Memoirs of a Hustler

I first met Amber Dawn back in the late 90s at UBC in a Creative Writing class. I liked her immediately - her personality, and especially her writing. I then interviewed her for an article in the campus paper and was amazed by her incredible tale and life that she had lived up to that point. When was this girl gonna write a memoir already??

 

 Cut to over a decade later and one full length novel under her belt (the award winning Sub Rosa), and my wish for her memoir is finally coming to fruition. How Poetry Saved My Life - A Hustler's Memoir launches tonight at Pat's Pub (403 East Hastings) beginning at 7pm.

 "This story, told in prose and poetry, offers a frank, multifaceted portrait of the author's experiences hustling the streets of Vancouver, and the how those years took away her self-esteem and nearly destroyed her; at the crux of this autobiographical narrative is the tender celebration of poetry and literature, which―as the title suggests―acted as a lifeline during her most pivotal moments." - from the press release

 We've kept in touch over the years and our paths continued to cross. I'm excited to hear her read from her book, as well as to devour the words on the pages for myself.

 Hosted by Billeh Nickerson (Impact: The Titanic Poems, McPoems),with special guests Leah Horlick (Riot Lung) and Fiona Tinwei Lam (Enter the Chrysanthemum).

 Check out the Facebook event page here.