Joy Kogawa story in Vancouver Sun's "Raise a Reader" supplement

Rebecca Wigod wrote a short story about Joy Kogawa in Thursday's Septemeber 29th, Vancouve Sun, page A23c.  with a small picture.

On the road of learning with Joy Kogawa
by Rebecca Wigod

Please sign the petition to preserve the Kogawa Homestead. Click on the white banner - this will forward you to an on-line petition.

Donations can be made in care of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation

Naomi's Road: Vancouver Opera premiere of Joy Kogawa's children's book based on nove Obasan

Click here for the Review of the Oct 1, Saturday Matinee performance.

	Vancouver Opera September 30, October 1 & 2 , 2005 Evening performance 7:30 pm, Matinees 3:00 pm Norman Rothstein Theatre

Naomi's Road is a new opera for young audiences. It is composed by Ramona Luengen, with libretto by Ann Hodges. It is based on Joy Kogawa's novel Naomi's Road which tells the story of a young girl named Naomi and her brother Stephen as they meet the challenges created by the internment of Japanese-Canadians during World War 2.

Check out the Vancouver Opera Naomi's Road press release

I have seen performances of highlights from the Opera both at the Chan Centre for Roy Miki's June 27th lecture for the Laurier Institution titled, Redress: Dealing with Past Injustices, and also at the Vancouver Arts Awards last week.  Both times, the performances were captivating and featured singer Jessica Cheung in the role of Naomi.

This is a milestone for Asian Canadian art and literature for a successful children's story to be turned into an opera, that will be touring schools throughout BC, as part of the Vancouver Opera in the Schools program.  It is important to share the story about an ugly chapter in Canada's history - yet teaching children how to move beyond racism and hatred.

The "Save the Kogawa Homestead" Committee is meeting:

Friday, September 30th, 4pm
Sylvia Hotel
1154 Gilford @ Beach Avenue
Vancouver, BC

This will be the first meeting in person of the reconstituted committee.  It is important for us to meet in person and strategize how to best save the house where author Joy Kogawa had so many happy childhood memories and was raised until the internment of Japanese-Canadians forced the Kogawa family to Slocan BC.

For the history of the committee: see www.kogawa.homestead.com

Several strategies will be discussed, and we will also discuss key meetings with movers and shakers in our literary community + political community.

Worst case scenario:  Kogawa House is demolished.
Best case scenario:  Kogawa House is saved and preserved on original site.
Alternative scenario: Kogawa House is saved but moved to another site.  But this could be similar to the displacement faced by the Japanese Canadians who were interned!

Good people are needed for this committee!
Please step forward and make yourself known.

Please sign the petition to preserve the Kogawa Homestead. Click on the white banner - this will forward you to an on-line petition.

Donations can be made in care of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation

Vancouver Courier story on Joy Kogawa:

Literary icon's home faces wrecker's ball
By Sandra Thomas-Staff writer
http://www.vancourier.com/issues05/094205/news/094205nn11.html

Last November city council passed a motion to plant a cherry tree propagated from one growing in the backyard of the former home of author Joy Kogawa.

But if a demolition application recently filed at the city by the owner is approved, that tree could soon be one of the last remaining tangible symbols of the home on West 64th Avenue.

Kogawa lived there until she was six years old, when her Japanese-Canadian family was interned in the Slocan Valley during the Second World War. The Marpole house was then auctioned off at a bargain price by the government's "Custodian of Enemy Alien Property" program. Her 1983 autobiographical work Obasan, named one of the most influential novels of the 20th century by Quill and Quire, a monthly magazine of the Canadian book trade, tells the story of the internment camp through the eyes of a child.

Kogawa, who keeps small apartments in both Vancouver and Toronto, noted the irony of receiving the bad news while being honoured at several events across the city.

"It is how life operates," said Kogawa from her children's home in Surrey. "It is the yin and yang of the world."

Kogawa was honoured last weekend at a One Book, One Vancouver event for her novel Naomi's Road, the children's version of Obasan, at Vancouver Public Library, and at a dinner for Ricepaper Magazine, during the Word on the Street Book and Magazine Fair, and at the premiere of Naomi's Road performed by Vancouver Opera.

Kogawa, who was named to the Order of Canada for her writing and work with the Japanese-Canadian redress movement, said she was "dumbfounded" by the news the home is in danger. Two years ago Kogawa discovered the property was for sale and a committee was formed in an attempt to purchase it. The home was eventually bought by private owners. In December 2004 when the owners started renovations without a permit, the Joy Kogawa Homestead Foundation contacted both the city and the media to increase pressure on the federal and provincial governments to save the home as a historical and cultural icon.

The city issued a stop-work order which the new owners followed. They also donated the three doors and 12 windows they had removed to the city for safe keeping. The owners, who have no messaging service, did not answer several phone calls from the Courier.

"I don't want to be aggressive, I don't want to fight," Kogawa said. "We'll see what friendship can do."

Jim Green, a city councillor and mayoral candidate for Vision Vancouver, said he was at the house with Kogawa recently to look at the cherry tree.

"This is too sad," he said. "This is a historical place in Canada and it should be preserved."

Green sits on the city's heritage committee but admits the city can do little to save the home.

"There is very little we can do with the powers we have," he said. "It will be up to the will of council because I expect it to come before the development permit board because it would have a significant impact historically on Vancouver."

Green said he and Kogawa expect to plant the cherry tree on the grounds of city hall within the next couple of weeks.

For more updates on the Kogawa Homestead status, please see:
www.kogawa.homestead.com
For more updates, articles on Kogawa Homestead and Joy Kogawa on this web site, please see:
Joy Kogawa's Obasan and Homestead

Ricepaper 10th Anniversary Celebrations: featuring Joy Kogawa, Scott McIntyre & Gim Wong


Ricepaper staffers greet guests at the door - photo Meena Wong

It was a love-fest as former editors and writers, + many featured authors and performers + our favourite city councillors and community organizers, all attended the celebration.  The Buzz about the Rice Paper Magazine 10th Anniversary Party, organized by Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop, picked up speed late in the week.  Numbers confirmed on Thursday night practically doubled by Saturday night, as attendees "borrowed" extra chairs and tables from the Tinseltown Food Court.

Writers Fiona Lam and Lydia Kwa sat at a table next to Faye Leung, Vancouver Librarian Ross Bliss stated "I want to meet writers!" and was quickly introduced to lots.  UBC professor Glenn Deere and wife Faye sat at the Joy Kogawa table.  Writer and Artist Janice Wong, along with Capilano College instructor and writer Crawford Killian joined friends at Scott McIntyre's table. Citizenship Court Judge (and former City Councillor) Sandra Wilking sat nearby Opera singer Grace Chan, and across from writer SKY Lee. City councillor Ellen Woodsworth chatted with SFU writer-in-residence Daphne Marlatt. City Councillor Anne Roberts brought her mother Barbara.  Kelly Ip chatted with Lt. Col. Howe Lee.  Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre producer Joy Lam hung out with CBC writer Charlie Cho, and scripting partner Grace Chin.


Elwin Xie (ACWW Director) and Joyce Lam (VACT producer) share a smile and long friendship - photo Meena Wong


Joy Kogawa signs a book for one of the many event guests - photo Meena Wong

Whoops of joy were heard as it was announced that Vancouver city councillor Sam Sullivan had secured his mayoralty bid to represent the NPA party, as he made a surprise appearance fresh from the NPA counting.  Even COPE city councillors Anne Roberts and Ellen Woodsworth rushed to give him heartfelt congratulations.

And in the middle of this sat our featured guests: Joy Kogawa, Scott McIntyre and Gim Wong.  Host and ACWW Vice President Don Montgomery introduced each starting with Kogawa.  Joy said that this year started off with the surprise of having Obasan selected for the Vancouver Public Library's One Book One Vancouver program, and described how wonderful the republishing of new versions of Emily Kato (Itsutka) and Naomi's Road have been plus the delight of seeing Emily's Road transformed into an opera by the Vancouver Opera.


Joy Kogawa holds her ACWW Community Builders Award while Todd Wong (ACWW vice-president) speaks about efforts to save the Kogawa Homestead - Event host Don Mongomery (ACWW vice-president) looks on - photo Meena Wong

Joy called on me to speak about the developments of the previous 60 hours, as she had learned about the planned demolition of the Kogawa Homestead and the efforts mobilized to save it.  I described the seemingly impossible contradiction that while this week when Joy is being celebrated at the Rice Paper Anniversary Dinner, Word On The Street, Vancouver Public Library and Vancouver Opera... the proposed demolition represents polar opposites that create a dynamic tension, giving even greater emphasis on both positive and negative aspects.  But it is because of her being celebrated, that reaction to the proposed demolition, is even more sharply responded to - witness the way that the Globe & Mail picked up on the story, that it was announced and spoken about at the Vancouver Arts Awards by both Mayor Larry Campbell and city councillor Jim Green.  And by the evening, Scott McIntyre was volunteering his influence and suggestions to help save the house. "One Million Dollars should be easy to raise," he told me.


Scott McIntyre tells the audience about the pionneering nature of the books by Paul Yee, SKY Lee and Jim Wong-Chu that he has published - photo Meena Wong

Scott McIntyre was jovial in his speech.  He spoke about the achivements of Douglas McIntyre Publishing, in putting out Salt water City by Paul Yee, Disappearing Moon Cafe by SKY Lee, and Many Mouthed Birds edited by by Jim Wong-Chu and Bennett Lee - each the first of their genres, pioneers in Asian Canadian literature.  Then Scott said, "We haven't done enough."  He talked about the fact that we are all one family - no longer separated by clan or race distinctions.  Chinese-Canadian literature and Japanese-Canadian literature is all Canadian literature - We are all the same family, as he spoke about how his own daughter-in-law is Asian, and they are all one family.  I was so moved by his talk, that at the end of the evening, I invited him to speak the same words for the 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner in January.  "I'd be delighted," was his reply.


Gim Wong recalls the sacrifices he made and the discrimination that he faced by choosing to enter Canada's armed forces in WW2 - photo Meena Wong

Gim Wong, stood up shakily, his 82 years betraying his youthful heart and still innocent demeanor.  Honest in his gratitude, and eloquent in his politeness, Gim talked about how proud he is to be a Canadian, and how he came to enlist and train in the Canadian armed forces, when nobody wanted Chinese in the army, airforce or navy.  "We couldn't even vote," he exclaimed.  He described his unselfish attitude, willing to make the supreme sacrifice for the country of his birth, and how he has continued to sacrifice his time unselfishly to champion for redress, for the Chinese head tax. "They told me it couldn't be done," he said of his motorcyle "Ride for Redress" from Victoria's Mile 0, to Ottawa and Montreal.  His bravado had revealed itself when he had threatened to ride his Harley up the steps of Parliament to confront Prime Minister Paul Martin.  His son Jefferey had accompanied him on the ride, and looked after him.  This week, the Georgia Straight's "Best of Vancouver" selected Gim Wong for the "Gutsiest Ride against Racism."  I had talked with Gim many times throughout the evening, and knew that he was both humbled and tired by the evening's celebration.  The applause touched him deeply.

Great appreciation to all the ACWW directors, Rice Paper staff and volunteers for putting on such a grand event.  Special thanks to organizers Jim Wong-Chu, Don Montgomery, Michelle Sui, and Jenny Uechi.
 

I attended the 2005 Vancouver Arts Awards Friday night, and the ripples of Joy Kogawa were felt throughout the evening. I spoke to both Councillor Jim Green and Mayor Larry Campbell, and told them about the demolition for application of the Kogawa homestead. A house acknowledged with heritage designation. They were both surprised and concerned, saying "Council had just passed resolution to save the cherry trees on Tuesday".    more »

Kogawa Homestead threatened by Demolition Permit Application- same week as Joy Kogawa is celebrated throughout Vancouver

http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library/oboc/readersguide.htm

This week, notice was received that an inquiry for application for demolition was made to Vancouver City Hall by the owner of the Kogawa homestead.  It is a house celebrated by the award winning novel Obasan, and the childhood home of famed writer Joy Kogawa, who describes the house in both the novel Obasan and the children's story Naomi's Road.
Kogawa's reaction has been of shock and dispair, as she knew that efforts were being made to save the beloved cherry tree in the back yard which figures prominently in the novel. COPE mayoral candidate Jim Green is a founding member of the "Save the Kogawa Homestead" committee.

This is a weekend when Joy Kogawa is being celebrated all across Vancouver... at the Vancouver Public Library for One Book One Vancouver, at the ACWW Sep 24th dinnner for Rice Paper Magazine's 10th Anniversary Celebration, on Sunday for the Word on the Street Book and Magazine Fair, and next week for the Vancouver Opera Premiere for "Naomi's Road."
A movement to buy the house, and to apply for heritage designation was aborted 2 years ago because of high costs to buy the house and resistance from the new owner to sell. The owner at the time said that she liked the house and did not intend to demolish it.

Now more than ever, it is important to preserve this house for the cultural heritage of Vancouver. There is not another house in Vancouver that is recognized for being confiscated during a dark time in Canada's history.

No other house in Vancouver could be turned into a bright spot on our cultural landscape as a writer's retreat, celebrating the work of a writer which has been called the most influential Canadian novel of the past 20 years. There is no other writer whose work helped fuel the Japanese-Canadian Redress movement, and has also received the Order of Canada.

In May, the Vancouver Public Library selected Obasan as the book chosen for all Vancouverites to read, as part of their award winning "city wide book club." Earlier this summer, during One Book One Vancouver events Joy Kogawa held up a graft of the cherry tree that held such a revered place in the novel Obasan - studied by so many Canadians in high schools and universities across Canada. Both the novel and the homestead have a proven place in Vancouver’s literary history.

Please sign the petition to preserve the Kogawa Homestead. Click on the white banner - this will forward you to an on-line petition.

Donations can be made in care of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation