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<pre wrap=""><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Dear Faculty List Members,
FYI (my apoloiges for any cross-postings)
The York University Faculty Association has issued a challenge to other university and college faculty associations to match their $1000 pledge supporting the campaign to save the historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver from demolition and turn it into the home for a writer-in-residence programme. See statement and challenge below. Thanks for your attention.
all best, -- Kathy.
P.S. re. the opera <u>Naomi's Road</u> mentioned in the notice below, there's an article (with photograph) about the production in the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of <u>Opera Canada</u>, p.36.
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<pre wrap=""><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">
YUFA Awards Challenge Grant to Save Historic Joy Kogawa House
The York University Faculty Association is issuing a challenge to other Faculty
Associations across the country to match their $1,000 pledge to the Historic
Joy Kogawa House campaign. This $1.25 million fundraising drive, spearheaded
by The Land Conservancy of British Columbia, will provide the funds to save the
childhood home of poet and novelist Joy Kogawa in Vancouver from demolition, do
historical renovations and provide an endowment to offset the costs of a major
writers-in-residence program.
The West 64th Avenue house became a symbol of lost hope and happiness after
Kogawa, then six years old, and her family were removed from their home in 1942
as part of the forced evacuations and internment of 22,000 Japanese-Canadians
during World War II. The house is the central image in Kogawa’s award-winning
novel Obasan, one of Canada’s best-loved works of fiction that is taught in
schools and universities throughout Canada, its sequel about the redress
movement, Emily Kato, and the children’s story Naomi's Road, which is now
touring as a Vancouver Opera production to 140 schools and community centres
throughout B.C.
The writers-in-residence program at the Joy Kogawa House will enable new writing
about human rights and Canada’s evolving multicultural and intercultural society
that may be unique in the world.
In announcing the $1,000 contribution, Dr. Joseph Levy, YUFA VP External,
stated that universities are one of the primary means through which our history
is passed on to succeeding generations. "The strongest response to saving the
Joy Kogawa House has come from professors who have taught Obasan and seen its
effect on their students. The Joy Kogawa Writers-in-Residence Centre will
continue this creative stimulation by assisting Canadian writers to observe and
write first hand about our multi- and inter-cultural society and how different
values and traditions can peacefully interact." Levy added, "We are challenging
other faculty associations to match our contribution."
Kogawa has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Toronto,
Queen’s, Ryerson, Guelph, Waterloo, Lethbridge, the University of British
Columbia and Simon Fraser University.
The Land Conservancy of British Columbia is a non-profit, charitable land trust
working to protect BC's natural and cultural heritage. Since 1997, TLC has
protected almost 100,000 acres of sensitive and threatened land in BC,
involving more than 100 projects. Donations to the Joy Kogawa House campaign
can be made through the TLC website at <a
class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.conservancy.bc.ca">www.conservancy.bc.ca</a> or by calling
(604) 733-2313.
-30-
Contacts: York University Faculty Association:
TLC The Land Conservancy: Bill Turner (250) 213-1090; Tamsin Baker (604)
733-2313
Kogawa House Committee: Ann-Marie Metten (604) 263-6586; Todd Wong (604)
240-7090; Anton Wagner (416) 863-1209 <a
class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.kogawahouse.com">www.kogawahouse.com</a></font></pre>
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