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one cool word is a vancouverlogue!

We're independent, not-for-profit, volunteer-run, and rely on your support.
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We throw a megaphone into Vancouver’s hands and turn up the volume on the city’s voice – one that purrs, rattles, and roars from the overflow of emerging and established artists, writers, and musicians. ocw encourages expression in all of its forms, luring everything from spoken word to electronic music, painting to cartoons, and non-fiction to experimental writing. We are a playground where writers, artists, and musicians test their boundaries and show the world what they’ve got. And a place for everybody to read, see, hear, and feel the most beautiful, strange, heart breaking works being concocted in Metro Vancouver. Even our events tell Vancouverites: “You are an artist.” Between listening to shoulder-shaking or tear-jerking songs, people at our fundraisers make buttons, buy affordable art (donated by anyone who creates), work on craft projects, and find their own voices within the city’s vibrato. Our publication pushes past the mainstream and dares Vancouver to show us what else it’s got. And when the city responds, its voice is loud and clear.

one cool word magazine contributes to the literary and artistic life of Metro Vancouver by providing the only venue that is dedicated to showcasing and merging unconventional art, writing, and music created by Metro Vancouverites. Our quest to encourage creative work in the city takes place on many levels: we invite people to submit work, we invite people to create writing, art, and music at our events, we choose work on the basis of quality of thought, freshness of vision and innovation in form, and we showcase work by professionals and up-and-comers side by side, to declare that everyone has the capacity to be an artist and to share the bliss of being on the giving and/or receiving end of expression. Expression is at the core of ocw, and we encourage Vancouverites to express freely without limitations and without fear. Unlike many other publications, we do not consider past experience or accomplishments when considering submissions. What we do demand is that each contributor create a reaction. Make us cry, laugh, scream, relate. Move us, shock us, appall us, inspire us. And do it well, with attention to craft and audience.

The purity, strength, and clarity of our concept allow ocw to inspire and discover newness: new ideas, new faces, and a new way of experiencing art. The combination of art, writing, and music that ocw provides draws connections between forms and expressions unlike that of any other Vancouver magazine. The CD compilation that accompanies the print publication is also unique, as it combines various genres of music and performed literature on one disk. These songs and audio poems, often by independent artists, are hard to find and sometimes unavailable for purchase elsewhere.

Often Vancouver is overlooked as a source of artistic genius, and even Vancouverites are unaware of the abundance of groundbreaking art, writing, and music being created in their own city. ocw is tangible evidence of what the city has to offer. It is a catalogue of what new work is being created and a catalyst to inspire the creation of more art within the city – as well as an awareness of all this creation. ocw is an invitation for Vancouver to find a new voice and a new sense of artistic identity, and the only publication dedicated to this purpose. We foster artistic development on a city level, a community level, and an individual level. This opens doors for writers, artists, musicians, publishers, gallery owners, labels, students, and art aficionados to develop and maintain an awareness of the city’s creative progress, foster individual artistic development, network, gain exposure, discover talent, seek out artistic communities, and be inspired. We fulfill the need of our niche audience to be constantly aware and in awe of what our city can create, while supporting the continued creation of awe-inspiring art.

In a Canadian context, ocw is a valuable medium for literary and artistic voices from Vancouver that are not currently being showcased in any other publication. Our demographic is regional, but we have found (through sales by word-of-mouth and sales online) that ocw is also a tool for Canadians (and Americans and others abroad) to discover exciting new artistic voices hailing from Vancouver.