CAG Reads

We are pleased to announce our latest installment of CAG Reads, a book club where artists invite us to read alongside them. Each month an artist proposes a text for our collective reading pleasure, culminating in a virtual hangout where the artist leads a wide-ranging discussion grounded in their chosen reading material.

This month, CAG Reads will be hosted by Nicole Kelly Westman. Nicole is a visual artist of Métis and Icelandic descent that recognizes with indebted gratitude the artists that came before her and strenuously forged space, the curators that place care at the fore of their labor, the communities that foster confidence in her practice, and the institutions and organizations that implement policies prefacing relations of trust. As an artist, she enjoys practices of listening, watching, hosting, poeticizing, foraging, and sharing.

Nicole has chosen a series of short excerpts from Audre Lorde’s Poetry is Not a Luxury (1985), Maggie Nelson’s Jane: A Murder (2005), Maria Campbell’s Halfbreed (1973) and “A Gun for Every Girl (Prologue)” from Virginie Despente’s (back-in-print!) King Kong Theory (2006).

Reading these texts in advance of the event is entirely optional—Nicole will read excerpts from each text as part of her session, so prior familiarity with them isn’t necessary to participate. For those who do wish to read the excerpts in advance, copies will be made available in PDF prior to the session.

Getting the texts

Copies of Nicole’s selections will be made available to registrants in PDF. For those wishing to pick up complete copies of the texts, Poetry is Not a Luxury can be read here. Jane: A Murder, Halfbreed and King Kong Theory can be found at the Vancouver Public Library or from Pulp Fiction or Massy Books. Please allow up to 3 weeks for shipping.