Lazara Press, a progressive publishing house in Vancouver, Canada » Books and Print

Works by Leslie Hall Pinder

Penny — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:00:42 +0000

These titles were originally published by Lazara Press and are now available free on Leslie’s web site.

The Carriers of No: After the Land Claims Trial

“As lawyers we don’t have to take any responsibility to construct a world. We only have to destroy another’s construction. We say no. We are the civilized, comfortable, well-heeled carriers of no. We thrive on it. Other races die.”

Thirty-Five Stones

A prose poem in 35 verses published in 1982 with illustration by Claire Kujundzic

“There is something I want which words only veil. And all the possible words are like stones, stepping stones in a creek; some don’t lead to the the other side.”

Making a Stone of the HeartCynthia Flood

Penny — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:37:48 +0000

Published originally by Key Porter, now distributed by Lazara Press
1st Ed:April 13 2002
ISBN-10: 1552634523; ISBN-13: 978-1552634523
$15.00

When curmudgeonly Owen Jones died in a Bella Coola nursing home, no one who knew the elderly man could imagine the extraordinary story of his life.

Spooling backwards through time against the backdrop of Vancouver’s raw, exuberant growth over the last hundred years, Making a Stone of the Heart tells Owen’s story and those of his lover, Dora Dow, and of Dr. Jonathan Smyth.

The Animals in Their ElementsCynthia Flood

Penny — Sun, 23 May 2010 19:41:20 +0000

Original publisher: Talonbooks; distributed by Lazara Press
1st Ed: Feb. 15, 1987
ISBN-10: 0889222495; ISBN-13: 978-0889222496
$15.00

A woman goes to Toronto to sort out her deceased mother’s things; an obnoxious father-to-be disrupts a prenatal class; an orphaned British boy is sent to Canada to be raised by his unmarried aunt.

The people in these stories have familiar concerns – attachment, loss, aging, and coming of age – and the fluid writing gives easy access to their lives.

My Father Took a Cake to FranceCynthia Flood

Penny — Sun, 23 May 2010 19:28:41 +0000

Publisher: Talonbooks; distributed currently by Lazara Press
2nd Printing: Feb. 15, 1992
ISBN-10: 0889223106; ISBN-13: 978-0889223103
$15.00

Cynthia Flood is the winner of the prestigious Journey prize for Fiction for the title story in this collection.

For more information about Cynthia’s work, visit her web site

Walking SlowHelen Potrebenko

Penny — Sun, 23 May 2010 19:10:09 +0000

67 pp; $10.00
ISBN 0-920999-00-X
This is Potrebenko’s first collection of verse, published in 1985.
    I hope it’s a restaurant and not a bank,
    climbing that jesus great hill after Revelstoke.
    I hope it’s summer and not winter in Rogers Pass.
    Before I get too old for walking,
    I’d like to get to Newfoundland.
    I’ve always wanted to visit Newfoundland,
    walking slow.

Songs of Ascent Gabriella Goliger

Penny — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 19:02:03 +0000

177 pp; 5 1/2 x 8 1/2
ISBN 1-55192-374-2
$14.95

These stories recount the troubled lives of Ernst and Hannah Birnbaum, displaced German Jews who flee Hitler but cannot escape the shadow of the Holocaust. Their uprooted existence takes them from Europe to the Holy Land and eventually to Montreal where they attempt to create a shelter for their children. The new generation struggles with the inherited alienation that accompanies exile, striving to both protect and escape their vulnerable elders.

Originally published by Raincoast Books.

“In her first book, Gabriella Goliger takes the reader on a journey through the lives and memories of displaced and often damaged people. Writing with delicate strength and humour, she reveals a deep understanding of the dark places in their souls as they search for the light.” — Rachel Wyatt

Gabriella Goliger emerges with an experienced and assured voice. Her writing is incisive, her stories fierce with compassion and truth. In this powerful work one senses danger, portend. Very impressive.” — Frances Itani

Winter Words Helen Potrebenko

Penny — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:11:46 +0000

175 pp; 5 1/2 x 8 1/2
ISBN 0-88974-047-X
$15.00

“These are stories about ordinary Canadians, the kind that used to be told on winter evenings when the work was done. They are not intended to be representative but are about people I interviewed or talked to or saw or heard about. The intention is to add acquaintances to the variety of people you already know.

Most of the stories are an attempt to portray what the person told me as it was presented, others are fictional constructs of some aspect of an event. Some names have been changed, some have not.

I am of the opinion that history cannot be told through recitals of the deeds of mad kings, but only through descriptions of the work of ordinary citizens.” — from the Introduction

To order, click on “ordering information” on the right.

Still Raising Hell: Poverty, Activism and Other True Stories Sheila Baxter

Penny — Thu, 24 May 2007 16:28:46 +0000

$18.95, originally published by Press Gang Publishers

In a world of “experts” and “professionals” it’s rare that we hear the true voices of people living in poverty. Baxter’s straight up accounts of poor communities, grass roots activism and initiatives for change are complemented by current statistics on poverty in Canada. Baxter includes interview with other activists, from neighbourhood volunteers to members of parliament, documenting the resistance and compassion that underlies activism for social justice. This book is an essential resource for anyone interested in understanding and fighting poverty in the 21st century.

When Activism Stops: For Jannit Rabinovitch,Social Activist ExtraordinaireLauri Nerman

Penny — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 17:18:28 +0000

Broadside, 5×8, folded. $5.00

“Dying is not on an activist’s agenda,
the act of surrendering, acceptance
giving up
for the unknown”

Jannit Rabinovitch, a long-time community activist, died in January of 2007 of cancer. She was a co-founder of PEERS (Prostitute Empowerment Education and Resource Society) and brought women escaping violence and homelessness together to build Sandi Merriman House.

Lauri Nerman read this poem at Jannit’s memorial service. At the request of Jannit’s family, and with the permission of the author, all proceeds from the sale of the poem will go to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In April 2007 The Globe and Mail published an obituary of Jannit’s life and achievements.

No Streets of Gold: A History of Ukrainians in Alberta Helen Potrebenko

Penny — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:22:26 +0000

To order, go to “Ordering Information” on this web site