Ashley Christian is owner of WorkEvolved on Main Street in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Through the day, the WorkEvolved shared office space in downtown Liverpool is a pretty sedate place, with people holding meetings or working on computers.

But on Friday afternoon, it will be the site of some haunting, hilarious and harrowing tales. Four Queens County authors will be reading from their various works, starting at 4 p.m.

Vernon Oickle, Bryn Pottie, Laura Keating and Scott Miller will be part of Local Voices: An Evening of Reading.

WorkEvolved owner Ashley Christian said she was inspired by a recent visit to Rocky Harbour, NL, as part of a course she’s taking on community development.

“And while I was there, I was so impressed by how that community opens up their privately owned spaces for community use. And it just got me thinking, what can I do differently here at WorkEvolved?” Christian, who is also president of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview.

“And I would love for folks of Liverpool and beyond to start to feel like this is a space that they can use, and it’s not just a corporate office space. 
So that was the inspiration behind trying to kind of change the perception of WorkEvolved. And as a big reader myself, I thought, ‘What better place to start?’”

Christian bought WorkEvolved in June, though she’s used it for office space herself since it opened in 2020. 

She said she wanted to get something together as part of Christmas on the Mersey, which kicks off on Friday.

“So what you can expect is an opportunity to mingle with fellow book lovers, hopefully in a more intimate setting. And we’re going to have each of the four authors spend the first hour reading something that’s meaningful to them. 

“And then the second hour will be casual conversation, light Q&A with the authors, and an opportunity to speak to them individually, to purchase their books and have a few little snacks and treats.”

The four authors represent an eclectic range of voices. 

Oickle is a prolific and award-winning fiction and non-fiction writer known for his ghost stories. Pottie has received raves for his debut farce, The Great Lunenburglary. Horror writer Keating has gotten notice for her short stories and novella, while Miller’s dystopian cyberpunk debut won the Indies Today award for best sci-fi action/adventure.

Christian says this is only the first of more community events she hopes to organize at WorkEvolved.

“I’m trying to think of things that we’re missing here in Queens County. And what can I bring in that adds value to the community? So I think that a self-defence course would be great. 
I also know that we have some amazing amateur chefs in the area. I would love to be able to help folks to share their passion for cooking, and maybe offer some sort of community dinner.”

Local Voices will be held at WorkEvolved at 154 Main St. in Liverpool, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28. It’s a free event.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

The Queens County Museum in Liverpool reopens this weekend with its popular annual event Dickensville and the Festival of Trees. (Rick Conrad)

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Liverpool, with multiple events planned for the historic Astor Theatre and the rest of downtown Liverpool this weekend.

Last weekend’s popular 14th annual Liverpool Fire Department Christmas Parade kicked things into seasonal gear.

The South Queens Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the Queens Holiday Festival on Saturday. That includes a tree lighting in front of the Astor at 5 p.m. with Christmas carols, and a free multicultural holiday concert inside the Astor at 5:30. 

Earlier in the day, local businesses will be participating in the Christmas on the Mersey food crawl and holiday shopping party.

On Sunday at 7 p.m., the 93rd annual Kiwanis Community Christmas Concert gets underway at the Astor. That event is sold out.

Local businesses are also decorating Christmas trees in the park on the Liverpool waterfront and at the Queens County Museum. 

And the museum will be open extended hours on Saturday as it unveils its popular Festival of Trees and Dickensville.

Stained glass fly. Photo contributed by Scot Slessor

After a career spent travelling around the world, Scot Slessor is bringing his passion for teaching glass art, home to Liverpool.

The former Canadian diplomat served in China, Cambodia, Brunei, India, Jordan, Afghanistan and Thailand and has opened a studio across from the Astor Theatre.

Slessor works in warm glass slumping, painting, kiln carving, casting among other methods but doesn’t blow glass.

He says moving his equipment to far flung locations throughout his career has sparked some interesting discussions.

“You can just imagine it was already weird enough when I was showing up to one of our embassies and I tell them I’m bringing a kiln,” said Slessor. “They would inevitably write back and say, sir, I think there’s a problem, there’s a typo in the list. It says you’re bringing a kiln and I would say that’s right, I am. But you should be thankful I’m not bringing a furnace. And they go, oh, yeah, you’re right, we’ll make this work.”

Just as he has done around the world, Slessor wants to share his knowledge of glass art with budding and aspiring artists in Queens.

He’s not in it for the money and has offered the opportunity to learn and create pieces at cost for many non-profit organizations.

All funds raised through SAS Glass are used to make more creations, support NGOs and train artists in locations where glass art is undeveloped or non-existent.

Slessor’s passion for glass art is contagious and he hopes to inspire more people to try their hand at it.

“Every kid likes to melt stuff, and this is like the next level of, ooh, let’s melt that and see what it looks like,” said Slessor.

Residents of Liverpool may see Slessor coming and going as he establishes his studio located in the space formally occupied by Primrose Computers.

The first real opportunity the public will have to view his work will be when he puts it on display during Christmas on the Mersey on December 3.

In the meantime, a quick trip to his website sasglass.ca will provide a look at his art as well as information about his process and how to sign up for lessons.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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