Vancouver Writers Podcast

With the advent of Covid-19 and Zoom meetings, we have moved to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCduH-jv0Pmy4GaXyj1l0eyA! We've also updated the name of the podcast. We are now Do the Wrong Thing! Please update your subscription there. Identical material but with video!

In The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer, as Marlowe describes his college years, we see an inverse relationship between his considerable powers of observation and his, er, social skills. In Do the Wrong Thing, after Ava declares that she wouldn't go out with Greg if he was the last man on earth, she does. In fairy tale, The Pine Princess, a Hunter agrees to confront Lord Beaver and get water for a pine tree. Story Listing:  00:00 Matthew Willis - The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer - psychological thriller novel excerpt - matthewwillis at l i v e dot c a 09:34 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  14:41 Brian Hogan - The Pine Princess - fantasy novelette excerpt - kingbour121 at h o t m a i l dot c a Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava is convinced that Ben, the most beautiful man in the world, will never talk to her. In sci-fi short, "Baby Shower," MC tries to extort money from a drug dealer, believing that his Polaroid camera, that sends pictures from the future, would never lie.  Story Listing:  00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  Mario Da Silva - "Baby Shower" - sci-fi short story. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com

In The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer, Marlowe describes his family, his dead-end job as a literary assistant and how he found himself crying in an office bathroom, determined to escape. In Do the Wrong Thing, Malcolm revisits an earlier section in preparation for an upcoming reading. Ava turns sixteen, is allowed to wear high heels and drive.  Story Listing:  00:00 Matthew Willis - The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer - psychological thriller novel excerpt - matthewwillis at l i v e dot c a 08:39 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Jonny takes Ava out for dinner—to a soup kitchen—then invites her to beg with him.   In The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer, Marlowe has a dream about being in an antiseptic library looking for a book that never appears where it should. Finally, a small green tome with no call numbers appears. Mourad reads a potential ending for his memoir, Key to Paradise. It’s his birthday and he goes for a long run, as he does every year. He meets a homeless man who asks him for advice. Story Listing:   00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  05:21 Matthew Willis - The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer - psychological thriller novel excerpt - matthewwillis at l i v e dot c a 11:42 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava is accosted by a drunk when she goes to get a beer at Knird & Doof. *Malcolm's third reworking of this scene. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Malcolm revisits part of the piece she read last week, where Ava is accosted by a drunk at Knird & Doof. In The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer, Marlowe takes issue with a newspaper report written about his pseudocide. In the process, we learn more about him, including that there may be more of the criminal in him than at first appeared. Story Listing:  00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  02:24 Matthew Willis - The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer - psychological thriller novel excerpt - matthewwillis at l i v e dot c a Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from: https://pixabay.com

In Without Repentance, we learn many new things about Gillian, Jason and the brave new world they are living in. Procreation and colonizing new planets are not what we assumed them to be.   In Do the Wrong Thing, 1980's Ava meets two young men while modern day Ava shops for dusting tools. Story Listing:  00:00 Heather Bowden - Without Repentance - dystopian novel excerpt -  heatherabowden at g m a i l dot c o m 06:21 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org

In comedic memoir, Danarchy, a group of punks stage a die-in at a fur store before launching a small, olive-coloured TV off a highway overpass.  Note: Malcolm showed video trailers for the upcoming second book of her Do the Wrong Thing series this week instead of reading. She'll be back next week or the one following. Story Listing:  00:00 Cali Haan - Danarchy - memoir excerpt - http://calihaan.wixsite.com/calihaan. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from: https://pixabay.com.

In blog post, "Creating 2020, Yak-Shaving Edition" Malcolm outlines her plans for the upcoming year and describes some of the difficulties she foresees.  Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - "Creating 2020, Yak-Shaving Edition" - blog post - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com

In horror poem, Night Ghost, a mysterious specter haunts decrepit streets and alleys before finding the bedroom of an unsuspecting innocent.   In Do the Wrong Thing, modern day Ava contemplates what "happiness" is exactly while in the 1980's, she's overjoyed to show her art at punk cafe, Knird & Doof.  Story Listing:  00:00 Steven Stewart-Gallus - "Night Ghost" - poetry 01:05 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from: https://www.piqsels.com.

In Without Repentance, we meet Alister as he prays, or bargains, with his prophet. It is the eve of the Feast of Desirable Dominion and he has just learned that his son is missing from school at a time when children are being abducted and trained for war. In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava turns up her nose at establishment art and decides to make her own. She inadvertently steals the boy her best friend wants but the romance is short-lived.  Story Listing:  00:00 Heather Bowden - Without Repentance - dystopian novel excerpt -  heatherabowden at g m a i l dot c o m 05:55 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com

Malcolm reworks her piece from last week where modern day Ava frets about an alcoholic friend who can't keep a job. In the 80s, Ava gets a new apartment. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Pic from https://pixabay.com

In Do the Wrong Thing, modern day Ava frets about her alcoholic friend who can barely keep a job. In the 80s, Ava watches a movie with her new friend, Emily. Story Listing:  00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com

In Do the Wrong Thing, modern day Ava worries about money, her writing and a friend she's trying to help. 1980's Ava also worries about money, fights with her roommate and makes friends with a girl with a troubled past. In Tethered World, Zephyr finds Granny in the forest vividly communing with nature. Using their telepathic language, Granny shows Zephyr an intricate network that unites all of creation. Later, back at the cabin, Zephyr is startled to find that both she and Granny have aged a decade. Granny prepares to show Zephyr the next stage of their journey.  Story Listing:  00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com.  07:46 Brenda - Tethered World - sci-fi novel excerpt. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In memoir, Key to Paradise, Mourad gets a job as a server while he finishes school. He buys an apartment without seeing the outside of it, then gets a new job helping refugees who are mystified by things we Canadians take for granted, like toilets. In Paws for Justice, Anthony introduces the narrator of his novel, a cat with strong opinions about herself and the family she lives with. In the 2nd installment of Tethered World, we learn that Zephr’s main caregiver, her grandmother doesn’t touch Zephr because the girl is too sensitive for that much stimulation. Instead, they communicate telepathically, sending images back and forth. NOTE: I workshopped a piece destined for publication in a book that is not my own last Monday, so it's not appearing in the podcast. Story Listing:  00:00 Anthony - Paws for Justice - humour, fantasy novel excerpt. 05:42 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 16:23 Brenda - Tethered World - sci-fi novel excerpt. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava gets together with Jonny, only to find out that he'll date teenagers AND that he has a girlfriend. She helps his sister with a housing protest and meets a mysterious woman at Pedro’s.  In memoir, Key to Paradise, Mourad mulls over his mother’s words regarding his conception and decides to go back to Vancouver. Once there, the only work he can find is telemarketing. Story Listing:  00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 09:10 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt.  Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from http://pixabay.com

In memoir, Key to Paradise, once back in Turin, Mourad can't stop thinking about Canada. Even buying a house does not make him feel settled. Further, his mother has some shocking news. Malcolm practices a piece she's going to read at the Vancouver Library in October. Ava's new roommate visits her at night and a few weeks later, Ava takes the reader on a psychedelic ride as she binge eats cookies and ice cream. From Do the Wrong Thing. In psychological thriller novel, The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer, Marlowe relays to his psychiatrist how attached he was to his childhood teddy bear. It all seems benign enough but is it?  Story Listing:  00:00 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 14:52 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 24:40 Matthew Willis - The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer - psychological thriller novel excerpt - matthewwillis at l i v e dot c a Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In memoir, Key to Paradise, Mourad describes his landlady and her young lover; his own battles with sugar and salt addictions; Vancouver, starting with West Van where he is staying and contrasting that with the DTES. He has to decide whether to stay in Canada or go back to Italy. In character-driven drama, Do the Wrong Thing, Ava goes to an anarchist meeting where she is introduced to the "revolutionary," "genius" punk cafe, Knird & Doof, "Food & Drink" spelled backwards. In psychological thriller novel, The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer, Marlowe describes his childhood to his psychiatrist, so they can understand why he faked his own suicide and ran away. It was a "middle middle class," "standard suburban life," he says, raising more questions than answers. Story Listing:  00:00 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 13:54 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 21:56 Matthew Willis - The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer - psychological thriller novel excerpt - matthewwillis at l i v e dot c a Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from: https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava learns that she’s in the 0.2% of the population for hand-eye coordination but is too timid to leave Arbour for a graphic design course. Instead, she joins the army.  In dystopian novel, Without Repentance, Heather revisits our intro to Chief Investigator, Gillian, as she presents to a conference describing the nuclear bomb that destroyed most of earth, leaving oxygen levels dangerously low. (Yes, much improved, Heather!) In psychological thriller novel, The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer, “sociopath and monster” Mr. Pourer fakes his own suicide and leaves town. There's a wrinkle, though. On the bridge where he leaves his shoes and suicide note, another man does the same.  Story Listing:  00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 07:05 Heather Bowden - Without Repentance - dystopian novel excerpt -  heatherabowden at g m a i l dot c o m 15:41 Matthew Willis - The Second Undoing of Marlowe Pourer - drama novel - matthewwillis at l i v e dot c a Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image: 美桃 魏 from Pixabay

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava has an encounter with her roommate's brother, runs into an old flame and attempts to address her depression by writing poetry. In dystopian novel, Without Repentance, Chief Investigator, Gillian, presents to a conference describing the nuclear bomb that destroyed most of earth and leaves the oxygen levels dangerously low for humans.    Story Listing:  00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 08:50 Heather Bowden - Without Repentance - dystopian novel excerpt -  heatherabowden at g m a i l dot c o m Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/richardstep/7438000296.

Heather shares a beautiful love poem and continues with her dystopian novel, Without Repentance. We are introduced to AbAn, a man in prison who makes friends with the only thing he can see through a crack in his wall, a tree. In Keys to Paradise, Mourad's friend, Tony, drives him to Rome where they have all night conversation regarding the existence of god. Despite how settled he is, Mourad goes to Canada when he gets his acceptance and settles temporarily in Horseshoe Bay.  In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava's roommate asks her if it's weird that his 32-year-old girlfriend sleeps with a teddy bear. Later, Posey gives Ava a bicycle. In current time, Ava yells at some men listening to a radio in the park and wonders if she's going to become known as "the old jogging bitch." Story Listing:  00:00 Heather Bowden - Without Repentance - dystopian novel excerpt -  heatherabowden at g m a i l dot c o m 08:07 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt.  24:06 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from Pixabay.com

In Spelled Backwards, a young boy is given a dog after his mother marries an abusive drunk. In Do the Wrong Thing, Malcolm revisits the "egg piss"/Youtuber segment from last week. In Without Repentance, Trout tousles with her lover after getting ready for work. At work, she signs a release of responsibility that authorizes the killing of 1500 captive children. In Soul Banging, two down and out types bond as they clean houses in a new development for a temporary worker agency. Forty-year-old Daria has been working for the company for decades. Rey/Todd looks like he could be in college. In Keys to Paradise, Mourad decides to immigrate to Vancouver. He doesn't tell anyone. He doesn't know where Canada is on a map. He begins to accumulate "points," starting with finishing translation school. In Baby Shower, Mario shares edits to parts of his sci-fi short, where a man finds a polaroid in his backpack and must decipher its commands and follow them to save his own life. Story Listing: 00:00 Chloe Cocking - "Spelled Backwards" - dramatic short excerpt - https://chloecocking.com/ 07:27 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 13:34 Heather Bowden - Without Repentance - dystopian novel excerpt - heatherabowden at g m a i l dot c o m 22:46 Ian Rodriguez - "Soul Banging" - dramatic short - http://ian-rodriguez.com 33:50 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 42:56 Mario - "Baby Shower" - sci-fi short story excerpt. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from Pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava tries to give William rent and food money but he won't take it. Modern day Ava dreams that she's pouring "egg piss" over an unidentified food stuff before meeting a Youtube celebrity who wants to be her friend. In an untitled short, a young man drives across the prairies. He sees a hitchhiker he'd like to pick up but can't stop. A couple argue in a camp site next to him at 4 AM. A Walmart security guard, working a double shift, offers to help him when he learns the man slept in the parking lot. Wonderful, funny and poignant. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 06:01 Alden MacKay - Untitled - narrative short story. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from pixabay.com.

In dystopian novel, Without Repentance, we meet, Gillian, in front of a bank of computer screens remembering the nuclear blast that destroyed earth's global protective shield; Trout, raging at corrupt police and the cages for humans, and Evan, the evangelist. In Keys to Paradise, Mourad revisits the aftermath of losing his life’s savings to a scamming neighbour. He believes that because he abandoned Islam, God is punishing him so he goes back to the mosque. He meets Alex at work. In Do the Wrong Thing, Malcolm rewrites the scene from last week where Ava's new roommate comes into her room naked, and Ava rhapsodizes about binge eating. In Baby Shower, Mario rewrites parts of his sci-fi short where a man finds a polaroid in his backpack and must decipher its commands and follow them to save his own life. Story Listing: 00:00 Heather Bowden - Without Repentance - heatherabowden at g m a i l dot c o m 08:00 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 17:04 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 26:14 Mario - "Baby Shower" - sci-fi short story Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from

In Keys to Paradise, a memoir that melds story and essay, Mourad describes the aftermath of being swindled out of his life savings a few years after his move to Italy. In novel, Grand Boulevard, an affluent man discovers his teenage daughter performing witchcraft in their back yard while his neighbour, in a fit of grief over her dead son, runs outside where she encounters a homeless man who's come to "occupy" their street. In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava's new roommate comes into her room naked, and Ava waxes rhapsodically about binge eating. Story Listing: 00:00 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 12:00 Cindy Graves - Grand Boulevard - contemporary novel excerpt 21:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from: https://pixabay.com

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava moves out from William's while modern day Ava tells a story about meeting a woman in a writing group. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava comes back from Germany, is told she has to move out by William, spends her welfare cheque on new boots and buys a record that she can't stop listening to. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from https://www.maxpixel.net.

This combines recordings from Jun. 17 and Jul. 8, 2019. A revisits the scene he read previously from his novel, The Trip. A young man, goes to a job interview at a mega-church. Though he is offered the job, the interviewer abruptly asks him if he has had "carnal knowledge of a woman.” When he leaves the interview, Tundi sees a car of policemen with AK47s looking for drivers from whom they can extort money. In Do the Wrong Thing, Malcolm also revisits the scene previously read, for the 3rd time, and continues with the budding romance of Ava and William. In the Jul. 8 piece, we learn unsettling things about William. Ava goes to Germany where her bulimia returns with a vengeance. Story Listing: 00:00 A - The Trip - contemporary drama novel excerpt - a p . o p a n u b i at g m a i l dot c o m. 08:45 and 18:18 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from Wikicommons.

In Joella, the Fifth, the narrator is having trouble staying awake, Joella even mentioning that she has a drivers license. "You’ll wake up tomorrow and have a leisurely brunch with your husband," he tells her. He dreams of kissing her by a tree. In Grand Boulevard, a woman discovers a “room” inside a bush outside her house. She bends down. There’s an opening cut into the bush with a view directly into her yard. In Do the Wrong Thing, Malcolm revisits what she read last week, adding suggested edits. Ava looks for a room in Arbour and runs into an old friend. In an untitled sci-fi short, two teens sit in a car. A space ship lands, the ramp comes down, the hatch opens, it releases smoke—you know, the whole shebang! Story Listing: 00:00 Ian Rodriguez - Joella, the Fifth - contemporary short story excerpt - http://ian-rodriguez.com 05:20 Cindy Graves - Grand Boulevard - contemporary crime novel 10:40 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 19:25 - Theo - Untitled - science fiction short story excerpt. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In short story, Joella, the Fifth, a man attempts to buy snacks from others parked by a bay to watch the July 5th fireworks. He wants the night to be perfect for his childhood friend whom he's secretly in love with. Unfortunately, she's married. In novel, Do the Wrong Thing, Ava "runs away" from her parents' place where she's been staying while awaiting a trip to Germany. She looks at a decrepit rooming house, masturbates in a hostel and runs into an old friend who she pours her heart out to. Story Listing: 00:00 Ian Rodriguez - Joella, the Fifth - contemporary short story excerpt - http://ian-rodriguez.com 08:12 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Image from Pixabay.com

In novel, The Trip, a young man, goes to a job interview at a mega-church. Though he is offered the job, the interviewer abruptly asks him if he has had "carnal knowledge of a woman.” When he leaves the interview, Tundi sees a car of policemen with AK47s looking for drivers from whom they can extort money. In sci-fi short story, Baby Shower, a young man watches a Polaroid develop in his backpack: a picture of himself holding a sheet of paper that says "old man, blue shirt, grey pants, Bernard Phillips, coke lab tenant at Edgar St, Ellen (phone number), baby shower." He has a little over an hour to figure out what it means, and to complete his mission. In novel, Do the Wrong Thing, Ava stays at her parents while waiting to go to Germany, her parents' birth country, to find herself. She *doesn't* lose her temper when her sister mentions her anorexia and the sisters jeer at their mom when they catch her eavesdropping on a late night conversation. Story Listing: 00:00 A - The Trip - contemporary drama novel excerpt - a p . o p a n u b i at g m a i l dot c o m. 05:15 Mario da Silva - Baby Shower - sci-fi short story excerpt 13:21 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Grand Boulevard, we meet Bruce's teenage daughter who's obsessed with actor, Maxine Cheng. We learn more about Bruce's neighbour, Stephanie: the death of her son and her attachment to the Boulevard. Lastly, the author shares a rewrite of the scene where Stephanie's husband leaves town on the anniversary of their son's death, incorporating feedback she got a couple weeks ago. Apologies: the first few seconds are cut off of the recording. In Joella, the Fifth, a man and his married childhood sweetheart cruise through the California countryside. He tries to tell her about a piece of literature he likes but she doesn't understand. He drinks wine and too many energy drinks... In Do the Wrong Thing, modern Ava contemplates throwing her whole life away to start again while 1980's Ava gets and loses a job at a homeless shelter before landing at Catalyst Research. In The Trip, we are introduced to Martha, a "sharp woman" visiting a healer with Byo, her disabled son. They travel by taxi and bus to a magnificent compound outside Lagos where Abraham, the healer resides. Story Listing: 00:00 Cindy Graves - Grand Boulevard - excerpt from a crime novel 05:40 Ian Rodriguez - Joella, the Fifth - contemporary short story excerpt - http://ian-rodriguez.com 10:40 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 18:36 A - The Trip - contemporary drama novel excerpt - a p . o p a n u b i at g m a i l dot c o m. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Joella, the Fifth, a man can't take his eyes off his old, married friend as they enjoy an afternoon in the Napa Valley. She hides behind her cherry-tinted sunglasses. In Do the Wrong Thing, 1980's Ava gets a job at a homeless shelter while 2017 Ava fights off headaches and a feeling of meaninglessness. Story Listing: 00:00 Ian Rodriguez - Joella, the Fifth - contemporary short story excerpt - http://ian-rodriguez.com 08:05 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

Grand Boulevard is a tightly written contemporary novel about the homeless and the homed on Grand Boulevard. This week, we learn more about Bruce, in particular his divorce. We're introduced to his teenage daughter. We learn more about the man who collects Bruce's bottles. We learn that Bruce's neighbour, the novel's main narrator, fears the woman living in her flower bushes and that the death of her son, two years earlier, has strained her relationship with her husband. In Do the Wrong Thing, we get more of modern day Ava's relationship with Joe, her boyfriend. She talks about how she makes more money than him and how if affects their relationship. Story Listing: 00:00 Cindy - Grand Boulevard - contemporary novel excerpt. 07:54 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

If you don't want to get angry, DO NOT listen to Mourad's account of how his neighbour stole $200K, in today's terms, from him. F*ck that guy! In Do the Wrong Thing, Malcolm adds a part to last week's piece that contrasts narrator Ava's current relationship with the one she had with Posey. We learn that she hasn't grown as much as we'd hoped. In Joella, the Fifth, we see how deep David's undeclared love for his childhood friend goes and--wait--it's reciprocated? Story Listing: 00:00 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 13:16 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 21:00 Ian Rodriguez - Joella the Fifth - contemporary short story excerpt - http://ian-rodriguez.com Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

This week we have five fantastic pieces. In Super Girl, Glenn reads 3 flash fiction pieces from a set of 5, each telling the POV of one character in a heart-wrenching tale of a young girl's rape. In Ian's Joella, the Fifth, a man who seemingly has it made, cannot admit to his childhood best friend that he's in love with her. In Cindy's Grand Boulevard, in a smoke-clogged dawn, a woman’s daily walk is interrupted by someone hiding in her rhododendron bush and a divorced property developer's reverie, by an old man rattling his shopping cart on the sidewalk. In Do the Wrong Thing, Posey teaches appearance-obsessed Ava to let go and dance even as Ava learns some ugly truths about Posey. Lastly, in Key to Paradise, "The Monster" has Mourad looking at everyone as sexual prey, threatening to destroy his burgeoning interpreter/translator career. We've included a bit of discussion around the texts, in part because our new mic makes it feasible. What do you think? Do you like hearing the comments? We think they're insightful and inspiring. We'll try to make them clearer in the future. Thanks to everyone who came out and wanted to read! We ran 3 critique groups last Monday. This was a first, as was having everyone who showed up reading! Thanks for your awesomeness and generous-ness! Lastly, please excuse the background noise. Along with the 3 critique groups, there was another event going on. Story Listing: 00:00 Glenn Mori - Super Girl - contemporary short story excerpt - saxophone at s h a w dot ca 10:00 Ian Rodriguez - Joella the Fifth - contemporary short story excerpt - http://ian-rodriguez.com 15:14 Cindy - Grand Boulevard - contemporary novel excerpt - clightbody13 at h o t m a i l d o t c o m 24:42 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - character driven, narrative novel excerpt - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 34:16 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava shows complete disrespect to her customers at Forever and a Day. She cleans Posey's house while Posey has a breakdown and buys a book, something she normally wouldn't read, recommended by Posey. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a character driven, narrative novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://www.stockvault.net.

In Ian's poetic The Sea Plant, a South Asian boy becomes a roadside attraction as he lavishes care on seeds sent him by a young girl in Canada. In Key to Paradise, back in Italy, Jose and Alba are unhappy with Mourad's weight gain. He has no choice but to meekly accept their abuse, though when they move to Milan without him, it's a blessing in disguise. Soon, he is a court room translator where his talent and Moroccan Arabic are in high demand. In Why We Play, John takes us on the musician's journey of playing for fun, then glory, then back to fun again. In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava's mother cannot get Ava's female lover's name right, with hilarious results. Story Listing: 00:00 Ian Rodriguez - The Sea Plant - short story excerpt 05:15 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 14:11 John Gojevic - Why We Play - non-fiction. 21:40 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a character driven, narrative novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Talking the Talk, John walks us through his coming-to-terms with his daughter's death. In Key to Paradise, Mourad resides in a state of “familiarity and estrangement” in his Moroccan childhood home. He applies for a new passport and nervously awaits the job offer that will allow him to go back to Italy. We learn the meaning of the title of Mourad's memoir. In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava has her first sexual experience with a woman who has a troubled past. Story Listing: 00:00 John Gojevic - Talking the Talk - non-fiction. 06:40 Mourad Nachach - Key to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 16:53 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a character driven, narrative novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from http://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava "lets" her friend have sex with her--no kissing!--in an attempt to prove that men are as emotional about sex as women are. In Key to Paradise, Michaela drives Mourad to the Spanish port where Mourad will get a ferry back to Morocco, where he'll nervoously await the job offer Michaela promises that will lead to a permanent Italian residency. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a character driven, narrative novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 08:44 Mourad Nachach - Keys to Paradise - memoir excerpt. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from http://pixabay.com

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava starts working for a feminist paper, shaves her head and learns that masturbation does not mean that a woman can't get a man. In Key to Paradise, Mourad experiences "three different realities" as he romances Michela, Stephania and Michela and Stephania as a couple--all while trying to get his citizenship and grappling with his sexual identity. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from http://pixabay.com

In Key to Paradise, Mourad continues with his pursuit of physical pleasure, developing an “unbreakable habit.” In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava gets a job as a waitress at a cafe with a cappuccino machine, is allowed to spend an evening with her younger brother and finally, shaves all her hair off. Story Listing: 00:00 Mourad Nachach - Keys to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 06:50 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a character driven, narrative novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://gratisography.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava experiences profound alienation in her govt. job. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a character driven, narrative novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava runs into an ex-boyfriend who won't take no for an answer. "Hurtling through space faster than my awareness can keep up, the blurring landscape spinning before my eyes: trees, sky, trees, sky, rocks, snow. Bang! Then darkness." Mary Jo Fetterley reads from a gripping memoir about waking up paralyzed. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a character driven, narrative novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 05:42 Mary Jo Fetterley - memoir about becoming paralyzed after a life of yoga and skiing - http://mary-jo.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, narrator Ava has a dream in which she goes out in youthful clothes, trying to relive her party days. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a character driven, narrative novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, a ride goes very wrong for Ava, so she decides to cut her trip short and bus back to Rouliesse. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a character driven, narrative novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava spends a night alone on a cliff overlooking the ocean, then attempts to bond with relatives of relatives. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a stream of consciousness, character driven novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava says goodbye to Eddie, the kind trucker who restored her damaged faith in humanity. In Keys to Paradise, Mourad meets a man at an X-rated movie, who offers to share his wife with Mourad. Soon, Mourad is living with the couple, cleaning and running errands as payment for his room. Lastly, Linda Lawson returns with an edited version of Bombs, Bullets, Bullies and Babies, the piece she read last week, workshopping for live, true storytelling event, The Flame. Do you think this week's version is an improvement? Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a stream of consciousness, character driven novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 08:24 Mourad Nachach - Keys to Paradise - memoir excerpt. 16:24 Linda Lawson - Bombs, Bullets, Bullies and Babies - short story. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

Master storyteller, Linda Lawson, joins us this week with Bombs, Bullets, Bullies and Babies, a piece she's workshopping for The Flame, live, true storytelling event. She recounts how her uppercrust mother teaches her to fight while her union organizer father deals with bomb threats. In Do the Wrong Thing, Ava compares her infatuation with a kindly trucker to her friend's child's infatuation with her. Also, 1980's Ava entertains driving a truck for a living herself. Story Listing: 00:00 Linda Lawson - Bombs, Bullets, Bullies and Babies - short story. 08:35 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a stream of consciousness, character driven novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image from https://pixabay.com.

Malcolm asks for help writing the blurb and choosing testimonials for the back cover of her soon to be available, print edition of Do the Wrong Thing. In Keys to Paradise, Mourad writes about money and how the acquisition of it rules his life in his early, poverty-stricken days. His only extravagance is a membership to The American Club, a high-end gym where he spends most of his spare time. He talks about how Italians view Moroccans and how, because of this, he distances himself from his countrymen, basing his identity on the time he spent in Paris, instead, and what this does to his psyche. Story Listing: 00:00 Malcolm van Delst - Do the Wrong Thing - excerpt from a stream of consciousness, character driven novel - http://malcolmvandelst.com. 07:40 Mourad Nachach - Keys to Paradise - memoir excerpt. Works in progress. Copyright remains with the authors. Join us on Monday nights in Vancouver: http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Writers-Group. Image: Bold Yellow for the Noun Project.