Here's a lovely way to think about Earth, courtesy of a press release that crossed my desk this week:
"Our planet is a small rock covered in a thin film of water and air, just close enough to an average star to support intelligent life. There is no other world like it."
A discussion about that planet - how its face has changed over time, how human activity is changing it today and how we can take care of it - is on the program when Bob McDonald speaks at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts tonight.
McDonald - best known as the host of the award-winning CBC radio show Quirks and Quarks - will offer up Perspectives on a Planet in a presentation supporting the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
The by-donation event starts at 6:30 p.m. with a reception, with the presentation following at 7:30 p.m.
RSVP to 604-205-3000, or email [email protected] for more details.
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The Vancouver Metal Arts Association is holding its first exhibition at the Burnaby Arts Council's Deer Lake Gallery.
Metallicity, featuring art jewelry by both established and emerging jewelry artists, is on at the gallery until Dec. 7.
"Our intention is to raise the profile of metal and jewelry art and to build a community of artists to share resources and support, as well as to promote and educate each other and the public," explains a press release from the group.
The association meets throughout the year and holds special events such as an annual tool swap in the fall and ornament exchange in December.
To find out more, search for Vancouver Metal Arts Association at facebook.com.
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A professor emerita at Simon Fraser University has won the 2013 Governor General's Literary Award for non-fiction.
Sandra Djwa, a professor emerita of English at SFU, is known for her scholarly biographies of important Canadian literary figures.
A native of St. John's, N.L., now living in West Vancouver, she won the honour for her latest book, Journey With No Maps: A Life of P.K. Page.
A press release notes that the book is the first biography of Patricia Kathleen Page, a British-born and Canadian-bred poet and fine artist who died in 2010 at age 93.
Djwa's biography draws on a 30-year friendship with Page and a decade's worth of research into her work.
For more on the book, check out McGill-Queen's University Press, www.mqup.ca.
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City and Colour fans, you'll want to set aside May 23 of next year.
That's when City and Colour will be taking to the stage at Deer Lake Park for one of the city's popular outdoor concerts.
City and Colour, a.k.a. singer-songwriter Dallas Green, will be taking to the stage with his new touring band, including Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, Dead Weather) on bass, Dante Schwebel (Hacienda, Dan Auerbach) on guitar, Doug MacGregor (Constantines) on drums and Matt Kelly on pedal steel guitar and keyboards.
They're touring in support of City and Colour's newest album, The Hurry and The Harm. Sharing the bill will be Half Moon Run.
The Burnaby concert is one-stop in a 13-city Canadian tour.
Check out www.cityandcolour.com for all the details.
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Do you have an item for Lively City? Send ideas to Julie, [email protected], or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
