The Black Bear Review will be celebrating its eighth annual print edition with a launch party on April 10 from 6 to 8 pm at the Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery (NMAG).
A student-led collaboration between Selkirk College’s Creative Writing Program and Digital Arts Program that was established in 2016, the Black Bear Review is the only literary magazine in the West Kootenay. For the latest edition, student editors provided feedback on the 100-plus submissions received throughout the year and created a shortlist of 15 submissions to be featured in print.
“There’s a lot of exciting, eclectic work in this issue that represents the immense talent of emerging writers and their preoccupations,” says Leesa Dean, instructor in Selkirk College’s School of University Arts & Sciences and co-founder of the magazine. “The content ranges from cyberpunk fiction to poems about self-harm and trans rights to experiences faced by peace workers in Palestine. The magazine’s tagline is ‘unexpected literature from the West Kootenay and beyond’ and this year’s edition certainly reflects that.”
A graduate of the college’s Digital Arts Program, Jonathan Ramos joined the team as the new publisher of the magazine.
“I remember how exciting it was to see your work published for the first time,” says Ramos. “I'm so proud of how serious the students were in their approach to the magazine layout. They showed a level of professionalism and maturity that will take them far in their careers.”
The NMAG launch party will feature readings by Morrigan Bonegardener, Liam Borhaven, Noah Ferraro, Cari-Ann Roberts Gotta, Randy Janzen, River Mossfield, Lazarus Reise and Kiera Smith. Copies of the magazine can be purchased at the event for $10 (cash only). After the launch, copies of the magazine will be available at the Selkirk College bookstore in Castlegar, Otter Books in Nelson and Notably in Nelson. Admission to the event is by donation.
For more information about the magazine, please visit the Black Bear Review's website. The Black Bear team would like to thank Selkirk College and NMAG for supporting the event and the magazine.
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