Conference Room

1661 Napier St

This is the main office for Britannia Community Centre

We will be serving tea, coffee, and light snacks. There will be a focus on how to bring better quality food, with a focus on local farms, and other local foods that might be accessible to the Urban Aboriginal Population.

Contact Person: Cease Wyss

Call: 604-254-9949

E-Mail: uafep.vnhs@shawbiz.ca

Literary: Word of Mouth At Morning Glory this Sunday

Visual Art: Gerry Fuoco at Britannia Art Gallery

Dining on the Drive: The Little Nest

Found this review by Andrew Morrison at http://urbandiner.wordpress.com
Michelle and I were wandering around Commercial Drive this morning with the kids when we happened on The Little Nest. We were both besotted at first sight, for not only was the space beautiful, it was also billing itself as a “parent friendly cafe”. Bringing your kids isn’t just encouraged, it’s the whole concept, and they nail it bang on (more after the bump).

Read the full story here...

Bent on the Drive: Queer residents ponder their place in the Drive's past, present and future

Natasha Barsotti / Xtra West / Friday, June 08, 2007

When Denise Sheppard and her partner decided 14 years ago to pull up their Ottawa stakes and move to Vancouver, they called The Book Mantle, a lesbian-owned bookstore on Commercial Dr looking for signs of lesbian life.

"We were moving to a city where we had no contacts," recalls activist journalist Sheppard. "We wanted to rent in the right area, and where I like to live is in my community."

Not only did the shop's co-owner, Bonnie Murray, tell Sheppard she had called the right neighbourhood, she also invited Sheppard and her partner to stay in the basement apartment of her home until they found digs of their own.

Read the full story here...

Special Event: Aboriginal Family Time

Click image to enlarge.

Terminal City Rollergirls Take On Security At Fearless Fest

Andi Struction (Andrea Fraser), Machine Gun Sally (Sonia Nielsen), Candy Scrapple (Tonee Venittelli) and league president Micki Mercury (Michelle Lamouroux – pictured below) of the Terminal City Rollergirls don the Fearless Fest brand in preparation for the July 1^st festivities. Photos: Manuel Avila

Vancouver, BC

In a bold move, the Fearless Festival - held on East Hastings St., in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside - asks members of the Terminal City Rollergirls to head up Security for the Canada Day event.

“The organizers of the festival were adamant that Security not be dealt with in a heavy-handed or militaristic kind of way,” coordinator for the event, Steve Duncan said.

“While they recognise personal safety and security are important issues, particularly in that neighbourhood, they saw no need to deal with it in a way that would be intimidating to the people who make the area their home. When one committee member suggested an all-girl security team, the first thing that popped into my head was ‘Who are more fearless than the Rollergirls?”

“I think having them on board sends out a really good message to the community …and to other people who might be considering volunteering but may be concerned about safety, too.”

“I was glad that they could fit us into their busy schedule,” Duncan said. The East Vancouver flat-track derby league has lots of events underway, including their own benefit on July 4^th at the Marine Club, to help send the members of the league to a bout in Edmonton.

When concerns were voiced that the Rollergirls might not be trained to deal with the numerous possible problems that could present themselves, Duncan agreed.

“That’s why we are bringing in experts from Carnegie Community Centre for several years and who know what to expect. They’ll be speaking at the volunteer orientations, and answering any questions people might come up with. Besides, we’re not asking anyone to do the police’s job. They’ll be close at hand - if we need them.”

For more information about the Terminal City Rollergirls, check out their website at www.terminalcityrollergirls.com.

About the Fearless Festival

On July 1^st Pigeon park and Hastings Street from Carrall to Columbia is party central - celebrating the creativity, talent and history of the Downtown Eastside with music, story, art and dance featuring performances from City Opera, Dalannah Gail Bowen, Carnegie’s Rockin’ Guys, Pocos Locos - and so much more.

For more info call 604-788-8340, email srduncan@shaw.ca or check out the festival blog, http://fearlessfest.blospot.com.

If you are interested in helping out and being fearless like the Rollergirls, come to one of our Volunteer orientations at Carnegie Centre either on Tuesday, June 19^th at 7pm or Saturday, June 23 at noon, or email Barb Fairbrother at barb.fairbrother@gmail.com .

Editorial: The Sunday Muse

Today was a good day to live on the Drive. I woke up relatively early and went down to photocopy Commercial Drive – Live! flyers and posters and came home and hastily tacked up another 50 on the poles before going down to meet my friend Hinda, who was selling her delicious sauces and jams outside of Morning Glory Tea House.

I keep telling myself that one of these days I’ll do the smart thing and hire a street team to plaster the neighbourhood. I spent a good two hours last night walking along Commercial from Grant to Broadway and back again to Venables, then up again almost to Charles. As a matter of fact, my last poster ended up on the pole in front of the patio at Fets. A big thing I learned was it is important to poster late the night before or first thing the day of if you want your poster to remain up for Car-Free day. The poster racket is ruthless.

Next time I’ll be better prepared. No, really.

But my work did have some impact. By the time I came home I had an email from Karen Magill about her day on the Drive.

She wrote,

Dear Mr. Duncan,

I was at Britannia Centre and saw a flyer for thedriveisalive.blogspot. It was so great to see someone else blogging about Commercial Drive. I started my blog to promote my latest book but found that I got emails from people when I talked about walking through Hastings Park. People like to hear about my walking tours of Vancouver so that is what I blog about.

Thank you for your time.

Karen Magill

Read her Commercial Drive Day review here:

http://letusplaylovestory.blogspot.com/

We spent a lot of time last week talking about the sudden death of T. Paul Ste. Marie. His friends Frank and Claire opened up their beautiful home for us last weekend to celebrate his life. I wanted to steer you to the posting by Mom Poet about the lovely tribute. She does a fine job of summing up the event.

Check it out here...

By the way, fellow poet Susan Cormier took it upon herself to give T. Paul’s mom an anthology of stories and sentiments about T. Paul. She wants to give her a second edition. If you want to be included in this anthology please fire them her way at jaywalker@hotmail.com.

Finally, I just wanted to thank everyone who reads this blog, and tells their friends to do the same. As I was riding my bike last night, a young guy walking with a girl saw me passing and called out, “Hey, you’re the guy who rides that blog, The Drive is Alive, right?

Cool.

Drop me a line and say hi!

Garden Tours Happening Today

These tours of private gardens are sure to give you ideas and inspiration

Steve Whysall, Vancouver Sun

Published: Friday, June 15, 2007

If you haven't done one yet, how about going on a private garden tour this weekend or next? June is the perfect month to visit gardens when roses and clematis and many of the best perennials are in full flower.

It can be fun to see how other gardeners do things. And you can pick up a lot of practical ideas for your own garden.

What I like most about private garden tours is that they allow me to see how the same plant performs differently in different locations.

View Larger Image

Liam plays on the swing while parents Ian McSorley and Kelly Brooks and sister Hannah (right) enjoy the rest of the garden, part of the Eastside Garden Tour.

Ward Perrin, Vancouver Sun

Sometimes a tree is grown as a shrub, sometimes a shrub is grown as a tree. Some plants that we are told only thrive in the shade can be found to be flourishing perfectly in full sun.

Others that you'd think would only flower in bright sun can be found blooming their heads off in dappled shade. It's a lesson in the quirkiness and diversity of horticulture.

Visiting other people's gardens is a great way to get a better understanding of how plants can be used in different locations.

And it is also amazing to see how clever and creative gardeners have been in their use of containers, growing all sorts of perennials and shrubs in combination with flowering bulbs and tender annuals: phormiums with spirea, columbines with pineapple lilies, hostas and hydrangeas.

Ten private gardens will be open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the annual Eastside Garden Tour.

These gardens are all located within walking distance of Commercial Drive, making strolling or riding a bike viable options for getting around.

Tickets are $10 from Figaro's Garden store, 1896 Victoria Drive (604-253-1696). Proceeds from the tour go to support the "greening of public spaces."

Read the full story here...

Special Event: Cardboard Car Pile Up on Car-Free Day

What:
Card Board Car, Traffic Jam/Multiple Car Crash pile up fenderbender,
Road Rage Water/Pillow Fight!!!!... Mob.

When:
Sunday June 17th, 2007 (During the Commercial Drive Festival) http://
www.commercialdrivefestival.org
4:20pm

Where:
On the Road in front of Turks Coffee house (across from Grandview Park)

Premise:
Make a Cardboard Car and "Drive it" up The Drive.
Then at 4:20 pm there will be a fender Bender.
People will get out of their "cars"
An Argument will begin.
After the insurance papers come out people will vent their pent up
Road Rage with Water Guns and/or Pillows.
At about 4:25 people will turn and vent their anger on their "Cars"
while laughing like relentless psychopaths. (Vent on your own car
please)
After a few minuted of this, when the Vehicles get obliterated.... We will group hug like a bunch of Stinky Hippies for about a minute.

*Optional: After the hug, hold hands and spread out in a circle and
om for 30sec. (Not mandatory)

PLEASE CLEAN UP YOUR MESS!!!!
We may do a second one for the next Festival Date in June.


So to sum it up...
Let's keep it Flash Mob Simple and say that you can show up early in
your car, do whatever you want (Honk your horn, yell at pedestrians
etc.) then at 4:20 pm there will be a multi-(Card Board) car pile up
Road Rage Water/Pillow Fight, until 4:25 when we'll destroy the Cars
and Hug like stinky hippies while we Laugh relentlessly!!!.

Literary: Events and More at People's Co-op Books

We are selling tickets for the “Our Way Home” Peace event and Reunion in Castlegar, BC

July 4-8^th. Check out www.ourwayhomereunion.com for details. There is an amazing array of speakers and performers – from Daniel Ellsberg, Tom Hayden, the Dukhabor Choir, Holly Near, Country Joe McDonald, Leonard Weinglass, Utah Phillips, Maryem Tollar, Mark Kurlanky, to current and past war resisters and more. We also have commemorative t-shirts for $25.00.

As is always the case – fantastic new books keep arriving.

Noam Chomsky – Interventions (pb); Eduardo Galleano – Voices of Time: A Life in Stories (pb); Billy Bragg – Progressive Patriot (pb); Bridget Stuchbury – Silence of the Songbirds (hc); Khaled Hosseini- Thousand Splendid Suns (hc); Anne Stone – Delible (pb); Wilfred Burchett – Memories of a Rebel Journalist (pb); Steven Ross Smith - Fluttertongue 4: adagio for the pressured surround.

We also carry DVD's: Five Ring Circus (Olympics); You Never Bike Alone (Critical Mass Bike Ride); Indecent Exposure to Cars (World Naked Bike Ride); Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore's); Betrayed: Story of Canadian Merchant Seamen; Bitter Paradise: Sell-out of East Timor; Word Love, World Love; Made in Secret.

Drop by the store for your summer reading - we also have a great selection of mysteries, kids books and more.

Jane and the rest of the staff....

People's Co-op Bookstore (est 1945)
1391 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC
V5L 3X5
Tel/Fax 604-253-6442
Toll Free 1-888-511-5556
www.peoplescoopbookstore.com

Only Two More Sleeps Until Car-Free Days!

Local Poet Sjodin to Helm Courageous Words Stage

Vancouver’s newest and wildest Canada Day party – the Fearless Festival – is proud to welcome local poet and artist, Leanne Sjodin onto the Fearless team as host and organizer of the Coop Radio "Courageous Words" Stage.
Set to run from 4-7pm on Sunday, July 1st at the Radio Station Café (Columbia and Hastings) and broadcast simultaneously on CFRO 102.7fm.
"Leanne has a passion and poetic aesthetic which I think really compliments what we are trying to do here with Fearless," said festival coordinator Steven Duncan. "I knew when she accepted the position that she’d bring with her interesting writers and great energy. It will be exciting."
To find out how to perform at the Courageous Words Stage please contact Leanne at lanicobb@telus.net or call 253-8468.
About Leanne Sjodin
A humanist with flare, Leanne Sjodin is an emerging poet and fiction writer who finds her inspiration through the beauty and heartbreak of our everyday lives. She spends her days as a high-school English teacher and reports that it is the young who keep our pulse on reality. In pursuit of a vibrant life, she has recently taken up hula hooping.
About the Fearless Festival
From 3 to 9 pm on July 1st Pigeon park and Hastings Street from Carrall to Columbia is party central - celebrating the creativity, talent and history of the Downtown Eastside with music, story, art and dance featuring performances from City Opera, Dalannah Gail Bowen, Carnegie’s Rockin’ Guys - and so much more.
For more info call 604-788-8340, email srduncan@shaw.ca or check out the festival blog,
http://fearlessfest.blospot.com/.
Sponsored in part by the BC Arts Council and the City of Vancouver.

Visual Art: Call For Submissions

Call for Submissions
Britannia Art Gallery
Deadline: Received by August 15, 2007

For exhibition opportunities in 2008
Artists, community groups, artist collectives and schools....this is for anyone living or having a studio in the gallery catchment's territory. The area stretches from the south shore of Burrard Inlet to Broadway, from Main Street to Nanaimo Street.

Restrictions are no imagery that has explicit sexuality, nudity or overt violence. Public health and safety must be taken into consideration as the space is also part of the Britannia Library where children have access to the gallery.
Submission criteria, Application forms and gallery floor plans are available at the Britannia Information Centre. Just ask the receptionist for copies.
Information brochures are also on the newsstand in the library.

For further information contact:
Haruko Okano/curator
harokano@telus.net
Messages can be left for the curator at the Information Centre 604.718.5800

Theatre: Voices of the Fraser

This show about the development of the Fraser River features Carlos Joe Costa as John Dees. Written and Directed by Angela Brown.

Join Commercial Drive Donations Collection team

Help the Bus Rider's Union Stop the Fare Increase

On June 27th, TransLink directors will vote on the 2008 fare increase. If they are successful, fares will go up by at least 25 cents and monthly passes will go up by at least $4. We keep paying more, but the bus system actually is getting worse as overcrowding, long waits and pass-ups continue. While the crisis is clear, TransLink still pours billions into privatized rail projects like the Canada Line instead of buying more buses.

Meanwhile, skyrocketing rents, starvation-level welfare rates and a $6 training wage have left thousands of families struggling to survive in BC. Another fare increase would be a direct attack on our ability to feed and clothe our families. Our wages aren't going up – why are bus fares?

The only way we can stop this fare increase is by educating, organizing and mobilizing our communities to fight for our right to an affordable and reliable transit system!


Get involved in our campaign to stop the fare increase!
Here's how:

Spread the Word about the Proposed Fare Increase!

BRU Leafleting sessions:

Thursday, June 7th 6pm-8pm at Broadway and commercial

Sunday, June 17th 10am-3pm on Commercial Drive (between 1st & Venables)

Street Theatre with the BRU Culture Crew

Interested in helping out with props or doing popular education on the streets? Our street theatre this time around will focus on the experiences of bus riders around high fares and poor bus service. Join the BRU Culture Crew on Sunday, June 17th from 10am-3pm at the Commercial Drive festival!


For any of these events, contact us at 604 215 2775 or busridersunion@gmail.com to let us know you're coming!

--
Bus Riders Union
672 East Broadway St.
Vancouver BC
V5T 1X6
http://bru.vcn.bc.ca/
604-215-2775

Wake & Tribute Anthology For T. Paul Ste. Marie

A memorial gathering for friends and family of T.Paul Ste Marie is being held at the home of Frank and Claire Roberts.

The gathering will be:
4:00 to 8:00pm on Sunday, June 10th
Address: #5 - 1227 East 7th Avenue.

Some food and drink will be served, and further contributions are welcome but not required. Gifts of flowers are respectfully declined, but donations to the family to assist with funeral expenses are appreciated.

For further information, please contact Claire at kazmira@telus.net

There will be no formal funeral service held in Vancouver, but one is being arranged in Ontario.

For those with pet allergies, please note that Frank and Claire have two cats.

Tribute and information page: http://tpaul.burnbc.com


This came to me from Susan Cormier:

Considering that many of us are writers or storytellers, I think it would be appropriate if we
compiled a collection of stories and memories about T. Paul Ste-Marie to give to his mom.

If everyone who has a fond or funny memory or two of T. Paul would please take a moment to write a paragraph or more (pages would be great!) about him, I
would be overjoyed. Talk about how he inspired you to
write or create art, that funny conversation you
shared with him, or that flirtatious crush you had.
Did he stand up for you in an argument, encourage you
to get onstage, work with you on a project?

Don't worry about editing or polishing -- just please
keep it positive, and avoid trendy shorthand (eg. LOL,
IMHO) as his mom is of an older generation.

Please send your memories/stories to me at
susangrad93@yahoo.ca no later than noon on Saturday,
June 9, and please specify if you would like to remain anonymous.

I'll save all these stories to Word, print them out,
bind the pages simply, and give the book to his mom at
the wake on Sunday.

I am hoping for at least a dozen responses to this. A
hundred or more would be fantastic.

Please forward this email to anyone whose life was
touched by T. Paul.

Thank you,
Susan Cormier

News: Police Track Troublemaker

Vancouver police tracked down a troublemaker in the area of 7th Avenue and Commercial Drive yesterday morning. The man was picking fights with random people and assaulted an elderly man. An officer arrested the feisty fighter near the scene.

Poetry: Guerrilla Poetry Series @ Morning Glory Tea House Today

Warren Dean Fulton brings his street level Poetry reading to Commercial Drive's Morning Glory Tea House (1340 Commercial Drive) at 3pm this afternoon (Sunday) featuring Trevor Spilchen with a special tribute to friend and fellow poet T. Paul Ste. Marie by long time friend Susan Cormier.
Drop in, pay your respects, have a tea.

Local Poet T Paul Ste. Marie Passes Away

Poet, Promoter, Actor, Artist T. Paul Ste Marie found dead in his home. This email came from friend and fellow poet, Susan Cormier.

He passed away in his home in his home in the last 24 hrs. His good friend Ru found him this morning in his house on his couch. It looked like another anuerism or possibly a stroke. Not much is known at this time.
Arrangements are being made and you will all be informed about any services or gatherings held on his behalf.
It is a loss to the community and to all the people who knew him.
Please spread the word to anyone you know.

This is what T. Paul wrote about himself in his Facebook profile:

SOME OF MY FAVE THINGS...

*cooking!!!
*watching fantastic live music/cabaret/vaudeville/sideshow gigs when I'm not performing in them

*bebop & hardbop jazz
* believer in the traditions and teachings of If the Afro-Cuban form of what's best known as Santeria or Voudon
* low brow art
*old, strong poster designs like saul bass' work (all the hitchcock posters - west side story etc...)
*cheesey pulp fiction novels & particularly the great cover designs
*bad puns...i mean really bad puns!
*solid rockabilly & psychobilly music
*scrabble !
* my sharkskin suit collection
* simple pleasures
* anything timeless and classic
*purely amazing, hot, fun, raw sex!
* honesty and forthrightness
*photography
*painting, sketching, illustrating
*being onstage! emceeing amazing shows!
*GOOD musicals (cabaret, sweet charity, chicago, west side story, the producers)
*i love kitsch!!!!
*children's laughter
*collecting: dice, old playing cards, vintage lamps, side show paraphenalia,shoes (vintage), books of all kinds, masks, strange ornaments (glittery devil's head, odd ceramic figurines, wooden roosters and the like), vintage posters and tons of other stuff!
*cinema noir
* cinema vrit
*cinema neo-noir
*great indie flix
* the constant coincidence- like non-coincidences that life presents, one after another after another always the right time; the right place
* the clean, fresh look & feel of a new haircut
* the smell of a good hair pomade
* the astounding summarizations of moments, lifetimes & experiences richly whipped into good poetry
* all of the warm and passionate smoochin & huggin that goes with love or just plain fun lust!
* devouring books of all kinds as if they were sweet, ripe, nutritious fruits
* facilitating the artistic endeavours of others
* the touch of a loving hand
* smiling randomly at people, disarming them completely
* MUSIC! the sound of life!
* engaging, stimulating converstaions
* the scent of a babys head (maple syrupy, icing sugar, soapy clean-like)
* the satisfying sensuality of a flavouful meal
* rain...real rain with drops all thick & heavy & thunder & lightning
* the horror/beauty of Las Vegas
* straight from the belly/heart laughter
* the smooth lines & boss looks of classic cars
* under used words & phrases like nifty, boss, the cats pyjamas, the bees knees
* breaking barriers
* surprising myself
* writing as if with a paintbrush, painting as if with a violin, spilling inky music out of the end of a pen
* positive & optimistic realists who maintain a certain safe amount of humorous cynicism

learning, absorbing, adapting -i am a polymorph...an adaptable creature by nature, slipping in and out from beneath a multitude of different hats that will have me emceeing a Ska & Punk show one moment, performing vaudeville/burlesque/cabaret gigs, and a posh award's dinner the next - i am here to learn and to absorb and reflect and to be reflected

T. Paul was 41.

Special Event: Puppet Showcase at In The House Festival

In the House Festival takes place over 2 days & features a bunch of different performances happening in big ol' heritage homes around Commercial Drive. The cool thing about it is because it's in people's homes, there's an intimacy between performers and audience that you may not find elsewhere.

check it out,
here's the schedule & info for In the House:
http://inthehousefestival.com/inthehouse2007.htm

the puppet showcase will be 4 different puppet troupes:

Mind of a Snail (us with a new shadowplay! )
Sticky Fingers
Flexible theatre
Carnival Sized Cinnamon Hearts

it starts at 7pm sharp, June 2nd
1170 Semlin Drive-
there's limited seating, so get tickets early ($10)
and arrive early!

here's some details about these performers:

Mind of a Snail Puppet Co.:
"The spiral house of the snail is small enough to be carried on its back and yet capable of exponential growth. With its lubricated foot, the snail easily and deliberately traverses any terrain." ~D. Holmgren

Mind of a Snail Puppet Co. is a Compost-Modernist art duo that creates permacultured participatory experiences in the moment. Since 2003, Jessica Gabriel and Chloe Ziner have been offering multidisciplinary performances and workshops to various groups throughout British Columbia. Together they have diverse educational backgrounds in clowning, maskwork, music, performance art, fine art and permaculture. They are at home on the Sunshine Coast; and are currently exploring a unique style of shadow puppetry, using an overhead projector and a variety of recycled materials.

"Compost-Modernism is the era in which we re-use all our junk in a more sustainable way."
~Alejandra Liora Adler

www.myspace.com/mindofasnail
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Flexible Theatre:
Diana Jeffries has been involved in performance theatre for the past 15 years, beginning as an actor in Vancouver, BC. She studied drama at the Actors Studio in Montreal, script writing at the University of London, and puppetry at the London School of Puppetry in London England. Diana set up Flexible Theatre after her return from London England in 2004 and has produced several puppet plays since. All the puppets and masks at Flexible Theatre are created and made by Diana at her Puppet workshop in Vancouver. Although puppet theatre does not play a prominent role in the cultural life of Vancouver, Diana hopes to create contemporary and folk puppet theatre so as to enhance the cultural, political and social landscape of our community.

www.flexibletheatre.ca
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Sticky Fingers:
Sticky Fingers was created to bring new works of puppetry to Vancouver audiences. Enlisting diverse members from the performing and visual arts, the group began working together in 2005. Combining movement, theatre, sculpture and puppetry, Sticky Fingers began to shape its premiere production about a bathtub, a man without an imagination, and a magical journey. Down the Drain premiered at the Vancouver Fringe Festival in September 2006 to glowing reviews from young and old alike. Critics called it “charming,” “irreverent” and “wickedly inventive.”
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Carnival-Sized Cinnamon Hearts:
Carnival Sized Cinnamon Hearts has been exuberantly producing, directing and performing puppet shows for appreciative Vancouver audiences since 1999. The puppet shows include; puppets paintings, videos and textiles and have been performed & exhibited both locally and internationally. The musical accompaniment of a group of professional musicians makes the shows a complete entertainment package.

wow!