Columbia Basin Trust is hosting a conference at the Kimberley Conference Centre this September that will focus on the rich history, arts and culture of the Columbia River in Canada and the United States.
According to a press release from CBT, the conference, called Columbia Basin Transboundary Conference: One River, One Future, aims to address key issues related to the future of the Columbia River, its ecosystem, management and international implications.
The conference will showcase arts and culture from both sides of the border including performances and displays by poets, musicians, artists, youth, Canadian First Nations and acclaimed authors.
READ MORE: Columbia Basin Trust hosting Transboundary Conference on Columbia River
“The goal for the arts and culture component at the conference is to be broad, inclusive, and to highlight both the history and the future of the Columbia River Basin,” said Kindy Gosal, Executive Director of CBT. “Storytellers, artists and Indigenous performers from both sides of the border will celebrate our cultural connectedness.”
The conference takes place from September 12 to 14, 2019 and registration is $199, available online.
There is a gala dinner that features a locally sourced menu and evening entertainent including singing by a local community youth and a performance by folk guitarist Rusty Jackson from Post Falls, Idaho. There will also be a performance of Coco Love Alcorn’s The River, by Nelson B.C.’s Bessie Wapp, who will be backed-up by members of the Kimberley Community Choir.
Other highlights include literary readings from Fred Wah, a Canadian poet, novelist, scholar and former Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate, from his book ‘Beholden: A Poem as Long as the River’ and Eileen Delehanty Pearkes, published author and public speaker, reading from her book ‘A River Captured – The Columbia River Treaty and Catastrophic Change’.
READ MORE: Transboundary Conference scholarships available for post-secondary students, non-profits
Three exhibits will also be displayed throughout the entire conference: ‘River Relations: A Beholder’s Share of the Columbia River’, ‘Roll on Columbia’, and ‘Stories Beneath the Surface’.
“Several cultural displays will also be set up in the foyer of the conference centre, offering the public an opportunity to explore literature and history, and even engage by video-phone with solo kayaker Claire Dibble, from her kayak on the Columbia River,” said Delehanty Pearkes, cultural ambassador for the conference.
Kimberley bookstore Paper and Cup (located in the Platzl) will also be selling books about the Columbia River and feature works by various regional authors.
corey.bullock@kimberleybulletin.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter