A West Vancouver author is continuing to champion the stories of local residents, but this time with a new angle.
The third book of the North Shore author’s series, West Vancouver Stories: The Wellness Edition, is now on shelves and online, capturing the real tales of 25 local residents.
Pfeil received funding from the West Vancouver Foundation’s neighbourhood small grants program to continue work on the series that she began in 2021. The grant helps bring community together through events or other projects for locals.
“Because the foundation is all about building community, belonging and connection, we thought that wellness would be a really great topic,” Pfeil said. “It’s all about where we find joy and about the different aspects, like physical, mental, spiritual, emotional wellness, and so that was the general theme.”
People from age 11 to 88 penned stories for the latest work, documenting the lived experiences of everyday residents, including Pfeil.
The process was quite a turnaround, completing the project in five months. Pfeil called an information session back in October last year, where people signed up to take part.
In November, writers drafted their stories in three in-person writing sessions at the West Vancouver Memorial Library. Then, Pfeil divvied up the group into pairs to work with one another to revise each other’s stories for a two-week deadline.
After that, the same process was done again in December rolling into January, but with different partners, helping writers flesh out their stories in more detail. In the early new year, Pfeil put her head down for six weeks editing all the local stories, then sending it back to authors for final approval.
Many stories revolve around nature, ranging from taking in the beauty of our local surroundings and picking up trash to activities people found joy in when they were younger, Pfeil said. Others share personal anecdotes like immigration stories and reflections on challenging times.
“It’s a really courageous thing to trust that your story is going to make it into the world in the way that feels good to you,” she said. “And [I’m] just appreciative that they were willing to step into that, be uncomfortable and connect with essentially strangers to help them work on their stories and trust in the process. I hope that they have found as much joy in the process as I have.”
The West Vancouver local wrote “The Things We Leave Unsaid” in the book, connecting to a story she wrote in the previous edition. In the new book, she shares new things she’s learned with age, and a reflection on parenting.
As Pfeil completed the final touches on the book, she saw how much people love living in West Vancouver and how much support there is within the community.
“The big piece, and what a lot of the writers have mentioned, is that wellness is really a collective pursuit,” she said. “And that when we can connect and when we feel a sense of belonging, we sort of raise the vibration for everybody…. The community becomes a more, well, community, and in turn, allows us to feel this increase in wellness too.”
West Vancouver Stories: The Pandemic Project was released in 2021, followed by West Vancouver Stories: 2024. The new book is available for purchase on Amazon and can be borrowed at the West Vancouver Memorial Library.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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