BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
METHOD:PUBLISH
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:-//WordPress - MECv7.31.0//EN
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.nwpl.ca/
X-WR-CALNAME:New Westminster Public Library
X-WR-CALDESC:
X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Vancouver
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Vancouver
X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Vancouver
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20260308T030000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=03;BYDAY=2SU
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0800
TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20261101T010000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
X-MS-OLK-FORCEINSPECTOROPEN:TRUE
BEGIN:VEVENT
CLASS:PUBLIC
UID:MEC-4042d0c6a49921c64c6406c8921c9139@nwpl.ca
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240511T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240511T150000
DTSTAMP:20240405T095651Z
CREATED:20240405
LAST-MODIFIED:20240729
PRIORITY:5
SEQUENCE:6
TRANSP:OPAQUE
SUMMARY:Bridges Reading: Between Blade and Bullet
DESCRIPTION:Join us for an author reading, Q&A and book signing with Margaret Franz, author of Between Blade and Bullet. This book offers an in depth look at one of the defining moments of local New Westminster history, the hostage taking at the BC Penitentiary in 1975.\nThis event is drop-in with limited capacity. Please arrive early for a spot!\nAbout the Book\nMary Steinhauser is the only peace officer in the history of penal institutions in Canada to willingly offer up her life in the service of her country. It was during a 1975 prison escape attempt and 41-hour hostage-taking by three desperate inmates of the British Columbia Penitentiary in New Westminster, B.C. that Mary volunteered to be the principal hostage. For 41 hours, she was held as a human shield, protecting not only the inmates but the fourteen other hostages sequestered in a nearby vault. Her calmness, composure and bravery throughout the entire hostage-taking was noted by the negotiators and penitentiary staff alike. She was killed there. This is her story.\nThis biography of Mary’s life and tragic death is narrated by Margaret, her younger sister. From Mary’s early childhood in rural B.C., it charts the evolution of a young nurse from social worker to symbol for those dedicated to prison reform. Mary’s experiences are fascinating reading for any adult interested in local history, law enforcement, mental health awareness, and criminal justice. Her work as a psychiatric nurse in hospitals and institutions across Canada led to her introduction to prison life, which sparked her fierce determination to improve the inmate experience, prisoner justice, and prison reform. Sprinkled throughout with personal anecdotes and quotes from important people in Mary’s life, Between Blade and Bullet is a compelling, deeply emotional, and thought-provoking look into the life and death of one heroic woman. Searchingly honest, it examines how Canadian institutions closed down to protect themselves, and the consequences of justice for those left on the outside.\n\nAbout the Author\nAn educator for most of her professional life, Margaret Franz first taught at elementary schools in Toronto. After returning to B.C. and raising a family, she began lecturing at public and private post-secondary institutions in the Lower Mainland, finishing up her career on the faculty of the English Language Studies Department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey B.C. At one point mid-career, she took a brief hiatus from teaching to work as an arts administrator, successful fund-raiser and avid promoter of the community arts in B.C. Franz is currently retired, and lives with her husband and extended family in southwestern British Columbia. This is her first book.\nGroove Cat Books is selling the book for a $10 discount for attendees.\n\n
URL:https://www.nwpl.ca/events/between-blade-and-bullet/
ORGANIZER;CN=Groove Cat Books & Records:MAILTO:info@groovecatbooks.com
CATEGORIES:Adults (19+)
LOCATION:775 6th Street, New Westminster, BC, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.nwpl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Calendar-Bridges-Apr2024-V1-pinkbooks.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR