Bill Arnott’s Beat: Bonnie Nish, Real Life Pandora

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] tenth birthday’s no big deal. Sure, you hit double digits, but it’s not like when you become a teenager or hit those high, round decades people lie about. Unless, of course, you’re a poetry group that convenes in a gallery. Then it’s a very big deal. Pandora’s Collective is one of those, a remarkable group lead by Bonnie Nish.

Pandora’s has been sharing successful events around Greater Vancouver for over twenty years. It’s a true collective, not only running but promoting a host of writing-inspired events in the city and beyond: Victoria’s Planet Earth Poetry, Surrey Muse, New Westminster’s RCLAS, TWS readings, Zero to 360, Lit Café, the Downtown Eastside Writers Collective, SFU’s Lunch Poems, Burnaby’s Spoken INK, Co-op Radio’s Wax Poetic, Word Whip Series, Twisted Poets, and ten years of poetry readings in the Zack Gallery at Vancouver’s Jewish Community Centre, with support from the Waldman Library and Yosef Wosk. And how did they celebrate their tenth birthday? Well, with a poetry reading, of course. But not just any poetry reading. A big one! [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”#44ABD2″ class=”” size=”26″]”I’d always considered this well run collective’s moniker somewhat cheeky until I saw Bonnie in action, akin to the Greek goddess namesake-trickster who disseminated hot fire amongst mortals.”[/perfectpullquote] This particular night a decade was celebrated with an ekphrastic-inspired exhibit and readings. Twenty prominent Vancouver poets formed ten duos to write and read new work inspired by featured photos and paintings at the JCC Zack Gallery: Heidi Greco and Timothy Shay, Sita Carboni and Leanne Boschman, Kevin Spenst and Amanda Wardrop, Bonnie herself along with Mary Duffy, Rosemary Nowicki and Christy Hill, Jude Neale and Lindsay Kwan, Fran Bourassa and David Geary, JC Cortens and Candice James, Natasha Boskic and Angela Rebrec, as well as Kyle Hawke with Chelsea Comeau. Featured artists – muses to the poets – were: Michael Seelig, Jack Rootman, Ira Hoffecker, Claudine Pommier, Larry Green, Olga Campbell, Robin Atlas, Carl Rothschild, Ian Penn, and Ivor Levin.

I’d always considered this well run collective’s moniker somewhat cheeky until I saw Bonnie in action, akin to the Greek goddess namesake-trickster who disseminated hot fire amongst mortals. (Isn’t all fire hot?) Not that kind of hot. Although, yes, it was. Pandora’s fire was, like, stolen hot. So, hot hot you could say, without redundancy. And man, can that goddess disperse fire. I’m talking about Bonnie now. New poems sizzled and sparked through the gallery, a fiery incandescence of creativity. I was seriously worried (and I couldn’t have been the only one) the sprinkler system would be triggered. I lost most of my eyebrows in the backdraft. People said I look surprised. But Pandora herself (the much older, Greek one) would’ve been proud – surveying the room with a Jim Carrey green-mask smile. Smokin’!

There were food, camaraderie and a hum of enthusiasm in the packed room amongst a stunning array of artwork. Funds were raised through donations and sales of the freshly published Celebrating Ten Years: Poetry & Art – Sydney and Gertrude Zack Gallery, a well-blended feature of select poems and corresponding visual art. All in all, a great celebration, showcased through supportive collaboration. It was a pleasure being part of it. No excess sugar meltdowns that I could see. And with this series, I’m actually looking forward to the teenage years.

First published by the Federation of BC Writers.

***

Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of 2019 WIBA Finalist Gone Viking: A Travel Saga and Dromomania. His Indie Folk CD is Studio 6. Bill’s received awards for prose, poetry, songwriting, and been a featured performer at hundreds of literary festivals and mixed-media events internationally. His work is published in Canada, the US, UK, Europe and Asia. When not trekking the globe with a small pack, weatherproof journal and often-dead camera phone, Bill can be found on Canada’s west coast, making friends and misbehaving. https://www.amazon.com/author/billarnott_aps

Bill Arnott

Website

Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of A Season on Vancouver Island, theGone Viking travelogues, andA Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, on Foot(Arsenal Pulp Press, Fall 2024). Recipient of a Fellowship at London’s Royal Geographical Society for his expeditions, Bill’s a frequent presenter and contributor to magazines, universities, podcasts, TV and radio. When not trekking with a small pack and journal, Bill can be found on Canada’s west coast, where he lives near the sea on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land.