Friday, February 27th 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Baumann Centre (wheelchair accessible), 925 Balmoral Rd, Victoria, BC V8W 2L5
An evening with award winners – author JUNIE DÉSIL, in conversation with author WADE COMPTON and music performances by CALEB HART.
This event is FREE! But please register to get your TICKETS
JUNIE DÉSIL is of Haitian ancestry, born of immigrant parents on the traditional territories of the Kanien’kehá:ka on the island known as Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), and raised in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg). Junie has performed at various literary events and festivals. Her work has appeared in Room Magazine, PRISM International, The Capilano Review and CV2. A UBC alumnus, a participant in Simon Fraser University’s Writer’s Studio, and current Uvic MFA student, Junie’s debut book of poetry eat salt | gaze at the ocean (Talon Books, 2020) was short-listed for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Her second collection allostatic load (Talon Books) came out April 2025. Junie mentors poets at SFU’s Writers’ Studio and also teaches in SFU’s Leadership Essentials Certificate program.
Socials: FB: Junie Désil; IG:@jooneedayzeel Listen to a chat with the author, book reading, audience Q&A and book signing. There will be books for purchase.
Author and Keynote Speaker in 2024, WAYDE COMPTON will be hosting the evening. Wayde co-founded the Hogan’s Alley Society and Commodore Books, Western Canada’s first Black Canadian literary press. Wayde has published six books and has edited two literary anthologies.
The evening will also be filled with the beautiful, acoustic sounds of musician CALEB HART. Over the past twelve years, Caleb has performed more than 1,200 live shows across North America and around the globe. In January 2025, Emancipation climbed to #1 and Caleb received the 2024 American Songwriter “World Song of the Year” award. Caleb has been a much-loved performer at our events for several years with his blend of gospel, soul, pop, rock, calypso, soca and reggae.