Telling Stories at the House of James Bookstore

The evenings of Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2 saw us at the House of James, which was hosting our very first presentation of Telling Stories—The Mennonite Narrative in Letters, Poetry, Short Stories & Film. Several Mennonite writers based here in the Fraser Valley were reading a selection of their writings to what turned out to be a full house.

We were delighted to have musicians Anne Dyck (violin) and Helen Nickel (piano) begin each evening with a selection of wonderful Mennonite hymns and songs. For many of those present that evening, the simple sound of piano and violin on songs like “Wehrlos und Verlassen” and “Great is Thy Faithfulness” played like the soundtrack from our own childhoods. And when Anne invited us to sing along while she and Helen played “Gott ist die Liebe,” the whole room swelled with four-part harmony, singing;

Gott ist die Liebe

Lässt mich erlösen

Gott ist die Liebe

Er liebt auch mich….

We were privileged to hear stories and poetry from writers Carol Loewen, Neil Klassen, Alvin Ens, Selma Turner, Robert Martens, Anne Willms, Connie Braun, Louise Price and Mary Steegstra. The readings varied from the introspective to the humorous, to others that were very serious.

Concluding each evening was Ruth Derksen Siemens, whose book Remember Us powerfully presents the terrible suffering of Jasch Regehr and his family. Like many millions of Soviet citizens during the Stalin Era, the Regehr family were (on the flimsiest pretext) forcibly taken from their village and shipped in cattle cars to a labour camp in Stalin’s Gulag. Once there, even the children became slave labourers, doing dangerous work for long hours, under the most horrible conditions. Ruth read from some of the letters in Remember Us which, while they tell of the terrible circumstances these people had to endure, also tell of the great faith that some of them found.

Ruth also presented a short clip from the film Through the Red Gate, which was inspired by the book Remember Us.

All of us who participated in Telling Stories want to express our appreciation to Lando Klassen and the staff of House of James Bookstore for hosting this event so graciously and cheerfully. Because those who attended Telling Stories enjoyed the event so much, a plan is in the works to do this again on October 21 and 22, 2011. Watch this blog for details.

Telling Stories

We are very excited to present Telling Stories—an event that celebrates the Mennonite Narrative in letters, poetry, short stories and film, on April 1 and 2, at the House of James Bookstore.

Of all the many traits that characterize us as humans, one of the most important is our love of good stories—either telling or hearing them. A good story can be a great means for transmitting truth, passing along our culture, celebrating our heroes, or simply passing time together in a congenial way.

Among the Mennonites there has always been an interest in telling and preserving stories. Books like The Martyrs’ Mirror relate the tales of the ordinary men and women who willingly died for their Anabaptist beliefs. Their stories are woven with the great themes of love and loyalty, self-sacrifice and extraordinary courage.

For many of us who grew up during the end of the twentieth century, our grandparents’ stories of sudden and harried flight from the USSR became the backdrop of our own lives. I vividly recall the stories that my grandfather told us. Some were terribly sad, as he told of family and friends who died tragically at the hands of the Bolsheviks. Other stories were full of suspense and adventure, and helped me to see my grandfather as the brave, stalwart young preacher that he’d been. Still other stories that Opa told were very funny, and he recalled them with much laughter and happiness—and since he was not a vain man, he often told these stories on himself.

Telling Stories will feature the works of several Mennonite writers, poets and storytellers from the Fraser Valley. Each evening will vary somewhat from the other, with writers telling different stories in different ways. The published works of the writers will be available for perusing and purchasing. To add to the event, some musicians will present a selection of wonderful songs from the Mennonite past.

This is a free event, open to the public, and you are invited to attend. Come, enjoy some stories, music and a cup of coffee—sorry, Prips will not be served.