Dania Tomlinson, author

Dania Tomlinson completed her MFA in 2014 at UBC Okanagan and her book, Our Animal Hearts, was recently published by Penguin Random House Canada. We met with Dania to discuss her book and to get some insight on her writing process.

Tell us about your novel 

Our Animal Hearts book cover

DT: Our Animal Hearts is set in the early 1900s in a fictional orcharding community on the shore of Okanagan Lake. Essentially it’s about a girl growing up in the shadow of a mother who both mystifies and frightens her. As she attempts to understand her place in the world, the faery tales, myths, and cultural stories she inherits, and those she learns from others, begin to manifest, intersect, and blend seamlessly with one another. And figures from these stories materialize in her immediate surroundings, particularly in the forest and in the lake. Although historical fiction, this book is also in the realm of magic realism, meaning that it incorporates magical or mythic elements into an otherwise realistic narrative.

What was your process of researching for the book?

DT: What centred my research was representing the Okanagan in the early 1900s through the landscape, the characters, and the events. But as I delved into the research, the fictional town soon became a microcosm of British Columbian, or even Canadian, history. The short 38 years this book spans cover some really dark events: the theft of indigenous land, the ostracisation of non-white immigrant communities, the internment of Ukrainians during WWI and Japanese during WWII, the Spanish flu epidemic, and the beginning of the horrid residential school system. It was important to give these historic events a local context, and for them to have real consequence in the narrative.

What was your process in writing the book? How long did it take you? Was this your thesis project, and if so, how did it change since you graduated?

DT: It took nearly 10 years for me to complete this novel. Honestly, I am still rewriting it in my head. In many ways I grew up writing this book. I became a university student, an adult, a wife, a mother, an instructor, all while writing this book. But the first time I wrote this story I was in my 2nd year of university and I was in Anne Fleming’s fiction class at UBCO. I wrote a short story about two elderly women in a nursing home and decided I wanted to start at the beginning of their lives and explore how these two women came to be. What moments shaped them? What decisions had lasting impacts? From there the story became two braided narrative strands, one that took place in Chile in the 1940s and the other that took place in the Okanagan in the early 1900s. The childhoods of these women, and the climatic moment when their lives collided, was the gist of my thesis. Since then the story has changed dramatically. The Chilean narrative was stripped which meant the Okanagan narrative had to stand on its own.

Dania’s book launch at Kettle River Brewery in Kelowna

Tell us what it was like to work with an editor?

DT: Our Animal Hearts went through some very tough revisions. I edited it with both with my agent and then later with my editor. But I enjoy the editing process. It’s when you get to make your writing shine. My MFA prepared me for working with editors. It taught me to distance myself from the work enough so I could be craft-focused and less sentimental. It’s important to be open during the editing phase, but also firm on what you value in the story. This can be a difficult balance. In the end, having experts invest themselves in your work is a thrilling experience.

Dania at the Book Warehouse, Vancouver

What have you been doing to promote the book?

DT: Along with a book tour to Vancouver and Victoria, my publicist arranged for me to do several interviews and questionnaires for press such as the CBC Magic 8 Q&A and a feature in the Georgia Straight. I’ve also been on local radio and a podcast called Get Lit. Every new phrase is brand new to me, and the publicity part has been quite an adventure. I never know what to expect. Sometimes I know about things well in advance, other times I have two hours to make it down to the local CBC radio station. Although a little stressful, it has all been very exciting.

Dania with fellow Okanagan writers, Alix Hawley and Adam Schoerder

You have an event coming up at the OK Regional Library on July 19th with an MFA alumni from UBC Vancouver, Shilo Jones. Tell us how this came about, how did you meet Shilo?

DT: Shilo and I have never met, which is weird since we both live in Kelowna and the writing community here (although robust!) is quite intimate. Adding to that, it seems our writing careers run on parallels as our debuts came out within weeks of each other, and we share a literary agency, a publisher, and we both completed our MFAs at UBC campuses. The similarities are odd. I look forward to reading with him on Thursday, and finally getting to meet.

Dania Tomlinson and Shilo Jones will be giving a public reading from their new books on July 19 at the Okangan Regional Library, downtown branch.

Find out more about Dania Tomlinson and her time at UBC Okanagan as an MFA student.

Jeannette Angel is a PhD Candidate whose research is focused on water sustainability in the Okanagan. Her aim is to use creative, experiential methods to engage people from the community to understand and act on water issues.

She worked with UBC professors environmental anthropologist John Wagner and media artist Aleks Dulic to collaborate with community partners on a museum exhibition, The Social Life of Water, the title of which was based on a book edited by John Wagner in 2013.

“Water is life, it is one of the most important elements that brings us together.”

The project came to fruition when environmental activist Christine Mettler, who had already proposed the concept to the Kelowna Museums Society, connected with Angel about designing an exhibition using media technology.

“This was the perfect venue and perfect opportunity to bring together a number of partners including artists, scientists, community members and a large team of students from UBC Okanagan,” said Angel. “This show featured water perspectives in ways that made it publicly accessible.”

The exhibition uses art, audio, visual media and storytelling to explore the diverse meanings that water holds and has held for the many communities, cultures and interest groups in the Okanagan watershed.

“With this exhibition, we are able to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices together into a common space to share knowledge,” says Dulic. “In addition to exploring the past and present, the exhibition examines our relationship with water in the future, inviting participants to imagine how we might have a more responsible relationship with our water.”

Following the showing at the Okanagan Heritage Museum in Kelowna, the exhibition toured several galleries and institutions in the Okanagan watershed.

The Social Life of Water exhibition toured the North Okanagan Valley, at the Allan Brooks Centre Sept to Oct 2017 and the Vernon Museum from March to June 2018, and is currently open to the public at the Penticton Museum, until the end of August 2018.

In the Fall of 2017, Right of Way, the touch screen environment on species-at-risk access to water, from the exhibition, was selected to accompany a travel exhibit at the Lake Country Municipal Hall presented by the Okanagan Conservation Collaborative Program.

Keeping Connectivity in our Future, the evolution of the 3D touch screen environment featuring a build-your-own pollinator garden, was presented at BorderFreeBees events at The Kelowna Regional Library and the Fat Cat Festival in 2018.

Elder Richard Armstrong talking with the artists from the 2016 Summer Indigenous Art Intensive

GroundWorks sets the intention for the 2018 Summer Indigenous Art Intensive to acknowledge those who have laid the ground for past, present, and future generations of Indigenous artists, curators, writers, scholars, and creative practitioners.

Dedicated to new ideas rooted in Indigenous art-making and coordinated by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS) with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Summer Intensive is a month-long series of undergraduate and graduate courses, related events and exhibitions, as well as a key component—the artist-in-residence program.

The artist-in-residence program brings nationally and internationally recognized artists, writers, curators, and scholars to the UBCO campus to work alongside UBCO students. This immersive learning environment provides students with an invaluable opportunity to learn from and discuss and develop new ideas with creative practitioners working beyond the Okanagan.

The work of this year’s visiting artists-in-residence broadly engages the 2018 theme, GroundWorks, connecting to place and founding practices, grounded in land, voice, and language, reconnecting to and nurturing traditions, and expanding the discourses of contemporary arts and Indigeneity.

Each artist will have a studio on campus for the duration of their 1 to 2-week stay. They will also be involved in a number of activities, including studio and class visits, exhibitions and events throughout the region, and the weekly Wednesday afternoon keynote presentations and artist panels. The Wednesday gatherings are open to the public and start at 12pm in the University Theatre (ADM026).

Joining FCCS from across Canada, the United States, and New Zealand, this year’s visiting artists are: Billy-Ray Belcourt, Carlos Colín, Ryan Feddersen, Tarah Hogue, Liz Howard, Jaimie Isaac, Steven Loft, Dylan Miner, Julie Nagam, Meghan O’Brien, taisha paggett, Ryan Rice, Natalie Robertson, Sarah Shamash, Richard Van Camp, Olivia Whetung, and Cease Wyss.

Keynote presentations will be given by Steven Loft (July 4), Natalie Robertson (July 11), Dylan Miner (July 18), Richard Van Camp (July 24), and Ryan Rice (July 25), whose practices span art-making, activism, curation, scholarship, and leadership to address Indigenous sovereignty, aesthetics, and cultural policy.

Full details of keynote presentations, artist panels, artist residency dates, and local and regional events and exhibitions involving sii18 artists-in-residence and FCCS students can be found HERE

Carlee Mills, Student Reader for the Bachelor of Arts ceremony for FCCS students

The Dean’s office and FCCS faculty members who were present at convocation were absolutely thrilled to witness our students walk across the stage on June 7th.

“This is the culmination of years of sacrifices and a lot of hard work. Our students, their families and other loved ones can be proud of their achievements. Well done indeed!” says FCCS Associate Dean, Dr. Marianne Legault.

After years of hard work and dedication, forty-four FCCS students graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, twenty-one students graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and ten Masters students completed their degree.

Carlee Mills, graduating with a BA (major in English), was chosen as this year’s Student Reader.

“It is an immense honour to be chosen; I wish I could put into words how much it truly means to be acknowledged in such an amazing way.” Says Carlee.

Carlee gave a thoughtful speech at the graduation ceremony, leaving her fellow graduates with some inspiring words. “I am surrounded by inspiring and inspired individuals. Standing here today, and looking back on our time here, it feels like we could do anything. Embrace change. I think it is important to not just exist in the world, but yearn to change it. I know that UBCO’s class of 2018 is capable of making tremendous changes.”

And to the students who are still working on completing their degree, she leaves this advice, “I think that the best advice I could give is to not be too hard on yourself. There will be times when you feel that nothing you do is good enough or that you aren’t cut out for University. The key is to not give into those feelings and push through. Not everything you do in University will be ‘pure gold.’ There will be times that you have to just tell yourself “next time” instead of dwelling on it.”

Aside from this whirlwind of being able to speak at graduation, Carlee said that a highlight of her time at UBC Okanagan is the ability to have taken a lot of very interesting courses; courses from Ornithology and Anthropocentrism to Punk culture, taught by some of the most inspired individuals who foster their students’ interests in the subjects.

“What stands out to me about Carlee is her dedication,” says George Grinnell, professor of English. “When given the chance to design and execute a project entirely of her own making for a Do-It-Yourself themed assignment, she worked with a partner from our class to create an hour-long documentary film, which was a massive undertaking.”

After the ceremony, a reception was held in the Creative and Critical Studies building for all of the FCCS graduates and their guests to continue the celebrations of the day.

FCCS Graduation Reception

Dean Traister giving a toast to the 2018 graduating class

Dr. Bryce Traister, Dean of FCCS, addressed the attendees wishing the graduates great success as they embark on their next stages of life, “I congratulate the students and their families on the occasion of their graduation. It takes a village for a student to achieve a degree, and it has been a pleasure being part of your journeys as young artists, readers, thinkers, and writers. I only just got to meet many of you on stage for the first time, and I certainly hope that it won’t be the last. Best wishes for your successful futures, and don’t be strangers to the FCCS!”

MA English grads Brittany Rhodes & Francesca Gimson with instructor Melissa Jacques (centre)

Marianne Legault (centre) with her students Jolene Hayter & Jenica McKenzie

FCCS is also pleased to recognize the achievements of the following graduating or continuing students who received awards for their outstanding academic performance this year:

• Moozhan Ahmadzadegan, DVC Purchase Award
• Evan Berg, Asper Scholarship
• Arden Boehm, FCCS Dean’s Award for Artistic Excellence; BMO First Art nominee
• Megan Butchart, FCCS English Scholarship
• Taylor Carruthers, Craig Hall Memorial Visual Arts Scholarship in Printmaking
• Sari Elizabeth Dale, Creative Studies Prize in Creative Writing
• Sarah Ellis, Okanagan Visual Arts Scholarship; Asper Graduating Prize; Head of Class (BFA)
• Joshua Fender, Elinor Yandel Memorial Award in Fine Arts
• Mat Glenn, Creative Studies Department Award; BMO First Art nominee
• Angela Gmeinweser, Murray Johnson Memorial Award in Visual Arts
• Ayla de Grandpre, FCCS French and Spanish Scholarship
• Toby Handford, Kelly Curtis Memorial Scholarship in English
• Jill Janvier, UBC Okanagan Visual Arts Award; DVC Award for Artistic Excellence
• Safeera Jeffer-Hirji, FCCS Cultural Studies Scholarship; R.M. Middleton Student Prize; Head of Class (BA)
• Sarah Kapp, DVC Purchase Award
• Patricia Leinemann, Norma and Jack Aitken Prize in Visual Arts; BMO First Art nominee
• Jenica McKenzie, FCCS French Essay Prize; FCCS French Scholarship
• Darren Patterson, Dr. Shelley Martin Memorial Scholarship
• Sarah Polak, Asper Scholarship; New Monaco Enterprise GP Corp. Award in Sustainable Development
• Emerson Rogers, FCCS Art History and Visual Culture Scholarship
• Amy Salter, Jack and Lorna Hambleton Memorial Award
• Kara Sikora, DVC Purchase Award
• Sarah Spencer, FCCS Visual Arts Scholarship; Frances Harris Prize in Fine Arts
• Emily Thomas, FCCS Interdisciplinary Performance Scholarship
• Hayden Ward, Creative Writing Prize
• Felicia Watterodt, German Canadian Harmonie Club Prize in German Studies
• Melissa Weiss, FCCS Creative Writing Scholarship
• Natalie Whiteman, International Student Faculty Award
• Aiden Wilhelmina de Vin, Doug Biden Memorial Scholarship in Visual Arts

Safeera Jeffer-Hirji, recipient of the Cultural Studies Scholarship & the R.M. Middleton Student Prize

Sarah Ellis, Head of Class (BFA)

Amy Hanfstingl working with professor Briar Craig in the printmaking studio

Having the chance to work in an advertising firm overseas is not something that every student gets, but for Amy Hanfstingl, it was an experience that will stick with her for life.

Amy is a student at UBC Okanagan that is combining visual arts and biology in her degree. She spent the summer of 2017 in Paris as an intern at Team Creatif, an international graphic design company.

In order to be considered for the internship, Amy had to submit a portfolio, and was accepted based on the fact that she is studying visual arts and has amazing technical drawing skills. Amy credits her drawing instructor, Aleksandra Dulic, for pushing her to keep a journal of weekly sketches, making it so Amy was able to hone her drawing skills.

Over the last academic year, Amy took Introductory Screen Printing from Professor Briar Craig. “Amy brought the same dedication to observational drawing and to getting her images ‘right’ to the printmaking studio and as a result the technical skill level she brought to her screen prints tended to captivate her classmates with their intricacy and nuance. It is increasingly rare to see someone as technically capable as Amy who is also willing to put in the time and the focused energy to develop their work so fully.”

Amy spent three months with Team Creatif in the trainee program working in a number of different departments, including with the strategic planning team, the design team, working on a photoshoot, and working on packaging design. During her time there, Amy was even asked to create a mock-up design for packaging for a Kinder Bueno chocolate bar, where she had to create drawings, make the chocolate bar with the package out of cardboard, and present her project to the design team.

“Having this opportunity to work for a company and travel around in a different country changed the way I think,” says Amy. “As I spent a lot of time travelling alone, I was able to see things from a different perspective, see that I can focus on what I want to do, and I am more aware of my time, prioritizing myself in school. I am looking at setting my goals a bit higher than I did before.”

Amy has always enjoyed science, and was looking to start her degree only in biology, but, because of her drawing abilities, her high school art teacher encouraged her to delve further into the study of visual art. She has aspirations to pursue medical illustration, and as a student who still has two years to go with her degree, she has time to figure out what she may want to do with the rest of her life.

Harsimran K. Kalra with fellow students and professor Francisco Peña in the Mythologies in Motion course

The study of World Literatures is something new that is being offered by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. World Literatures creatively takes advantage of FCCS faculty’s range of expertise in the field of literature and proposes to open a dialogue between worldviews through the study of literatures from a range of cultures and historical periods.

This year, professor Francisco Peña taught Mythologies in Motion, a course at the 300 level that students were able to take as an elective from a number of different programs. Dr. Peña noted that the biggest surprise he had was in relation to the range of students and the diversity of programs that the students are in.

“There have been many students interested in the humanities, in general, but there have also been those who come from the field of science, especially biology.” says Peña.

This course looks at understanding mythology “in its motion”, in a constant state of transformation or re-adaptation, without ever losing sight of the transcultural nature of mythology.

Harsimran K. Kalra, as student from Human Kinetics, noted that this course had her learning things and ideas that she had never come across before academically, and helped her push the boundaries of her own thinking.

“This was my first ever Humanities course at UBCO and I absolutely enjoyed it.” says Harsimran, “My favorite part of the course was that it had me questioning my own ideas, beliefs and world-view, that I have been socialized into and indoctrinated with. It had me thinking critically and analyzing my own sense of ideology and identity, which is always a wonderful exercise in self- awareness and self-improvement.”

student presentations in the WRLD 310 course

In a subject as diverse and rich as mythology, an instructor always learns a lot from the perspectives and the readings, questions and impressions that the students bring.

“In this particular course, I have learned a lot from my students because of the diverse composition of their backgrounds, of their interest, and the work they brought to their projects and presentations.” noted Peña.

“Mythology has always intrigued me and yet I had never come across it as an academic discipline. When I read the course description, I initially thought that this would be an interesting course to take and that I would learn novel ideas that I would thoroughly enjoy!” says Harsimran.

This coming year there is also a new World Literatures courses at the 100 level, A World History of Horror, which will be an introduction to the idea of horror in literature across historical themes, geographical regions and genres. Students can take this or the Mythologies in Motion course as an elective to add to almost any program on campus.

For more information on the World Literatures courses and initiative, contact francisco.pena@ubc.ca

right to left: Andrew Thorpe, Dean Traister and Jacqui Marshall

The University of British Columbia, Okanagan, has entered into a Statement of Cooperation with the Exeter College of Humanities

During a recent visit to the UK, Bryce Traister, Dean of the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, formalized a new agreement with the University of Exeter.

While attending a symposium, held at both the Streatham Campus in Exeter and the Penryn Campus in Cornwall, Professor Bryce Traister (Dean of Faculty, FCCS at UBC), met with Professor Andrew Thorpe (Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for the College of Humanities) and Jacqui Marshall (Exeter’s Director of People Services and Global Partnerships) to formalize the agreement.

“I am delighted to announce the Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Exeter’s College of Humanities and the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC’s Okanagan Campus.” Says Dean Traister.

The agreement aims to strengthen the relationship between the universities, and nurture a collaborative approach to education, research and academic exchanges.

Dean Traister added: “As a top 5 Russell Group member in the UK, Exeter is one of the very best locations to study the humanities and the arts, and our partnership will explore and develop vibrant research collaborations and teaching opportunities for faculty and staff across the range of program and course offerings on both campuses.”

The symposium, held from May 9 to 11, had a central theme of ‘Culture, Creativity and Well-being’, and featured researchers from UBC, Exeter, Simon Fraser University, Grenoble and the University of Northern British Columbia.