A Film and Musical Tribute to Bud Osborn with the Lonesome Monsters

A tribute to poet Bud Osborn with a screening of Just Poems by director Ryan Sudds and a jazz improv set by the Lonesome Monsters. Please note this event starts at 7 PM "Bud Osborn (1947–2014) was a poet, community organizer, and activist in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. On November 3, we will gather to reflect on Osborn's life, work, and legacy through film and music. The evening will begin with a screening of Just Poems (About Drugs) (30m) directed by Vancouver-based filmmaker Ryan Sudds. The film features members of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), an organization Osborn co-founded in 1997. As they browse the poet’s notebooks, they reflect on Osborn’s legacy and VANDU’s ongoing work to improve the lives of people who use drugs through user-based peer support and education. Like VANDU itself, the film is a work in progress. Each screening is a unique version that builds on VANDU's ongoing work and further explorations of its recent history. The screening will be followed by a Q&A. The evening will conclude with a set from the Lonesome Monsters, Osborn's former band. Celebrating the work of the renowned poet, the Lonesome Monsters features his original musical collaborators: Graham Ord (saxophone and flute) and Paul Blaney (bass) joined by Vancouver actor and singer, Steven Schwabl, reading from Osborn’s work. Osborn’s poetry often depicts the harsh realities of life on the streets with graphic intensity and gripping dark humour. Combined with the live improvisational music of two prominent members of the Vancouver jazz scene, the effect is visceral and moving."