For over twenty years the Carnegie Centre at the corner of Main
and Hastings in Vancouver has served the citys Downtown Eastside
community, providing literacy programs, a library, a weight room, a
venue for films, concerts and other events and a place to seek
refuge from the streets. The Carnegie Newsletter has been the voice
of the Centres patrons, staff and volunteers.
Now, for the first time, a selection of prose, poetry, and
artwork from the newsletter has been compiled in book form,
showcasing the rich variety of views and talents of its
contributors. From heartfelt paeans to friends, lovers, parents and
children, to heated outbursts against the politics of poverty and
ostracism, The Heart of the Community goes beyond
stereotypical notions of Downtown Eastside life and those living
it.