After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

Olivia Bevan

Olivia Bevan has a passion for writing, marketing and competitive martial arts.  She is originally from northern England.

UFC fighters reveal what makes them so tough

Inside the octagon, Dos Santos’ gloved fists tore into Shane Carwin’s face opening up raw, gaping wounds beneath his eyes, across his cheekbones---everywhere they made contact. As he turned to face...

Lynn Schnurnberger on life, writing, and the Best Laid Plans

It’s never too late for a fresh start, as the characters in Lynn Schnurnberger’s latest literary romp soon find out.

Unofficial secrets of scoring flight upgrades

Legend has it that the mysterious fable of flight upgrades is something that happens to everyone else but you. It’s time to settle the score.

Five short-cuts to looking sassy on Christmas

We all love a good seasonal shindig but when you’re juggling the inevitable December duties of Christmas, kids and general, all-round chaos, any personal primping and preening routine we might have fe

Where to get a Christmas tree in Vancouver

It wouldn’t be a Vancouver-style Christmas without an essence of eco-chic or a sprinkling of biodegradable magic. For all those wanting to get with the green and ease in the ethics this season, here...

Vancouver's own Ryan Reynolds named sexiest man alive

We all love awards, but Olympic gold medals are so last season. With winter just around the corner, we all need a little more oomph to see us through the dark, lonely nights. Thankfully, Vancouver’...

Move over marriage and childbirth. Winning a fight comes first.

With twenty-four hours to go before the bit competition, I’d become an obsessive slave to the scales. I was teetering so close to my target weight that after every sip, munch or crunch of drink or...

The most extreme way to banish cellulite

After a recent sparring session, I gawked at the knotty, tangled mess that had once counted as a hair ‘style’ and reluctantly acknowledged that the luxury of looking good has been sadly absent from...

When training for combat sport means losing pounds, Thanksgiving may be toughest battle

Cutting weight is never easy, especially when faced with temptations. Of which nothing is more teasingly tantalizing that a slice of home-cooked pumpkin pie. It takes all the willpower in the world...

Top 10 adventures for thrill-seeking women

Vancouver’s fun-loving lifestyle isn’t just limited to zenning out yoga-style or sweating your stuff jogging along the beach. For ladies seeking a little more oomph from their local adventures here...