- Words by Angela Cowan Photographs by Don Denton

A journalist, poet, musician, composer and self-proclaimed 香蕉视频直播渟erial artist,香蕉视频直播� Barbara Black recently ticked another box in her lifelong exploration of the arts: author.

Black香蕉视频直播檚 short story collection, Music from a Strange Planet, came out last May, the culmination of more than a decade of musing and writing. With a full writing career already under her belt香蕉视频直播攊ncluding writing reviews and a column for a North Vancouver newspaper, working with various government ministries, and any number of projects working in public relations and for the arts community香蕉视频直播擝arbara, an Oak Bay resident for 30 years, finally turned her gaze inward and began writing creatively.

香蕉视频直播淚t started in my 40s,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚 kept saying I wanted to write a book香蕉视频直播�that germinated for a while香蕉视频直播�and in my 50s, I started writing.香蕉视频直播�

Already attracted to the short story form, Barbara began reading and rereading her favourite short fiction collections and designed what she calls a 香蕉视频直播渄o-it-yourself MFA.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚t took me a little while to figure out where to start the story,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚 was learning to find my author voice and to trust my instincts more because my previous background was a journalistic-type voice.香蕉视频直播�

Short fiction particularly attracted her because of the concise nature of the language and the potential ambiguity of its narratives.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a very encapsulated form. You don香蕉视频直播檛 always have to explain everything, and when you push it into that surreal envelope, the story has an extra sheen to it,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚n a short story, you can get away with not resolving everything. You香蕉视频直播檙e pulling things out of their ordinary-ness, making them more interesting, or maybe more understandable. If it香蕉视频直播檚 in a story form, you might be more willing to accept it.香蕉视频直播�

And indeed, many of the stories in Music have emotionally ambiguous notes. In 香蕉视频直播淒arkling Beetle,香蕉视频直播� a mother struggles to understand and accept her awkward daughter, a girl who envisions herself as more insect than human. In 香蕉视频直播淣ight People,香蕉视频直播� a woman who 肠补苍香蕉视频直播檛 sleep and a man who 飞辞苍香蕉视频直播檛 sleep find their paths crossing in the dark and lonely hours of the night.

The tone in 香蕉视频直播淕hosts on Pale Stalks香蕉视频直播� seems to be light, joking, almost fatalistic towards aging and the passage of time, but the true香蕉视频直播攁nd unexpected香蕉视频直播攇rieving nature of the narrator香蕉视频直播檚 cabin holiday quickly becomes clear.

As different as the stories are, there香蕉视频直播檚 a quiet intensity that runs through each of them. This is partly due to the characters themselves, but partly because of Barbara香蕉视频直播檚 ability to infuse her narratives with small, visceral details of the natural world. There are moths described in great detail, rain-soaked forests, slippery tangles of seaweed and a rabid raccoon with a penchant for olives.

香蕉视频直播淲hen I was little, I already had this fascination with the small things and the natural world,香蕉视频直播� she explains. 香蕉视频直播淚 loved all creatures and insects. I would project myself into their little environments.香蕉视频直播�

Around the same time that she began thinking about writing a book, Barbara took up gardening and found endless inspiration in being immersed in those 香蕉视频直播渓ittle worlds.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚 started being more in the world instead of being so much in my head,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 also interested in putting myself into the perspective of an insect or an animal, or even a plant, and to be in their world, and see their world the way they see it. That pushes a little bit into the realm of surrealism.香蕉视频直播�

Music from a Strange Planet has been very well received since its publication, and Barbara is currently working on a collection of flash fiction also to be released by Caitlin Press, set for release in winter 2022.

With these pieces coming in at fewer than 500 words, they 香蕉视频直播渁lmost blur a little into poetic prose,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e very concise. You have to be economic with your language, and I really like that innovative use of language.香蕉视频直播�

After spending so much time living in the literary part of her brain, Barbara has also recently reengaged with music. After well over a decade of performing classically as a soloist and in ensembles, she香蕉视频直播檚 coming at it from a more organic, personal perspective.

香蕉视频直播淲hen you do classical, you香蕉视频直播檙e constantly singing off the score, so you don香蕉视频直播檛 really have a chance to get it into your body,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚 want to be able to sing and be myself. And I really want to be able to tell a story through song. It香蕉视频直播檚 different when someone is singing from their emotional centre, and they香蕉视频直播檙e feeling it, and that香蕉视频直播檚 what I香蕉视频直播檓 aiming for.香蕉视频直播�

Her two passions will come together this fall, with the premiere of a comic chamber opera in Vancouver, based on one of her flash fiction pieces.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 about a woman named Miss Evans in the Victorian times; she香蕉视频直播檚 a woman who香蕉视频直播檚 being punished for being too intelligent,香蕉视频直播� says Barbara, who wrote the libretto, while composer Katerina Gimon has written the music for the show. 香蕉视频直播淭he Erato Ensemble is premiering it, and that香蕉视频直播檚 going to be very exciting.

香蕉视频直播淭his connection with Katerina came out of a decision to say 香蕉视频直播榶es香蕉视频直播� to everything,香蕉视频直播� adds Barbara, who met Katerina at Art Song Lab, a week-long workshop where writers are paired with composers to create new songs. 香蕉视频直播淎nd when you say 香蕉视频直播榶es香蕉视频直播� to things, it leads to more.香蕉视频直播�