Aimee Wall’s Debut
This interview first appeared in an episode of Portal Magazine’s Portfolio series on YouTube, and has been edited for written format. * * * I found myself on Giller Prize-nominated author Aimee Wall’s website after my professor said I needed more biographical details for my book review on Wall’s book We, Jane. My eyes landed on … Continued
Review: The Visitor
VIU’s Theatre department put on a fantastically creepy adaptation of Friedrich Durrenmatt’s The Visit from March 2–5—and they may have outdone themselves this time. Adapted and written by professor Leon Potter and retitled The Visitor, the university’s theatre students tackled the age-old question of “how far would you go for money?” The play centres around … Continued
Death on the Nile Review
*Spoilers for the 1937 novel and 2022 movie.* I’m usually calm at movie theatres. But during Death on the Nile (2022), I lost it—and not in a good way. Death on the Nile (1937) is my favourite Agatha Christie mystery. I’ve read it three times, presented on it in class, and watched all screen adaptations. … Continued
2021 in (Book) Review
I read 45 books (and five plays) in 2021. I’ve always been a big reader, but last year was the first time I set out to make a comprehensive list of all the books I read. I was surprised by how many I got through! I read across a variety of genres last year, stepping … Continued
Opinion: Sorry, Space Cowboy
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Cowboy Bebop (1998) and Cowboy Bebop (2021). Netflix remakes are usually a bad idea. It’s definitely not a good sign when the creators cancel the series after just the first season. I’m talking about Cowboy Bebop (2021), a remake of the 1998 Space Western anime. Both the original … Continued
Why I (Sometimes) Read Romance Novels
Romance isn’t my genre of choice, yet romance novels have been cropping up on my “recent reads” lists a lot more often lately. I usually read mysteries, and most of my personal collection is made up of stories about supposedly haunted sites in Canada. Once in a while, however, I enter the public library’s romance … Continued
All Together Now
VIU’s Malaspina Theatre joined thousands of other theatres around the world to put on a showing of Music Theatre International’s “All Together Now.” “All Together Now” is a musical celebration of theatre coming back after COVID-19, featuring numbers from musicals such as Les Misérables and Mamma Mia! The North American editions of the show were … Continued
Thrifting for Thrift Stores
Thrifting is an economical, eco friendly, and increasingly trendy (not to mention fun) shopping experience. However, when my friends ask if I would like to go thrift shopping in Nanaimo, we often end up at Value Village. There is nothing wrong with Value Village—it has a large store format and plenty of options to shop … Continued
Terrifying Texts
Halloween is coming up and everywhere you look is decisively spooky. If you’re literarily inclined, one way to indulge this seasonal atmosphere is to curl up with a good horror book. Creative Writing students Kenzie Clarke and Erika Parsons are both huge horror buffs, and are happy to share their favourites. Clarke has a broad … Continued
Review of A Drama Class’s Dream
VIU’s Malaspina Theatre recently put on its first play with a live audience since March 2020 with A Drama Class’s Dream. The performance, which ran from October 13-16, is Theatre professor Ross Desprez’s adaption of the play-within-a-play from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The play was a fun, fantastic, and whimsy return to live theatre—for both … Continued