John Lent once said, "You couldn't be a writer in Vernon because it's Vernon and we're all just losers here."
Speaking in sarcasm mimicking some of the comments he's heard, Lent's words are obviously untrue, as he and dozens of local writers are proving.
A sample of some of the talents produced from Vernon is even making a TV debut.
An award-winning, locally-produced documentary has been created called Why We Write: Poets of Vernon.
Co-directed by Hannah Calder and Curtis Emde, it will be broadcast on BC's Knowledge Network on Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. (it will also be streamed from starting on the same date for about a month).
"When we were still in production," Emde said. "I would tell people that we were making a movie about Vernon poets, and a not-uncommon response was, '...are there any?' Well, yes, not only are there a lot of them, they're excellent! As John Lent says in the film, '...there's something that likes poets here.'"
The one-hour documentary premiered at a trio of sold-out screenings at the Vernon Museum and Archives in the spring of 2022, and went on to win both the Best Factual and Audience Choice awards at the Towne Theatre's annual film festival.
Since then, Why We Write has been screened on the coast, the island, and in the Slocan Valley. A tie-in chapbook has also sold out completely.
"We're thrilled that the Knowledge Network is bringing our film to a wider audience," novelist Calder said. "We are proud to celebrate the writers who call Vernon and area home, and are happy that our documentary will help share their work with even more people"
Edited by Silmara Emde, Why We Write' is filled with music by local musicians, artwork by Coralee Miller and Stacey Malysh (among others), as well as photography by Elton Hubner.
The film also features plenty of poetry, contemporary and classic, complemented by sounds and imagery that reflect the evocative words of passionate writers, including Laisha Rosnau, Harold Rhenisch, Clare Thiessen, Kerry Gilbert, William Cohen, Sharon Thesen, Gerry William, Michelle Doege, John La Greca, and George Bowering.
To check out the Knowledge Network's preview, visit .
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