PRINT THE OKANAGAN: featuring Greenboathouse Press and broke press
COM004B, The Commons, UBC Okanagan Campus
Syilx Okanagan Nation Territory
3297 University Way
Kelowna, British Columbia
At this event at the Okanagan Special Collections at the University of British Columbia, Jason Dewinetz of Greenboathouse Press and Clare Thiessen of broke press will each discuss their processes of printing and creating books from the perspective of being the sole operators of independent presses in the Okanagan.
Program Details
DATE: Saturday 21 March 2026 from 2-4pm
LOCATION:
COM004B, The Commons, UBC Okanagan Campus
Syilx Okanagan Nation Territory
3297 University Way
Kelowna, British Columbia
This event is free and open to all.
RSVP encouraged: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5Bhv2XsNSA5enoa
About the presses:
broke press produces chapbooks and poetry zines by emerging and established Canadian writers. Each publication is produced using a mix of modern and traditional bookmaking processes. Digitally designed and printed, broke press chapbooks are then hand-folded, -trimmed, and -bound. Great care is put into the production of each literary creation.
“At broke press, the purpose of publishing is seen simply as getting art to an audience.”
Greenboathouse Press produces short run, limited editions, printed letterpress and bound by hand. publish work that is compelling both in its content and its form, and our attention to typography, design and fine-printing is an extension of that interest in form.
“Each book begins with an idea, sparked by a manuscript, which takes shape as a challenge of production.”
About the printers:
Clare Thiessen resides on the unceded and traditional territory of the Syilx Okanagan peoples, in so-called Vernon, British Columbia, where she makes chapbooks and works at the public library. Clare is a graduate of Okanagan College’s Diploma in Writing and Publishing Program, and has been running broke press since its inception in 2019. Apart from her work as a publisher, she sometimes writes some things too! Her chapbook tiger poems was published in 2023 as part of Gaspereau Press’ Devil’s Whim Chapbook Series, and her chapbook manuscript No One Cares About Your Break-Up Poem!!! was awarded the 2023 John Lent Poetry Prose Award and published by Kalamalka Press in 2024. She loves to read, ski, make stuff, and swim!
Jason Dewinetz operates Boathouse Press, designing, letterpress-printing, and binding fine press editions of poetry and typographic reference. His books have received more than a dozen Alcuin Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, and have been exhibited and held in private and institutional collections internationally. In addition to his efforts at Greenboathouse Press, his printed works have been included in a variety of collaborative projects and exhibits such as Gibralter Edition’s Harry Duncan portfolio All Along the Fence, and the CODEX Foundation’s Art of the Edge of the Abyss. He is a current board member and past North American Chair of the Fine Press Book Association. Jason has also worked as a freelance book designer & typographer for publishers across Canada and the US, including Nawakum Press, Éditions Lucie Lambert, Conversation Tree Press, and Suntup Editions, as well as a range of Canadian trade publishers. For more than 20 years he has taught typography & design at Okanagan College, where he established a letterpress studio allowing students to get away from their screens and work with real type.
About the space:
Okanagan Special Collections collects publications from independent printers and bookmakers across the Okanagan. We hope this event will help raise awareness about the unique regional context of our collections and celebrate the community and creators behind our collections.
This event will take place inside Okanagan Special Collections reading room which is located on the ground floor of the Commons building in COM 004. The building includes elevators between all floors and a wheelchair-accessible ramp. Accessible and gender-inclusive washrooms are located on the ground floor of the Commons.
On campus parking is available at a reduced rate. Please let us know if you need the coupon code: alexandra.liu@ubc.ca