THE VOICE | THURSDAY, NOV. 22, 2018 | EDITOR CAMERON THOMSON : M Sit ang tieratr Joseph Maviglia performs at the Joy Kogawa House on Nov. 17. Folk singer is in the house Folk artist Joseph Maviglia reads and sings his work in Marpole or one singer-song- writer, growing up with an oral tradi- tion has led to the dynamic creation of his art, inspiring his use of story and language. Renowned for his ener- getic musical performances, Joseph Maviglia performed at the Historic Joy Kogawa House this past weekend. Asa singer-songwriter and spoken word artist com- ing from a southern Italian background, Maviglia be- came attuned to the expres- sion of story through spoken word at a young age. This ex- perience with oral tradition often inspires his creative process when writing new pieces. The intimate event was held on Saturday evening with approximately 20 audi- ence members in attendance. Maviglia recitied original poetry and songs in the liv- ing room under a single dimly lit lamp. The only mu- sical accompaniment was an acoustic guitar, which Mavi- glia played himself. “Very early on my ear was open to the way something was expressed and the dy- namic it was expressed in,” Maviglia said. “Later on that merged in with the formal- ity of my education, so a bit of both worlds were there to mix and match.” The event began with piec- es from his first poetry book A God Hangs Upside Down, Maviglia drew the audience in with moments of self- reflection, humour and social commentary. He also per- formed his song, Father It’s Time, which was on the 1992 Juno award winning compi- lation album The Gathering. Trish Paquette, a new member of the Marpole community, was enamoured by the warmth of the eve- ning. “I didn't expect this to be such an intimate evening,” Paquette said. “I enjoyed listening to his perspectives. ‘There were some really deep thoughts that provoked fur- ther thought and reflection in ourselves.” Another audience mem- ber, Bruce Webb, said he ap- preciated the artistry behind the music, despite not always understanding the meaning. “I didn’t understand every metaphor or image that was being presented, but I con- nected with pieces and it re- ally transformed me back in time. This is a very intimate and warm environment — such a great venue for this kind of event,” Webb said. Prior to his performance, Maviglia said he was most looking forward to sharing his art and experience with the community. “T love the feeling of peo- ple being engaged and expe- riencing a creative moment. Not necessarily my moment, but one of theirs. Perceptive moments in oneself make in- teresting changes in the way you think and feel. That's interesting to me,” Maviglia said. Sheilagh Cahill, a member of the board at the Joy Koga- wa House, said that Mavi- glia’s performance inspired self-reflection and apprecia- tion for Canadian culture. “It was a very colourful y and reflective performance because it really spoke to us as Canadians, coast to coast. I really enjoyed that part of it because there was a lot of different dimensions,” Ca- hill said. “He drew in all the different characters that we have as Canadian people.” Joseph Maviglia strums his guitar for the 20 or so audience members who attended his performance at the Joy Kogawa House Joseph Maviglia performs at the Historic Joy Kogawa Hous: book A God Hangs Upside Down. Photos and stories The Joy Kogawa House is used as a site for author residen note on the desk she worked at in her home.