Celebration | 25.1 & 25.2

2002

Of course, there are those who are offended by the idea that women’s literature is a distinct category, maybe because of the implicit suggestion that it is of lesser value than men’s literature or can be appreciated only by other women.

Does any of this make Room irrelevant? Hardly. Room doesn’t revolve around the idea that women’s literature is different from that produced by men, though in my mind it is (after all, equal does not mean the same as). Rather, it’s about providing a forum for women to explore a whole array of issues and themes and voices. And, while it may be easier for women to get published now than it was twenty-five years ago, literary magazines still provide the first foray into the literary world for many writers.

Artist’s Statement

Indigo (blue) is a painting of a woman who is not old but is no longer young, she is not looking at us, but perhaps past us, she is not self-conscious nor is she parading her nakedness. I have been painting women (and men) naked and clothes for about twenty years and have exhibited in Canada, the US, Europe and Japan. I’ve taught painting at Concordia University, Ottawa University, the University of British Columbia and Emily Carr College. I currently reside in Vancouver with my son Sebastiaan.