School's back in!

VP101 got off to a great fall start this month with several events and a new group at UVic campus, plus a stimulating discussion at Camas last night.

Poly 101 on Campus is a discussion group on ethical non-monogamy (having multiple partners and being honest about it).

We are (hurray!) an official UVic club, but anyone who's interested (need not be a UVic student) can stop by or email us (poly101oncampus@gmail.com) to get on the mailing list.



Members of VP101 attended a debate at UVic campus earlier this week; the topic:  "Is monogamy natural?".  While the debate itself was, unsurprisingly, academic, it did provide some useful media coverage for the idea that non-monogamous feelings are also "not unnatural" and even "ok".  Yay, academia!  It was fun to see the big student turnout (people sitting in the aisles and being turned away at the door) and hearing some very thoughtful questions from the audience.  All in all, a fun event and one that I hope presages more discussions about non-monogamy in the future.


Finally, last night's monthly poly discussion, on the topic, "Being Single and Poly", was one of our most successful to date.  I was thrilled to see a number of students from Poly 101 on Campus in attendance, as well as some old friends from the early days of VP101.  After a very cool check-in, we divided into three groups of about ten people each to discuss how being single and being poly can be complimentary, sometimes confusing, and often rewarding.  


One group concentrated on meticulously defining "single" -- with the help of a thesaurus, no less.  They won the prize for most academic discussion, and we all appreciated the terms they came up with, the favourite being "independent".  


The other groups discussed personal experiences of being poly in various states of single-ness (there are more than you might realize at first glance), including having partners but living alone, being a secondary, and taking breaks from relationships.  It was generally agreed that a polyamorous relationship style can offer the the best of both worlds, allowing people the opportunity for space, personal growth and committed, partnered companionship all at the same time.  Yep, we love having our cake and eating it, too!   


Many thanks to everyone who came out to the discussion and I hope to see more of you in the months to come! 

Poly zines

Victoria Poly 101 had a great time at the Anarchist Bookfair this weekend; thanks to the volunteers who helped out at the table, passing out information, selling zines, and giving a generous amount of poly smiles away to anyone who stopped by.  I also gave a brief interview for the B Channel, which had a table across from ours.

Poly zines are still available for sale, with the proceeds going towards poly events for Victoria Poly 101 in the coming year.  Stop by our monthly discussion at Camas Bookstore (4th Thursday of every month at 6:30 pm) if you want to pick one up for $4.

Come visit the VP101 table at the Victoria Anarchist Bookfair this weekend!

More Info

We are happy to announce the fifth year of the Victoria Anarchist Bookfair, located on unceded Songhees Territory in Victoria, British Columbia. The Bookfair is for anarchists and non-anarchists, with participants from all over North America and beyond. We seek to introduce anarchism to the public, to further elaborate upon current and historical anarchist ideals and to foster dialogue between various anarchist tendencies. Participants from different anarchist traditions, visions, and practices are welcome. Events include book and information tables, workshops, readings, films, presentations, and much more. A Festival of Anarchy will take place during the week before the Bookfair, beginning on September 3rd, 2010. We are proud to have received Monday Magazine's 'M Award' for Victoria's best literary event in 2009. It's our 5th Birthday and we're going to have a blast!

Next VP101 discussion: Being Single and Poly

September 23 · 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Location Camas Bookstore
corner of Kings and Quadra
Victoria, BC

Are you single and poly? Dating? Simply on your own but still feel that you're poly at heart? Can you even BE poly if you're not in a relationship (or two, or three..)? What about if you're dating but don't have a primary partner? Come join us for discussion!