Post on 25-Jun-2020
VOLUME 40 NUMBER 2FALL 2012
THE MAGAZINE OF
THE WRITERS’ UNION OF CANADA
WRITE
Creating the Critic: Lemon Hound’s Sina Queyras on Critical Space for Women Writers16
How to Succeed at a School Visit19
An Educational Experiment Pays off for Poetry and Publishing 24
BACK TO SCHOOL
� write
Coach House Books | chbooks.com
Five siblings, all haunted by the death of a brother in theiryouth. One winter day, when another of them will die.
‘Autobiography of Childhood is a sharp, post-millennial familynovel with a purpose, a kinetic, shared trauma that investigatesthe parts and the whole ... The novel is a striking comment ontragedy and its place in the human jigsaw puzzle.’ – Globe and Mail
Finalist for the 36th annual Amazon.ca First Novel Award!
Autobiography of Childhooda novel by S ina Queyras
twenty four hours. s ix l ives .
Available in print and ebook editions.
Take advantage of amazing advertising opportunities!
SUPPORT THE NEW WRITE!
Members: Get 25% off all ads. Reach 2000+ proven readers. Ask us about our small press discounts.
For more information, or to book an ad today, email ads@writersunion.ca.
WRITE
FALL2012 �
I write this from my little study overlooking a stubble cornfield that the raccoons raid each night, rolling cobs gleefully in the buttery dew of our lawn. They’ve adapted to their landscape, letting the farmer harvest for them, becoming gleaners rather than fishers in the now-sluggish stream. I’m not sure I can find a metaphor in this, except that our writers’ landscape is changing too, at a speed faster than the whirr of a supersonic combine. Inmid-September,KellyDuffinandItravelledtoOttawatomeetwithofficialsattheDepartmentofHeritage,theCanadaCouncil,PublicLendingRights,andLibraryandArchivesCanada.Theissueswediscussedwerealloverthemap,butunderlyingeveryconversationwerequestionspromptedbythenewworldwefindourselvesin:Whatisabook?Whatdoesitmeantopublish? Thissummer,TWUC’sinternLauraThorneproducedastudyonhowthewords“book”and“published”arecurrentlybeingusedintheCanadianliterarycommunity.Shecanvassedfestivals,publishers,grantors,prize-givers,writers,andmore.Thisisnotjustanexerciseinsemantics.HowwedefineourselvesasaUnionrestsonourunderstandingof“book”and“publish.”EricEnnoTamm,anadvocatere-electedtoNationalCouncilinJune,iscarryingonanactivediscussiontoforgenewmembershipcriteriathatacknowledgesthenewwaysthatwritersare“publishing”“books.” Atthesametime,CanadaCouncilisre-examiningitsgrantstoindividualartiststotakeintoaccountnewrealities.They’veaddedan“ExploratoryWriting”categoryandarelookingatwaysofacknowledgingthatwritersnowneedsupportnotonlytocreatebutalsotoaccomplishthemyriadprofessionaltasksthatpublishersoncedidforus. AtthePublicLendingRightsCommission,themessagewasthesame:reviewandreassesstoseeif,inlightofthedigitaluniverse,thewaythingsweresetup26yearsagoremainsthebestwaytodothings. ThestorywasrepeatedagainatLibraryandArchivesCanada,wherethetechnologicaldifficultiesandsheerdelugeofarchivalmaterialtriggeredbythedigitalinformationagehascausedawholesalereassessmentoftheirmandateaswellasabyzantineroundofrestructurings. Review.Reassess.Itisthezeitgeistofthecentury. AtTWUC,too,wearereviewingourorganizationalstructuretomakeourselvesmoreflexible,moreresponsivetoevents,moreengagedwithallourmembers.Thegoalistobecomeagile,evenatthegrandoldageof40,sothatwecanrespondadroitlytothecomingchanges,jumpoutofthewayofthatoncomingcombine,whilehangingontoourcorncobs,ourbabies,allthatweloveandbelievein.
Theoldmodelusedtobegrowth,growth,growth.Nowthebuzzwordintheculturalindustryischange:beadaptable,stayflexible.Notapolarbear;araccoon. Still,thefactremains:thelandscapehasbeenrazed.Fiveyearsago,forinstance,therewere21specialistscollectingculturalstatisticsforStatisticsCanada.Nowtherearenone.Zero.Culturalstatisticsaresimplynotbeinggathered.Wewon’tknowhowmanypeopleworkinthearts,whatoureconomiccontributionis,orhowmanyCanadiansvalueculture. Similarly,thebudgetoftheCanadianConferenceoftheArtshasbeencuttothepointthatitscontinuedexistenceisindoubt.TheCCAdidanannualanalysisofthefederalbudgetfromaculturalstandpoint,providingvaluableinsightsintogovernmentpolicy.Notonlywillitbehardertoproveourworthascreators,itwillbehardertounderstandthedamagethatisbeingdonetous. Intheend,though,policychangesaremoreworryingthantightpursestrings.Pursestringscanbeloosened,butifprogramsandservicesaredestroyed,ifanorganizationsuchasLibraryandArchivesCanadachangesitsphilosophyregardingwhatpartsofourliterarycultureareconsideredworthpreserving,ifthepassageofanewcopyrightmodernizationactsuccessfullyerodestheidealofcollectivelicensingandcompensationforuseofcreativework,thenthefuturewilllookmuchdifferent—andmuchbleaker—thanthepast. Onthepositiveside,theculturalworkerswemetwithintheDepartmentofHeritage,CanadaCouncil,andPublicLendingRightwereuniformlyimpressiveintheirdedicationtoliteratureandtheirsensitivitytowriters’issues.TheCanadaCouncilisworkingonaNationalForum,possiblyfor2013,thatwillbringtogetherallthosewithastakeintheCanadianliterarylandscape:educators,librarians,funders,publishers,writers,readers.Theprospectofallofusconverginginonespotandsharingourconcernsofferssomehopethattogetherwemightfindwaystosurviveanenvironmentthatisincreasinglyharshforprofessionalcreators. AsyouknowfromTWUCbulletinsandmymonthlyLetters,wearecontinuingtoobjectstronglytochangesatLACandtoassaultsonourrighttocompensationforuseofcopyrightmaterial.ThisiswhatIwillbetalkingaboutwithmembersacrossthecountryduringmy40thanniversary“GatheringoftheTribe”Chair’stour.Datesandcitiesarelistedonthewebsite.Moreareyettocome.WatchyourinboxforaninvitationwhenIcometoyourregion,andpleasejoinmeforanevening.Bringyourwriterfriends.We’lltalkaboutwhat’sconcerningusandwhatwecandotogethertoeffectchange,andmaybe,likethathordeofraccoonsrompingthroughthedarkness,shareafewcobsofcorn.
FromtheChair ByMerilynSimonds
PhO
tO: M
AR
Lis
FUN
k
� write
ContentsFALL 2012
3 Chair’sReport
5 ExecutiveDirections
6 News
WRITER’S BLOT
8 WritersPrompt
9 IndustryQ+A
DISPATCHES
10 AStrangeTruth:TheAuthorReviewsHerOwnBook By M.A.C. FARRANt
11 OfBabiesandBalanceSheets By EMiLy sChULtz
12 FromJackbootstoPandas:theHighCostofSelf-Promotion By MARiA MEiNdL
FEATURES
14 APorousBoundary:LearningtoWriteinPrintandRadio By ELAiNE kALMAN NAVEs
16 CreatingtheCritic:Lemon Hound’sSinaQueyrason Blogging,Reviewing,andCreatingCriticalSpaceforWomen
SPECIAL SECTION: BACK TO SCHOOL
19 WritersIntheSchools:HowtoMakeaDifference By PAtRiCiA wEstERhOF
22 FindingHerSchool:AWriter’sQuestforHealingLeadsHer BacktotheStreetsSheGrewUpOn By EMiLy POhL-wEARy
24 InWindsor,anEducationalExperimentPaysOfffor PoetryandPublishing By sONiA sULAiMAN
FICTION
26 RememberAsYouGo By PAULO dA COstA
POETRy
27 Symbolism By CRystAL hURdLE
BUSINESS & REPORTS
28 CommitteeReports
29 ProvincialReports
32 MemberAwardsandNews
33 NewMembers
34 IN MEMORIAM
nationalcouncil
Chair
Merilyn Simonds
FirstVice-Chair
Dorris Heffron
SecondVice-Chair
Genni Gunn
Treasurer
Silver Donald Cameron
BC/YukonRepresentative
Michael Elcock
Alberta/NWT/Nunavut
Representative Glenn Dixon
Manitoba/Saskatchewan
Representative Anita Daher
OntarioRepresentative
Steve Pitt
QuebecRepresentative
Joyce Laird Scharf
AtlanticRepresentative
Lee D. Thompson
Advocates
Douglas Arthur BrownEric Enno Tamm Katherine Gordon
committeechairs
Contracts
Maggie Siggins
CurriculumandLibraries
Ted Barris
ElectronicRights/Copyright
Bill Freeman
InternationalAffairs
Gale Zoë Garnett
Grievance
Barbara Killinger
Nominating
Susan Crean and Myrna Kostach
RaceIssues
Wali Alam Shaheen
RightsandFreedoms
Ron Brown
StatusofWomenWriters
Betty Jane Wylie
membershipcommittee
Jillian Dagg(Chair)
Norma Charles Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer John Parr Ann Walsh
twucnationaloffice
ExecutiveDirector
Kelly Duffin, ext. 221 kduffin@writersunion.ca
AssociateDirector
Siobhan O’Connor, ext. 222 soconnor@writersunion.ca
OfficeAdministrator
Valerie Laws, ext. 224 info@writersunion.ca
MembershipandFund
DevelopmentCoordinator
Nancy MacLeod, ext. 226 nmacleod@writersunion.ca
ProjectsCoordinator
Kristen Gentleman, ext. 223 kgentleman@writersunion.ca
PacificCoordinator
Raquel Alvaro ralvaro@writersunion.ca
Webmaster
Elaine Wong webmaster@writersunion.ca
Views expressed in Write do not necessarily reflect those of the writers’ Union of Canada. services advertised are not necessarily endorsed by the Union. All submissions are welcome.
EditorHal Niedzviecki write@writersunion.ca
DeadlineforWinterissueNovember20,2012
EditorialLiasons Anita Daher, Wayne Grady, Kelly Ann Reiss
CopyEditor Alison Lang WriteMagazineAdvertising Tara Gordon Flint ads@writersunion.ca
Designsoapboxdesign.com
CoverIllustration Matthew Daley
the text paper used for this issue contains 100 % post-consumer fibre, is accredited EcoLogo and Processed Chlorine Free, and processed in a mill that uses biogas. if you would like to help us save on paper, please contact projects@writersunion.ca or 416-703-8982 ext. 223 to request future on-line editions of the Newsletter. thank you.
FSC LOGO TO BE PLCE By THE PRINTER
Write is produced four times yearly by the writers’ Union of Canada, 200 – 90 Richmond street East, toronto, Ontario, M5C 1P1, t 416.703.8982, F 416.504.9090, info@writersunion.ca, www.writersunion.ca.
© the writers’ Union of Canada, 2012.
we acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $154 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout Canada.
we acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), an agency of the Government of Ontario, which last year funded 1,681 individual artists in 216 communities across Ontario for a total of $52.8 million.
FALL2012 �
ItiswithmixedfeelingsthatIwritemylastcolumnastheEDofyouresteemedorganization.WhileIlookforwardtomynewopportunityandamconfidentthatyournextEDwillbeatremendousassetinallTWUC’sendeavours,Iamsadtobeleavingthecompanyofwriterswhohavebeenmentors,advisors,colleagues,andfriendsduringmytimeattheUnion. Havingspentthefirst15yearsofmycareerinbooks,theneightawayfrombooksimmediatelybeforejoiningTWUC,Iwasenticedbackinpartbecauseoftheincredibletransformationsnowunderwayinwritingandpublishing.Whatanexcitingtimethisis!Clearly,agreatandcontinuingopportunityfortheUnionanditsmembersliesinharnessingthosetransformationstothebenefitofwriters. Sofar,Ithinkwe’reseeingatleasttwoquitedifferentimpacts:ontheonehand,writersaregainingcloutintheindustryandwithgovernment.Partofthatistheresultofconcertedeffort,butpartofitisalsorecognitionthatpublishersareincreasinglyserviceproviderstoauthorsinthisnewworld(nottheotherwayaround)andthatcontentisking.Theother,andoppositeimpact,alsoexists,however:that,giventhealmostcrushingdemandsonpublishers,theirresultingriskaversionhasledtofewerbooksbeingsigned,loweradvances,andmoreeditingandmarketingworkfallingtoauthors.Theexplosionofamateurwriting,enabledbytechnology,canalsohavetheeffectofunderminingprofessionalwriters’abilitytobefairlycompensatedasfreeorcheaperoptionsareeasytofind,especiallyifqualityisnotaconcern. ThismeansthekeyissuesthatstaffandNationalCouncilarealreadyfocusedonwillcontinueforsometime.Issueslike:howtodefine,in2012andbeyond,“professionalbookauthor”vis-a-visoureligibilitycriteria;whetherebooksshouldbemadeavailablethroughlibrariesandifso,whatcompensationmodel(s)shouldbeacceptabletowriterswhentheirebooksareloaned;howtosecureanevensplitofnetreceiptsastheroyaltyforebooks;andhowtosupportmembersinnavigating—andmaximizing—opportunitiesintherapidlychangingenvironment. Seriousthreatsexist.ThepassageofthenewCopyrightActandtheSupremeCourtdecisionsinfivecopyrightcasesthissummerfurtherweakenthetraditionalmeaningof“copyright”andthreatentoharmthisunderpinningofwriters’income.Thedebatehasentrenchedtheconceptof“user’srights,”asurgeofcopy-leftsentiment(perhapstheresultofaglutofmisinformation),anderodingrevenues,alreadyseeninthestrugglesourcollectivehashadtorenewlicenceswithsomeacademicinstitutions.Whetherlostgroundcanberegainedisanopenquestion. Manyoftheseissuesareborderlessandoneofthethings
I’vemostenjoyedduringmytimeherehasbeenconveningandparticipatinginquarterlyconferencecallswithoursisterorganizationsintheUS,theUK,andAustralia,withagendascoveringebookroyalties,rightsgrabs,copyright,multinationals,e-lending,PLR,collectivelicensing,andthelike. Manyoftheseissuesarealsoindustry-wide,andanotherthingI’veenjoyedhasbeenworkingwithsectorpartners,inwritingandpublishing,toarticulateouragreements(andourdisagreements!)inworkingtowardsastrongercollectivevoiceandgreaterinfluence. ButofcourseI’vemostenjoyedworkingwiththreeChairswhomadetheUnionproud,thewonderfulstaffatTWUC,indefatigableNationalCouncils,engagedvolunteers,andawiseandarticulatemembership.I’mproudofhowmuchwe’veachievedtogetherinmytimehereandIwillwatch,withinterest,astheUnionforgesahead,ensuringwritershaveaplaceatthetablesofinfluence.
ExecutiveDirections
SayingGoodbye
ByKellyDuffin
PhO
tO: s
hAw
N M
CPh
ERsO
N
Write is produced four times yearly by the writers’ Union of Canada, 200 – 90 Richmond street East, toronto, Ontario, M5C 1P1, t 416.703.8982, F 416.504.9090, info@writersunion.ca, www.writersunion.ca.
© the writers’ Union of Canada, 2012.
...writers are gaining clout in the industry and with government. Part of that is the result of concerted effort,but part of it is also recognition that publishers are increasinglyservice providers to authors...
� write
PUBLISHING
StudentsForcedtoBuyEbooks
Studentsarestillreluctanttobuye-textbooksoverprinttextbooks,withonlyninepercentofstudentsintheUnitedStatesbuyingdigitalcopies,reportsastudybyU.S.-basedcollegemarketresearcherStudentMonitor.AccordingtoaToronto Star articlefromAugust2012,lessthan10%ofCanadianstudentsareoptingfore-textbooksdespitetheirlowercost. Eventhoughstudentsaregenerallyreluctanttogodigital,someAmericanuniversitiesarerequiringstudentstopurchasee-versionsoftextbooks.SchoolssuchasIndianaUniversity,UniversityofCalifornia-Berkeley,UniversityofMinnesota,UniversityofWisconsin,UniversityofVirginia,andCornellUniversityareadoptingpilotprogramsmakingstudentspurchaseonlydigitaltextbooksforcertaincourses.TheIndianaUniversityprogram,whichwaslaunchedthreeyearsago,strong-armedstudentsintopurchasinge-textbooksbychargingtheebooksautomaticallythroughtheirbursaraccounts.
InCanada,schoolsandpublishersarealsomakingthepushtowardsdigitalcopies,withVancouver’sCDICollegegoingall-digital,givingitsbusiness,healthcare,andtechnologystudentsiPadspre-loadedwithtextbooks.
AUKstudyreleasedearlierthisyearshowsthatstudentsretainmoreinformationfromphysicaltextsthanthroughreadinginformationfromascreen.
AuthorsPayforGoodReviews
Gotacoupleofbucks,anewbooktopromote,andaloosegrasponethics?Well,fortherightamountofmoney,thereareplentyofcompaniesofferingpositivereviewsinexchangeforcash.
RecentarticlesinThe Guardian, The New York Timesand Salon.computtheviabilityofreaderreviewsonAmazonand
similarsitesintoquestionbyexposingfauxreviewerserviceswhichofferpositivereviewsforcash.Additionally,authorsarewritingreviewsfortheirownbookswhilecreatingonlinepersonaswhopraisetheirworkviasocialmedia.
Manyself-publishedauthorsarespendingtheirtimetryingto“triggerAmazonalgorithms”withpurchasedorself-pennedreviews,saysThe Guardian articleontherelationshipbetweensocialnetworkingandself-publishing.
EbookAppsProvideInsightIntoReaderHabits
Reportsareemergingaboutmajorebookretailers,suchasAmazon,Barnes&Noble,Google,andApple,acquiringinformationaboutreadersthroughtheire-readers.Informationsuchaswhatusersread,howlongtheytaketoreadeachtitle,wheretheyareinabook,andwhatgenrestheychoosetoread,arereadilyavailablethroughtrack-backinformationattachedtoe-readersincludingtheNook,iPad,Kobo,andKindle.
Theseanalytics,whichprovideinformation—includingwhichauthorsaregainingpopularityandwhichtitlesreadersareconsumingwiththemostfervour—arenotcurrentlybeingsystematicallysharedwithpublishersorauthors.
Infact,accordingtoanarticleinThe Wall Street Journal,thereiscurrentlynowayforthoseusingthee-readerstooptoutofhavingtheirreadinghabitscollected.ThishaspromptedCaliforniatoenactthe“readerprivacyact,”whichrequireslawenforcementagenciestogetacourtorderbeforetheyaccessinformationfromdigitalbooksellersregardingwhatbookstheircustomershavebrowsed,purchased,read,andunderlined.
TheAmericanCivilLibertiesUnionandtheElectronicFrontierFoundationarenowseekingtoenactsimilarlawsinotherstates.
CENSORSHIP
JoanRiversProtestsBookBanatCostco
WhenCostcorefusedtocarryJoanRivers’newestbook,I Hate Everyone… Starting With Me,Riversdidn’ttakethebanlyingdown.InearlyAugust,shechainedherselftoashoppingcartoutsideofaBurbank,CaliforniaCostcolocationandchargedthroughthestorewithagroupoffriendstohandoutautographedcopiesofherbook. Costcoreportedlybannedthebookbecauseofafewswearwordsonthebackcover. Thestuntattractednewscamerasandpolicetothelocation.WhileRiversleftwithoutarrestorcitation,shedidgetsomepublicityoutoftheaffair.Toonenewsoutletshelikenedthebanto“thebeginningofNaziGermany.”
LIBRARIES
UKSocietyofAuthorsPushtoMakeSchoolLibrariesaLegalRequirement
TheUK-basedSocietyofAuthors(agroupsimilartoTWUCinCanada)isrunningacampaigncallingforlegislationthatwillmakeitmandatoryforprimaryandsecondaryschoolstohavealibrary.Thecampaign,whichissupportedbyaward-winningauthorssuchasSarahWaters,MalorieBlackmanandDavidAlmond,isalsocallingforeveryschoollibrarytohaveadedicatedlibrarianor,attheveryleast,ateacherwithspecialtraininginlibrarianshipinsmallerschoolsthatmaynotbeabletoaffordalibrarian.Itisalsocallingformoresupportforauthorvisitsinschoolsandreadingforpleasureintheclassroom.
ThelastfewyearshavenotbeengoodtolibrariesintheUK.InSeptember,theUKChildren’sLaureate(apositionsimilartoanationalpoetlaureatebutaimedat
News thE LAtEst ON wRitiNG ANd PUBLishiNG iN CANAdA ANd BEyONd
FALL2012 �
children)JuliaDonaldsonwroteanopenlettertothenewSecretaryofCulturepleadingforsupportforpubliclibrariesas“nearly250UKlibrariesarecurrentlyeitherunderthreatofclosureorelsehavebeenclosedorleftcouncilcontrolsinceAprilthisyear.”TheSurreyCountyCouncilproposedtofirealllibrariansinitspubliclibrariesandreplacethemwithvolunteers,butthatdecisionwasquashedincourtthisApril.
AsurveyundertakenbytheSchoolLibraryAssociationfoundthatthemajorityofschoollibrarybudgetsintheUKareunder£1000with41%ofschoollibrarybudgetscominginunder£500.TheletterfromtheSocietyofAuthorstotheMinisterforStateSchools,whichmakesacaseformandatoryschoollibraries,citesDecember2011numbersfromtheNationalLiteracyTrustwhichshowthatoneinthreechildrenintheUKdonotownabook.
Inits2011studyonOntario’spubliclyfundedschools,PeopleforEducationfoundthat56%ofelementaryschoolshaveateacher-librarian,downfrom80%in1997/1998and66%ofsecondaryschoolshaveateacher-librarian,downfrom78%in2000/2001.Studentsinsmalltownsseeevenfewerteacher-librarians,withNorthernOntariohavinglibrariansinonly10%ofitselementaryschools.InApril,NovaScotia’sChignectoCentralRegionalSchoolBoardcut21schoollibrarianpositionsafterbacklashfromaninitialproposaltocutall41ofthelibrariansinitsschools.
COPyRIGHT
GoogleSaysBookScanningHasNotHurtAuthors’Sales
InaJulycourtfilinginNewYorkofalawsuitthathasbeenongoingsince2005,Googlearguedthatscanningmillionsoflibrarybookswithoutthepermissionofrightsholdersfallsunder“fairuse”andmaking“snippets”fromtheworksavailableonlinedidnothurtbooksalesfor
theauthorsinvolved.OralargumentonamotionforsummaryjudgmentwithoutatrialisscheduledforDecember.
TheAuthorsGuildisstillseekingdamagesforauthorsaffectedbyGoogle’smassbookscanningwhichstartedin2004,butnowonlyforauthorsandtheirheirswhoareUnitedStatesresidentsforEnglish-languagebooksthatwereregisteredwiththeU.S.Copyrightofficepromptlyfollowingpublication.CanadianandotherforeignrightsholdersresidentoutsidetheUnitedStatesarenolongercoveredbytheclassaction.Googlescannedmillionsofbooksthroughagreementswithseveraluniversitylibrarieswithoutthepermissionofrightsholders.(TheAuthorsGuildisalsonowsuingaconsortiumoftheresearchlibrariesthatco-operatedwithGoogleandTWUCisaco-plaintiffinthatlawsuit.)
GoogleandtheAuthorsGuildagreedonasettlementinthefallof2008,whichwasamendedinNovember2009toaddressnumerouscomplaints.However,thatsettlementagreementwasthrownoutinMarch2011bytheU.S.CircuitJudgeDennyChinforseveralreasons,includingthatitwouldhavegivenGoogle“significantrightstoexploitentirebooks”withoutpermissionand“asignificantadvantageovercompetitors”throughanongoingbusinessarrangementgoing“farbeyondthedisputebeforethecourt.”Lastyear’squashedagreementwouldhaveseenrightsholdersreceiving67%ofanyincomeGooglemadefromthescannedbooks,butalsoatissuewasthe“opt-out”natureoftheagreement,whichwouldhaveallowedmillionsofworksforwhichrightsholderscannotbefound(so-called“orphanworks”)tobescanned,shared,andsoldthroughGooglewithoutpermission.
NowtheoutcomeofthelitigationwilldependonwhetherornotJudgeChinrulesthatthescanninganddisplayofexcerptswas“fairuse”.IfhefindsthatthescanningbyGoogleofentirecopyright-protectedworksinfringescopyright,Googlemayhavetopay$750perbooktotheaffected
authors.Initsdefence,GooglepointstotheAuthorsGuild’sadvicetowriterstoputchaptersoftheirbooksonlineforpromotion,andarguesthatbygivingconsumerstheopportunitytoreadexcerptsonline,GoogleBooksisaidingthesalesofmanytitles.Whicheverwaythedecisiongoes,itislikelytobeappealed.
INTERNATIONAL
SomalilandHostsInternationalBookFest
ThispastJulymarkedthefifthHargeisaInternationalBookFairinSomaliland.OrganizedbyJamaMusseJamaandAyanMahamoud,theliteraryfestival—whichalsofeaturestheatre,music,andfilm—celebrateslocaltalentandtheoralstorytellingtradition.Italsostrivestogiveyoungpeoplesomethingtodo.OfthehalfamillionpeoplewholiveinHargeisa,70%areundertheagoof30.
Thisyear’stheme,“visualisingthefuture”,lookedatbuildingasustainablefutureforSomalilandthroughliteratureandthearts.Beyondsellingbooksandcreatingavenueforcultureintheregion,thefestivalaimstoputpowerintothehandsofthepeoplethroughitsprogramming,whichincludesadocumentaryonactivistsaroundtheworldwhodedicatedtheirlivestosocialchange,apresentationonclimatechangeandhowthecommunitycantakecontroloftheenvironment,andadiscussionontheopportunitiesforwomeninSomaliland.
Hargeisahasnolibrary,cinema,ortheatre,buttheorganizersofthefestivalhavebeenadvocatingforpermanentlibrariesthroughthepromotionofreadingclubsinthesixregionsofSomaliland.AccordingtoaThe Guardianarticleonthefestival,tworegionshaverecentlypromisedtodedicatelandtobuildlibraries.
� write
After a long writing break due to personal reasons, I was having trouble getting started. And then I saw some tweets by author Heather Brewer which helped. I already knew Brewer wrote at least a thousand words every day, with-out fail, even when she traveled, so I decided she was someone to pay attention to.
Hertweetsintriguedme.Theyusuallysaidsomethinglike:“Okaygo!#1000WordHourstartsnow!”Isoondiscoveredwhenshetweetedthat,shewassigningofftheinternetforonehourandwritingathousandwords,hellbentforleather. Otherauthorsstartedjoiningher,alsousingthehashtag#1000WordHour,andsodidI.Sometimesshe’ddoseveralinaday,andIfoundmyselfpoundingouttwoorthreethousandwordsalongwithher.Afterafewweeksofthis,Igotbackinmyowngroove,andalsorealizedwhatIwaswritingwasactuallyprettybadbecausethat’snothowIworkbest.Butitdidn’tmatterbecauseIwaswriting. Eventually,Iswitchedtomyoldpatternsandthewritingqualityimproved,butIcredit#1000WordHourwithgettingmeunstuck.Ifyou’rehavingtroublegettingstarted,Ihighlyrecommendthisapproach.Ifyou’reonTwitter,youcanwatchforotherwritersdoingsimilarprompts,oryoucanstartyourownatanytime.Justaskifanyonewantstojoinyou,andthencheckbackinwhenyou’redoneandshareyoursuccesses.Orifyou’renotintoTwitter,
WRITER’S PROMPT /
Your1000–WordHourStartsHereBy JOëLLE ANthONy
Writer’sBlot
COMIC By sCOt RitChiE
settingthekitchentimerandgoingitalonecanworkgreat,too.
Anthony is a YA writer living in BC, and the author of RestoringHarmony and TheRight&theReal. She teaches writing workshops for both young writers and adults. Visit her at www.joelleanthony.com, or follow her on Twitter @joellewrites.
FALL2012 �
campaignswealwaysnoticeasignificantriseinthecirculationoftheirtitles.TPLisalsoamajorpartnerintheTorontoBookAwardsandwealsopartnerwiththeLeagueofCanadianPoetstopresentspecialpoetryprogramming.
What is the face of the library community in Toronto in 2012?Morediversethanever!Justtogiveyouasenseofthebreadth,onlinecitizenshippracticeexamsarepopularandsoistheTorontoComicArtsFestival,agreatannualcelebrationthatsaw17,000gueststhispastMay.Thepublishingandwritingsceneisbecomingmorefragmentedandit’spartofthelibrary’sjobtobringattentiontothecreatorsthatmightgetoverlookedorunderappreciated.Wealsocontinuetoplaceahighpriorityonencouragingaloveofreadingthroughourfocusonearlyliteracyandonouradultliteracyprograms.
You have been a part of several book prize juries — what makes a book stand out from the pack for you? Can you name some favourites?Differentthingscanmakeabookstandoutandtheydon’tallhavetobepresent:anoriginalvoice,beautifulwriting,acompellingnarrative,adifferentperspective.Whentheseallcometogether,youhaveamasterpiece.Forsomeofmyrecentfavourites,seemylistontheTPLwebsitefromJuneofthisyear:http://tinyurl.com/janefaves.
INDUSTRy Q+A /
TheLibraryintheInformationAgeBy tiNA NOVOtNy
The role of libraries has changed significantly in the “Information Age” — how do you see the role of libraries now?Librarieshavealwaysbeenabouttheintersectionoflearning,reading,andcommunity.Todaythatmaytakeplacewithbooks,ebooks,orcomputers,butthepurposehasnotchanged.Publiclibrariesarevehiclesofaccessandopportunity,theyareimportantdemocraticinstitutions,andtheycelebratethejoyofreading.
How do you think the balance of bricks and mortar vs. digital has changed?Intermsofusewe’reseeingagradualshifttoe-content.InAugustourcirculationofebookswasover100,000forthefirsttime.Still,ourmonthlycirculationis2,500,000,soe-contentiswellunder10%overall.Wewantouronlinepresencetobeasmuchofagatheringplaceasourphysicalbranchesare.Oneoftheperhapscounterintuitiveeffectsofthedigitalworldisaseekingofcommunity.Inspiteofallthatisavailableinthedigitalworld,TPLbranchesstillhad19millioncustomervisitsin2011—a4%increasefromthepreviousyear.
How does the TPL promote Canadian authors?TPLhasalwaysbeenachampionofourliteraryculture.The“ehList”shinesaspotlightonCanadianauthorswhoarealsofeaturedinourmanyheritageprograms—AsianHeritage,BlackHistory,andAboriginalCelebrations.Localbranchesroutinelyhostwriterswholiveintheneighbourhood.TPLisveryactiveinpromotingawardsandnomineesthroughourbooklists,bookclubs(bothin-branchandonline),displays,blogs,andsocialmedia.Duringthese
A conversation with Jane Pyper, Head Librarian, Toronto Public Library
DearEditor,
re: Architextures etc., volume 40, number one“...forsomereasonwecontinuetocelebratethislong-livedmonarch...”Forsomereason?Forthesimplereasonthatsheisthemotherofourcountry.ItwasVictoriawhosignedthedocumentsunitingUpperandLowerCanadaintoTheDominionofCanada.ItwasVictoriawhochoseOttawaasourcapital,tothelong-lastingenvyofToronto,Montreal,Hamilton,Kingston,andQuebec.Shewouldn’thaveKingstonbecause“itistooclosetotheborderwiththosefractiousAmericans.”Ottawawasnicelysetinthecentrebetweenthetwohalves,andbesides,“IftheAmericanstriedtoinvadeandcaptureOttawa,theywouldbecomelostinthewoods.” Idon’tmuschcarewhatpeoplethinkoftheroyaloldfuddy-duddy,butlet’snotrendertoomuchreverencetothosepoliticalsharpieswe’vecometocall“TheFathersofConfederation.”TheyjustwantedtohavethemselvespaintedinaformalitythatwouldcompetebycopyingthepomposityoftheAmericangentlemen.Peace,PaulMackan
LETTER TO THE EDITOR /
10 write
Dispatches NOtEs ON thE wRitiNG LiFE
It wasn’t that long ago when book writers, desperate for an author profile or a scant review, or for any kind of media attention whatsoever, resorted to a series of bizarre tactics to achieve their ends. Who could forget the Slasher Poets? I may be making this up, but don’t you remem-ber them? They razor-bladed haikus onto their chests and thighs.Duringthateraofflagrantself-promotionmanywriterscostumedthemselvesforbooklaunches.Liturgicalrobesappeared,andpirateboots.Onewomanworeabearcostume,lungingattheau-diencewhenthereadingwasover,signinghernovelwithagiantcrayonstuckinherfurryfist.Thatgotattention.Afterthataromancewriterrippedopenthebodiceofhereigh-teenth-centurygownonnationalTVandsold,asaresult,sevencopiesofherbook.Ahistoricalnovelisttoppedthatbyhavingabeardimplant—thusbecomingtheBeardedLadyNovelist—renowned,sheclaimed,onthreecontinents.Someofusweremoremodest.WeloadedboxesofourbooksintocartrunksandheadedoffonaJackKerouacfantasy.Nextstop:theabandonedZenMotelinMesa,Arizonawherewefilmedourselvesrecitingbythelightofanemptiedwinebottle.WouldImakethisstuffup?It’struethatsomeofus,readersandwritersalike,mayhavewonderedwhereallthisattention-seekingwasheading.Howmuchmoreinventivecouldself-promotionbecome?Well,guesswhat?Iamabouttoreviewmyownbook.It’samatterofnecessity.Becausethebookcultureaswe’veknownitseemstobedecayingbeneathourbusyfingertips.Becausebookshavebecomeabusiness,aproduct,awinninghorse,amagiccarpetridetostardomforafewluckywritersandtheirpublishers,and,asaconsequence,manyofushavehadto
becomeevenmoreimaginativeinourbidstogarnerattention.WhocanarguewithwriterEduardoGaleano’scommentthatculturehasbeenreducedtoa“brilliantglobalentertainmententerprise”?Onedaywe’llturntothebackpagesofourfavou-ritetabloidandthere,besidetheadsforsteroidsandmassageparlours,we’llfindadsforourpoetryandexperimentalfiction—booksasclandestinetraffickersofthought;booksascontainersofexquisitelanguage;booksasseedypleasures.Andbookreviews?They’vegonethewayofthetypewriter;therearen’tmanyofthemaroundanymore.Reviewpagesinnewspapersandmagazineshavebeensteadilyshrinking.Anywayyousliceit,theformerlyfatbookreviewpiehasgotwaysmall.It’sprettymuchcrumbsnow.Whichiswhyawomanwhobasicallyspendsherlifethinking,looking,writing,andreading,andisnotcurrentlydressedasapumpkinoranunisabouttogiveherownbookonelongmen-tion.Times,astheyoftendo,changeandthisiswhyIwrotemybook.ThetitleisThe Strange Truth About Us – A Novel of Absenceandit’sathree-partworkofprosefragments,snippets,questions,speculations,meditations,andmini-storiesaboutthechangingtimeswearealllivingthrough—you,me,andtheoldguywork-ingatthelocalcafétosupplementhispension.Someofthebookisfunny,someofitnotsomuch.Agooddealofthebookisaboutthefuturewhichweallknowdoesnotexistbutstillcan’thelpfearing.Inanycase,Ihopeyoulovethecover.It’sapaintingofanemptyfreewayonasunnyday,surelyamostbeautifulimage.TheartistisGertrudePacificofSechelt,BC.ThebookwaspublishedinOctober,2011byTalonbooksofVancouverandwaseditedbyKarlSiegler,aliteraryhero,akeeperoftheflame.
M.A.C. Farrant lives on Vancouver Island. She’s the author of ten collections of satirical and humorous short fiction, and two works of non-fiction. Her play, MyTurquoiseYears premieres with the Arts Club Theatre of Vancouver, April 4–May 4, 2013.
MARKETING /
AStrangeTruth:TheAuthorReviewsHerOwnBookBy M.A.C. FARRANt
FALL2012 11
My infant son Henry is very punctual. That’s how you know he’s the child of two writers: even before he was born he knew how to make deadlines.
ItmaynotberomantictoadmitbutHenrywasconceivedonaspreadsheet.Iknewotherwriterswithchildren,butmostofthemhadpartnersinmorelucrativefields—sowhenwetalkedabouttryingtohaveababy,welookedatwherethemoneywascomingin,andwhenthebookswerelaunching.Myhusband—writerandartistBrianJosephDavisandmyco-publisheratJoyland Magazine —wasn’tsureofanyofit.WhenIshowedhimblackandwhitecolumns,itwasaneasierscenariotopicture.Thetruthwasplain:ifwewaiteduntilaftermynovelThe Blondesreleased,Iriskedbecomingtooold.Ifweattemptedtohaveachildbeforethebooklaunchedwecouldcountonseveralvitalchequesoneithersideofthebirth. ThatwashowwepenciledHenryin—andsurprisinglyevenasanembryohecooperated.Hewasconceivedonthefirsttry.Likeafirstdraft,theideawasthere,andthenhegrewforninemonths.Henrywasmoreontrackthaneithermeormybook.Ihadhopedtodosomewritingduringthepregnancy.Well,actually,Ihadhopedtodolotsofwritingduringthepregnancy.ButIdidverylittle. ThecharacterinThe Blondes,HazelHayes,hasjustarrivedinNewYorkwhenshediscoverssheispregnantbyhermarriedthesisadvisor.IhadalreadywrittenHazelasbeingsoparalyzedbyherpregnancyshecannotmanagetomakethedecisionofcontinuingthepregnancyorterminatingit—simplynavigatingthestreetsofNewYorktakesalmostallofherenergy.Iwouldsoondiscoverthetruthinthat.I,too,hadjustarrivedinNewYorktodoresearchforthenovel,togetthefeeloftheplace,thevoices,andfindawaytoputthatontothepage.ButgettingaroundManhattanwaslikeafullcontactsportforme:Iwenttoahandfulofbookevents,atetwicemyweightatrestaurants,madeafewfriendsandcontactswhilegazingaboutlonginglyforachair,butmoreoftenstayedhomeandfellasleepbeforenineatnight. EverythingIwentthroughinthepregnancy,ImeasuredagainstthewayIhadwrittenmycharacter,Hazel.Myexperienceswerevastlydifferentbecausemysonwaswanted.Itwasastrange
feelingtobeundergoingtheexcitementoffirstandsecondultrasoundswhilealsoimaginingthescenesfromthereverse:howacharactermightreactinothercircumstances,whatseeingthatswimmingstarryshapemightseemlikeif,insteadofbeinglate-30sandinadowntownTorontoclinicwithmyhusbandatmyside,Iwere20-somethingandinaremotearmy-runquarantineinthemiddleofapandemicfarfromeveryoneIknew. Bythefall,thefirsteditwascomplete.SomeofwhatIhadlearnedhadevenwendeditswayintothemanuscript.Asecondeditwaswaiting.ButHenryhadthrownafewchallengesatme,asiftostopmefromworking—gestationaldiabetes,aseverecaseofcarpaltunnelsyndrome,andseriouseyeirritation—allreactionstothepregnancy.AndapparentlyHenryhadnointentionofallowingmetogetthroughtheeditbybeingoneofthoselatefirst-babieseither.Ontheeveofhisduedatehegaveamajorkick,bustingtheamnioticfluidinamovie-worthycomedysceneaswestumbledaroundgrabbingsuitcaseandtowels.WewerebackinmyOntariohometownbythen,soIphonedmyparentstodriveusafewmilesdowntheroadtothenearesthospital.HenryarrivedbyCaesariansectiononhisduedate—oneoftherare4%ofbabieswhoshowupexactlyontime. Henrylearnedtobreastfeedwithmynovelpagesspreadaroundus—acolouredpenandstickynotesplacedwithinreachbeforehelatched.Henrynappedalotatthebeginningthough,whichfreedmeupforrewrites.InhissixthweekoflifehemadehisfirsttriptoTorontotoattendapublishingmeetingatasushirestaurant. Bythetimethefinalpagesarrivedfivemonthslater,Henrywashittingallhisdevelopmentalmarkers.Hehadlearnedtoturnover,andtwoteethwereattemptingtopoketheirwaythroughhissmoothpinkgums.Hewasontrack;IfeltmuchlesssoasIrealizedI’dputamajorrevealfartooearlyinthenovelandnowneededtocorrectit.Iworkedinfitsandstarts(napsweremuchshorter)andredirectedourstrollerwalkstotheFedExcounterinsteadofthepark. Whentheprintedbookarrivesonmydesk,Henrywillbe10monthsold—andmycharacterofHazelHayesstillwon’thavegivenbirth.She’llbestuckattheseven-monthmark,foreverwonderingwhatwillbecomeofherandherstrangeoffspring.
Emily Schultz’s third novel TheBlondeswas published in August by Doubleday Canada. Her website is www.emilyschultz.com.
WRITING /
OfBabiesandBalanceSheetsBy EMiLy sChULtz
1� write
Dispatches
Back in February, we went with friends to see Ronnie Burkett in his virtuosic and terrifying marionette production, PennyPlain. Set in the near future, in a plague-ridden city shipping its women to China to pay off debt, it tells the story of an old woman who adopts a dog as a com-panion. She teaches it to walk on two legs, sit upright in a chair, and drink afternoon tea.
Thisdistortedprojectionofherownspeciesdevelopsawillofitsown.Itescapeshercontrolandultimatelyreturnstodevourher.Ourfriendslovedtheshow.TheypostedtheirwhereaboutsonFacebook,whichpromptlysentaninvitationtomyhusbandtoposttheinformationonhisFacebookpage.HelaughinglyshowedthemtherequestonhisAndroid,deletedit,andweallwentontoenjoyourevening. ButasIsippedwine,chattedaboutTTCdelaysandhouseprices,andlaughedatmycompanions’jokes,Ifelthauntedbyasenseofdread.Thiswasagoodthing,Iguess;Burkett’sdystopianfantasyhaddoneitswork.Iwasanxiousaboutsomethingelse,though,somethingmoreimmediateandreal.Wewere—albeitmechanically—beingtracked.Whatpreservedourprivacywasthatlotsofpeople,allovertheplace,weredoingthesamethingatthesametime. I’mnotsayinganythingagainstourfriendsoranyoneelsewhopostsalocationonFacebook.It’sreallyjustawayofreinforcingtieswithfriends,thecyber-equivalentofarefrigeratornotesaying,“Gonetoavirtuosicandterrifyingmarionetteproduction.”Itsaysyouwanttomakeyourscheduleaccessibletothepeopleyoufeelconnectedwith,andallowsyoutoenjoyhavingpeoplewhocareaboutwhereyouareonaSaturdaynight.It’salsoawayofpromot-ingtheshow. ExceptthatIalsohappenedtobereadingIn the Garden of
BeastsbyErikLarson.ThisbookchroniclestheadventuresofanAmericandiplomaticfamilystationedinBerlinthroughtheriseoftheThirdReich.Theyarrivedfeelingopen-mindedaboutthenewregime,andmadenosecretofsharingitsanti-Semiticattitudes.Gradually,theycametoseethatthattheywereamong—well—beasts.Thewarningstheysentbackweredownplayed. Thebookischillingbecauseittakesplacejustbeforeevilshoweditstruecolours.Backthenitwasonlytooeasytojustify,normalize,ormockwhatwelaterlearnedtofearanddeplore.Igotthecreeps,thinkingaboutwhatallthatsurveillancecouldbecome,inthehandsofaless-than-scrupulousgovernment—orindeedanyonewithunfriendlyintentionswhowantedtotrackourwhereabouts.AndIthought,wecouldbedestroyedbywhatwedismissasharmless…orindeedembrace. Butmaybeitwaseasiertofocusonpoliticalanxietiesthanonmyownstateofmind.Sincethelaunchofmyfirstbook,Outside the Box,lastSeptember,Ihavebeenfeelingmypersonalneedforprivacymorekeenlythanever.It’snotjustamatterofkeepingmytheatre-goinghabitstomyself;Ineedtobeleftalone.Tobeunseen.Thisneedispartofthecreativeprocessforme,andittrulyisaneed.It’scomplicatedbecausebeingaloneisnotalwayspleasant.It’sscary—it’s,well,lonely.It’sboring,evenalittlecrazy-making.Yetoutofthatcrazinesscomestheimpulsetocre-ate.TherearetimeswhenIneedtobeanadolescentwhoslamsthedoor,coversherpagewithaprotectiveforearm,flipsherhairdowninfrontofherface,andpromptlybeginstomopeaboutbeingmisunderstood.Ineedtoprotectmyspace,eventhoughIdon’talwayslikebeinginit. Yetmakingmyselfseenandheardispartofhavingthecareerthatwillletmehavetheprocess.Publicityissomethingthatinourbravenewworldofself-promotion-tinged-with-feminism⎯I’msupposedtoadmittowanting.Don’tgetmewrong.Mybookhasbeendoingprettywell.WhatImeanis,I’vebeendoingprettywellwiththejoboflettingpeopleknowaboutit.Ihavenocomplaintsaboutmypublisher;infact,fromwhatIhearit’sbeenbetterthanmost.Friendsandcommunityhavebeenamazing.Anditbringsalotofsatisfaction,aroll-up-my-sleeves,self-reliant,resilientkind
SOCIAL MEDIA /
FromJackbootstoPandas:theHighCostofSelf-PromotionBy MARiA MEiNdL
Fall2012 1�
offeelingthatI’veneverbeforeexperienced.Still,I’vebeentheenginedrivingitallandwheneverpossible,makingtheattentionlooklikeitwascomingfromtheoutside.Acomplicateddance.It’sall-consuming.AndI’mtired. Asithappens,Outside the Boxisaboutself-promotion.It’sabiographyofmygrandmother,thepoetandbroadcasterMonaGould.WhenIwasbornin1959,heraccessiblestyleofpoetryhadfallenoutofliteraryfashion.Televisionwasedgingoutherpopularlunchtimeradioshows.Hercareerwasonthewane,yetmyearliestmemoriesareoflisteningtoherstoriesofpasttriumphs.Sheportrayedherselfasspecial,withaheightenedsensitivityandarare,God-giventalentforexpressingherselfinwords.Instoryafterstory,sheisdiscoveredbyapowerfulman,whomakesallthearrangementstoshareherworkwiththeworld.Sometimessheisreluctant,sometimesindifferent.Alwayssheissurprised.Inherownwords:“Ineveraskedforanyofthis.Itallcametome.” WhenMonadiedin1999Iofferedtosortthroughthe38boxesofpapersshehadlefttotheUniversityofToronto.HereIdiscov-eredshehaddiligentlybuiltacareerfromtheageof11,receivedhershareofrejections,enduredhershareofdisappointments.Shequeriedandwasignored.Queriedagain.Was,again,ignored.IrespectedthegrandmotherIfoundinthosepapersmorethantheoneIthoughtIknew,andIshiveredtothinkofwhatshemusthavegonethroughwhenallherworkdriedupatthesametimeasmygrandfatherdied.Asafreelancerallherlife,shehadbeenforcedtopromoteherselfconstantlyandrelentlessly.Now,attheageof50,shefeltabandoned.Shewasabandoned.Shehadme,though.Ibecametheaudienceshebroadcastto,therecipientofherpitch.Theproduct:herself. BackinFebruaryIalsotookpartinaWriters’UnionseminarbyElizabethRuthonhowtobeyourownpublicist.Amongothersmartthings,shetoldusthatsheconsciouslyseparatesher“self”fromthepersonshe’spromoting.Inpreparingfortheseminar,shehadinformallypolledagroupofauthorsaboutpromotingtheirownwork.Manyfeltresistance.Eithertheylackedconfidenceorbelievedawritershouldbeaboveself-promo-tion;sometimestheyfelttheywereadmittingdefeattopromotethemselves.Itwasgreattohearallthisarticulatedattheverystartofthesession.Ifoundmyselfbetterabletolistentopracticalitieswhenthebig,subterraneanissueshadbeenbroughttolight.IstartedtowonderwhatitwouldhavebeenlikeifmygrandmotherhadbeenabletotakeElizabeth’sseminar.(Well,shecouldhavetaughtit.)Butwhatifshe’dlivedinatimewhenitwassociallyacceptableforawriter,particularlyawomanwriter,toadmittopromotingherself?Towantingattention?Iwonderifshewouldhavebeenabletospeaktomemorefranklyaboutwhatshewentthrough,buildinghercareer.AndhowIwould,I —thewriter-in-training—havelived,ifthoseissueshadbeenonthetablefromthebeginning? YetitwassoberingtohearElizabethreadthosequotes.Iwondered,areweanyfurtheraheadwhenitcomestohang-ups—orIdaresay,shame—aboutmakingourselvesseenandheard?It’snotjustawomen’sissue.WhatkindofasocietycreatesFacebook?Whatdoesthatsayaboutourneedforatten-tion,andinwhatform?Arewereallythatfarremovedfromaworldwheresoldiersinjackbootsbeatpeopleupfornotsaluting
them?Myownfatiguespeaksofdeepinnerconflict,asifallmymuscleswereworkingagainsteachothereverytimeIpickupthephonetosetupareading.WhatImeanis,Istilldon’tthinkwehaveitright. Afterweeksofwatchingmedragmyselfexhaustedfromthecomputeratmidnight,myhusbanddeclaredastay-cation.Weunpluggedtheinternetforafewdaysandhunkereddownforamarathonofcartoonwatching.InKung Fu Panda II,themaincharacterexperiencesflashbackstobeingabandonedbyhisparents.Needlesstosaythiscrampshisstyleasamartialartist.Wheneverhegoestofight,aninnervoicetellshimhe’sworthless.Icried.AndIfinallygotholdofthedeeperissueIhadbeentryingtograspformonths:there’savulnerable,abandonedoratleastabandon-ableselfunderneaththesurfaceinallofus.Ourverypubliclifecantakeusevenfartherfromintegratingit,unlesswemakeapointofunpluggingonceinawhile.Evenifitmakesusfeellikehelplessbabies,sullenadolescentsorforgottenoldladies,weneedoursolitudemorethanever.
Maria Meindl is a writer and teacher from Toronto. Her first book OutsidetheBox:TheLifeandLegacyofWriterMonaGould,theGrandmotherIThoughtIKnewwas published in 2011. This piece is adapted from her blog http://bodylanguagejournal.wordpress.com/.
1� write
twouldturnintothesweetestassignmentaliteraryjour-nalistcoulddreamof,butthatwasn’treadilyapparentatthetime.NooneattheCBChadheardfromBobsincehisretirementafewyearsearlier.Hewasreportedtobeinfrailhealth.Andwhilehehadareputationforbeingaloquaciousraconteur,hewasequallyfamousforbeing
tight-lippedabouthimself. IknewBobalittle.Wehadmetontwoearlier—formeremark-able—occasions,bothofthemattheGlennGouldstudio.Atthefirst,mysister,JudithKalman,receivedtheprizeforpersonalessayinacompetitioncoinedandadministeredbyBob.Somethreeyearslater,Itookthesameaward. WhenIvisitedBobattheAvenueRoadapartmenthesharedwithhiswife,Audrey,forourfirstsession,itwasobvioushewasacutelyuncomfortableaboutmymission.Myeffortstodrawhimoutfailedmiserably.Hewavedofftheslightestallusiontohisexceptionalachievements.Whathewantedtotalkabout—atlength—wasAbby,hiscat.“Sheis12or13,”hesaid.“Sheisvery
easyonus,becausesheknowssherunsthehouse,andshe’sagreatsleeper.Shegoeswherevershelikesandsheclimbsonthebookshelvesandsitsonthetableandsmellstheroses,whentherearerosestosmell.” Thisquotenotonlymadeitintothetwo-hourdocumentaryaboutBobIeventuallyfashionedforCBC’sIdeas,butalsointomysubsequentbook,Robert Weaver: Godfather of Canadian Literature.Ithadthehallmarksofhisdrollwitandshowedhowgracefullyhecouldevadethepersonal.Italsodemonstratesthatwritingforradioandforbooksisnotallthatdifferent.Youdoyourresearchthoroughlyandthengetoutoftheway,soaudienceorreadercanexperiencethesubjectofyourstoryasdirectlyaspossible. IttookBobuntilthemid-pointofoursecondsessionbeforeherelaxedenoughtolapseintohisnaturalanecdotalstyle.IthinkhedecidedthatIwasn’tgoingawayuntilImoreorlessgotwhatIwantedfromhim,andwhatIwantedwasn’tnecessarilyintru-siveorunpleasant.Andwhenhelaterdiscoveredthattherewasgoingtobea“Bobbook”aswell,heseemedreallyhappyabout
Inthespringof2004,theCBCcommissionedmetodoaseriesofinterviewswithRobertWeaver,therenownedliteraryimpresario,editor,talentscout,producer,andanthologist.InitiallyitwastorecordBob’smemoriesofhislonganddistinguishedcareermentoringandsustainingthreegenerationsofCanadianwriters.
A POROUS BOUNDARy:
By ELAiNE kALMAN NAVEs
I
LearningtoWriteinPrintandRadio
FALL2012 1�
By ELAiNE kALMAN NAVEs
it.ThoughhepassedawayinJanuary2008,justdaysbeforethebookwastobelaunched,hedidgetachancetoreadanadvancecopy.IconsideritoneofthegreataccoladesofmycareerthathetoldAudrey,“Shedidagoodjob.” Here’sanothercommonalitybetweenwritingforradioandforpublication.Bobwas83in2004,andIknewIneededtomovefast.WhenIteachwriting,Iemphasizeacardinalruleofresearch:whatevertheproject,consultyouroldestsourcesfirst.Withtheelderlyyoudon’thavetheluxuryofunlimitedtime.ThiscamehometomewhenImovedtophasetwooftheBobproject:interviewingpeoplehehadworkedwithovertheyears.BythetimeIreachedthisstageitwastoolatetospeaktoNor-manLevine,orJoyceMarshall,orMordecaiRichler,orAlPurdy,orMargaretLaurence,orCarolShields,allofwhomowedhimmuch.Thatsaid,Bob’snamewasmypassporttoAliceMunro,MargaretAtwood,AlistairMacLeod,RobertFulford,KildareDobbs,WilliamToye,andJaniceKulykKeefer,todroponlyafewnames. WhenIstartedtowritesome30yearsago,Ididn’tdreamofevenbreathingthesameairastheseauthors,letaloneconversing—having lunch! —withthem.Myentirecareer,aswriter,journal-ist,andbroadcastercameaboutbyhappenstanceandbackdoors.WhileIwasnaturallybookish,Iwasalwaysconsciousofthefactthatmyfamilyalreadyhaditswriter.Mysisterbeganscrib-blingpoetryingradeschoolandwinningliterarycompetitionsinuniversity.TobeawriterIbelievedyoudidn’tjusthavetolovereading,youhadtobebornwithavocation,asortofsacredcall,thekindJudyclearlyhadandIclearlydidn’t. Istudiedhistoryatuniversity,notliterature,becauseIwasinterestedinthepast.Theninmymid-30sIbecameobsessed—it’snottoostrongaword—withthestoryofourownfamily’spast.Thatsingle-mindedfixationwouldeventuallyleadtomybookJourney to Vaja.“Eventually”beingshorthandfor15years.Thatwasmyfirstbackdoor:aprivateapprenticeshipfeelingmyownwaytomasteringasubject,findingandgettingtoknowmycharacters,andlearninghowtostructureanewentityoutofthematrixofmyresearch. Thesecondbackdoorwasbookreviewing.IttookmefiveyearstoproduceafirstdraftofJourney to VajaanduntilIhadthatexperienceundermybelt,Ididn’tfeelthatIhadcredentialstopitchideastoeditors.ButtheninveryshortorderIbecamealiterarycolumnistattheMontreal Gazette.Asaresult,asetofarticlesoriginallypublishedinthepaperaboutMontrealwritersbecamemyfirstpublishedbook.Theinterviewsonwhichitwasbasedwouldhavemadeforgreatradio,butmyhorizonsdidn’tyetextendtobroadcasting. AsIpersistedinrewritingJourney to Vaja (collecting56rejec-
tionsintheprocess),adearfriendkeptbuggingmetoadaptitforIdeas.EventuallyIsentawaytotheCBCfortheirsubmissionsguidelines—thiswasbeforethedaysofwebsites—andIstudiedthemliketheBible.Iremembertheyemphasizedtheuseofstory-tellingtechniquestoconveyideas.TheyalsosaidthatIdeaslikedproposalsthathaduniversalresonance.Ifyoucheckthewebsitetoday,thoserequirementshaven’tchangedmuch.Onethingthatparticularlystruckmeinthedirectionswastheimportanceofhowtocreatedramaforanauralmedium.Anexample:lettersordiarieswereperfectfodderforradio. Journey to Vajaisatriple-generationfamilysaga,difficulttocompressintoaone-hourdocumentary.ButpartofmyfamilylegacywasanexceptionalcorrespondenceinHungarian,akindofday-by-dayaccountinletterssenttoandkeptbymyfatheroftheclimaxoftheHolocaustinHungary.WhenIcalledJaneLewis,theCBCIdeasproducerinMontreal,andtentativelysketchedoutmyidea,shesaidIwasgivinghergoosebumps.Sheencouragedmetosubmitaformalproposal. Itwasaccepted.Andthat’showIgotintoradioworkbythebackdoor.Ialreadyknewhowtoconductadecentinterviewforprint,butJanetrainedmehowtodoitforradio.Ilearnedaboutsoundlevels.Ilearnedhowtomicclose,butnottooclose.Ialsolearnedthatwritingforradioismuchmorecollaborativethanwritingforprint.Certainlythere’snothinginprintjournalismorthewritingofbooksakintothefinalstudiosession,whentheproducerwon’tletyouleavethebuildinguntilyournarrationispitchperfect.Pitchasshehearsitinherhead. JaneandIhavecollaboratedonfourdocumentariesandeacheitherbeganlifeasabookorbecameone.Themostrecent,whichairedinFebruaryandisnowavailableonpodcast,wasatwo-hourprogramcalledWilliam Notman of Montreal.(AlisonCookwasco-produceronthisproject.)Itpresentedauniquechallenge:howtobringtolifewithoutrecoursetovisualstheworkofagreatphotographer.Anditledtomynextbookproject—theoneI’mworkinglikecrazytofinishbyitsSeptemberdeadline. IcametoitbyaskinganidlequestionofNoraHague,myprimesourceattheMcCordMuseumofMcGillUniversitywhichholdsthemassiveNotmanPhotographicArchives.“WerethereanyblacksheepintheNotmanfamily?” Therewasahumdingerofaone.Hisstory,ajuicy19th-centurydramawithsurprisingmodern-dayechoes,willbemynextbook,Portrait of a Scandal: The Abortion Trial of Robert Notman.
Elaine Kalman Naves is a Montreal writer, journalist, and broadcaster. PortraitofaScandal is forthcoming from Véhicule Press. Follow her atElaineKalmanNaves.com.
1� write
You’ve said that your experience in running Lemon Hound has been that women are far less independently active in writing reviews. Why do you think women are less inclined to speak up critically? Womengenerallydon’tcometome,andwomendon’tfollowupafterIgivethemfeedback.Thishasbeenconsistent.Why?Difficulttosay.Ithastodowith,amongotherthings,education,socialization,andmentorship,asmuchaswhoholdseditorialpowerandhowtheywieldit:forexample,howmanywomenaregiventheopportunitytohaveacriticalplatform?Howmanywomentakethatopportunity?Andhowmanypeopleingeneralareofferedandtakeit?Tobefair,Iwouldguessalotofwomenturndownopportunities.That’sahugeissueforme.Whyarewomenshyingawayfromtakingpublicpositions?
How do you see men working to create critical communities so that their voices are big and institutionalized? MygoodfriendsDarrenWershler,ChristianBökandKennyGoldsmithareconstantlypromotingeachother,discussingandreviewingeachother’swork—Irespectthemfortheopenness,thepublicnessoftheirfeelingsforeachother,fortheircoterie.Bökhassaidhecan’timagineworkingwithoutGoldsmithandWershler,forexample.Theyarevery,veryopenaboutthenotionofthecoterieanditscentralplaceintheirpractice.Notmanypeoplearesoopen.Theypromotetheirfriendsandarevery
CREATING THE CRITIC:
Lemon Hound’sSinaQueyrasonBlogging,Reviewing,and
CreatingCriticalSpaceforWomen
defensiveaboutit. Perhapsit’sthissenseofhavingaposse,andnow—forthemostpart—institutionalsupport,thatallowstheseguystoalsobesuchgeneroussupportersofothers,myselfincluded.IfyouevergetachancetowalkthroughabookfairwithBök,doit:hewillrecommendadozenbooks,allverydifferent,andacrossgenderandgenre,andyouwillfindthemintriguing.
WhoisdoingthisforwomeninCanada?Whoispromotingwomen’swork—not“as”women’swork,justaswomenwhoaredoinggreatliterarywork?ErinMourédoesalotforyoungpoets,asdoesMargaretChristakos:bothwithoutdirectinstitutionalsupport.LisaRobertsonisalwaysmentioningherposseofinfluencesandcollaborations,manyofthemwomen,butagain,largelywithoutinstitutionalsupport.
Whoarethefemalepoetpractitionerswhohavehadinstitutionalsupportandwhathavetheydonewithit?Agoodquestion:someoneshouldwriteanessay…
Is the critical work women are doing (outside of scholarship) paying off? Iwonderwhatcriticalworkyouarespeakingof,first.Thegreatsaviourpoetmodelsofourday—takeKenBabstockandKarenSolieforobviousreasons—forthemostpart,thesepoetstakenocriticalspace.Infacttheyarealmostresolutelysilent.Thisisamodelofpoetwhoseesthecriticalgestureasalmostinevitably
Fall2012 1�
negative.ThereareotherpoetssuchasErinMouréandLisaRobertsonwhoputtheircriticalmindsintotheirwork.So,whatcriticalworkdoyoumean?
IwouldapplaudsuchtextsastherecentanthologyPrismatic Publics: Innovative Canadian Women’s Poetry, editedbyHeatherMilneandKateEichhorn.Thisisanamazingtextandunder-discussedoutsideofwomen’scircles—asusual.
So,isthisworkpayingoff?It’shardtosay.Oneclumsytestmightbethis:ifIaskyoutothinkofafemalepublicintellectual,whatwomancomestomind?WhatCanadianpoetinparticular?IcouldsayLynnCrosbie—sheputsheropiniononthelineweeklyinherGlobe and Mailcolumnandtakesalotofflackforittoo.Whoelse?AndImeanspeakingofpoetryhere.
AfewyearsbackwhenCarmineStarninoandChristianBökwenttoe-to-toeinaLiteraryCageMatch[atMountRoyalUniversity,Calgary,2009]theywerebothunabletorefertoafemalepoetasacriticalmodel.Ithinkthatwouldbethesametoday.LotsofangeronFacebook,butnotranslationintopublicthinking.Fortherecord,likingsomeone’spointonFacebookisnothavingapublicopinion.
What are your thoughts on the situation of the independent literary blog in Canada? Is it a sustainable alternative to the dwindling critical space in bigger publications? There are so many more book blogs in the US; a few of ours (Bookninja, Vox Populist) have folded for various reasons. I’d be curious to hear about how you’ve managed to run Lemon Hound with a clear feminist voice (and not burn out completely)? TheliterarybloginCanadahaslargelybeenaplaceforpeopletoventinthecommentboxes.Intermsofcontent,fewhaveproducedlastingwork.So,isthisasustainablealternative?Maybe,butisitofvalue?Andwhatisitanalternativeto?Iwashoping,withLemon Hound,tocreateanalternativevenue,aplacewherepeoplecouldengageaboutpoetryonamuchdifferentlevel—largely,Iamnotafanofthenationalnewspaperreview,nordoIparticularlythinkthattheQuill & Quirelengthandperspectiveisusefuloutsideofasmallcircleofbooksellers,soitseemstomethattheblog,orsomeformoftheblog,hasenormouspotential.
What are your thoughts on creating and supporting critical communities for/among women so that numbers like the VIDA: Women in Literary Arts numbers change?
Iamdonewithwomen’sonlyissuesandwomen’slistservsandwomen’swhatever.Itdoesn’twork.Weneedresilientfemalepublicintellectualsinabroadrangeofvenuesandfromagreatvarietyofperspectives.Wealsoneedwomenwithinstitutionalpowertoreview,assign,anddirectdiscourse.Untilwomenareassigningreviews,untiltheyhaveequalcriticalspace,anduntilmenareactuallyreadingwomen,nothingwillchange.Surfacechangeswashawaybytheendoftheday.
Idoalotofworkwithmystudents:verydirectlychallengingthemall,particularlywomen,butnotonlywomen,totakeupcriticalspace,oftenandvariously.Womenneedtotakemorepublicrisks.Endofstory.Theyneedtomaketheiropinionsknown.Youcan’thideandbeangrythatnooneislisteningtoyou.Well—youcan,butit’sawasteofenergy.Weneedtobreakthatmodelofpoet.Anditisamodel.It’sonethatseesthecriticalgestureasdirtyingthepoetry.Notausefulmodelatall.Particularlyforwomen.ThepoetryIloveisbarelyabletokeepupwithitsownthinking.
AsMaryWells,pioneerintheadvertisingworld,andapparentmodelforMad Men’sPeggyOlsonsaidintheNew York Timesrecently,“Youhavetodoubleyourself.Youhavetoreadbooksonsubjectsyouknownothingabout.Youhavetotraveltoplacesyouneverthoughtoftraveling.Youhavetomeeteverykindofpersonandendlesslystretchwhatyouknow.”Inotherwords,youhavetomoveoutsideofyourcomfortzones.
Butalso,weneedtocallbullshitonhomogeneouseditors.It’sonethingtocallyourjournalGhazalandthenonlypublishghazals,ortobeajournalofwomen’spoetry,andonlyreviewwomen’spoetry;buttobeanationaljournal,ortoreviewforanationalpaper,orapublicationwiththeweightoftheLRC,andonlyreviewonekindofpoetry,nevermindissuesofgender,orrace—thisisunacceptable.
Idon’tcareifapoetryreviewerwantstoreviewprimarilylyricpoetrywrittenbywhitemenfortherestofhislife.Goforit.It’shischoice,freeworldandsoon.IwouldjustlikehimtobeupfrontaboutitandnotcallmeabitchwhenIpointouttheobvious.
Weneedabasiclevelofconsciousnessaboutourprivilege—thosefewofuswhohavetheseplatforms.Weneedtounderstandthatwearechoosingwhoandwhatwereadandhowweseetheworld.Weneedtostopcouchingourtastesandourcareermovesasinflatedideasaboutwhatthebestandmostimportantis,and
1� write
Canadian Women in the Literary arts
ourabilitytobethegatekeepersofthatbest.It’stired.Wornout.Oflittlevaluetoanyonereally.
It’sactuallysuchasmall-mindedmovethatitwouldbepatheticandcomedicifweinCanadadidn’tinhabitsuchasmallpond.Butlisten,wearen’tgoingtoproduceasix-packofSusanSontagsorAnneCarsonsifwecirclearoundthisissueofrepresentationsomuch.Weneedtomoveonanddoourwork.Noonecanarguewithakick-assbodyofwork.
Finally, and this may sound like a crazy question, but I’ll ask it anyway. You’ve been such a strong critical voice for women writers in Canada, and created a remarkable public presence. You’ve said that talking about representation feels like banging your head against a wall. Why and how do you persist in fighting the good fight when it’s far easier to turn exclusively to your own work and family? WhydoIcontinue?What’stheoption?Quitting?Notinmyvocabulary.Ontheotherhand,Iammorecomfortableproducingabodyofworkthanarguingthispoint.Iamquitedonewithbeingthego-to-girlfordefendingwomen’svoices,orlackthereof.HencemyessayfortheMatrixfeminismsissue:“Donotargue;do.”
Here’satip:stopaskingwomenwhohavealreadystoodupforwomenagainandagaintodoitagainandagain.Ifyouinviteafeministtoread,letherread.Don’tmakeherdoyourpublicserviceforyou.Letthepublicservicehappenthroughherwork.Celebrate,celebrate,andcelebrate:seriously,we’veearnedsome
funbynow.Don’tinvitemetoyourbitchsession,invitemetothelaunch.
Readwomen’swork.Writeaboutit.Celebrateitwhenit’sworthcelebrating.Pointouttheflaws.Pointouttheweaknesses.Challengewomentodobetter.Tobringmorethinkingintotheirwork.Enlargeyourdiscussionsintothepublicsphere.Saythankyoutothewomenwhohaveclearedalittlepathforyou,butdon’tmakesacredcowseither.Throwyourhooksbackthroughtimeanddigupawoman’stexts.Respondtotheminyourown.Bringthesevoicesforward.Jamthenetworkswithwomen’svoices.Don’tapologize.Justtakeupspace.Anddoitwell.Doitvery,verywell.
Sina Queyras is the author most recently of AutobiographyofChildhood (Coach House 2011). Her collection of poetry, Expressway (Coach House 2009) was nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award. LemonHound (Coach House 2006) won a Lambda Award and the Pat Lowther Award. Queyras lives in Montreal and can be found at sinaqueyras.com.
This piece is adapted from the website of the Canadian Women in Literary Arts (http://cwila.com) a new organization founded to calling for a discursive space to address the politics of representation, the critical reception of women’s writing in the literary press, and fostering stronger critical communities of women.
An inclusive national literary organization for people who share feminist values and see the importance of strong and active female perspectives and presences within the Canadian literary landscape.
ciwla.com
summer2012 1�
SPECIAL SECTION: BACK TO SCHOOL
Fall2012 1�
hy Visit? Soyou’vebeeninvitedtospeaktohighschoolstudents.Ormaybeyou’resendingaroundyourcallingcardofferingtogiveworkshopsorreadingsinschools. Asanauthor,Ihavevisitedhigh
schoolclasses,and,asateacher,IregularlyhostwritersinmyseniorlevelEnglishandcreativewritingclasses.Lastyear,Ihadtenvisitors,includingafreelancejournalist,achildren’sauthor,apoet,ascreenwriter,amemoirist,andseveralliteraryfictionwriters.ThoughIamconvincedthatinteractionwithwritersenrichesstudents’learning,somevisitsgobetterthanothers.BythisImeanthatsomevisitsaremorecomfortableandenjoyableforthewriterand/ormoreengagingandusefulforthestudents. BeforeIteaseoutwhatdifferentiatesgreatvisitsfrommediocreones,it’sworthconsideringwhatwritersgainfromthesevisits.Inpreviousyears,weteachershadtohuntforwriterswillingtospeaktoteens.Inthelastfewyears,however,myschoolhasbeenreceivingpamphlets,emails,andphonecallsfrombothwriters’organizationsandindividualwritersofferingworkshops,Q&Asessions,andreadings.I’mnotsurewhythisis—perhapsit’soneoftheresultsoftheintensepressureonwriterstomarkettheirownwork.Somewriterscomehopingtomakenewfans.Butatypicalhighschoolclassroomisnotrifewithavidreaders,especiallynotbook-buyingreaders.Unlessyou’retheauthorofThe Hunger Games,orwhateverhasreplaceditasthecurrentmania,thestudentsareunlikelytopurchasebooksduringavisit,andsomeschoolsevenhavepoliciesthatbarvisitorsfromsellingintheclassroom.Honorariumsmaybeckonsomeauthors,butpaymentsfromschools,ifthereareany,tendtobemodest,rarelygenerousenoughtobethesolereasonforappearinginfrontofacrowdofteenagerswhohaven’treadone’sbookand
probablyhavenointentionofdoingso.Somewritersmightvisitforthesheerpleasureoftheinteractionwithahighschoolclass.Ithinkmanyauthorsfindtheirdiscussionswithyoungpeopleinvigorating;however,myobservationsandexperiencesuggestit’sstillstrenuous,drainingworkforavisitortokeepagroupofteensengagedforthe60-to-80-minuteclassperiod. Insummary,thewritergainsneitherfamenorfortunefromvisitingaschool.Heorsheisnotevenguaranteedagoodtime. Visitingaschoolisanactofgenerosity.Writersdoitbecauseit’sgoodforallofustopromotetheactsofreadingandwritingtothenextgeneration.Theydoitoutofrespect,courtesy,andbig-heartednessforthestudentsandteachersintheircommunity.Theydoitbecausetheirroleaswritergivesthemasignificantplatformfromwhichtheycanfosteralifelongloveofreadinginthestudents.Andtheydoitbecausethere’squitelikelytobeatleastonestudentineachaudiencewhoisalotliketheywereatthatage—someonewithgoodinstinctsandanunstoppableimagination,someoneravenousforinteractionwithexperiencedwriters. Thistypeofgenerosityisnotforeverybody.Onecanfindawaytogivebacktoone’scommunitythatdoesn’tinvolveinteractingwithteens.Butforthewriterswhoplantostepboldlyintohighschools,Ioffersomesuggestionsabouthowtomakethemostofthetimewiththestudents.
Preparing for the Visit Aswithsomanyactivities,preparationisthefoundationforagoodoutcome.Planningthevisitallowsthewritertofindoutessentialinformationsuchaswhattheteacher’sandstudents’expectationsareforthevisit,howlongthevisitwilllast,whetherstudentshavereadthewriter’swork,andatwhatlevelthestudentsareworking.Inadditiontothatbasicinformation,
WritersIntheSchools:HowtoMakeaDifference
By PAtRiCiA wEstERhOF
W
�0 write
�0 write
SPECIAL SECTION: BACK TO SCHOOL
writersmayalsowanttoknowwhethertheirvisitispartofaparticularunitofstudy(Canadianauthors?contemporarypoets?creativewriting?).Whatdoestheteacherwanttheclasstogainortolearnfromthevisit?Isthewritergivingareading,leadingaQ&A,facilitatingawritingworkshop?Aphonecalloremailexchangewiththeteacheroradministratorwhosetupthevisitwillyieldthisinformation,andwillalsoprovideanopportunityforthewritertosaywhatheorsheis(andisn’t)willingtoofferduringtheclassperiod.Writersshouldfeelfreetostatetheirpreferencesandtosaynotoasetupwithwhichthey’reuncomfortableorforwhichthepreparationistootime-consuming. Ifpossible,thewritershouldtalkdirectlywiththeclassroomteachertogetinformationandmakearrangements.Especiallyifthevisithasbeensetupbysomeoneelse—suchasafestivaloranorganization—writerscan’tassumethattheclassroomteacherhasbeenfullyinformedaboutthevisit,orthatheorshehasdoneanythingtopreparethestudents.Asateacher,Ihaveoccasionallyhadwritersthrustintomyclasses.Myprincipalordepartmentheadhascaughtmeonmywayintoschoolandsaid,“Wehave________visitingtoday—canshecometoyourgrade12Englishclassthismorning?”Thisisanunsatisfactorysituationforboththewriterandthestudents.Theteacher,whetherheorshewelcomesthebreakinteachingorresentstheinterruptionthatthevisitcauses,isnotthewriter’sally.Thestudentswillhavenosenseofanticipation,normuchsenseofresponsibilitytolearnduringtheperiod.Thewriterwillfeelalimitedsenseofpurpose,andmayevenfeelunwelcome.Evenawriterwhoisalsoanexperiencedandtalentedteachermaynotbeabletorescuethissituation.Inmyopinion,writersaren’tpaidenoughforthesevisitstogothroughthatkindofstress.Forthisreason,it’sworththetimeandeffortittakestogleansomeinformationfromtheteacherinadvanceandtoclarifythepurposeofthevisit. Awritercanalsoasktheteachertopreparetheclassforthevisit.Whileonecan’texpectteacherstobuyaclasssetofone’scompleteworks,awritercanrequestthatteachersfamiliarizethestudentswithhisorherworkbeforethevisit.Alongwithmakingitaconditionofthevisitthattheschoollibrarypurchasesthevisitingwriter’sbook,thewritercanaskthatstudentsviewaYouTubevideothatfeaturesthewriterreadinghisorherwork.Orstudentscouldlookatthewriter’swebsiteandreadtheexcerptofhisorherlatestbook.Ortheycouldbeaskedtodoalittlebackgroundresearchonthemainsubjectofthewriter’swork.Forexample,oneofDouglasBurnetSmith’srecentcollectionsofpoems,Sister Prometheus,focusesonMarieCurie.WhenIspoketohimbeforehisvisittomycreativewritingclass,hesaid,“MakesuretheyallknowwhoMarieCurieisbeforeIcome.”Easy.Thetenminutesofresearchpiquedcuriosity,asstudentswonderedwhyapoetwantedthemtofamiliarizethemselveswiththelifeandworkofascientist.BeforeJamesFitzGeraldcametomyclass,hegavemethelinktohisToronto Life articlethatsparkedhismemoirWhat Disturbs Our Blood.ThestudentsandIreadthearticletogether,andthenstudentsgeneratedalistofquestionsforJames.ThisgroundworkmeantthatwhenJamespausedafterhisreadingandaskedifanyonehadaquestion,handsshotupintheroom. Byinsistingthatstudentsareinsomewaypreparedforthevisit,thewriternotonlyavoidsawkwardsilencesbutsetsthingsupforengagingandproductivedialoguewiththestudents.
Enjoying the Visit I’veobservedthatthewriter’senjoymentofaclassroomvisitisusuallyproportionaltohisorherperceptionofthestudents’engagement.Iftheaudienceseemsreceptive,writersrelaxandenjoythemselves;ifthestudentsseemboredormiserable,thewriterexperiencestheclassperiodasanendurancetest. Iaskedmystudentswhatadvicetheyhadforvisitingwriters,advicethatwouldhelptheclassesgowell.Oneofthemsaid,“Ilikeitwhenwriterstalktousandnotatus,”andtherewerenodsandmurmursofagreementallovertheroom. Althoughthey’reacaptiveaudience,teenagersintheclassroomdon’thaveanylongeranattentionspanthantheaverageaudiencesippingsecond-ratewineatapoetrylaunch.Therefore,thebestpracticesforliteraryeventsatbookstores,bars,andfestivalspertaintotheclassroomtoo.Ithelpsifthewriterisenthusiasticandconfident.Ifthevisitinvolvesareading,thewritershouldchoosethepassagebeforehandandrehearsehowheorshewillsetitup.Theintroductionshouldbeshortandsnappy.Thereadingshouldbeshortandsnappy.Itworksbesttopicksectionsoftheworkthatdon’trequireenormousamountsofexplanationorexposition.Inmyreadingsforteens,Iusuallypickafewshortpassagesratherthanalongexcerptorfullstory. Somewritersareskilledatinteractingwiththeclass.Seeminglycomfortablefromtheget-go,theyaskthestudentswhatthey’vebeenreading,whatgenrestheyliketowrite,whattheirpost-high-schoolplansare,whatwritingtheythinkthey’lldoasadults.Butotherwriterslackdexteritywiththisopen-endedsmalltalk.Alessoutgoingwritermaybemorecomfortablegettingstudentstointeractwithhisorherwritingthanwithhimself/herself.Afictionwritercangivestudentstheopeninglineofoneofhisorherstoriesandhavethestudentswritetherestoftheparagraph.Apoetcanhandoutcopiesofoneofhisorherpoemswiththetitlemissing.Heorshecaninstructstudentstoreadthepoemingroups,decideonapossibletitle,anddefendit.Attheendoftheexercise,thepoetcandefendhisorherownchoiceoftitle.(Abravepoetcouldhandoutanewpoemwithoutatitle,andtellstudentsthatheorshewillchoosethebestonetheycomeupwith.)Apoetwhovisitedmyclassseveralyearsagobroughtinaroughdraftandafinalcopyofapageofhiswork.Heasked
I asked my students what advice they had for visiting writers,advice that would help the class go well. One of them said, “Ilike it when writers talk to us and not at us.”
FALL2012 �1
fall2012 �1
studentstocommentaboutwhattheynoticedandwhytheythoughthemadethechangeshedid.Soontheclasswasdeepinconversationwiththepoetaboutthepoem.Anothersortofinteractivevisitinvolvesashortwritingactivityfollowedbysharingthewritingthatwasproduced.Thisdoesn’tneedtobeasophisticatedorcomplexactivity;infact,theactivitywillprobablyworkbetterifthereisanelementoffuntoit.Includingawritingactivitybenefitsthewholeclass,asthewriterleaveseachstudentwithanewideaanda(albeitveryrough)draftofanewpiece. Itwouldbethetopicofanotherarticletocoverthebestpracticesforrespondingtostudentwork.Itdismaysmethatfewwritersthesedaysseemwillingtoreadstudentworkatall.Tosomeextent,Iunderstandthereluctance:thewritersareinexperienced,andeveniftheirwritingshowspromise,itlackspolish.IreaditbecausetheauthorsaremystudentsandIcometocareaboutthemduringthecourseoftheyear,nottomentionthatIgetpaidtoreadtheirwork.Nonetheless,I’dliketomakeonesuggestionforallwriterswhovisitaclassroom—iftheinteractionwiththeclassdoesn’tinvolvereadingorlisteningtoanystudentwork,perhapsthewritercanasktheteacherwhetherthereisastudentwhoseworkthewritershouldseeforafewminutesafterclass.Soofteninaclassthereisastudentwhostandsoutbecauseofhisorherambitionandtalentforwriting.Maybeit’sidealisticofmetohopethatvisitingwriterswilltakethetimetoglanceatastudent’sworkandprovidesomebriefencouragementtothestudentwriter.Butwhichofuswritershasnotbenefittedfromanotherwritertakinginterestinusandour
writing?Weallneedmentors.Whenapublishedauthorsayskindandencouragingwordstoastudentwriter,itcanbelife-changing. Iwillendbyrepeatingthatvisitingclassroomsisanactofgenerosity.Hopefullythereisanhonorarium,hopefullythewriterwillgainafewfanswhocometothenextreadingorbuythewriter’snextbook.Hopefullytheexperienceisenjoyableandevenenergizingforthewriter.Onecan’tcountontheseoutcomes.Whatthevisitingwriterscanbesureofisthattheyaremakingasignificantcontribution—evenmoresignificantiftheyensuretheyandthestudentsarepreparedforthevisit,andthatthevisitisinteractiveandengaging.
Patricia Westerhof teaches English and creative writing. She is the author of the story collection CatchMeWhenIFall (Brindle & Glass 2011).
With funding from the Ontario Arts Council, The Writers’ Union of Canada funds author visits to Ontario elementary and secondary schools, subsidizing a portion of an author’s fee and travel expenses. Each school is eligible for one subsidy per fiscal year (April – March), and each author is eligible for either 6 full-day or 12 half-day visits. Funding is awarded on a first come, first served basis. This program is open to all members, but requests must be made by the host school. Full information and guidelines can be found at writersunion.ca/node/122. Although this program is only available to schools located in Ontario, several provinces offer similar programs through other organizations.
�� write
�� write
veryTuesday,fromOctobertoJuly,about25youthfromdiversecultural,social,intellectual,andreligiousbackgroundsshowupattheAcademyoftheImpossible(analternativelearningspaceinthecity’swestendthatevolvedfromtheTorontoStreetWriters).
Mostly,wesitquietlytogetherandscribbleinnotebooks.Wereadaloud,talkaboutcreativewritingandthepublishingindustry,andhowharditistobreakfromtraditionanddosomethingartisticwhenyourparentsdesperatelywantyoutobeanengineer.Iblababoutaspectsoflifeasawriterandletthempickmybrain,answeringasfranklyandhonestlyasIcan.Anincrediblerangeofguestauthors—fromdubpoetstographicnoveliststoaward-
winningshortstorywriters—paradethroughthedoorstocoveraspectsofwritingIcan’t. Don’tworry,I’mnotsomecharacterfromaSaturday Night Liveskitaboutstereotypical“nicewhiteladies.”AndIknowtoomanycommitted,generous-spirited,braveteacherstodisstheprofession.It’sjustthatwhenIwasyounger,theylookedrightthroughme.Ismiledsweetlyanddidn’tdisrupt,andcan’tthinkofasingleteacherwhoseriouslyengagedwithorknewme.ThebestonesIhadwereinmyownfamily—whetherblood–orlove–related.Itwouldhaveastoundedteenagemetothinkofbecomingone.I’mstillawriterfirst,aneditorsecond,andanartseducatorthird. IgrewupinParkdale,acolourful,raggedToronto
Fiveyearsago,IfoundedtheTorontoStreetWriters,afreeweeklycreativewritinggroupforyoungadultswholovewordsandstories,buthavetheirreasonsfornotfeelingacceptedorsafeinmainstreamlearninginstitutions.
FindingHerSchool:AWriter’sQuestforHealing
LeadsHerBacktotheStreetsSheGrewUpOn
By EMiLy POhL-wEARy
E
SPECIAL SECTION: BACK TO SCHOOL
FALL2012 ��
Fall2012 ��
By EMiLy POhL-wEARy
neighbourhoodthat’sbeendescribedasascribbleontheedgeofthecity’sdowntowncore.Untilmyearly20s,Imostlyremainedwithinmy20-blockradius.WhileIwasn’tahappychild,Ihadimaginationandafertileplayground.Myfour-plusactivisthippiefreakparentsraisedmewithahealthydoseofanti-authoritarianism,andmywritergrandmotherseemedtogetmoreradicalasthedecadespassed.Iplungedintostories,spenthoursatthelibrary,andmadeupplaysIcajoledthescruffykidsonmyblocktoactin. Mylifewasalittlestrange,butitwasheady.Irebelledforawhilebybeingasnormalaspossibleanddatingthefootballquarterback.Eventually,Ifellbackinlinewiththerestofmyhighlyliteraryfamily,foundingasmallliterarymagazinecalledKiss MachineandpublishingbooksofpoetrywithTorontosmallpresses.IconceivedofandembarkedonanongoingseriesofYAmysterynovelsthatincorporatedthemesofcounter-culture,zinesandgrittyurbanlifeintotheirplotlines. Then,inthelasthalfof2006,everythingchanged.Myathleticfather,whoalmostnevertookasickday,hadaseriousstroke.IfoundmyselfridingthebusouttoMississaugathreetimesaweektospendhalf-daysatthehospital,supportinghisrehab.Andfourmonthsintothat,onChristmasEve,my18-year-oldbrotherwasshotfiveblocksfromourchildhoodhome.Hisbestfriendwaskilled.Itseemedasifallthemeninmyfamilywerecrackingapart. Atthetime,I’dbeenworkingonthesecondinstallmentofmyYAmysteryseries.Suddenly,Ifoundthebooktakingadramaticturnawayfromalightwhodunitintoapsychologicalthrilleraboutamentallyillteenageboy.Partofmewasn’tsurprised,giventhestateofmynervesaftersomanylate-nightphonecallsfromhospitalsandpolicestationsinthepreviousyears.But,needlesstosay,mypublisherwasn’ttoohappy. Shocktookholdofme—or,asapsychiatristlatercalledit,secondarytrauma.Iburiedmynovel-in-progressinthedustiestregionsofmyharddriveandstoppedwritingaltogether.Ifellasleepeverynightdreamingaboutchasingmybrotheraroundthecity,onlytocatchhimattheexactinstanthewasabouttobekilledinsomehorrificway. Eventually,IrealizedIneededtodosomethingnew.Ineededaprojectthatwouldhelpmeandmybrother’scircleoffriendsmakeitthroughnonsensicaltragedies(thismurderwasonlythelastinastringofthem).Mybrotherhadoncebeenabright-eyed,smart,beautifulboy.Ialwaysfocusedonthat,eventhoughattimesitwasdifficulttorecognizethatboythroughhishaze
ofanger,numbnessandgrief.Ilookedaroundattheyouthhespenttimewith,makinganeffortnottoseethemasthegangmembersandcriminalsthey’dbeendepictedasinthemediaintheaftermathofthemurder. Someoftheseboyshadgrownupinthesameneighbourhoodasme,spenthoursatourhouse,andyetcouldn’tread.Ihadnocluehowtheyhopedtogetdecentjobs,letalonedefendthemselveswhentheywerearrestedorharassed.Ilookedaroundourneighbourhoodandfoundartsandliteracyprogramsforkids,andliteracyprogramsforadults,butnothingthatwouldappealtoyoungpeoplestrugglingthroughthatin-betweenagewhenthey’reshovedoutofschool(frequently,inmybrother’sgroup,foractinguponetoomanytimes). Weputpostersupinyouthshelters,backalleys,outsidethearea’sgrungybars,andinhighschoolcorridors.ForthefirstsessionoftheStreetWriters,inearly2008,Ihopedtoregister20youth,andendedupwith38.WemetinParkdaleLibrary’swindowlesscementboxofabasementauditorium.LocalhiphopartistMindbenderandauthorsKristynDunnionandMarikoTamakiweremyguests.Iprovidednotebooksandpens,TTCfareforlow-incomeparticipants,andserveddecentmeals.Myonlymantrawas:“Ipromisenottoboreyou.”Attheendofthepilot,participantsoverwhelminglyaskedfortheprogramtorunallyearround.Now,in2012,wehaveourbright,above-groundhomefilledwithbooksandartattheAcademyoftheImpossible. Atsomepointalongtheway,Istartedwritingagain.IbeganbyforcingmyselftoactuallydoeveryexerciseIinventedfortheStreetWriters—inthisway,Ifilleduphalf-a-dozennotebooks.Whatcameoutwasdifferentthenwhatcamebefore.Iwaswritingpoetryaboutthemurderandmycommunity,andafterthetrialthatsentencedtheyoungmanwhoshotmybrother,Ifeltfreetocraftthosepoemsintoamanuscript.Stillworkingonthat.Iexploredtheexternalmanifestationofteengirlragethroughawerewolf.Thatnovel,calledNot Your Ordinary Wolf Girl,iscomingoutnextyear. Thepanicstilloccasionallyrisesup,butmuchlessfrequently.EngagingwiththeStreetWriterseachweek,knowingthatmanyofthemhavebeenthroughthesamethingsIhave—orworse—isoneofthewaysIconvincemyselfit’spossibletobouncebackfromextremesandkeepgrowing.
Emily Pohl-Weary is an award-winning Toronto author, editor, and arts educator. Visit her at emilypohlweary.com. Visit the Toronto Street Writers at torontostreetwriters.ca.
I looked around our neighbourhood and found arts and literacy programs for kids, and literacy programs for adults, but nothing that would appeal to young people struggling through that in-between age when they’re shoved out of school...
�� write
�� write
AccordingtoGervais,itwasthesocialmediasavvystudentswhosecuredthehugeturnout.“Thestudentslearnhowto‘sell’anevent,”hesays.“Weworkonthestagingofitfrompublicity,drawinguponeverythingfromthestandard-issuepostertoallthesocialmediaconnectionswecan
findanddrawinginthecommunityatlarge.Andthenweworkonchoreographingtheactualevent,regardingitas‘entertainment’andsellingthataspectofittothepublic.Thismeanssittingdownwiththeauthorsandtalkingtothemabouthowmuchtheyshouldread,andwhattheyshouldread.” Theresult,basedonthenumbers,wasatotalsuccess.Thepublicturnedoutfortheformalandfunnyeventwhereuniversityadministratorspraisedandstudentsjokedandreminiscedabouttheexperiencesculminatinginthelaunch. Since2005,whenthepracticumcourseoneditingandpublishingwaslaunched,approximately30bookshavebeenpublished.Initially,thecoursesweretaughtbyGervaisandDr.SuzanneMathesonfromtheDepartmentofEnglish.Dr.Mathesoncoveredscholarlyaspectsofpublishing,buttheprogramhassinceshifteditsfocustocommercialpublishing.
Overtwoterms,studentsworkinteamstoedit,layout,andpreparetwobooksayearforpublication.Gervaistriestopairauthorswiththeteamstoensureagoodworkingrelationship.Gervaisexplainsthatsomewritersarenotcomfortablewithstudentseditingtheirmanuscriptswhileothersenjoytheprocess.MaryAnnMulhernhashadthreebookspublishedwithBlackMossandtheUniversityofWindsoreditingstudents.Shespeakswarmlyabouttheexperienceofbuildingco-creativerelationships,praisingthestudentsdedication.“Forawriter,theexperienceofworkingwiththird-andfourth-yearEnglishstudentswasbothachallengeandanhonour,”shesays.“Formypart,itrequiredaconsiderableamountoftime,flexibility,compromise,andawillingnessto‘letgo’ofseveralpoems.Iwasmorethanwillingtoenterintoarelationshipthatwouldbebothdemandingandrewarding.Thestudentstookavery‘raw’collectionofnarrativepoemsandtransformedthemintoanamazingmanuscript!” Gervaisemphasizestheholisticnatureoftheeditingprocessthestudentsengagein:“Theeditingiscollaborative,butweexaminetheworknotentirelyfromtheaestheticpointofview—wealsolookatbudgets(howmuchwecanaffordforthisbook)andalsothemarketing.Ifwethinkaparticularspinmightgivethebook
InWindsor,anEducationalExperimentPaysOffforPoetryandPublishing
By sONiA sULAiMAN
A
SPECIAL SECTION: BACK TO SCHOOL
ThispastApril,400peoplecametoapoetryreadinginWindsor,Ontario.Theeventwasthelaunchoftwobooks:Brides in Black byMaryAnnMulhernandDay Moon RisingbyTerryAnnCarter.ThebookswereproducedbyteamsofUniversityofWindsorEnglishstudentsparticipat-inginaninformalinternshipwithBlackMossPressthroughtwocoursestaughtbyBlackMosspublisherandwriterMartyGervais.
FALL2012 ��
agreatervoiceinthecommunity,thenwepresstheauthorintomovinginthatdirection.” ThepartnershipbetweenBlackMossPressandtheuniversityissynergisticinseveralrespects.Thetwopracticumcourses,runbytheDepartmentofEnglish,areconnectedtotheuniversity’sacclaimedlawprogramandtheOdetteSchoolofBusiness.Graduatestudentsintheseprogramsareinvolvedincollaboratingwiththeliteraturestudentstoenhancetheirinformalinternshipwiththesmallpress.Theresultscanbesurprising,asGervaisillustrates: “Inoneofourclasseswehadanaccountantcomein.Andtheaccountantsaid‘Okay,howmuchisthisbook?’Atthispointwewereinthepublishingside.Astudentcomesupandsaid‘It’s$17.’Hewritesdown‘$17.’‘Alright,sohowmuchdoesMartymake?’Andthestudentlookedathimlike‘Isthisguyreal?’andsaid‘$17.’Andhesaid‘Oh!So,Marty,youprintthisfornothing?’Sotheyputdowntheestimatedcostsandthe$17turnsintoaminusthatI’mgetting.So,we’reinadeficitnow.Whatarewegoingtodo?Astudentputsuphishand:‘We’llsellitfor$18!” Consideringhowtomentorstudentsinterestedinthepublishingindustry,Gervaisdecidedtouseanactivelearningmodel.InsteadoflisteningtohimlectureabouthowherunsBlackMoss,studentswouldlearnbybeinggiventhetasksnecessarytoprepareabookforthemarket. “Ijustdidn’tseethebenefitinmylecturingaboutmyexperiencespublishingwithBlackMoss.So,Isaidwhenwestartedthis:‘Can’twedothisforreal?’Iwantedthemtoengageintherealprocessofpublishing.” TheUniversityofWindsoroffersconcentrationsincreativewriting,digitaljournalism,andlanguageandliterature.Studentsfromanyofthesestreamsareeligibletoapplyfortheediting
andpublishingpractica.Gervaisobservesthatthestudentsfromtheliteratureandcreativewritingstreamsoftenbringparticularstrengthstotheprojects,complementingeachother. “Moreandmorethestudentsgoingintothisarenotcreativewritingstudents,”hesays.“Iactuallypreferthatbecausecreativewritingstudents,someofthemcomewithabias.Forexample,ifIhandthemabookofpoetry,somecreativewritingstudentswillsneeratitandsay‘Idon’tlikepoetry.’Ialwaystellthepeopleintheclass:‘Idon’tcareifyoulikepoetry.Thatisnotmyconcern.Thisisajob.Youhavetodothisasyourjob.It’slikegoingtoMcDonaldsandsaying‘Ionlywanttodofries,andI’mreallyhopingit’svegetableoil.’” ThemodelatWindsorisbenefitingwriters,students,andthecommunitywhilenurturingthenextgenerationofeditorsandpublishers.UniversityofWindsorstudentJackieKlapowichcompletedtheprogramthisyear.“Itwasn’talwayseasy,”shesaid.“Thegroupbecameourownlittle(slightlydysfunctional)family,butintheendeveryonepulledtogethertoproducethebestproductthatwecould.Essentially,weweregivenarawmanuscriptandsomeroughguidelines,andhadtorunwithit.Bothgroupsworkedveryhardontheirrespectiveprojects—frombigtasks,likeearlymorningandlatenighteditingsessions,advertising,marketresearch,andlaunchingthebook,tothesmalldetailsthatreallygetyouthefinishedproductyouwant,likethefontandpapertype. “Asstudents,weweregivenalotofreal-worldresponsibilityandallofourstress,hardwork,latenights,earlymornings,arguments,andmeltdownswerewellworthitintheendwhenweheldthatbookthatweworkedsohardtocreate.”
Sonia Sulaiman is a Windsor-based arts and culture reporter.
Marty Gervais
“I jUST DIDN’T SEE THE BENEFIT IN My LECTURING ABOUT My ExPERIENCES PUBLISHING WITH BLACK MOSS. SO, I SAID WHEN WE STARTED THIS: ‘CAN’T WE DO THIS FOR REAL?’ I WANTED THEM TO ENGAGE IN THE REAL PROCESS OF PUBLISHING.”
Fall2012 ��
�� write
Then,inamagicalspell,thehousefallssilentandthefatherhearshiswife’ssoothingmurmur.Hewalkstothestaircaseandsitsonthelaststeplistening. “Thegiganticsunflower,withthegentlenudgeofthewind,bentdowntobetterhearlittleNarciso. “Hello, beautiful flower. I’m Narciso Esquecido from the desert city of Leyte. I’ve walked this far in search of the sacred waters of remem-brance.” The sunflower smiled and shook its wide leaves. A sweet shower of pol-len sprinkled Narciso. “Hum... I see,” said the sunflower. “You must ask the admiral butter-flies. They dance and twirl, kiss and hop, from flower to flower. They see everything. If you ride on the back of their wings you’ll see the world from side to side.” Herliltingvoicelullseventhegrouchyrefrigeratormotortoquiet.Foramoment,theyseemtoholdtheirbreath,listeningtoNarcisoEsquecido’sfirstflightonthebackofabutterfly. Attheendofthestorythechildrenclap,beggingforonemore.Themotherexplainsthatstoriesflowlikehoneyandhoneyshouldneverbeharvestedallatonce.Abeehivestoressweetnesstonour-ishinthebittercoldofwinter;soshouldthewordsofstories.Thechildrendonotarguewithher. Thefatherreturnstohiscomputer.Thescreensavertravelsthroughspaceandintoablackhole.Thenightaheadpromisestobelong.Afterhismeteoricsuccess,winninganationalprize,apres-tigiousliterarymagazineawaitsdeliveryofanotherofhisinspiredstoriesbymorning.Hebeginsanew. “Thegiganticsunflower...”
Paulo da Costa was born in Angola and raised in Portugal. He is a writer, editor, and translator living on the west coast of Canada. Paulo’s first book of fiction TheScentofaLie received the 2003 Commonwealth First Book Prize for the Canada-Caribbean Region and the W. O. Mitch-ell City of Calgary Book Prize. TheGreenandPurpleSkinoftheWorld, a collection of short-stories is forthcoming from Freehand Books in 2013.
RememberAsYouGoBy PAULO dA COstA
“It’sbedtime,children.” “Nooo,notjustyet,”theycomplainwiththeusualtheatrics.Headshideunderthelivingroomcushions,armsflailwithcompel-lingdistress. “Fiveminutes,then.”“Onlyifyoutellusastory.”Thechildrenscreaminunisonandbeg,pullingonhersleeve. Thefather,focusedonthecomputerscreen,emergesfromhiswork.Henoticesthedarkshadowsaroundhiswife’seyes. “GiveMumabreak,kids.HowaboutIputyoutobedandtellyouastory?” Theroomfallssilent.Thefatherhearingno,muffledunderthecushions,lookshelpless.Hiseyespleadtohiswife. “I’mfine,dear.Finishyourassignment.I’llputthemtobed.”Shewalksovertohimandrunsherhandthroughhishair.Heshrugs,asifsaying,Itried.Shesmilesandwithahand-clapsetstheroominmotion.“Let’sgo,children.Comesaygoodnighttoyourdad.”Shekissesherhusbandontheforeheadandwhispers,“I’llbedownsoon.”Hecantellherastorythen.Shewaitsforthechildrentoem-bracetheirfathergood-nightandwithahandonthetinyshoulderssheleadsthemupstairs. Thefatherreturnstohisworkbuthisattentionfollowstheupstairscommotion.Whichpyjamastosleepin,repeatedinstruc-tionstobrushteethinslow,circularmotions,no,nottoflushthistime:“Ifit’syellowletitmellow,”themothersings. “IsitSleepingBeautyorPinocchio,tonight?” “Nooo...Wewantyoutotellusoneofyourremember-as-you-gostories,Mum.Thosearebest.”
Fiction
FALL2012 ��
SymbolismBy CRystAL hURdLE
I)sicknolongeraLiteratureTeacherIfearforthegoldencoleusinmyofficehit-and-misscareinmyabsence
athome,thecockyWitchoverwaterstumults,torrentshipwadersastridethepoolabovemehisses,SayWhen
willIreturntorootrotspidermitesfungaldiseaseacompostfug?
orfreshlimeshootsleaveslikebrimmingheartsawallofclimbinggreenthoughitisfarfromspringrebirththeodouroffecundity?
surelymyhealthdependsonits
II)whensickItakemoretohearttherejectionofmywriting
ifI’mnot“teacher,”then“writer”prideandselfworthinthat
therecipient’snameandaddressmine,mineself-addressedstampedenvelopemyownhandwritingdoubleslapintheface
tooself-referentialmoredisplaythanstoryqualitieslaudedintheclassroom
vengefulliteraryeditor(bluntcut/trifocals/heavilydowned)makespaperaeroplanesofmyworkcacklestoographictoogrimastheyfloatinanupdraftanddisappear
doesn’tfitourcurrentpublishingneedsthenWhen?
theWitchcackles,“toogrim”!I’llshowyougrim!Sheliftsthewateringcan
whyisrejectionsobigwhenitcomesonsosmallasiftinyliterarypressescan’tafford8½by11butdivideasheetintosixthsparcelitoutteenyastheprescriptionpads
onwhichWilliamCarlosWilliamswrotehistenderbountifulpoems
somuchdependson
buthardlyashealth-promoting
HernoseorisitthespoutgrazesmycheekwithslimeHerbreathisranklyhumid,Well?Sayit,I’mwaiting
(When)
Crystal Hurdle teaches at Capilano University in North Vancouver. Her book TeacherPets, a novel in verse for young adults, is forthcoming from Tightrope Books.
Poetry
�� write
Business&Reports
MostofthenewssurroundingAccessCopyrightthesedaysemanatesfromthepassingofBillC-11,andaSupremeCourtofCanadarulingon“fairdealing.” C-11willlikelymeanoverthelonghaulthatAC’sabilitytocollectrevenuethroughlicencingwilldecrease.Asaresult,ACisconsider-ingnewwaystoprovideservicetoitsusers.Internationally,RROsinothercountriesaredismayedatthepassingofC-11,astheyfeelitwillsetaprecedentforlawmakersinthosejurisdictionsaswell. TheSCC’s5-4decisionisbeingwidelymisinterpretedbymanyinwhatisbeingcalledthe“freecult”community,whichbelievesthatcopyingforeducationalusesshouldnotrequirecompensationtorightsholders.Ithinkwecallthat“piracy.”Inatleasttwocases,thatdecisionisbeingtoutedtomeanalleducationalcopyingis“fairdealing.”Theyincludeaprominentpost-secondaryorganizationandatleastonenewspapercolumnist/lawprofessor. Those“freecult”interpretationsarewrong.Theoppositeopinion
OnbehalfoftheInternationalAffairsCommittee,IattendedtheBC-basedAGM,havingpreviouslyseenBritaOsafo,InternationalSecretaryfortheSwedishWriters’Union,andmet/spokewithin-ternationalwritersandtranslators,CanadianConsulateartsofficersCarolineRibers(Sweden),MaiValentinNeilsen(Denmark),andBrendanGriggs(retiringartsofficer,BritishConsulate).Ofparticularinterestarethefollowingitems. Save ICCS.OurgovernmenthasgiventheInternational Council for Canadian Studiesayearto‘closeupshop’.TheICCShasbeenasuperbresourceforCanadianwriting.They’vepromotedourworkinuniversities,boughtandtranslatedourbooksforstudy,andinvitedourauthorsandpoetstoevents.SomeICCSchaptersproducejour-nalsofCanadianwriting.Thereisarelevantpetitiononourwebsite.I’vecreatedanothertosendtonationalandinternationalalliesandothers.Asalargecountrywithasmallpopulation,weneedinterna-tionalsupport.AndweneedthecommittedengagementICCShaswithourwork—frequentlymorediversethaninourowncountry.PleasesignandcirculatetheTWUCwebsitedoc.ItoriginatedwithJenniferAndrews,Canadianwriter-memberofBACS(BritishAs-sociationforCanadianStudies).
statesthatifeducatorsfollowthislineofthinkingtheymayfindthemselvesmiredinlegalproceedingsthey’drathernotexperience.Instead,theSCCdecisionon“fairdealing”appliedtoonly7%ofcopiedmaterialandstatedthattheCopyrightBoardofCanadamustreconsidersomeofitsearlierinterpretations.EarlierthisfalltheCopyrightBoardannounceditsdecisionagreeingwiththeSCCthatthe7%ofcopiedmaterialunderconsiderationdidconstitutefairdealing.ACfinalizedanewlicencewiththeAssociationofUniver-sitiesandCollegesofCanada(AUCC)afterwhichthatorganizationwithdrewitsobjectiontothetariff.TheAssociationofCanadianCommunityColleges,however,hascontinuedtoobjecttothetariff. Paybackamountswillbehigheroverallthisyearduetofasterclearingofroyaltypayments.Aswell,allcreatorscanexpectanextradividendpaymentrelatedtothepayoutofretroactiveroyaltiescollectedundertheK-12Tariffduringtheyears2005-2009.Thisextrapayment(individualamountswillvarydependentonyourPay-backstatus)willbedistributedalongwithyourPaybackdistribution. Andfinallyaftereightyears,AC’sexecutivedirector,MaureenCavan,hasannouncedherretirementeffectiveDecember31,2012.Notonlyhassheguidedtheorganizationthroughtrickywatershereathome,butshehasalsogivenACamostenviablereputationintheinternationalcommunityaswell.
InternationalAffairsCommitteeReport
GaleZoëGarnett,Chair
Danish Publication Opportunity.DanisheducatorEvaPorsfellinlovewithAnd Also Sharks,creatinganinteractiveprojectwithauthorJessicaWestheadandhergymnasiet(13–19)students.ThiswentsowellthatEva,apublishedacademicwriteronatwo-yearparentalleave,decidedtoproduceananthologyofCanadianwriting(recentfiction,non-fiction,andpoetry)forgymnasietstudents.Forfurtherinformation,deadlines,word-count,etc.,pleasecontactheratep@midfyns-Gym.dk. FIA.TheFIA(InternationalFederationofActors’)holdsitsWorldConferenceinSeptemberinToronto.Iattendedthesesessions.FIAhasdealtforalongwhilewithissuesandorganisationswithwhichwenowwrestle(e.g.copyright,translations,WIPO,SCAPR).Theyhavetemplates,whichcanbeofusetous.Willreportfurther. TWUC Restructuring.TWUCisnowinprocessofredesigningourcommitteestructures.Believingweneedtohavethebroadestplatformspossibletopromoteourwork,IhopeIACwillcontinueasastandingcommittee.Ifyouagree,pleaseemailNationalCouncil.Ihopeallfinaldecisionswillbetakenbythemembershipasawhole,ratherthanbyasmallgroup. Viveca Elizabeth Abrahams: 29 April, 1955–26 September, 2011.VivecaAbrahams,whoworkedcreativelyanddedicatedlyinbehalfofCanadianwritersatCanadaHouseintheUK,hasdied,fartooyoung,ofanaggressivebraincancer.WefirstmetatanICCSAGMinOttawa,andalwaysconnectedwhenIwasinLondon,hatchingplotstogetCanLittoBritishaudiences.Shewasaforceofnature.Herintelligence,creativity,guts,ribaldhumour,andanarchichairwillbemissed.Is missed.
AccessCopyrightLiaisonReport
RonBrown
FALL2012 ��
AsofSeptember,QuebechasanewlyelectedminorityPQgovern-ment.ThenumberswereveryclosebetweentheLiberalandPQseatsanditwillbeaninterestingfutureasthepoliticalplayersfrombothpartiessettleintotheirnewroles.
Speakingofelections,thetimehascometoelectaregionalrep.SincereplacingPeterDubelastyear,IhavebeenimpressedbythehardworkanddevotionmadebyNationalCouncilaswellastheTWUCstaffintheTorontooffice.IhavehadthepriviledgetoviewtheinnerworkingsoftheUnionwithgreatinterestandparticipa-tion.Atfirst,itwasalottotakeinandittooksometimetoadjusttomynewpositionandthedutiesinvolved.Witheverythingwehaveexaminedandhaveactedupon,Iamgratefulthatourchair(s)havekeptmembersabreastofallofNC’sactivitiesandbydoingso,haverelievedmeofhavingtorepeatthenewsasecondtime.
atGenniGunn’shouse.DetailswillbesenttoallBC/Yukonmem-bersinearlyOctober.
January/February—Islands:WeusuallyhaveaNationalCouncilmeetinginearlyFebruary,soitwouldbeagoodtoholdapriorregionalmeetingsothatanyconcernswehavecanbetakentoHQ.ThatwouldmeanholdingaBC/YukonmeetinginJanuary,preferablysomewhereontheislands.Forthatwe’dbelookingforahost...
WebsiteDon’tforgettotakearegularlookatthenewTWUCwebsiteat
www.writersunion.ca.Itisfullofnewsarticles,linkstostoriesinperiodicalslikeQuill & Quire,ourownBillofRightsfortheDigitalAge,andthecontentchangesfrequently.Infactthenewwebsiteissogoodthatitmakesafinebrowserhomepage.
Yousigninwithyourmemberusernameandpassword.Whenyoudothatmoreusefulinformationcomesup—informationthat’savailableonlytoTWUCmembers.Ifyouwantyourlocationtobeknown(goodforpromotionalopportunities),thenfillinthatpartofyourmembers’pagefromthedrop-downmenu.KatherineGordonhasworkedhardonbehalfofBC/Yukonmemberstogetthisfeatureincluded.ItmeansthatwecansearchforBCmem-bersbylocation—iftheinformationisthere.
‘Free’ Culture — A Parting Shot from the West CoastThe$1billionawardtoAppleinAugustforpatentinfringement
bySamsung,hasimplicationsforwriters.Itmaytakeawhilefortheseimplicationstofilterthrough,butthiscasemayhavesetim-portantprecedents.Theawardwasgivenbyajury.Whatisencour-agingaboutitisthat12persons(ordinarypeople—passengersonthelegendary‘ClaphamOmnibus’)whengiventhefactsdidnotfinditdifficulttoattachconceptsofownershipandvaluetointel-lectualproperty.Thejuryfoundinotherwords—eventhoughtheApplev.Samsungcasewasaboutpatentsandnotcopyright—thatcopyingwithoutpermissionisstealing.
BC/YukonRegionalReport
ByMichaelElcock,RegionalRepresentative
Kootenays Summer MeetingTheexcellentElephantMountainFestivalinNelsongaveusan
excusetoholdaregionalmeetinginBC’sbeautifulKootenays.Themeeting(followedbyasumptuouspotlucksupper)washeldatthemountainsidehouseofAnneDeGraceandherpartnerPhillip.ThemostimportantelementforanorganisationlikeTWUCisitsabilitytocommunicatewithafar-flungmembership.Sothismeeting—thefirstTWUCmeetingintheNelsonareaforalongtime—wasdesignedtosimplygivelocalwritersup-to-dateinformationaboutTWUCactivitiesandanopportunitytopresentviewsandasklotsofquestions.
BC/Yukon RepresentativeMytwo-yeartermasBC/YukonRep.willendatthe2013AGM
inOttawa.NominationsforthisrewardingandenlighteningroleshouldbeintotheTWUCofficebyOctober1st,sothatthenamescanbecirculatedtothemembership.YoucanfindaformforthisinthesummereditionofWriteMagazine.Howeverthereisaprovisionfornomineestobeaddedtothemail-inballotrightupuntilMarch3,2013.
Upcoming Regional MeetingsOctober—Vancouver:ThisissueofWritemaynotbeoutin
timeforthis,butwewillholdaVancouvermeetingonOctober21sttocoincidewithTWUCChairMerilynSimonds’visittothewestcoast.ThisisanopportunityforTWUCmemberstogetthelatestinformationabouttheirunion’swork.Themeetingwillbe
WithanotheryeartogoasQuebecrep,IwillcontinuetorepresentmembersinourprovincestartingwiththeFallNationalCouncilmeetinginOttawainSeptember.PleaselookforaLetterfromtheChairforanupdateofourmeeting.
Inothernews,ELANhelditsAGMinAugustandhaselectednewmemberstoitson-goingboard.Forinformationoncommu-nityevents,submissions,workshops,jobs,deadlinesandmore,theELANnewsletterreachesover2,400people.Ifyouwouldliketosubmityournews,logintowww.quebec-elan.or,andaddyournewsitemtotheCommunityNewsSectionwhereyournewswillbeautomaticallypromotedviatheirwebsite,Twitterfeed,andFacebookpage.
TheQWFFall2012WorkshopSerieshasbeenposted(www.qwf.org)andcarte blancheisnowacceptingpoetry,fiction,nonfic-tion,andtranslationforupcomingissues.Submissionguidlinesareathttp://carte-blanche.org/submissions.
WewelcometwonewmemberstotheTWUCtribe:MarkLavorato,Montreal—hispoetrybook,Wayworn Wooden Floors waspublishedbyPorcupine’sQuilllastfall—andBernadetteGrif-fin-Donovan,Montreal,Scenes of Childhood,fictionalizedmemoir,Shoreline,2007.
I’llseeyousometimeinthefall.WatchforaTWUCemailfordetails.
QuebecReport
ByJoyceScharf,RegionalRepresentative
ALL
Ph
OtO
s: M
AR
Lis
FUN
k
�0 write
GreetingsfromCanada’sgreatcentralplain!
Festivals InSeptemberwritersgatheredforWinnipeg’sInternationalWriters’FestivalandSaskatoon’sTheWordOnTheStreet.Brandon’sWordsAliveandOgamasAboriginalliteraryfestivalsdidnotmaketheiranticipatedfallcomebacks.However,OgamashasbeenrebirthedwithanewnameandorganizingbodyandthefirstManitobaIndigenousLiteraryFestival(workingtitle)willtakeplaceinWinnipeg,October11–13withaschoolprogram,eveningevents,andafulldayofworkshops.Alargerfestivalisplannedfor2014.Regional Gathering Onceagain,TWUCmembersareinvitedtoparticipateintheSaskatchewanWriters’GuildAGMandConferenceatGuildmemberprices.Speaking in Tongues: Writing Voice and Genre willtakeplaceinSaskatoon,October26–28attheHiltonGardenInnandTCUPlace.SylviaTysonwillgivetheFridayCarolineHeathLecture.FeaturedpresentersincludeTWUCmembersDavidCar-penter,DanielDavidMoses,andCandaceSavage.AgentCarolynSwayzewillalsopresentandmeetwithparticipants.OurTWUCregionalmeetingwilltakeplaceonFridayoverdinner,andonSaturdayTWUCwillsponsorthecocktailreceptionpriortotheJohnHicksdinner.Formoreinformationandtoregistervisithttp://www.skwriter.comorcall306-569-1666. InManitoba,TWUCandManitobaWritersGuildmemberswillgatherforaholidayeventandopenmicintheArtspaceBuilding.Detailstocome.ArrangementsarebeingmadeforagroupbooksigningandmeetingatMcNallyRobinsonGrantPark,ashasbecomeourhabit.
In Residence We’vehaddisappointingnewsregardingtwoanticipatedwrit-ers-in-residenceprograms.Winnipeg’sRedRiverCollegeattempt-edtoestablishaprogram,butwasunabletosecurefunding.Also,theReginaPublicLibraryhasnotyetdecidedwhethertocontinuewithitsprogram.AdecisionisexpectedbyNovember. Inhappiernews,Albertachildren’sbookauthorDavidPoulsenbeganhisresidenceattheSaskatoonPublicLibraryinSeptem-berandwillcontinuethroughMay2013.AttheUniversityofManitoba’sCentreforCreativeWritingandOralCulture,Winni-peg-basedauthorSallyItobeganherresidenceinSeptemberandwillcontinuethroughDecember.BCpoetGregoryScofieldwillbewriter-in-residenceattheUniversityofWinnipegfromJanuarythroughMarch2013.AttheWinnipegPublicLibrary,WinnipegauthorJoanThomaswillbeensconcedaswriter-in-residencefromOctoberthroughApril2013.
Business&Reports
InmylastreportIstatedthechallengeofestablishinganeffectivechannelofcommunicationbetweenmyselfandmyfellowOntarioTWUCers.Thischapterboastsmorethan1,000TWUCmembersspreadoveramillionsquarekilometres.OntarioisalsotheoneprovinceinCanadathatdoesnothaveawriters’guildorwritingassociation.TheresultisthatOntarioTWUCmembershavebeenforcedtodependonTWUC,anorga-nizationdesignedfornationalpurpose,fortheirprovincialneeds.Thetwoarenotalwaysidentical.
ToremedythisIamattemptingtoestablishTWUCsubgroupsacrossOntariobasedongeographicregions.Withineachsub-groupTWUCerswillnowhavetheopportunitytocommunicateandevenmeetwithotherTWUCmembersintheirregion.
TWUCmemberscanchoosetobelongtotwoormoresub-groupsornoneiftheyjustwanttobeleftalone.ThesubgroupsvaryinsizefromsevenpotentialmembersinthenearNorthareatomorethan500intheGreaterTorontoArea.Thelargerurbanareasmaywanttofurthersubdivideintosmallerregionalgroupsandthatisentirelyuptothem.Thisisaworkinprogress.Sub-groupsmaychoosetoamalgamatewithothers.Theymaywanttomeeteverymonth,everyyear,orjuststayincontactbyemail;whateverworksforthem.
WhatIamhopingforisthateachsubgroupwillbecomevibrantwriters’communitiesthatwillsupporttheirfellowmem-bersandshareinformationwithotherTWUCsubgroups.AstheOntarioRepresentative,IamhopingthatIwillbekeptintheloopbysomeonefromeachsubgroupsoIcanbringwhatevernationalresourceswehavetooffer.
IamhopingthatbynowallOntarioTWUCmembershavereceivedane-mailfrommeaboutthesubgroups.Ifyouweresomehowmissed,pleasecontactmeatspitt@uniserve.com.
SpeakingofOntario-specificnews,recentlyIhadthepleasureofattendingapresentationbyJohnDegenandGouledHassanoftheOntarioArtsCouncil.Thegoodnewsisthatthereiswritinggrantmoneytobeawarded.Thebadnewsisthatstatistically,yourapplication,nomatterhowexcellent,isliabletoberejectedonitsfirsttrysimplybecausetherearealwayssomanyequallyexcellentapplications.Thekeytosuccess,Mr.Degenstressed,ispersistence.Ifyourapplicationisrejecteddonottakeitasapersonaljudgementofyourtalentsasawriterorthemeritsofyourproposal.Iknowofonewriterwhodidreceiveagrantafterresubmittingexactlythesameapplicationafteraninitialrejection.Try,tryagain.FormoreinformationaboutOntarioArtsCouncilgrantsgotowww.arts.on.ca.
Finally,congratstoBarryGrillsofNorthBaywhosebookEvery Wolf’s HowlisbeingreleasedOctober1stbyFreehandBooks.CongratulationsalsotoElizabethSellersinOttawawhosesecondnovelTrouble Rides a Fast HorsewillbepublishedbySunberryBooksthisOctober.
OntarioReportByStevePitt,RegionalRepresentative
Manitoba/SaskatchewanReportByAnitaDaher,RegionalRepresentative
FALL2012 �1
It’sachallengebeingAtlanticRep—theonlyreptodealwithfourprovinces,twoofwhichprefertoputwaterbetweenthemselvesandthecontinent.AndthoughIhavestrongcontactsineachprovinceandcommunicationwiththeexecutivedirectorsofeachprovince’swriters’organization,thatdoesn’tcoverallTWUCmembers.Duringmytermasrep,Idointendtogetaroundandhavecreatedscheduleofvisitationplans,whichlookslikethis:
InOctober2012IwillvisitPrinceEdwardIsland.Insummer,likelyJuly2013,IwilltraveltoNewfoundland.Inspring2014,aheadoftheAGM,IwilltraveltoNovaScotia.ThroughthenexttwoyearsIwillbereadilyavailableto
membersinNewBrunswickorthosetravellingthroughtheprovince,unlessI’moffvisitinganotherprovince.It’salsopossibleIwillbeinNovaScotiaonearlieroccasions.
TheseplansworkaroundmyownscheduleattheWriters’FederationofNewBrunswick,andTWUCmembersintheregion,alongthoseinterestedinjoining,willbenotifiedwellinadvance.TWUCmembershipacrosstheAtlanticprovincesisapproximately150,which,whenpopulationistakenintoaccount,putsusinlinewithotherregionsofthecountry.AtlanticCanadianmembershipintheirprovincialwriters’organisations,however,iscloserto2000.SurelywecanpullinafewmoreTWUCmembers.
Perhapsit’stheinfluxofsocialmedia,ortheeaseofcommunication,buttheamountofliteraryeventsandauthor-relatedactivitiesintheregionseemtohaveexploded.TheenormoussuccessoftheFryeFestivalinMoncton(heldeveryApril)andthecrowdsthatgatherforTheWordOnTheStreetinHalifaxaretestamenttolong-lastinginterest,whilerecentfestivalssuchasReadbytheSeainRiverJohn,NovaScotia,thePen&InklingandVictoriaLiteraryFestivalsinPrinceEdwardIsland,andWFNB’sduoofWordsFallandWordsSpringshowgrowinginterest.Therearealsolong-runningreadingseries,suchattheLorenzoSocietyReadingsatUniversityofNewBrunswichSchoolofJournalism,UNB’sPoetryWeekend,andnewerones,suchastheWriter’sAllianceofNewfoundlandandLabrador’sComeFromAwayseriesinSt.John’s.
Infallandwinterregionalnews,TheWriters’FederationofNovaScotialaunchesitsFallSeminarSeries,whiletheirAtlanticWritingCompetition,inits36thyear,runsuntilNovember9.ManyanAtlanticCanadianwriter’scareerhasbeenassistedthroughsuccessattheAWC.InPEI,theIslandLiteraryAwardswerehandedoutonSeptember30.InNewfoundland,theComeFromAwayreadingserieswillrunthroughthefallandwinter,andinNewBrunswick,WordsFallwilltakeplaceonOctober20inWoodstock,whiletheWFNBliterarycompetitionopensinDecember.
AtlanticReportByLeeD.Thompson,RegionalRepresentative
ALL
Ph
OtO
s: M
AR
Lis
FUN
k
The Banff CenTre | Literary artsSteven Ross Smith, Director
WRITEIN BANFF,sHare WitHtHe WOrLD.Apply by November 15, 2012
In(ter)ventIons: LIterary PractIce at the edgeFebruary 11 – 23, 2013
Faculty: Steven Ross Smith (program director), Joe Amato, J.R. Carpenter, Fred Wah
Guests: Johanna Drucker, Lori Emerson, Gail Scott
sPoken WordApril 3 – 12, 2013
Faculty: Tanya Evanson (program director), Jean-Pierre Makosso, D’Bi Young
Guests: Christian Bök, Alexis O’Hara
WrItIng studIoApril 29 – June 1, 2013
Faculty: Greg Hollingshead (program director), Dionne Brand, Caroline Adderson, Stan Dragland, Steven Galloway, Madeleine Thien, Karen Solie, Jen Hadfield, Daljit Nagra, Colin Bernhardt
For more information:banffcentre.ca/writing 1.800.565.9989
BanffCentreLitBanffCentreLit
�� write
AuthorAndreas SchroederwaspresentedwiththeGraemeGibsonAwardbyTheWriters’UnionofCanadaatitsAnnualGeneralMeetingonMay26,2012.EstablishedbytheUnionin1991for“variedandremarkablecontributionstoimprovethecircumstancesofwritersinCanada,”theawardwasfirstgiventoGraemeGibson.In1992itwasgiventoPierreBertonandin2011toHeatherRobertson.AndreasSchroederisitsfourthrecipient.
CharlotteFielden’ssonandeditor,Jerry Fielden,isarecipientoftheQueenElizabethIIDiamondJubileeMedalforhisbookontheWildcat438thhelicoptersquadronthathasbeendoingrescueworkaroundtheworldsince1934.Charlotte’s11thbook,The Story of Marly Mansion,sequeltoherfirstmysterynovelThe Wolves of Positanowillhavealatesummerrelease.
TWUCmembersRawi Hage,Carnival(HouseofAnansiPress)andLinda Spalding,The Purchase(McClelland&Stewart)werebothfinalistsforthisyear’sRogersWriters’TrustFictionPrize,hostedbyTheWriters’TrustofCanada.Thisawardrecognizeswritersoftheyear’sbestnovelorshortstorycollection.
TheScotiabankGillerPrizelonglist,announcedinearlySeptember,includedTWUCmembersLauren Davis,Our Daily Bread,Cary Fagan,My Life Among the Apes,Annabel Lyon,The Sweet Girl,andNancy Richler,The Imposter Bride.NancyRichler’snovelwasalsoshortlistedforthisyear’sPrize.
Gwen Molnar announcesherpublicationfromDempsterandCraigBooks,Edmonton: Just Because: a Collection of Light Verse and Nonsense.
TWUCmembersFarzana Doctor,Andrew J. Borkowski,andMichele Landsberg wereallfinalistsforthe2012TorontoBookAwards.CongratulationstoAndrewJ.Borkowskiwhowonthisyear’saward.
Thisyear’sfinalistsfortheOttawaBookAwardsincludedTWUCmembersFrances Itani,Requiem(HarperCollinsCanada);Alan Cumyn,Tilt(GroundwoodBooks);Jamieson Findlay,The Summer of Permanent Wants(DoubledayCanada);andElizabeth Hay,Alone in the Classroom(McClelland&Stewart)inthefictioncategory,andMurray Brewster,The Savage War: The Untold Battles of Afghanistan(JohnWiley&SonsCanada)inthenon-fictioncategory.
Shelley A. Leedahlhaspublishedher10thbook,Listen, Honey (DCBooks,Montreal,2012)ashortstorycollectionwhichexposesemotionallyelectricliveswithgrit,humour,andtenderness.Familialandromanticrelationshipsturnstrangeorgoaltogetherawry,wildidiosyncrasiesdevelop,andcharactersnavigatetheirpersonaljoys,ironies,andcrashingdisasterswithcourageandgrace.
Thefollowingmemberswereallfinalistsforthe2012GovernorGeneral’sLiteraryAwards.Fiction:Vincent Lam,The Headmaster’s
Wager(DoubledayCanada),Carrie Snyder,The Juliet Stories(HouseofAnansiPress),Linda Spalding,The Purchase(McClelland&Stewart).Poetry:A. F. Moritz,The New Measures(HouseofAnansiPress).Non-fiction:Carol Bishop-Gwyn,The Pursuit of Perfection: A Life of Celia Franca(CormorantBooks).Children’sLiterature:Deborah Kerbel,Under the Moon (DancingCatBooks),Susin Nielsen,The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen(TundraBooks),Allan Stratton,The Grave Robber’s Apprentice (HarperCollinsCanada).
Heather Harbord’sTexada Tapestry, A HistorypublishedinNovember2011byHarbourPublishing,hasreceivedHonourableMentionsfromboththeB.C.HistoricalFederationandtheB.C.GenealogicalSociety.
TheReLitAward—foundedtoacknowledgethebestnewworkreleasedbyindependentpublishers—releaseditsshortlistattheendofSeptember,whichincludedthefollowingmembers:Poetry:Sandra Ridley Post-apothecary,(Pedlar),andCornelia Hoogland, Woods Wolf Girl,(Wolsak&Wynn).Novel: Suzette Mayr, Monoceros(CoachHouse),andTom Reynolds,Break Me(Quattro).
Business&Reports
MemberAwardsandNews
TheCFUisaunionforallindependentmediaworkers.AsaLocaloftheCommunications,EnergyandPaper-workersUnionofCanada(CEP),oneofCaanada’slarg-estprivate-sectorunions,webringalabourfocustothebusinesschallengesthatfaceallself-employedmediaworkers.
TheCanadianFreelanceUnion(CEP2040)ispleasedtopartnerwithTheWriters’UnionofCanadainourcollectiveefforttoimproveworkingconditionsforindependentauthors.
Pleasecheckoutourwebsite:www.canadianfreelanceunion.ca,
andjoinusinchangingourworkingworld.
Jointmemberswillnowreceive10% offtheirannualCFUmembershipfees.
FALL2012 ��
JohannaBertinDianeBuchananJohnMelady
GloriaMonteroStevePitt
THANK yOU
Bob Armstrong, Dadolescence, turn-stone Press, 2011
Catherine Astolfo, The Bridgeman (An Emily Taylor Mys-tery), imajin Books, Edmonton, 2012
B. j. Bayle, Red River Rising, dun-durn, 2012
Sabrina Bernardo, Innercity Girl Like Me, harpertrophy Canada, 2008
Catherine Black, A Hard Gold Thread, Guernica Editions, 2011
Kathleen Cherry, Blowing Bubbles, Aaspirations, 2012
Deb Elkink, The Third Grace, Green-brier Book Com-pany, 2011
Sandra Foster, You Can’t Take it With You: Common-Sense Estate Planning for Canadians, John wiley & sons Canada, Ltd, 2007
Scott Fothering-ham, The Rest is Silence, Goose Lane Editions, 2012
Bernadette Griffin-Donovan, Scenes of Childhood, shore-line, 2007
Mark Lavorato, Wayworn Wooden Floors, the Porcu-pine’s Quill, 2011
Sara Malton, Forgery in Nineteenth Century Literature and Culture: Fictions of Finance From Dickens to Wilde , Palgrave MacMillan, 2009
Carol McDougall, Baby Play, Nimbus Publishing, 2012
Barbara Pono-mareff, In the Mind’s Eye, Quattro Books, 2011
Melanie Schnell, While the Sun is Above Us, Freehand Books, 2012
Raminder Sidhu, Tears of Mehndi, Caitlin Press, 2012
Maureen Webb, Illusions of Security: Global Surveillance and Democracy in the Post 9-11 World, City Lights, 2007
Virginia Winters, Murderous Roots, Cambridge Books, 2012
Brian Wright-McLeod, Red Power, Fifth house, 2011
Cybele young, A Few Bites, Groundwood Books, 2011
PROVISIONAL
Claire Battershill, Circus, McClelland & stewart, due spring 2012
E. R. Brown, Almost Criminal, dundurn, due 2013
Lisa Dalrymple, If It’s No Trouble - A Big Polar Bear, tuckamore Books (Creative Publish-ing), due Oct 12
jan DeGrass, Jazz with Ella, Libros Lib-ertad, due October 2012
Stella Leventoyan-nis Harvey, Nicolai’s Daughters, signa-ture Editions, sept 12
Fran Kimmel, The Shore Girl,
Newest Press, due sept 2012
Bonnie Lendrum, Autumn’s Grace, inanna Publications, due spring 2013
Michael Laverty, Hands of the Tyrants, Now or Never Publishing, due Fall 2012
Lisa Lucas Alfred, Children’s book coming fromtun-dra, forthcoming Fall 2012
Dr. Gretchen Roedde, strange Calling: A Doctor’s Journeys in Mother and Child Health, dundurn Press, due
Oct 2012
james Ross, Cottage Daze, dundurn Press, 2012
Vivien Shotwell, Amato Bene, doubleday Canada due spring 2012
Urve Tamberg, Amid Two Evils, Cormo-rant/dancing Cat, due Fall 2012
Ayelet Tsabari, The Best Place on Earth, harperCollins, due winter 2013
Glynis Whiting, A Nose for Death, thistledown Press, due 2013
NewMembers
Classifieds REMOTE CAPE BRETON RETREATIfyouneedawildandtremendousplacetodoyourwritingthing,pleasehavealookatwww.surfscoter.org.Availableforweekly/monthlyrentalsnextyear,July-October.Discountforfellowmembers!
WORDS TO GOPodcastoffersyouauniquewaytopromoteyourwriting.I’manexperiencedbroadcasterwhoreadspublishedproseandpoetrytoourlisteners.Ourshowaverages500downloadsamonthin22countries.Forguidelinesandapodcastlink,gotowww.carolegiangrande.com.
NEED A PLACEWhereyoucanworkundisturbedtofinish
—orstart—thebookofyourdreams?Noworries.Itexists.Checkthewebsitewww.isabelhuggan.comtolearnaboutLEMASBLANCWRITER’SRETREAT,aprivate,perfecthaveninthesouthofFrance,withthepossibilityofeditorialservices.
EDDITINGMorethanjustcheckingforextraDs.Wemakeyourtextandideasshine,combiningtechnicalknowledgeandexperiencewithdeepappreciationofwell-writtenwords.Fromarichhistoryinbusinessandacademics,weoffernotonlyeditingandwriting,butalsodeftinfusionofcreativityandconfidence.www.marrocco-writing.comVACATION RENTALQuietgroundfloorvacationrentalapartmentinheritagemansionwalkingdistancetodowntownVictoria,BC.
D/W,laundry,garden.DiscountrateforTWUCmembers.ContactPeterSuchtollfreeat866-595-0941.wesite:www.earleclarkehouse.com
COUNTRy STUDIO RETREAT inClaremont,Ontario(NorthPickering)Fullyequippedlive/studiospaceforARTISTSANDWRITERSand/orRetreatants.(MeditationMasteravailableforconsultation.)GotoAIRBNBforviewingandreservationsor,contacttriplegem@look.caforfurtherinformation.OnehourN/EofToronto:quiet,countrysidecontainscreek,smallforest,meadows–YorkDurham30Townlineat8thConc.Short-termbasis—minimumtwodays,maximumonemonth.RATES:2DAYS:$180.00,1WEEK:$450.00,1MONTH:$1200.00.
foryourdonation.TheWriters’Unionwouldliketothankthefollowingindi-vidualsfortheirdonationstotheunion.
�� write
InMemoriam
MarjoryElizabeth(Jones)GordonwasborninJohnstown,PennsylvaniaandgrewuptherewithhersiblingsQuay,Ruth,andMorgan.ShegraduatedinphysiotherapyfromtheUniversityofMichiganandfromtherewenttoSeattle.Shemetherfuturehusband,Bryan,attheUniersityofWashington.TheywerebothmountainclimbersandclimbedinthePacificNorthwest,aswellasmanyotherlocations.Theymarriedin1965inInuvik,andhadtwochildren,CharlotteandBruce. Duringthesummermonthsoveraperiodoftwodecades,Marjory(withherchildrenintow)workedalongsideherhusbandinNorthernCanada,doingarchaeologicalsurveys.Thisincludedexcavatingafurtradepost,theNorthwestCompany’sFortAlexander,usedfrom1817to1821.HerexperiencesinplacesliketheMackenzieValleyandtheBarrenshelpedtoshapethewritingthatfollowed.AfterstudyingatgradschoolinCalgary,theGordonfamilymovedtoOttawain1972.In1975,MarjorybecameanaturalizedCanadiancitizen.Inthelate1980s,sheenrolledinaUniversityofOttawawritingclassthatIwasteaching,andtothatclassandothersshebroughtherscientificmindandsciencebackground.Sheexpressedadesiretowritefictionandwantedtogivefreereigntoherimagination. In1994,MarjoryandBryan’sdaughter,Charlotte,waskilledinamotorvehicleaccidentinCalgary.Thistragicevent,morethananyother,compelledMarjorytoreturntoamanuscriptshe’dbeentryingtowriteforseveralyears.Heronenovel,Daughter of Strangers(2001),wascompletedafteralongstruggle.IlovedthisnovelthenandIstilldonow.ItissetontheThelonRiverandisaboutayounggirllivingamongtheDene.Marjoryhadastoryinsideherandshedidnotgiveup.Shefoundthestructureforhernovelandwroteherstorywithlove. ThereweremanyothersidestoMarjory;sheparticipatedinScottishcountrydancingfor34years;shecontinuedtoloveadventure,toclimb,hike,andski;shepractisedtaichi,supportedherchurchcommunity,adoredandindulgedher3younggranddaughterswholiveinEurope.Sheencouragedotherwriters,andvolunteeredasareaderforTWUC’swritingcontests.Sheservedonliteraryjuriesandtookpartinworkshops.Shealwaysturnedupatthebooklaunchesofherfriendsinthelargerwriting
communityintheOttawaarea.Marjorywasapositive,practical,resourcefulwoman.Shecontainedsomuchinnerstrength,itwasalmostvisible. MarjorydiedofcanceronJuly20,2012.Sheismissed,notonlybyherimmediateandextendedfamilies,butbyhermany,manyfriends.
Daughter of Strangersby Marjory Gordon (Oberon Press 2001)
ExcerptfromChapter1
Acoolwindrushedinherearsandsweptheralong.Therushinginherearschangedtoclicksandsnortsandamustyanimalsmellwaseverywhere.Herheadspun.Shestruggledforbearingsthroughherdizziness.Shenolongerstoodhighontheknob,butranoutsideofherowncontrol,pantingassheracedupashadedravine.Aherdofcariboucrowdedupthegullywithher,separatedaroundherandmassedtogetheraftertheyhadgoneby.Aboycutacrossherpath.Heyelledtoher,butshecouldn’tunderstand.Thewordswereoddordistortedbythesoundsofthecaribou.Heworefittedskinpantsandaskinshirtwithatailintheback.Hisblackhairwaslongandhisskinwasdark,likehers. Shestopped,butthecariboukeptrunning.Behindher,peopleshouted.Atthetopoftheravine,menspearedtheanimals.Three.Four.Adozencariboudroppedandstillthemenkilledmore.Acariboudrive!Almostassoonassherealizedwhatwashappening,thedrivewasoverandshewascircledbywomenandchildrendressedinskins.Eachwomanhadthreelongblacklinestattooedacrosseachcheekandasinglelineupthecentreoftheforehead.Sodidthemenwhocamewiththeirspears.Thefirstmantoreachher,raisedhisspear.HepointedthepinkquartzitetipdirectlyatAmy.Hepulledbackhisthrowingarm,tensedtohurlit.Sheboltedlikearabbittryingtogetoutofacorner.Anothermangrabbedherarm.Hisfingersdugin. “In-lae!”awoman’svoiceyelled.Themanpaused,heldbackbyherwords.Hepokedthebuttofhisweaponintothesand.
MarjoryGordonBy FRANCEs itANi
1941–2012
FALL2012 ��
Access Copyright is pleased to announce a©e Creator, a free, comprehensive, password-protected web-based
formats, archive, retrieve, repurpose and track your
contact us at acesupport@accesscopyright.ca or 416-868-1620 ext. 246
Bringing Order to Content Management
NEWEST IS PROUD TO PUBLISH THESE GREAT NEW TITLES BY WRITERS’ UNION MEMBERS
$15,000 Short Fiction Competition$10,000 for best story by an emerging writer,
$5,000 for best story by a writer at any career point.
Shortlisted stories are published in the CVC Anthologyas well as in ELQ/Exile: The Literary Quarterly
winners selected by our sponsorms. gloria vanderbilt
(in years one and two she added additional prize money, because she could not choose between two writers in a category, and felt it fairest to award them both)
Winners from years one and two:Emerging: Christine Miscione, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Frank Westcott
Any career point: Leon Rooke, Ken Stange, Seán Virgo
$2,500 Poetry Competition$2,000 Best Suite of Poetry ~ $500 Best Poem
Complete details and submission forms for both competitionsavailable at: www.TheExileWriters.com
qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
TWUC Ad 9/27/12 10:37 AM Page 1