Maureen F. Fitzgerald PHD Book Launch for "Wake the F Up"
2026-02-26 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Vancouver) | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Join Author Maureen Fitzgerald PhD as she launches her latest publication, “Wake the F Up – the Essential Guide to Spiritual Awakening and Freedom”. The evening will include a presentation from the author, opportunity to purchase her book and a reception to follow.

Every mystic has said the same thing: We can only end suffering and be truly happy if we wake up. But how do we do this?

In her engaging presentation, Maureen will describe her five-step process to awakening from an egoic-state of consciousness to awake awareness. You will learn how to use your life difficulties for opportunities to realize your True Self and:

 transcend the limits of your egoic mind;
 loosen the limiting beliefs in your shadow; and
 unlock the freedom and peace that is already within you.

Fitzgerald combines Western psychology and Eastern philosophy while referring to the words of the mystics including Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie, Michael Singer, Loch Kelly, Adyashanti and Osho.

Come and learn how to raise your consciousness and move from a place of darkness and ignorance to a time of abundance and freedom.

As Eckhart Tolle says: “Your main purpose is to awaken. It is as simple as that. You share that purpose with every other person on this planet – because it is the purpose of humanity.”

Carys Owen "Love Letter to a Bee" Poetry Reading and Book Launch with musical guests Circle Complex
2026-02-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Carys Owen is a poet, educator, community builder and nature-lover who respectfully lives on the unceded territory of the K’omoks people. Her office is on the beach, by the river, in the forest, near a mountain.
For several years she has been sharing her poems at readings, community events and in her first poetry collection – Into the Ordinary. In 2023, Carys helped to create the Downtown Courtenay Poetry Walk. This public art project is now in its fourth year. It pairs poets with businesses resulting in a display of poetry on store front windows during National Poetry Month (April).
Carys’s poetry has been read at conferences and meetings to illustrate the life of various organizations, for example the BC Teacher’s Reading Conference, Lush Valley Food Action Society and CV Rotary Club. She is also very proud to have performed her poetry at Pride in the Park in Courtenay, BC. Carys is a founding member of ‘Artful : The Poets’ who meet once a month to share their poetry at ‘Artful : The Gallery’, Courtenay BC. She also helps to organize ‘Wordsmiths’, a group of poets, writers and singers in Cumberland, BC.
Her new collection of poetry – ‘Love Letter to a Bee’- explores the beauties of the natural world alongside the importance of caring for our environment.She is mindful of creating poems that celebrate the wonders of the natural world with the aim of encouraging connection and hope.

Artful : The Poets Featuring Landon Norris
2026-03-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Artful : The Poets welcomes Landon Norris as feature poet, with host Diana Kolpak, on March 2, 7-9pm.
Landon Arora Norris is a visual artist, actor, and poet, bringing an abundance of energy and colour to the stage, with vibrant brush strokes and line-work, wordplay, quirky subject matter, and eye-catching composition, leaving the ear a myriad of details to explore and become lost in. Landon mixes her personal experiences, interests in games and pop culture, along with her affinity for literary exploration and play.

Landon earned a BFA in Drawing & Painting from OCAD University, while working steadily as a professional on-screen and voice actor. Her engagement in the artistic world quickly segued into music and poetry, latching onto linguistic intricacies, like anagrams, palindromes, and spoonerisms. She enjoys the carefree exploration involved in abstraction, and cartooning, while having a deep-rooted understanding of realism, light and shadow. With this amalgamation of artistic expression, Landon crosses the lines between free-spirited childlike poetry and highly technical lyricism and flow.

Landon drove out from Toronto to Courtenay four years ago and planted roots on the island rather quickly, enjoying the pace of life, and the immediate connection to nature and the breathtaking outdoors this country is rich with. When she’s not glued to her creation station, playing games of the board or video variety, or out partaking in community events, you’re likely to catch Landon slinging ice cream at Blue Spruce during the weekdays.

New Exhibit “Hope Meets Action: Echoes Through the Black Continuum”
2026-03-07 10:00 - 2026-05-23 16:00 | the Courtenay and District Museum, 207 4th St, Courtenay, BC, COURTENAY, BC, V9N 1G7, Canada
The Courtenay and District Museum is pleased to present “Hope Meets Action: Echoes Through the Black Continuum”, a travelling exhibit created by the BC Black History Awareness Society in partnership with the Royal BC Museum.
The exhibit reclaims and retells the complicated history of Black British Columbians and traces an unbroken line of strength and resistance from the distant past to the present and into the future by highlighting the contributions of Black leaders.
“Hope Meets Action” will be on display from March 7 to May 23, 2026. The Courtenay Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.
FMI: (250) 334-0686

Poetry Reading and Book Launch
2026-03-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Join host Kelly Madden at Artful : The Gallery for the poetry reading and book launch of Ed Varney and Dan Kirk. Guest poet Kristina Campbell will also join the reading for an entertaining trio of Comox Valley Poets.

Ed Varney was inspired to become a poet during his second year of University and has followed that idea over the past 60 years. Along the way he has learned printing technologies, publishing strategies, book binding skills, graphics and fine arts, arranged exhibitions, edited anthologies, founded small poetry magazines and published over 20 books and chapbooks of his own poetry. Varney reports that poetry continues to engage him and new poems emerge on sheets of paper in his studio. Varney’s latest chapbook is ‘Crossroads’, published by the Poem Factory. It follows the path that thought takes as it expresses itself in words and how those words morph into poetry.

Dan Kirk has spent extended periods of time over the past 20 years reading American poets William Stafford, Robert Bly and Emily Dickenson, Spanish poets Antonio Machado and Juan Ramon Jimenez, Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer and Norwegian poet Olav H. Hauge. They have informed and inspired Kirk’s writing in an ongoing conversation where he has responded to, argued with and extended their words and ideas and brought them into his world. This volume ’Still Talking’ represents a distillation of his ongoing dialogue with these poets and others who evoke a response. Kirk founded and ran the Red Tree Poetry Series and co-produced the first two Cascadia Poetry Festivals in Cumberland, B.C. with Adelia MacWilliam and Ed Varney. Reading in locations around Vancouver Island and Kelowna, Daniel has enjoyed the varied audiences for poetry in these communities.

Kristina Campbell is an artist and therapist who has lived in the Comox Valley since 2017. In 2020, Campbell established Artful : The Gallery to provide a home base for her multi-media art practice which includes painting, poetry and experimental film. Campbell has reached back through her Danish ancestry to bring the Nordic gods to her mythopoetic sensibility as an artist. Campbell’s style is an expression of her belief that using mythological imagery can inspire and lead to the creation of new narratives. Campbell’s fascination with mythology, symbols, memory and dream imagery is a unifying theme throughout her work.

Kelly Madden is a Vancouver Island poet whose writing is raw, unflinching, and deeply rooted in place. She speaks for the overlooked: those lost to the overdose crisis, those unhoused, and the ecosystems we continue to erase. Her work has appeared in numerous publications supported by the League of Canadian Poets, Reckoning, SAPPzine, Island Writer’s Magazine, CV2, The Poet, Drift, Drunk Monkeys and elsewhere. She is currently working on her second collection of poetry.

Spring Fling and Easter Magic 2026
2026-03-21 11:00 - 14:00 | the Courtenay and District Museum, 207 4th St, Courtenay, BC, COURTENAY, BC, V9N 1G7, Canada
The Courtenay Museum invites you to their annual “Spring Fling and Easter Magic” event on Saturday, March 21st, from 11 am to 2 pm. Admission is by donation.
This will be a fun-filled, action-packed three-hour event.
The ever-popular petting zoo provided by Barnyard Party Animals gives folks a chance to meet ducks, geese, bunnies, chicks, guinea pigs, and hedgehogs.
We have invited a special guest this year, “Magician Donald Dunphy,” who will be performing amazing magic shows. Audience participation is a must. There will be two magic shows, one at 11:45 and the other at 12:45. Each show will be different.
You will have the opportunity to visit with volunteers and a rescue bird from MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre, where you can learn about their amazing wildlife rescues.
A couple of games are planned for the Fling, including a scavenger hunt and guess how many treats contest. People can also enter to win door prizes. Don’t forget to bring your craft skills to make a cute Easter craft to take home with you.
The Elasmosaur mascot will be making an appearance for photo opportunities and handing out delicious chocolate treats.
