The University of British Columbia will host The Walrus Talks Water, an evening of discussion focused on H2O.
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Think: Head out to the University of British Columbia to sit in on The Walrus Talks Water, an evening of discussion focused on one of our most precious resources. A lineup of speakers will share their experiences with, relationship to, and feelings about H2O. Participating panelists include scientists, authors, environmentalists, water keepers, a filmmaker and a poet.
Thursday, May 22, 7 p.m. Frederic Wood Theatre (6354 Crescent Rd., UBC) $20 thewalrus.ca
Spur: There's something awesome called The Spur Festival going on at The Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Spur is Canada's national festival of politics, art and ideas. It will involve workshops, debates, talks, panels and presentations covering everything from the role of art galleries in society and the future of public transit to punk rock and the impact of branding. Essentially, Spur is a forum for scholars, artists, activists and entrepreneurs "to share ideas worth spurring into action." Case in point: Quantified Culture is a panel discussion between Salon's Andrew Leonard and The Globe and Mail's Marsha Lederman about cultural-data practitioners.
May 22-25, Various times. SFU Woodwards (149 W. Hastings) $10-$25 sfuwoodwards.ca
Bloom: The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in Burnaby is holding a fundraiser in the form of an art auction that's all about daruma. As the Nikkei Museum explains: "Daruma, a popular talisman of good luck in Japan, traces back to the origin of Zen in the 5th century. These simple tumbling dolls are armless, legless, and are made out of papier maché with a weighted bottom to always stand upright even if pushed down, symbolic of perseverance and fortitude." There will be 100 artist-designed darumas on display and available for bidding/purchase. Attendees are invited to enjoy canapés, a cash bar, and good conversations in between placing bids on 100 artist-designed dolls. Butter on the Endive and Open Sesame are partnering to cater the event – which means the food will be outstanding.
Saturday, May 24, 7 p.m. Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby) $25 centre.nikkeiplace.org
Books: Outfit yourself with a solid assortment of summer reads at the Friends of the Vancouver Public Library book sale this weekend. Thousands of discarded and gently used books go on sale. And all of them are going for less than $2.50 each. There will be more than 2,000 comic books (published between 1980-2010) also on sale, so if you know any comic book wonks, bring them along.
Thursday, May 22 - Saturday, May 24, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. VPL, 350 Georgia St. Free friendsofthevpl.ca