Imminent Domains with Alessandra Naccarato

On Tuesday, November 8 at 6pm, join Massy Arts Society, Massy Books and Book*hug Press for the launch of Imminent Domains: Reckoning with the Anthropocene by Alessandra Naccarato.

Tracing the veins of harm, memory and meaning amongst ecosystems and bioregions, Naccarato addresses fundamental questions about our modern relationship to nature. In conversation with Artistic Director of Vancouver Poetry House and Festival Coordinator for Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society, Johnny D Trinh, she shares her process to how she wrote this call to “run towards the fire” that is our dramatically transforming earth. She will also be joined by guest reader and award-winning author, Sheri-D Wilson.

Registration is free, open to all and required for entrance.
Purchase Imminent Domains: Reckoning with the Anthropocene at Massy Books

Venue & Accessibility

The event will be hosted at the Massy Arts Gallery, at 23 East Pender Street in Chinatown, Vancouver.

Registration is free, open to all and required for entrance. Masks are mandatory. The gallery is wheelchair accessible and a gender-neutral washroom is on-site.

Covid Protocols: Attendees must wear a mask (N95 masks are encouraged and recommended as they offer the best protection). We ask if you are showing symptoms, that you stay home. Thank you kindly.

The Book

Imminent Domains: Reckoning with the Anthropocene invites readers to join a contemplation of survival—our own, and that of the elements that surround us. Using research, lyric prose, and first-hand experiences, Alessandra Naccarato addresses fundamental questions about our modern relationship to nature amidst depictions of landscapes undergoing dramatic transformation. We trace the veins of harm, memory and meaning amongst ecosystems and bioregions; through history and across continents, from the mines of Cerro Rico to the ruins of Pompeii. Arranged by five central elements of survival—earth, fire, water, air and spirit—these essays refute linearity, just as nature does. Naccarato offers not blanket answers about our future, but rather myriad ways to find our own, individual response to an imminent question. We are being called to work together; to dig a trench deep and wide enough that the fires around us might stay at bay. How do we turn towards the fire?

The Author

Alessandra Naccarato is the author of Imminent Domains: Reckoning with the Anthropocene (Essays) and Re-Origin of Species (Poems). Born and raised in Tkaronto (Toronto), she is the recipient of the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award and the CBC Poetry Prize, and her poetry and essays have appeared widely in publications such as The New Quarterly, Room Magazine, and Event. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, and a graduate degree in Community Economic Development from Concordia University, supporting two decades of work and research in grassroots social change, community arts, and the prevention of gender-based violence. Her debut poetry collection, Re-Origin of Species, was awarded the AICW Bressani Literary Prize for Poetry, shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, longlisted for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, and named a Best Book of 2019 by CBC Books.

The Guest Reader

Sheri-D Wilson is the award-winning author and creator of 13 books, 4 short films, and 4 albums which combine music and poetry. In 2019 she was appointed one to the Order of Canada, for her contributions as a Spoken Word Poet and her leadership in the community. In 2017, she received her Doctor of Letters—Honoris Causa from Kwantlen University. Poet Laureate Emeritus of Calgary 2018–2020. A strong advocate for social change and community building, Sheri-D lives in Calgary & Vancouver, where she’s as busy as the emblem of Canada – editing a 350-page epic poem to be published in 2023, by Write Bloody North.

The Co-Host

Johnny D Trinh MFA is an interdisciplinary spoken word artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Johnny is the Artistic Director of Vancouver Poetry House and Festival Coordinator for Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society. Johnny is also the Founder and Artistic Producer of Stage to Page Performance Society, bringing cross-disciplinary mentorship to help spoken word poets grow. Johnny’s pedagogy is rooted in the constant goal of fostering a sense of empowerment, agency, and compassion through socially engaged, community based art.

Co-Sponsors

Death Rides a Unicorn Events is an event management company that stems from a want of humorous literary and spoken word events. After the last couple of pandemic, tragic years in which everyone has lost something or someone, the organizers feel a necessity to share humour and joy in an original format. We are old fashioned and romantic, but love new shapes and forms.

This event is made possible with financial assistance from the League of Canadian Poets.