Hives For Humanity establishes apiaries in communities and, through a mentorship program, educates and supports these communities as they learn the art and practice of beekeeping.Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
Honey: Bees are vital. Happy and healthy ones pollinate gardens, and happy gardens make people healthy (and happy). Hives For Humanity gets it. The Vancouver organization establishes apiaries in communities and, through a mentorship program, educates and supports these communities as they learn the art and practice of beekeeping. Right now the good people of H4H are looking to build a connection space for people and pollinators in the Downtown Eastside. Helping them is as easy as drinking a little beer, tasting some honey and listening to some music at the Hives for Humanity Fundraiser.
Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Big Rock Urban Brewery (310 West 4th), $10, hivesforhumanity.com
Books: If you like books and live in Vancouver, you know the magic of MacLeod's Books, with its dusty smell, creaking floors, steeply stacked shelves and haphazard piles of books. It's a holy place for Vancouver bibliophiles. Take a bit of time out this week to celebrate the man behind the magic at the Alcuin Society 50th Anniversary Talk Series with special guest Don Stewart, the owner of MacLeod's. He will present his experience as a long-time bookseller and bookstore owner in an ever-changing market.
Oct. 22, 7 p.m., The Post (110-750 Hamilton St.), alcuinsociety.com
Writers Fest: The lineup for the 2015 Vancouver Writers Festival is pretty impressive, and, if you move quickly, there's still a chance to score tickets. Author Lawrence Hill (The Book of Negroes) will be there, as will Simon Winchester, who speaks about his new book Pacific with CBC host Gloria Macarenko. Ensaf Haidar, activist, author and wife of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, will also be at the festival to discuss her husband's situation and the circumstances that led to his imprisonment, detailed in the book titled 1000 Lashes. Also interesting is the Vancouver debut of Freeman's, a new biannual magazine that will showcase fresh literature from known and unknown writers.
Now through Oct. 25, various times and locations (mostly Granville Island), writersfest.bc.ca
Shop: Looking to shake up your wardrobe and your home? Head to the subterranean caverns of the Biltmore Cabaret for the Icons Vintage Market. This time around, organizers are going with a Halloween theme. Expect tarot card readers, Halloween drink specials, a photo booth complete with creepy tickle trunk, and more than 30 vendors and a couple of food trucks. The market has retro clothing, flea market finds, fancy antiques, accessories, shoes, jewellery, records, cool household items, cameras and all manner of other curious trinkets. This is a cabaret, so the bar will be open and you must be 19 and older to enter.
Oct. 24, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Biltmore Cabaret (2755 Prince Edward St.), eastsideflea.com
Taste: Chef Hiroki Watanabe from Tojo's Restaurant hosts a demonstration, lecture and tasting at Nikkei Museum. Mr. Watanabe will prepare madai (red snapper) sashimi with yuzu pepper sauce, madai soup; konnyaku, matsutake mushroom and burdock sauteed salad; grilled salmon and cream cheese; tenderloin steak à la Chef Hiro; and dessert as participants watch, learn, ask questions and taste. If you needed any extra motivation, there's also a sake seminar and tasting included in the workshop.
Oct. 25, 1-3:30 p.m., Nikkei Museum (6688 Southoaks Cres., Burnaby), $55, centre.nikkeiplace.org