A photographic exhibition at the Nelson Public Library offers a sampling of images and words celebrating the best and the brightest of B.C.’s writers. The exhibition, featuring photographs from the book 111 West Coast Literary Portraits (Mother Tongue, 2012) by Blaise Enright and Barry Peterson, stems from a project called Lit Happens.
Enright and Peterson first met at the Ontario College of Art and Design, heading west after graduation to settle in B.C. Here, they were intrigued by the breadth and depth of B.C. writing; after deciding that this province’s writers weren’t as appreciated as perhaps they should be, their photo-documentary odyssey began. As the resulting exhibition garnered praise as it toured public spaces, a book idea was born.
111 West Coast Literary Portraits (Mother Tongue, 2012) brought rich black and white photographs, words, and biographies of writers to the entire country, from Caroline Adderson to Caroline Woodward.
Enright, who now lives in Nelson, has offered this photographic selection for display through July and August, including the beautiful set of images of the late Stephen Reid, author and convicted bank robber, and a photograph of his wife, multidisciplinary author Susan Musgrave. Also depicted are bill bissett, Brian Brett, Al Purdy and Linda Rogers (photographed in her bathtub).
The exhibition continues through August, and 111 West Coast Literary Portraits can be found on the library’s shelves.
