Editorial 2003- Summer of Transition

---

Hi, We have now left Vancouver (with many regrets) and are now back in the UK. We are maintaining a low profile edition of the magazine but a small number of submissions are welcome from time to time. It has been quite an adventure so far, Hacks has archived over 1900 articles since late 1999 and around 500 writers have been involved. Some like Colin Todhunter have gone on to success, (his volume of articles published in India have been received very well there and you can buy the second edition here.) Mandy Mand is putting together a volume of all her articles on Japan for publication and former writers such as Hazel Marshall and Rosemary North have gone on to publishing success. Rosemary’s children’s books have sold out first editions and Hazel’s first novel (more about it nearer the time) will come out in January ’04. There are more successes. Carine Thomas, long our co-publisher, just had her first solo photographic exhibition in Vancouver (Urban Wild) and I was lucky enough to have my own solo show at The Ironworks all of May (Out of Season). Thanks to Vancouver for turning out to see it and to Astrid Sars and Cal Drysdale for hosting it. Photo: West Side Notices on Bute Street. (Find the apartment of your choice)SN

Vancouver has been very good to us at Hackwriters and we have made some wonderful friends here. Actors, writers, producers, photographers, it has been a pleasure to meet them and work with them. Both Carine myself already miss the city and them a great deal and the incredible sense of ambition and genuine talent that so many people have here to succeed. We also wish the best to Heather Neale, one of our regular contributors who has been suffering a great deal of pain with meningitis and wish her speedy recovery. Heather is a young woman with great potential and I look forward to her coming back to full strength very soon. I might add that our regular reviewer Alex Grant is suffering too after being run over recently. I hope he recovers soon. Bravely he has sent us four reviews this month from his sick bed.
If you are planning to visit this city soon, here's a handy guide to Vancouver by the by. It's a great place to visit with the family or as a couple.

Kelowna Mosaic Photo: Sam North More images of BC here

Carine and I have been upcountry in June taking photos in the mountains and vineyards of BC. We had a lucky break with the weather and swimming in lakes whilst the outside temp is 33degrees centigrade is fine by me. Of course once you escape the confines of Kamloops and Kelowna it does become somewhat difficult to obtain a latte and the absence of coffee shops in the mountains is something that needs serious attention (Only kidding). Kamloops, like most towns in the interior of BC is on a vast lake and has spent a lot of money reviving the old part of town. You can find some pretty interesting restaurants on the high street (such as Rics - very urban with a good wine list). Kelowna is the city that got big. It's now the 'conference/resort' city of BC and the new civic buildings are pretty good with adventurous designs, but allowing all the strip malls out of town has somewhat ripped the guts out of the city and that is a great pity. If you are planning a vacation in BC the road trip up the Fraser River Canyon is a must however. Pretty damn spectacular views, lakes, mountains and good roads. The trip from Kelowna to the US Border at Osoyoos is a great adventure as well. Going by way of Penticton and Peachland and the wine growing area of Oliver you would be astonished at just how long and wide these lakes are. More importantly you'll be thinking how reasonable the cost of land and houses are too. Food for thought.

This summer Hackwriters:
Features on Sichuan, Bangladesh & Chennai ,Seoul,Taiwan and Vancouver, Boston, Baltimore and Chicago. Reviews from Alex Grant, Memories of the sixties from Jeffrey Beyl who was there in the thick of it, political comment from James Campion, James Skinner and JT Brown in Japan. Oh yes, the latest series of articles from Tabytha who has just been to Cape Town in now on-line. Missed something, then look at our previous months. It is all archived.

© Sam North July 1st 2003

Previous Editorials:
June: Saying Goodbye
MAY- DYSTOPIA OUR FUTURE?
Art and the Matrix
BLOSSOM TIME IN THE CITY
Forget your troubles - April
INTERESTING TIMES -March
Oscars have a message
WAITING FOR WAR February
Winning the Peace
THE MUNSTER HOUSE
Renting in Kits
Winter Escape to the UK
Hacks takes a break
TOO MANY MOVIES- IT'S AN AVALANCHE OF CULTURE
What will you seeing at the movies? November
VANCOUVER REALLY IS A FUN CITY October
'The city where everyone gets to live a millionaire lifestyle'
It’s SECTION 9 in the N.Y. Sunday Times
A cornucopia - October
LADY LUCK
The Kids stay in the picture- August
PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES
Hacks visits the new Museum of Glass in Tacoma- August
Hot Sweats in a Cold Read at the Anza Club- August
LIFE ON FAST FORWARD - Vancouver on speed -September
SUPERNOVA NINA & ROAD
SweetSista'Shorts Carousel Theatre- Granville Island - Off Fringe
ROUNDHOUSE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY. - September
Arts in the Community is for real -
WE ARE ALL GURUS NOW - September
Time to enrol
MOVIEWORLD October
Vancouver Film Festival Trade Show report

< Back to Index

© Carine Thomas -web design


Carine Thomas 'Urban Wild'


FICTION . TRAVEL . LIFESTYLES . REVIEWS . FIRST CHAPTERS