Bowen authors take centre stage

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• Bowen's non-writers festival
• Solstice concert brightened Bowen
• Old-time Bowen alive
• Down with Bowen old and in with Bowen new
• OOB (only on Bowen)
• Bowen holiday memories

Welcome to year 22 of Island Neighbours: stories of Island history, people, activities and events. To share an item, phone Lois at 947-2440 or e-mail to: lbmcarter@shaw.ca.

Bernice Lever popped her head into the Undercurrent office the other day exclaiming  “The new issue of BC Book World is out and it’s full of islanders – it’s almost a Bowen Island issue!” BC Book World is the quarterly publication that provides a marvelous guide to books and publishing and Bernice was right. Her latest book, Imagining Lives, was noted on page 26 along with two of her poems, Ignore Linear and Privates plus a fine photograph. Pauline LeBel’s many talents were noted on page 35 and her new book Science, Wisdom and the Future: Humanity’s Quest for a Flourishing Earth was listed.  And, yes, her photo was there.

Adding to the island content was the page 3 story and charming photograph of Bowen’s Kenya-born Amrita Sondhi, a multi-talented person. She is a certified yoga instructor who created a successful boutique in Vancouver’s Point Grey neighbourhood, A chance encounter with Lululemon’s Chip Wilson led to her interactive role with that firm. Her first book was the 2006 Modern Ayurveda Cookbook: Healthful, Healing Recipes for the Modern Life that is now in its third printing. She’s tucked a TV show into her busy schedule and has now produced her second Ayurveda cookbook, The Tastes of Ayurveda: More Healthful, Healing Recipes for the Modern Ayurvedic (Arsenal Pulp, $26. 95). Ayurveda is the 5,000 year-old healing tradition from India linked to the development of yoga.  It’s based on the concept that one’s physical, mental and spiritual well being comes from a number of sources, including a healthful diet based on one’s individual constitution, Amrita is also the founder of Movement Global Design, providing cutting edge yoga lifestyle clothing in sustainable fibers. In keeping with her focus on sustainability, 10 per cent of proceeds from Movement and the cookbooks go to the Pamoja Foundation, which she co-founded in 1999. It aids grass roots entrepreneurs to move from poverty to self-sustainability through micro-loans. Amrita attributes living with purpose to her yoga practice and is deeply grateful to those who come to her classes. as she believes that her teaching brings her infinite returns and keeps the dharma wheel turning.

Bowen creativity will be further demonstrated at the Living Artfully reading and discussion being held on Saturday, September 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Gallery at Artisan Square. Bernice Lever and Lisa Shatzky are two of the five personalities participating. Living Artfully: Reflections from the Far West Coast is the newly published book in which 42 contributors share their varied experiences and expressions of the creative island life style through stories, memoirs, poems, visual art, music and dance. Lisa and Bernice will be joined by Vancouverite Michael Scott Curnes, Gabriola’s Sharon McInnes and dancer Celeste Snowber. Presenters will bring books of their own for display, purchase and signing. Admission is by donation and refreshments will be served. The evening sounds like great fun.

Ten Years Ago in the Undercurrent of September 20, 2002, Barbara Murray interviewed municipal council candidates Peter Frinton and Luz Budzinski. Frinton noted that his interests covered waste management, a civic facility, as well as unresolved issues from the LUB. Budzinski, chair of the Ferry Advisory Committee and a founding member of the Nature Club, said his priorities included affordable housing and finishing the Snug Cove Plan. • Norma Dallas wrote a thoughtful salute to Sensei Jim MacDonald who died on September 15. • The Undercurrent of September 27 spoke of the moving memorial for the Reverend Christina Burnett on September 22. The intimate spaces of the little red church were jammed and more than a hundred other friends sat outside to share the thoughtful tribute to this remarkable woman who died so unexpectedly. • Kathy Dunster’s letter noted her five years of attending quarterly meetings of the Islands Trust and its importance to the federation of 470 islands. Barbara Murray’s interview of councilor Ross Carter focused on his long attachment to Bowen Island as well as a number of major issues facing the island.

• How about a bit of Bowen road trivia? Adams Road: George Adams was a successful contractor who built Vancouver’s Carnegie Library, early parts of the Vancouver General Hospital and the W.H. Malkin warehouse which later became the Old Spaghetti Factory. In the thirties, he and his family were frequent summer visitors. Adams noted the availability of the 850-acre property at Tunstall Bay that had been the site of the early explosives plant. It had been on the market since 1914 or so with no takers. Adams paid $16,000, bought the lot, built a house and moved there with his family in 1939. Later, his daughters Maisie and Lillian became active in Bowen community life.

• The Last Word:  Just for fun. I used to record unusual license plates that I saw.  I’ll share some of my findings with you. How about M A Six, or FX M UP or 4 GRAMA?  Then, there was PAC RAT, and O BOUY and 0007-VV. Does anyone else out there enjoy spotting these unusual plates? If so, send me your discoveries and I’ll add them to my list.