Word Vancouver opens its festival with a vibrant evening hosted by our Guest Indigenous Curator, Frances Koncan, and our Guest 2SLGBTQIA+ Curator, Nicola Harwood. Bringing together literary and performance voices from across disciplines, Opening Night celebrates the power of stories, creativity, and community. This lively and welcoming event offers an inspiring introduction to the festival and the conversations, readings, and ideas that will unfold throughout the week. This year’s theme, Finding Joy in Dark Times, is beautifully reflected in a dynamic and engaging program that promises to spark connection, reflection, and delight as we launch the festival together.
Location: VPL Main Branch, Alice Mac Kay Room
Type: Poetry, Fiction, Comedy, Reading, In Conversation
Sponsored by: Word Vancouver · Vancouver Public Library
Hosts: Frances Koncan, Guest Indigenous Curator, Space Girl: A Cosmic Comedy (Talonbooks) · Nicola Harwood, Guest 2SLGBTQIA+ Curator, Flight Instructions for the Commitment Impaired(Caitlin Press)
Traditional Welcome: Ḵung Jaadee (Roberta Kennedy), I am Connected (Medicine Wheel Publishing)
Guests: Nyla Bedard, Reading/Stand-up Comedy Set | Debbie Courchene, Stand-up Comedy Set | Alex Leslie, Vancouver for Beginners (Book*hug Press) |Dave Deveau, Cissy: Three Gender Plays: Nelly Boy, My Funny Valentine, and Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls (Talonbooks)
About The Hosts
Nicola Harwood
Nicola Harwood is an interdisciplinary artist and writer. Their plays, performances and installation projects have been produced and exhibited in Canada, Europe and the US. Nicola often works in collaboration with other artists and has facilitated many art, writing and theatre projects in communities. They are grateful to live on the ancestral, unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations also known as Vancouver, Canada.
About The Guests
Kung Jaadee Kennedy/Roberta Kennedy
Kung Jaadee is a Squamish and Haida storyteller, singer, drummer, author who has been performing stories for 33 years. She has been performing across the country and she has started telling stories in Marrakech, Morocco at the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival. She’s a Guinness World Record Holder.
Alex Leslie
Alex Leslie has published two collections of short stories, We All Need to Eat (Book*hug) and People Who Disappear, and two collections of poetry, The things I heard about you (Nightwood) and Vancouver for Beginners (Book*hug) which was shortlisted for the City of Vancouver Book Prize and won the Western Canada Jewish Book Prize for poetry. Alex's first novel is forthcoming from Freehand this Spring. Her short stories are included in Best Canadian Stories 2020, 2026 and 2027. Recent short stories have been published in Plenitude, Geist and EVENT.
Dave Deveau
Dave Deveau (he/they) is a Vancouver-based award-winning writer and performer whose work has been produced across North America and in Europe. He is the Co-Artistic and Managing Director of Carousel Theatre for Young People and the Founding Associate Artistic Director of Zee Zee Theatre who have produced many of his plays including My Funny Valentine. Their TYA plays have had substantial life in Canada, USA, Israel, Poland, and Germany and include Out in the Open, tagged, Celestial Being, Ladies an Gentlemen, Boys and Girls and The Papa Penguin Play. He is currently working on a new TYA adaptation of A Christmas Carol looking at Influencer culture. Their work has been nominated for 4 Doras (including Outstanding Play for Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls) and 21 Jessies. He is currently raising his two glorious kids with his husband and collaborator Cameron Mackenzie.
