When: Thursday, November, 2026 (Doors open at 6:00 pm, talks start at 7:00 pm)
Where: Dickens (1000 9th Ave SW)
Tickets: $15 – tickets
Join us at Dickens. Order yourself a drink or two (and you can order yourself dinner) while you sit back and listen to us talk nerdy to you. Dickens allows our patrons to order food from their full menu, and of course, the full bar. Street parking is available in the area (free after 6pm) as well as pay lots nearby. Dickens is also located two blocks from the downtown West-Kerby C-train station.
Presentations (not in order)
Talk #1
Title: Navigating Your Imagination with Tea
Presenter: Josh Linvers, The Tea Cult
Talk teaser: I think that utilizing tea as a tool for prompting your imagination and understanding how to navigate that world is a fulfilling activity. How do you do it? How can you do it better? There are many things to consider, and I’ll bring a few of them into the light.
About: From a butler at the japanese consulate, to sommelier for the late Q Haute Cuisine, and now the owner of a quiet tea store in Inglewood, The Tea Cult. I’ve had a strange, lucky, and interesting life. I’ve been able to weave together important theories and practices from the fields of wine, whiskey, coffee, incense, flower arrangement, and general life experience into analogy heavy anecdotes that are fundamentally easy for anyone to understand. I love cross training. Currently I’m in a music phase.
Talk #2
Title: The Viruses Living Inside You
Presenter: Dr. Ann Gregory, University of Calgary
Talk teaser: You don’t have to be sick to have viruses living inside you! Your body is home to a hidden world of viruses. Where do these viruses live? What are they doing there? And how does your immune system respond to them? Join Dr. Ann Gregory to meet some of your smallest residents and discover what scientists are learning about their role in our health.
About: Dr. Ann Gregory is an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary and Canada Research Chair in Viromics and One Health. She studies viruses in our bodies and the world around us. Her lab explores where viruses live, how they interact with bacteria and our immune system, and how they might affect our health.
Talk #3
Title: Nuclear in your Neighborhood
Presenter: Robin Williams (He/Him) – Nuclear Regulatory Officer @ Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (Seen below standing in front of the core of a nuclear reactor steam turbine)
Talk teaser: An exploration of some of the ways radioactive materials are being used every day in your own backyard and how the government ensures it is done safely.
About: Robin Williams has worked with the Government of Canada’s nuclear watchdog for nearly a decade, focusing on issues like the security of high risk nuclear materials, the enforcement of safe operations and the evaluation of training programs at large nuclear facilities. When he is not verifying the safety of radioactive materials in Canada or providing regulatory training overseas, he can usually be found in a local board game store or broken down on the side of the road in an old classic car.
Dickens is a wheelchair accessible venue. If you require to use the elevator please notify us by email before the event so we can arrange for it to be used. Or you can call Dickens directly upon arrival at 403-233-7550.
This is an 18+ event.
REFUND NOTICE: We have always tried to accommodate refunds as requested but it’s not always possible to accommodate last minute requests. To that end going forward, refunds will only be issued by us 48 hours before the event and the Eventbrite fees have to be paid still. After that if tickets are not needed, the purchaser is responsible for finding a buyer.