You could be any age, but if you live in the Haut-Saint-François and are in the beginnings of your creative journey, you are on Yolanda Weeks’ Most Wanted list. She is the artistic director of the Literacy in Action’s StoryMakers and Migratory Roots Festival initiatives.
“We are looking for an emerging artist in the Eaton Valley for our Migratory Roots Festival this fall,” she wrote. “This is a paid position. They would be the Eaton Valley Artist in Residence for LIA’s Migratory Roots Festival.”
The part-time position is an arts residency; the money is to support folks starting their process (which could be anytime) and complete their piece or pieces by the festival in October. Your creative journey may be in “writing, poetry, art, woodworking, photography, you name it! It’s very open!” If you are interested in exploring the theme of migration in the English-speaking communities, Yolanda would love to hear from you.
Interested? For details, contact Yolanda at yolanda.weeks@lia-estrie.org, or 819-346-7009.
TINKERS & THINKERS
How about publishing your art and writing in a community zine? Literacy in Action is inviting “stories, recipes, poems, comics, drawings, collages, and whatever else you can imagine” to be part of a collaborative “zine.”
A zine is a “do-it-yourself magazine where individuals share their ideas, stories or thoughts on topics they are passionate about. LIA’s Tinkers & Thinkers was created during the pandemic to help bridge us at a distance. It was so successful, we decided to continue it this year,” LIA tells us.
To participate, your deadline is June 15. Send your art to: Literacy in Action Tinkers & Thinkers, 5 rue Connolly, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1L8. Questions? Call 819-346-7009 or email info@lia-estrie.org.
CONCERT AT TRINITY UNITED
The Cookshire-Eaton Cultural Space presents its first concert of the season on Saturday, May 27, at 7:30 p.m., featuring two musicians, violinist Uliana Drugova and pianist Michel-Alexandre Broekaert. The concert explores the world of French composer Lili Boulanger, the first woman to win the Grand Prix de Rome. Her promising career was cut short when she died of tuberculosis in 1918, at age 24.
The musical pieces will alternate with commentary about the links between Boulanger and composers such as Debussy and other composers of her day, letting the audience “reimagine a French salon of the 20th century,” said the concert description. The concert is at the Trinity United Church, 190 Principale West, Cookshire. Admission is by voluntary contribution. Info: galeriecookshireeaton@gmail.com.
CAPTURE YOUR HERITAGE
Downstairs from the Galerie d’Art Cookshire-Eaton, in the Galerie Suzanne Genest, is a new show, Capture your Heritage, from May 13 to 21. This is a travelling exhibition showing recent photos by Haut-Saint-François MRC students in high school or the 3rd cycle. The photos accompany historical photos from various collections and archives in our region. The address is 125 Principale West, Cookshire, (side door), and opening hours are noon to 4 p.m., weekends.
BETWEEN
Upstairs in the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, Meditation Between Two Cultures is the theme of Yong Sook Kim-Lambert’s paintings and prints on exhibit until May 20. The Gallery is located at 125 Principale West, Cookshire, and is open weekends, noon to 4 p.m., or by appointments on weekdays (email galeriecookshireeaton@gmail.com). To see more of her artwork, visit Kim-Lambert’s website at ykimlambert.com.
VIACTIVE
Bilingual sessions of Viactive, those lively and regenerative exercises, continue at the Newport Municipal Hall, 1452 Route 212. Anyone age 50+ are welcome to participate on Wednesdays at 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Prefer mornings? Join the Sawyerville group Wednesdays at 10 a.m. in the basement of the former Sawyerville Catholic Church, 4 Randboro Road, Sawyerville. Info: 819-889-1340.
SMALL FARMS
“Small Farms are Difficult Here” is the theme of the May issue of the Townships Sun. Guest-edited by our own Scott Stevenson, it explores the rebirth of small farming, with stories from the Patch farm in Brome and the Rowell farm in East Clifton, among other stories, photos and art. Subscriptions are easy to get at townshipssun.ca, and the May issue is in the magazine stands at Cookshire IGA and the Dépanneur Lachance store in Sawyerville.
BOOKS TO BELLY
Have an appetite for reading… and eating? Literacy in Action proposes a series of workshops for kids age 7+ and adults to read a story together, then make food inspired by the story. Two upcoming workshops are on Wednesdays, May 10, and May 24, from 6 to 7 p.m. Free of charge, at the Pope Memorial Elementary School, 523 Stokes, Bury. To sign up, contact 819-346-7009 or connect@lia-estrie.org.
JUNE CONCERT, JULY FLEA MARKET
Get ready for two summer events at the Canterbury Center. First, a concert on Friday, June 23, features Paula Chiasson on violin, voice, and dance; Normand Breton on bass, accordion, voice, and dance; and Christian Nolet on guitar and bouzouki. To reserve tickets, call 819-872-3400.
Second, the Canterbury Center will host a Flea Market/Marché aux puces and Farmers’ Markets on Saturday and Sunday, July 29 and 30. Starting now, the organizers are seeking donations of small items and antiques. To arrange to drop off donations, or if your mobility is reduced, to have them picked up, call 819-872-3400. The Canterbury Center is located at 1095 Route 214, Canterbury.
CHURCHES
Baptist. In-person Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. All services are at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. In-person Sunday services are 11 a.m. every first and third Sunday of the month at the St. Peter’s Anglican Church, 45 Principale West, Cookshire; the next service is May 21. For details, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Sunday services are at 9:30 a.m. at the Trinity United Church in Cookshire, and at 11 a.m. at the Sawyerville United Church. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by May 15 for publication May 24.