 Discovering "plant magic" with nutritionist Desiree Nielsen, embarking on a Jane's Walk with poet Kevin Spenst and branching out with our new May Trees seriesNXNW May 4/5, 2024 | Good afternoon to you, dear reader! The latest edition of the NXNW newsletter is here, and we're greeting your May weekend with a lovely show. We're going on a Jane's Walk with poet Kevin Spenst, chatting with Adam Grant Warren about using theatre to explore the disability experience and kicking off our May Trees series with the filmmaker of a new Absolutely Canadian film!
Looking for something from a previous show? Be sure to stop by our CBC Listen page. | | | Coming up on the show this weekend: | | | Saturday |  | Home prices in Tofino, B.C., have tripled over the last seven years. CBC's Chris Edwards explains how this is one of many factors affecting tourism towns across Canada. | | | | | Zoe Laycock incorporates sculpture, tentmaking with Indigenous materials and soundscapes in her new installation Sonic Portals: QRV, which runs at Emily Carr University's annual student art show (May 9-23). | | | | | | Kevin Spenst will lead the poetic "Jane's Walk" on May 4, where he'll share works from his new poetry collection, A Bouquet Brought Back from Space, across various locations in Vancouver's West End. | | | | | Indie folk artist and The Fugitives member Adrian Glynn takes inspiration from his Ukrainian grandparents and their experience fleeing from WWII Europe in his new album, You're Just a Place That I Know. | | | | | Sunday | | | Composers Robyn Jacob and Joseph Hirabayashi team up to write and perform a series of short songs exploring their creative process, which comes to the Morrow May 10-11 as part of Asian Heritage Month. | | | | | In the first entry of our May Trees series, filmmaker Everett Ray Bumstead shows us a dog's perspective of a tree planting camp in the new Absolutely Canadian film Block Dog. | | | | | Best-selling cookbook author and nutritionist Desiree Neilson shares her new cookbook Plant Magic: A Celebration of Plant-Blased Cooking for Everyone. | | | | | Realwheels Theatre's co-artistic director and playwright Adam Grant Warren gives us a sneak peek of three new plays that will be read at the Roundhouse Community Centre (May 9-11.) | | | | | | | | | Trees - Block Dog | | | We’re kicking off this month’s Tree series with Everett Bumstead, the filmmaker behind CBC Gem’s new documentary Block Dog. The film captures a slice-of-life look into tree-planters working in northern B.C., from the perspective of the dogs that accompany them. From a dog's eye view, we get a glimpse at the importance of this companionship, and the unique culture of tree planting.
Block Dog is streaming now on CBC Gem, as part of the Absolutely Canadian series. | | |  | Ary the Australian shepherd (Photo by Everett Bumstead) | | | | | | | Embarking on Jane's Walk with Kevin Spenst | | | Kevin Spenst is a Vancouver author and poet who just released his new collection, A Bouquet Brought Back From Space. Earlier this week, NXNW's Margaret Gallagher joined Kevin to get a preview of the "Jane's Walk" he'll be leading on May 4, where he and other poets will share their work at various locations in Vancouver's West End and Stanley Park. | | |  | Kevin Spenst in Stanley Park with his poems | | | | | | | Building liminal place-based experiences with Sonic Portals: QRV | | | Next week, Emily Carr University will be holding its annual student art show May 9-23, featuring art pieces from more than 250 graduating students.
Story producer Jeremy Ratt visited the campus to connect with Zoë Laycock, an interdisciplinary artist of Anishinaabe Red River Métis heritage, to talk about her new installation Sonic Portals: QRV. Drawing from Indigenous materials, broadcasting, and textiles, Laycock's work is informed by Saulteaux ceremony and an interest in cyclical time. | | |  | Zoë Laycock with the tent piece of the installation | | | | | | | Adrian Glynn's new album inspired by Ukrainian grandparents | | | Adrian Glynn is a Vancouver-based singer-songwriter, as well as a member of the Juno-nominated folk music group, The Fugitives. Earlier this year, Glynn released his latest album, You're Just a Place That I Know. Inspired by Glynn's Ukrainian grandparents and their flight from Europe during World War II, the album features two traditional Ukrainian instrumenalists, a choir, and a full roots/rock band.
Adrian will be taking this ensemble to Vancouver's St. James Hall to perform the album in its entirety. That's on Sunday, May 5 at 7 p.m. PT, presented by the Rogue Folk Club. | | |  | | Margaret Gallagher and Adrian Glynn in studio | | | | | | | Realwheels Theatre to debut staged readings of three new plays | | | Vancouver's Realwheels Theatre is a dedicated theatre company creating shows that deepen understanding of the disability experience. They'll be holding staged readings for three new plays, May 9-11, which are Vascular Necrosis by Jordyn Wood, Faye’s Room by Alex Masse, and Saturday Nights at Axles by Adam Grant Warren.
Warren is a Jessie-award-winning playwright, as well as the co-artistic director at Realwheels. We'll hear about the plays, the experiences that inform them, and what Warren envisions for a future that celebrates artists who identify with disability. | | |  | Adam Grant Warren in the NXNW studio | | | | | | | Plant Magic with Desiree Nielsen | | | Desiree Nielson is a registered dietician and a best-selling cookbook author. Her latest book, Plant Magic: A Celebration of Plant-Based Cooking for Everyone, is full of easy and delicious recipes to encourage folks to eat more plants, including her whole roasted cauliflower with green olive dressing.
We've provided the recipes below, if you want to give it a try!
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Green Olive Dressing Serves 6 (gluten free, nut free, vegan)
Whole Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients: -2 pounds (900 g) head cauliflower, leaves removed and stem ends trimmed-2 tablespoons (30 ml) avocado oil
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) smoked paprika
-½ teaspoon (2 ml) garlic powder
-½ teaspoon (2 ml) ground coriander
-½ teaspoon (2 ml) ground cumin
-½ teaspoon (2 ml) salt
Green Olive Dressing Ingredients:
-½ cup (125 ml) pitted Castelvetrano olives
-½ cup (125 ml) lightly packed fresh curly parsley leaves and tender stems
-¼ medium shallot, roughly chopped
-1 clove garlic
-3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
-2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive or avocado oil
-½ teaspoon (2 ml) salt
-Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
-Red chili flakes, to taste
Directions:
1. Roast the cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, and salt. Using your hands or a silicone brush, rub the oil mixture all over the exterior of the cauliflower. Transfer to the oven and roast until the cauliflower is fork-tender but not falling apart, 50 to 55 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the green olive dressing: (It’s ideal to make the dressing right after you have popped the cauliflower in the oven, so the flavours have time to meld.) In a small food processor, combine the olives, parsley, shallot, and garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. Scrape the mixture into a small bowl.
5. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili flakes into the olive mixture. The flavour of the shallot will mellow as the dressing sits until ready to use. Taste before serving; if you need to balance out an overly strong shallot, just add a pinch of sugar.
6. Remove the roasted cauliflower from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Serve the cauliflower whole or cut into wedges on a medium platter, drizzled with the green olive dressing. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. | | |  | A slice of "Plant Magic" with Whole Roasted Cauliflower | | | | | | | In case you missed it ... | | | Last week on NXNW, Margaret Gallagher visited the "celestial grotto" of Vancouver punk legend Stephen Hamm, otherwise known as Theremin Man. His latest album, Songs of the Future, will be released on May 6.
Hamm will be holding an album release party at Victoria's Quadratic Sound on May 17, at 7 p.m. PT. He will also be playing multiple shows around the province this month. For details, visit his website.
Stream this interview via CBC Listen. | | | | | Thanks for listening! | Have comments or suggestions you'd like to share? Email us!
Jeremy Ratt and Bonnie Gill, editors | | | | | |
