111 West Coast Literary Portraits by Barry Peterson and Blaise Enright features rare portraits of emerging, midcareer and well-known writers who have lived in B.C., accompanied by excerpts of their writing. In 1997 Barry Peterson and Blaise Enright became obsessively curious about the characters behind the novels and poetry written by British Columbian authors and began photographing them. They travelled the Coast and Gulf Islands for 6 years seeking the famous and infamous. They shot over 50 portraits in black and white to contrast the colourful nature of each writer and to minimize visual distraction from the “character” of each. They took pictures of writers in their personal space, where they were less inhibited, resulting in intimate portraits of B.C.’s best, most honoured, as well as emerging, literary talent. Introduction by Alan Twigg.

Authors in the book:

Caroline Adderson, Taiaiake Alfred, Colin Angus, Julie Angus, Chris Arnett, Joanne Arnott, Jean Barman, Gurjinder Basran, Joanne Bealy, Thomas R. Berger, Bill Bissett, Arthur Black, Robin Blaser, George Bowering, Marilyn Bowering, Kate Braid, Brian Brett, Barry Broadfoot, Anne Cameron, Trevor Carolan, Norma Charles, Jim Christy, Marie Clements, Wayde Compton, Claudia Cornwall, Lorna Crozier, William Deverell, Hadani Ditmars, Phinder Dulai, Marilyn Dumont, Daniela Elza, M.A.C. Farrant, Mona Fertig, George Fetherling, Patrick Friesen, Maxine Gadd, Charlotte Gill, Terry Glavin, Kim Goldberg, Katherine Palmer Gordon, Shirley Graham, R. W. Gray, Amanda Hale, Keith Harrison, Diana Hayes, Robert Hilles, Jack Hodgins, Pauline Holdstock, Irene Howard, Edith Iglauer, Rick James, Sandi Johnson, Eve Joseph, Des Kennedy, W.P. Kinsella, Theresa Kishkan, Joy Kogawa, Larissa Lai, Tim Lander, Patrick Lane, Evelyn Lau, Peter Levitt, Pearl Luke, Derek Lundy, Vera Manuel, Daphne Marlatt, George McWhirter, Roy Miki, Alice Munro, Sheila Munro, Susan Musgrave, Peter C. Newman, Eric Nicol, Bud Osborn, Kathy Page, P.K. Page, Morris Panych, John Pass, Stan Persky, Al Purdy, Meredith Quartermain, Jamie Reid, Stephen Reid, Bill Richardson, Lisa Robertson, Ajmer Rode, Linda Rogers, Joe Rosenblatt, Jane Rule, Mairuth Sarsfield, Andreas Schroeder, Gregory Scofield, Goh Poh Seng, Doris Shadbolt, George Stanley, Robert Strandquist, Peter Such, George Szanto, Timothy Taylor, Sharon Thesen, Peter Trower, Alan Twigg, Fred Wah, Betsy Warland, David Watmough, Phyllis Webb, Evelyn C. White, Howard White, Paula Wild, Rita Wong, Caroline Woodward, Ronald Wright, Rachel Wyatt, Max Wyman, Patricia Young.

Barry Peterson was born and raised near Chicago and immigrated to Canada in the 1960s. He completed his BA and Masters in Social Work and worked in the field for several decades. During this time he studied photography at the Ontario College of Art and exhibited in Winnipeg, Toronto and Vancouver. He also started his own freelance photography business, was a founding member of two artist run galleries in Winnipeg and has taught photography. He exhibited On the Edge: Putting a Face on Homelessness, 2009-11. Barry lives in Comox B.C.

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Blaise Enright studied photography, film and creative writing at the Ontario College of Art & Design and was Executive Director of the Winnipeg Arts Advisory Council. She was also Executive Director of the Vancouver Cultural Alliance for two years. Blaise is currently studying creative writing at the Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson, B.C. and is working on her first novel.

Blaise Enright's profile page