Join us for an evening of poetry, prose, and music at BNA Burger! IWC is delighted to be hosting the launch of Norah Bowman’s newest book, My Eyes Are Fuses (Caitlin Press, 2024), featuring a Holiday Special Open Mic.

First, we will open with a holiday-themed open mic. Will IWC learn the true meaning of the holidays? Bring your festive writing and holiday outfits to find out! Next, Two Spirit Cree and Métis artist, de-colonial activist, graduate student, and poet Alana Firedancer will offer a poetry performance. The evening will culminate with a reading and interview with author and artist Norah Bowman!

Entry is a $6-$10 sliding scale.

Copies of My Eyes Are Fuses will be available to purchase at the event.

About the book: Weaving together a modern retelling of Roman Empress Agrippina the Elder, a künstlerroman-inspired exploration of French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle, and the contemporary portrait of an unhappily married mother, Bowman’s My Eyes Are Fuses is a bold exploration of tensions between freedom of art and the constraints of gender. Spanning centuries, these poems offer enchantments and antidotes, extract the poison from moments of pain, distil it down to a sweet elixir. Here, women are animals, witches, artists, rebels, imagined beyond their accomplishments, drawn together through time. With careful form, Bowman conjures a new chronicle for these women as time travellers, shapeshifters, goddesses akin to the three Fates, powerful beyond what their moments in time allowed of them.

About the author: Norah Bowman lives on Unceded Syilx Okanagan territory, home to ponderosa pines and bunchgrass. Norah is a poet, artist, and feminist writer whose interests include art, feminist movements around the world, equity for all, and protection of the earth. She is the author of Amplify! A Graphic Novel of Feminist Resistance (University of Toronto Press, 2019) and Breath, Like Water: An Anticolonial Romance (Caitlin Press, 2021).

Doors are at 6:30 pm, and sign up for the open mic begins promptly at 6:30p m with our hosts. We have 5 open mic spots available and are first come, first served. Both food and drink will be available from BNA.

There are two single user, gender-neutral washrooms available and the space is wheelchair accessible.

Our programming is made possible by the City of Kelowna, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan, and BNA Brewery.

We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work in the unceded, ancestral territory of the Syilx people. It is a privilege to be able to put on events as uninvited guests on their land.

Book description courtesy of Caitlin Press.

Join us for an evening of poetry, prose, and music at BNA Burger (in the BNA tasting room)! IWC presents our Open Mic! Entry is a $6-$10 sliding scale, and $5 for members.

Doors are at 6:30 pm, and sign up begins promptly at 6:30 pm with our hosts. We have 10 open mic spots, so bring your stories, poems, and music! Spots are first come, first served. Both food and drink will be available from BNA.

There are two single user, gender-neutral washrooms available and the space is wheelchair accessible.

Our programming is made possible by the City of Kelowna, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan, and BNA Brewery.

We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work in the unceded, ancestral territory of the Syilx people. It is a privilege to be able to put on events as uninvited guests on their land.

Join us for an evening of poetry, fun, and friendly competition at BNA Burger (in the BNA tasting room)! IWC presents our Open Mic and Open Slam! Entry is a $6-$10 sliding scale, and $5 for members.

Doors are at 6:30 pm, and sign up begins promptly at 6:30 pm with our hosts. We have 5 open mic spots and 5 open slam spots—with cash prizes for the open slam! Spots are first come, first served. Both food and drink will be available from BNA.

There are two single user, gender-neutral washrooms available and the space is wheelchair accessible.

Our programming is made possible by the City of Kelowna, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan, and BNA Brewery.

We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work in the unceded, ancestral territory of the Syilx people. It is a privilege to be able to put on events as uninvited guests on their land.

IWC is pleased to partner with Nuit Blanche to bring you an evening of captivating art and performance—featuring Travis Andrews, Lexi Tarasoff, Ella Schmor, and Finch James! The event starts at 6:00 pm and IWC poets will be performing with Nuit Blanche between 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm. Festival goers are invited to explore and observe interactive workshops and creative performance. This portion of the event will be taking place in the Interior Savings parking lot across from the French Cultural Centre on the corner of Bernard and Richter.

Nuit Blanche Kelowna, a celebration of creativity organized by the Centre Culturel Francophone de l’Okanagan since 2013, invites the community to explore a world where art lights up the night. This year’s theme, “Through the Stitches,” threads together an array of artistic styles, mediums, and performances, each connected by the intricate fabric of human expression.

From illuminated visual arts that glow against the night sky to interactive workshops that invite you to weave your own creativity, this year’s Nuit Blanche features both local and traveling talent and most events are family friendly and free to the public. Theatrical performances will blur the lines between reality and imagination, and the evening will conclude with a “silent disco” where audiences can don a headset and choose between three styles of local DJs to dance to.

Most events are free and all ages. Some events are 19+ (bar on site). Please visit Nuit Blanche for additional information.

Our programming is made possible by the City of Kelowna, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan, and BNA Brewery.

We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work in the unceded, ancestral territory of the Syilx people. It is a privilege to be able to put on events as uninvited guests on their land.

We’re back! Join IWC as we kickoff season 15! Come down for an evening of poetry, prose, and music at BNA Burger (in the BNA tasting room)! IWC presents our Open Mic! Entry is a $6-$10 sliding scale, and $5 for members.

Curious what type of material you can share? Music, poetry, dance, comedy—you name it, we welcome it! IWC offers an inclusive and encouraging environment for all skill levels.

Doors are at 6:30 pm, and sign up begins promptly at 6:30 pm with our hosts. We have 10 open mic spots, so bring your stories, poems, and music! Spots are first come, first served. Both food and drink will be available from BNA.

There are two single user, gender-neutral washrooms available and the space is wheelchair accessible.

Our programming is made possible by the City of Kelowna, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan, and BNA Brewery.

We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work in the unceded, ancestral territory of the Syilx people. It is a privilege to be able to put on events as uninvited guests on their land.