- Words by Angela Cowan Photographs by Don Denton

A journalist, poet, musician, composer and self-proclaimed 91裸聊视频渟erial artist,91裸聊视频� Barbara Black recently ticked another box in her lifelong exploration of the arts: author.

Black91裸聊视频檚 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 belt91裸聊视频攊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 community91裸聊视频擝arbara, an Oak Bay resident for 30 years, finally turned her gaze inward and began writing creatively.

91裸聊视频淚t started in my 40s,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚 kept saying I wanted to write a book91裸聊视频�that germinated for a while91裸聊视频�and in my 50s, I started writing.91裸聊视频�

Already attracted to the short story form, Barbara began reading and rereading her favourite short fiction collections and designed what she calls a 91裸聊视频渄o-it-yourself MFA.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚t took me a little while to figure out where to start the story,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚 was learning to find my author voice and to trust my instincts more because my previous background was a journalistic-type voice.91裸聊视频�

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

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a very encapsulated form. You don91裸聊视频檛 always have to explain everything, and when you push it into that surreal envelope, the story has an extra sheen to it,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚n a short story, you can get away with not resolving everything. You91裸聊视频檙e pulling things out of their ordinary-ness, making them more interesting, or maybe more understandable. If it91裸聊视频檚 in a story form, you might be more willing to accept it.91裸聊视频�

And indeed, many of the stories in Music have emotionally ambiguous notes. In 91裸聊视频淒arkling Beetle,91裸聊视频� a mother struggles to understand and accept her awkward daughter, a girl who envisions herself as more insect than human. In 91裸聊视频淣ight People,91裸聊视频� a woman who 肠补苍91裸聊视频檛 sleep and a man who 飞辞苍91裸聊视频檛 sleep find their paths crossing in the dark and lonely hours of the night.

The tone in 91裸聊视频淕hosts on Pale Stalks91裸聊视频� seems to be light, joking, almost fatalistic towards aging and the passage of time, but the true91裸聊视频攁nd unexpected91裸聊视频攇rieving nature of the narrator91裸聊视频檚 cabin holiday quickly becomes clear.

As different as the stories are, there91裸聊视频檚 a quiet intensity that runs through each of them. This is partly due to the characters themselves, but partly because of Barbara91裸聊视频檚 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.

91裸聊视频淲hen I was little, I already had this fascination with the small things and the natural world,91裸聊视频� she explains. 91裸聊视频淚 loved all creatures and insects. I would project myself into their little environments.91裸聊视频�

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 91裸聊视频渓ittle worlds.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 started being more in the world instead of being so much in my head,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 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.91裸聊视频�

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 91裸聊视频渁lmost blur a little into poetic prose,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檙e very concise. You have to be economic with your language, and I really like that innovative use of language.91裸聊视频�

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, she91裸聊视频檚 coming at it from a more organic, personal perspective.

91裸聊视频淲hen you do classical, you91裸聊视频檙e constantly singing off the score, so you don91裸聊视频檛 really have a chance to get it into your body,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚 want to be able to sing and be myself. And I really want to be able to tell a story through song. It91裸聊视频檚 different when someone is singing from their emotional centre, and they91裸聊视频檙e feeling it, and that91裸聊视频檚 what I91裸聊视频檓 aiming for.91裸聊视频�

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.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 about a woman named Miss Evans in the Victorian times; she91裸聊视频檚 a woman who91裸聊视频檚 being punished for being too intelligent,91裸聊视频� says Barbara, who wrote the libretto, while composer Katerina Gimon has written the music for the show. 91裸聊视频淭he Erato Ensemble is premiering it, and that91裸聊视频檚 going to be very exciting.

91裸聊视频淭his connection with Katerina came out of a decision to say 91裸聊视频榶es91裸聊视频� to everything,91裸聊视频� adds Barbara, who met Katerina at Art Song Lab, a week-long workshop where writers are paired with composers to create new songs. 91裸聊视频淎nd when you say 91裸聊视频榶es91裸聊视频� to things, it leads to more.91裸聊视频�