Robert Budd has been lucky since birth.
“When I was two-days old my brother named me Lucky. My parents named me Robert when I was seven days old. But everyone calls me Lucky,” says the 37-year-old author.
His brother Adam, older by six years, did not want to add another sister to the family of four children. “He thought he was lucky to have another boy.”
More than luck has brought Budd some notoriety, he is the host of CBC radio’s Voices of B.C. and author of the book Voices of British Columbia, in which he recounts the stories of B.C’s pioneers from hundreds of voice recordings taken in the late 1950s.
Budd’s latest book, Raven Brings the Light, is a collaboration with one of the country’s renown First Nation’s artists, Roy Henry Vickers.
Vickers contacted Budd 18 months ago, searching for some recorded interviews he had used as inspiration for some of his art. The artist invited Budd to Tofino to listen to one of his storytelling workshops.
“We hit it off like gangbusters,” says Budd of meeting 66-year-old Vickers.
After hearing Vickers tell the story of Raven, Budd envisioned a book.
“We just started rolling and he was completely inspired,” says Budd. Vickers created 19 new images for the book which tells the story of a boy named Weget who is destined to bring light to the world. With the gift of a magic raven skin, Weget fulfills his destiny. The book, released earlier this month is already in its second printing.
Meet Budd and Vickers at a book signing and art show at Madrona Art Gallery, 606 View St., on May 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information go to harbourpublishing.com.