Atlantic Book Week May 18–25 · 2018-07-15 · Atlantic Book Week May 18–25 March winds and...

Atlantic Book Week May 18–25March winds and April showers bring forth — May’s Atlantic Book Week. Ok, so “Atlantic Book Week” doesn’t

rhyme as well with “showers” as “May flowers”, but Atlantic Canada’s readers will have the pick of some of theblooms when Atlantic Book Week presents its garden of prose and poetry awards. And someone is definitely watering,tilling and cultivating the east coast literary fields. For proof just take a look at some of the publishers from away whoare scooping Nova Scotian writers recently — Penguin Canada, Doubleday Canada, HarperCollins. Atlantic BookWeek is back for its third year — bigger and better than ever thanks to a lot of hard work from dedicated people led byour own Jane Buss. From the awarding of 4 prizes and a weekend of readings in 1999, it’s exploded to 8 awards and aweeklong celebration. All events are free of change and everyone is welcome. The celebration culminates in theAtlantic Book Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 24, at 4:30 p.m. at the Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth.

Seventeen remarkable books are in the running for this year’s 8 Atlantic Writing Awards. The sheer diversity ofimagination and subject matter is astonishing, ranging from small mining towns to hardscrabble farms to seagoingvessels to big cities. A few of the titles and their writers have been nominated for 2 awards, but Nova Scotia’s LindaLittle is the first author to be nominated for 3 awards in the same year — Strong Hollow, her debut novel, is up for the$10,000 Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, the Dartmouth Book Prize, and the Cunard First Novel Award.

From May 13–18, 17 of Canada’s finest children’s writers will visit thousands of their young fans in schools,libraries and communities in all 4 Atlantic provinces to focus on the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Awards. Thepresentation of the Hackmatack Awards officially kicks off Atlantic Book Week on Saturday, May 18, at 1 p.m. atthe Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth.

For up-to-the-minute information, please visit the Atl antic Book Week & Festival website at www.writers.ns.ca orcall the Writers’ Fed at 902-423-8116. Information and schedules for the Hackmatack Awards are available atwww.hackmatack.ca or by calling 902-424-3774.

The Brimer Award for Children’s LiteratureThe 12th annual Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children’s Literature, which is sponsored by the Nova Scotia Li-

brary Association, joined forces with WFNS three years ago. The finalists are:

David Weale, Everything That Shines(Acorn Press) ISBN 0-9698606-8-4.

Although Shekinah is old and Maddie is not yet four, the shinein their eyes is the same. Maddie’s grandfather notices this, asthrough the seasons he watches the bond between his granddaughterand the very large horse grow stronger. One day, Shekinah performsan amazing act of love for Maddie. When the beloved horse dies, itis the grandfather’s turn to give Maddie an important gift: the un-derstanding that Shekinah can be seen in everything that shines.

Dr. David Weale is a professor of Canadian and Prince EdwardIsland history at the University of Prince Edward Island. The authorof six books, David appears frequently on storytelling shows onPEI’s CBC-Radio and -TV. He is currently working on a screenplayfor a feature-length film, Strathspey, which has been optioned byCellar Door Productions. His picture book, The True Meaning ofCrumbfest (Acorn Press), won the Brimer in 2000.

continued on page 2

MAY

/JU

NE

200

2

2 Eastword

ISSN 1187–3531

Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia1113 Marginal RoadHalifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4P7Telephone (902) 423-8116Fax (902) 422-0881E-mail: [email protected] WEB PAGE:http://www.writers.ns.ca

Executive Director: Jane BussExecutive Assistant: Monika Sormova

Editor: Peggy Amirault

WFNS Board of Directors:President: Stephanie DometPast-president: Sharon Gibson PalermoVice-president: Mary Jane CoppsTreasurer: Alan MacAulaySecretary: Allan LynchTyne BrownSheldon CurrieSylvia HamiltonSue NewhookRachelle RichardSusan RogersAndrew SteevesRose VaughanThe opinions expressed are not necessarily thoseof the editor or WFNS. Services and marketsadvertised or mentioned are not necessarilyendorsed by WFNS. We reserve the right to editmanuscripts and letters. Copyright to bylinedmaterial remains with the writer and cannot bereprinted without permission of the writer.The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia is aregistered not-for-profit organization thatoperates with funds raised from membershipfees, from fund-raising endeavours, corporatesponsorship, with operating support from theGovernment of Nova Scotia through the CulturalAffairs Division, Department of Tourism andCulture, and with project assistance fromHeritage Canada and The Canada Council forthe Arts – all of whom we gratefullyacknowledge for assisting to make our workpossible. WFNS is a member of the AtlanticProvinces Library Association, CanCopy, theCanadian Children’s Book Centre, the CanadianCopyright Institute, the Cultural Federations ofNova Scotia, IBBY (the International Board onBooks for Young People), the Metro Councilon Continuing Education, and the Nova Scotia’sChildren’s Literature Roundtable.

Budge Wilson, A Fiddle forAngus(Tundra Books) ISBN 0-88776-500-9

In the evenings, when familymembers gather together, everyone takesup an instrument. Angus is the youngestand is tired of only adding his hum to thefamily orchestra. He decides to play hisown instrument: the fiddle. The fiddle isnot an easy instrument to learn, but itsounds like the wind and the waves andevery happy thing. Will he ever be able tomaster it and make the music his own?Glorious paintings by Susan Tooke are the perfect foil to this story.

Budge Wilson began writing later in life, after teaching and working as a commercialartist, photographer and fitness instructor. Since publishing her first book in 1984, Budgehas published more than two dozen books in Canada, the United States, Finland, Denmark,Italy, and Australia. Her numerous awards include a Brimer (1993, for Oliver’s Wars) and aCity of Dartmouth Book Award (1991, for The Leaving). She lives in a fishing village onthe South Shore of Nova Scotia with her husband, Alan.

Frances Wolfe, Where I Live(Tundra Books) ISBN 0-88776-529-7

Where does the young narrator live?Astute readers will notice that the firstletter of each two-line verse spells out theanswer. Through gentle images of ayoung girl lifting shells from beneath herfeet, gulls flying overhead, and alighthouse shining through the darkness,this picture book is a memorable way tovisit the seaside with the youngest ofreaders.

Author and illustrator FrancesWolfe’s home is near the mouth ofHalifax Harbour, where her family has lived for more than a century. Although she hasbeen drawing all her life, she has no formal art training. She has worked in the children’sdepartment of the Halifax Regional Library for 28 years. This is her first book.

Atlantic Independent Bookers’ Choice AwardThe Atlantic Independent Booksellers’ Choice

Award joined the Atlantic Writing Awards last year.The finalists are:

Michael Crummey, River Thieves(Doubleday Canada) ISBN 0-385-65810-9.

Set at the turn of the 19th century alongNewfoundland’s northeast shore, River Thievesfollows British naval officer David Buchan from hisarrival on the Bay of Exploits in 1810, through hisattempts to establish friendly contact with the nearlyextinct Beothuk and the local white settlers, to hisinvestigation of the kidnapping of an aboriginalwoman and murder of her husband. As he tries touncover the truth of what happened on Red IndianLake, the delicate web of allegiance and debt thatholds the community of settlers together slowlyunravels.

continued on page 3

Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia 3

Born in the small mining town of Buchans near Red Indian Lake, Michael Crummey isthe author of three poetry volumes – Emergency Roadside Assistance, Arguments withGravity and Hard Light – and the short story collection Flesh and Blood. In 1994, he wasthe first winner of the Bronwen Wallace Award for Poetry. He lives in St. John’s, New-foundland. Shortlisted for the 2001 Giller Award and the 2002 Commonwealth WritersPrize, this is Crummey’s first novel.

Philip Lee,Frank: The Life and Politics of FrankMcKenna(Goose Lane Editions) ISBN 0-86492-303-1.

Frank McKenna took office as Premier deter-mined to transform New Brunswick into a vibrant,self-reliant partner in Canada. By the time he re-signed a decade later, he had come close to meetinghis goals. His genius for deal-making has kept himan insider, an influential corporate lawyer with ataste for power. Based on a wide range of publishedmaterial, on diaries and other confidential records,and on interviews with McKenna and everyonearound him, Frank is just that: a frank portrait of apassionate, industrious, calculating, impatient, andhighly intelligent man.

Director of the journalism program at St.Thomas University in Fredericton, Philip Leecurrently writes for the Ottawa Citizen. Author ofthe book Home Pool and the award-winning series Watershed Down, he was editor of theAtlantic Salmon Journal for two years. In 1988, he returned to the Telegraph-Journal aseditor-in-chief. Under his leadership, the newspaper and its weekend magazine, The NewBrunswick Reader, won several regional and national newspaper and magazine awards.

Budge Wilson, A Fiddle for Angus

(Tundra Books) ISBN 0-88776-500-9.

This book was also shortlisted for the Ann ConnorBrimer Award for Children’s Literature. (See page 2)

Atlantic Poetry PrizeThe finalists for the 5th annual Atlantic Poetry Prizeare:

Herménégilde Chiasson, Conversations(Goose Lane Editions) ISBN 0-86492-319-8.

Winner of a 1999 Governor General’s Award inits French original, Conversations is resonant, earthypoetry rooted in multiple voices. For a year,Herménégilde captured fragments of overheard andreported conversations and honed them intosentences for two speakers, He and She.

Herménégilde Chiasson is a visual artist,filmmaker, playwright and director, but above all, heis a poet. In addition to the Governor General’sAward, his honours include the Prix France-Acadie.Translators Jo-Anne Elder and Fred Cogswell capturehis metaphorical range and depth seamlessly. Theirlast translation of his work, Climates, was alsonominated for this award in 2000.

M. TravisLane,KeepingAfloat

GuérnicaEditions1-55071-131-8

Theseintimatepoems willelate readerswith theirsensitivity towhatsurrounds us, and to our moderninheritance of old fears and ideas. Thelanguage of Keeping Afloat combines faithwith skepticism to produce poems bothdown-to-earth and luminous.

M. Travis Lane has lived in Frederic-ton, since she came to Canada in 1960. Shehas a Ph.D. from Cornell University, andhas written many books, including thepoetry collections Night Physics, Tempor-ary Shelter, and Divinations and ShortPoems 1973-1978, which won the Leagueof Canadian Poets’ Pat Lowther MemorialAward for the best book of poetrypublished by a Canadian woman in 1981.

Patrick Warner, All Manner ofMisunderstanding(Creative) ISBN 1-894294-32-7.

PatrickWarner says hismuse, “knowsthat a great dealof whatoccupies us is acomplete wasteof time.”Whetherdescribing afight orstudyingwindsweptleaves, hispoetry is ascondensed as snowballs and strikes withgreat effect. Structurally straightforward,his work is conceptually and imagisticallycomplex, and teems with symbolic andsomewhat surreal intention.

Born in Claremorris, Ireland, in 1963,Patrick Warner emigrated to Canada in1980. He currently resides with his wifeand daughter in St. John’s. His poetry hasappeared in numerous journals.

continued on page 4

4 Eastword

Cunard First Book AwardThe finalists for the 2nd annual Cunard First Book Award are:

Frances Wolfe,Where I Live(Tundra Books) ISBN 0-88776-529-7

This book was also shortlisted for the Ann ConnorBrimer Award for Children’s Literature. (See page 2.)

Kate Langan

The Art of Worship:The Vision & Craft of Contemporary NovaScotia Artists(Nimbus Publishing) ISBN 1-55109-386-3

This book was also shortlisted for the Dartmouth BookAward for Non-fiction. (See page 5.)

Linda Little,Strong Hollow(Goose Lane Editions) ISBN 0-86492-308-2

This book was also shortlisted for the Dartmouth BookAward for Fiction and the Thomas Head Raddall Atlan-tic Fiction Award. (See page 5)

Dartmouth Book AwardsThe Dartmouth Book Awards Steering Committee

joined WFNS and the NS Library Association threeyears ago to plan Atlantic Book Week. Shortlisted forthe Dartmouth Book Awards for fiction and non-fictionare:

Dartmouth Book Award (Fiction)

George Elliott Clarke,Blue(Polestar/Raincoast Books) ISBN 1-55192-414-5

This incandescent book subscribes to the adage,“Good poems should rage like a fire, burning allthings.” Blue is black, profane, surly, damning — andunrelenting in its brilliance. George Elliott Clarkewrites: “I craved to draft lyrics that would pour outlike pentecostal fire — pell mell, scorching, bright,loud: a poetics of arson.” Blue is divided into fiveparts (Black Eclogues, Red Satires, Gold Sapphics,Blue Elegies, and Ashen Blues) which skillfully turnrage into a violet bruise of love and mourning.

George Elliott Clarke was born in the BlackLoyalist community of Windsor Plains, Nova Scotia,raised in Halifax and now lives in Toronto. He wrote

Beatrice Chancy, which was shortlisted forthis prize and for the Atlantic Poetry Prizein 2000, and Whylah Falls, which won theArchibald Lampman Award in 1991 andwas produced as a stage play in 1997. In1998, he was the first recipient of theprestigious Portia White Prize, an annualaward honouring cultural and artisticexcellence from the Nova Scotia ArtsCouncil. In 2001, his collection ExecutionPoems (Gaspereau Press) won theGovernor General’s Award for Poetry.

David Doucette,Strong at the Broken Places(Nimbus Publishing)ISBN 1-55109-361-8

After the death of her husband, FredaMacDougall, who has spent her life insmall-town Ingonish, finds herself aloneand needing to distance herself from herpast. She accepts an invitation from herblack, bingo-playing friend Wilena Guy tovisit her in Vancouver, where she strikes upa friendship with a good-natured Chinesewidower. When their friendship evolvesinto romance, Freda discovers a newdefinition of charity and, finally, self-discovery.

Born and raised in Ingonish, DavidDoucette holds degrees in Arts andEducation from St. Francis XavierUniversity in Antigonish and Saint Mary’sUniversity in Halifax. He has lived andtaught in Taiwan, Japan and Singapore. Hisshort stories have appeared in magazines inCanada and abroad, including PottersfieldPortfolio and Hiroshima Signpost.

continued on page 5


Linda Little, Strong Hollow(Goose Lane Editions) ISBN 0-86492-308-2

Jackson Bigney finds his abusive father dead in aditch, and then his loving mother dies of cancer. Hebuilds himself a cabin on the family’s hardscrabbleScotch River farm and becomes the local bootlegger.Though constantly surrounded by people (primarilydrunks), he remains isolated, carving small objectswhich melt into the earth where he drops them. Enterthe accomplished fiddler, Ian Sutherland, with whomJackson falls in love. Despite the multiple hardshipsof being an alcoholic, an artist, and a homosexual inan intolerant society, he learns to make thehollowness inside into music.

Linda Little’s life has been unlike Jackson Bigney’sin almost every way. She grew up in a small family inHawkesbury, Ontario, studied at Queen’s and MemorialUniversities and lives on a small farm near River John.This is her first novel, but her short fiction and novelexcerpts have appeared in The Antigonish Review,Descant, Wayves and the 1999 Journey PrizeAnthology. She is a terrible fiddle player.

Dartmouth Book Award(Non-Fiction)

Donal Baird,Women at Sea in the Age of Sail(Nimbus Publishing) ISBN 1-55109-267-0

From the early days of sail, women have beengoing to sea in significant numbers and holdingimportant roles in all aspects of sea life. Due to thecommon view that women couldn’t endure theharsh, dangerous life aboard seagoing vessels, theircontributions have remained largely hidden. Usingdiaries, letters and reminiscences, Baird traces thelives of the women who boarded square-riggedsailing ships and worked beside their malecounterparts.

Donal Baird was born in China and raised inSaint John, in a home built for a prominent ship-builder in the golden age of sail. A retired fireprotection specialist, Baird now works as a con-sultant and devotes his free time to writing and goingto sea. He has twice crossed the Atlantic in a square-rigged ship. Author of Canadian History Of FireEngines, he has published various articles and bookson his twin passions: sailing and firefighting.

Dean Beeby,Deadly Frontiers: Disaster and Rescueon Canada’s Atlantic Seaboard(Goose Lane Editions) ISBN 0-86492-311-2

Canada occupies a unique position in the rarifiedworld of search and rescue. The second-largestcountry on the planet, Canada has three coastlines, animmense internal wilderness and a vast Arctic toswallow hapless travelers. Since World War II,Canada’s East Coast has been the crucible for

modern search-and-rescue techniques andequipment. Deadly Frontiers tells the storyof a professional search-and-rescue culturethat is second to none, and of the bureau-cracy and bungling that threaten rescuers’lives and those they have sworn to save.

A career journalist since 1981, DeanBeeby has covered many disasters includ-ing, for CP, the 1998 crash of SwissairFlight 111 which won a National Newspa-per Award. The author of In a CrystalLand: Canadian Explorers in Antarcticaand Cargo of Lies: The True Story of aNazi Double Agent in Canada, he has con-tributed to the Dictionary of Canadian Bi-ography, The Canadian Encyclopedia andthe journal Ontario History.

Kate LanganThe Art of Worship: The Vision &Craft of Contemporary NovaScotia Artists

Nimbus PublishingISBN 1-55109-386-3.

The Art of Worship features the work of37 Nova Scotia artisans whose craft is bothan expression of their own spiritual searchas well as an offering to the larger com-munity of seekers of private devotion. Of-ten working from studios attached to theirhomes, these artists produce original art-work worthy of any sacred place. This bookwas published in conjunction with an artexhibit curated by its author at the Mary E.Black Gallery in 2002.

Kate Langan is a freelance writer andbroadcaster who has written for magazines,radio, television, and government. A res-ident of Dartmouth, Kate is also aninstructor in wooden boat building at theNova Scotia Sea School and a fibre artistwho favours working with wood in herexploration of antique knitting traditions.

continued on page 6

6 Eastword

Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non-FictionNominated for the 25th annual Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non-Fiction are:

Dean Beeby,Deadly Frontiers: Disaster and Rescue on Canada’s Atlantic Seaboard(Goose Lane Editions) ISBN 0-86492-311-2This book was also shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award for Non-fiction. (See page 5.)

Gary L. SaundersDiscover Nova Scotia: TheUltimate Nature Guide(Nimbus Publishing/Nova ScotiaMuseum) ISBN 1-55109-242-5.

Including an eagle’s eye view of theprovince, a primer in basic ecology, tips onsafe ecotouring and interpretive tours of fourscenic drives, seven long trails, two highwaysand the provincial areas in between, DiscoverNova Scotia promises to do for nature loverswhat restaurant guides do for connoisseurs offine cuisine. Visit provincial and nationalparks, watch the gaspereau run and thewhales spout, and learn how to read the flora,fauna and landscape of Nova Scotia.

Gary Saunders was born in tiny ClarkesHead, Newfoundland, in 1935, some 30 yearsbefore electricity and road traffic arrived, andwhen sea and river were still the only avenuesto the outside world. A forester-artist now

retired from the Department of Natural Resources, he has published articles in numerousmagazines including American Forests, Canadian Living, and Nature Canada. When he’s notpainting, writing or hiking, you’ll find him tending his garden and small woodlot near Truro.

Kent Thompson, Getting Out of Townby Book and Bike(Gaspereau Press) ISBN 1-894031-24-5

A collection of popular essays which oftentakes a comic look at how reading and bicyclingtransport you to places unknown, this bookintroduces readers to travel writing by the 19th-century adventurer Lyman Hotchkiss Bagg andCanadian rock star Neil Peart and ponders thesocial significance of Tim Hortons. An offbeatand entertaining book of curiosity, it has some-thing to say on everything from the recent deathof a cyclist to the role of the bicycle in the worksof George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells.

Kent Thompson lives in Annapolis Royal. Herides bikes everywhere he goes, sometimes forlong distances, sometimes quickly, but never bothat the same time, and always for fun. A formereditor of The Fiddlehead, he is the author of Bik-ing to Blissville: A Cycling Guide to the Mariti-mes and the Magdalen Islands and several worksof fiction, including Shacking Up, Married Love:A Vulgar Entertainment and Playing in the Dark.His produced stage and radio plays include APassion for Young Girls, The Menu, Fat Womanand Sister, Victoria’s Return and Kid Humley’sFirst Game.

Thomas Head RaddallAtlantic Fiction Award

The Thomas Head Raddall AtlanticFiction Award, which debuted in 1991 as a$1,000 prize has grown to $10,000, and isthe largest writing prize in Atlantic Canada.This year’s nominees are:

Michael Crummey, River Thieves(Doubleday Canada)ISBN 0-385-65810-9

This book was also shortlisted for theAtlantic Independent Booksellers’ ChoiceAward. (See page 3.)

Linda Little, Strong Hollow(Goose Lane Editions)ISBN 0-86492-308-2

This book was also shortlisted for theDartmouth Book Award for Fiction and theCunard First Novel Prize. (See page 5.)

Anne Simpson,Canterbury Beach(Penguin Books Canada)ISBN 0-670-89484-2

A family embarks on their annual so-journ to a cottage in Maine. In the course oftheir journey, a tale is told, spun from thelong absence of the family’s black sheep,the long lost son and brother Garnet, whomay well be waiting for them when theyarrive. The lives and stories of each charac-ter are revealed in turn, interweaving an in-tricate web of myth and memory, and oflove lost and reclaimed.

Anne Simpson is the author of LightFalls Through You, last year’s winner of theAtlantic Poetry Prize. This is her first nov-el. Co-ordinator of The Writing Centre atSt. Francis Xavier University, her work hasappeared in a number of literary journalsand anthologies.


May 18 - 25Atlantic Book Week & Festival is the annual celebration of Atlantic Canada’s

finest books and writers. It’s a 4-province, 8-day festival to launch new books andcelebrate our award winning authors. The Festival brings together writers, book-sellers, publishers, librarians and communities throughout Atlantic Canada topresent and applaud the largest annual literary festival east of Toronto. Here aresome of the highlights — all events are free of charge and everyone is welcome.For up-to-the-minute information, please visit the Atlantic Book Week & Festivalwebsite at www.writers.ns.ca or call 902-423-8116

NOVA SCOTIA BOOK WEEK EVENTS

Saturday 18 Mayl 1–3 p.m. Hackmatack Children’s Choice Awards at Alderney Landing Theatre,

2 Ochterloney, Dartmouth. Join Linda Granfield, Maxine Trottier, Shelley Tan-aka and more. 17 of Canada’s finest children’s authors will be visiting Dart-mouth for the Awards (902-424-3774 www.hackmatack.ca)

Tuesday 21 Mayl 11:30 a.m. A Book Week Launch in Halifax Hall at City Hall, Halifax with

Brimer Award nominees Budge Wilson, Frances Wolfe, and illustrator SusanTooke

l 7:30 p.m. Poet & a Pint — where better to launch Brian Bartlett’s newest po-etry collection, The Afterlife of Trees, than at the Tap Room, Birmingham Bar& Grill, Park Lane Mall, Halifax. Hosted by Frog Hollow Books.

l 7:00 p.m. Launch of Maggie’s Family by Susan Haley and Spar: Words inPlace by Peter Sanger at Wolfville Library, Elm Street, Wolfville

l 8:30 ish Gwen Davies, the inspiration behind the Tatamagouche Centre’sCommunity of Writers’ Retreat, reads at the Economy Shoe Shop, 1633Argyle Street, Halifax

Wednesday 22 Mayl Noon Kate Langan reads from The Art of Worship at Spring Garden Road Li-

brary, Halifaxl 7:30 p.m. Brave New Words at WFNS 1113 Marginal Road – Meet Karin

Cope, Genevieve Lehr, Marilyn Iwama and Kim Scaravelli – debut partici-pants in the first mentorship writing program in Atlantic Canada. The newestwords this spring. Reading and reception.

Thursday 23 Mayl Noon – Peter Sanger reads from Spar at Spring Garden Road Libraryl 7:30 p.m. Gala Reading with M. Travis Lane, Budge Wilson, Kent Thompson,

Patrick Warner, and Michael Crummey at Alderney Library, 60 AlderneyDrive, Dartmouth

Friday 24 Mayl 10 a.m. Budge Wilson reads at

Cole Harbour Library, 51 ForestHills Parkway, Cole Harbour

l Noon – CBC Radio-One, MaritimeNoon with Costas HalavrezosLIVE at Alderney Landing Theatretalking with all the bangers andshakers in the Atlantic WritingCommunity. Everyone welcome!

l 4:30 p.m. Atlantic Writing AwardsCeremony at Alderney LandingTheatre followed by a reception inthe Lobby

l 7:30 p.m. Beatnik Book Night atAlderney Landing. Open Mic,prizes and draws

Saturday 25 Mayl 1 p.m. SPRING! The OFFICIAL

Launch at Art Gallery of NovaScotia, 1741 Hollis, Halifax. JaneKansas introduces the season’snewly minted titles from through-out Atlantic Canada. Meet the au-thors and celebrate our stories.

Anne Compton, Opening the Island(Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

Cpt. L. Marmaduke Collins, The Sink-ing of the Titanic (Breakwater)

Denise DeMoura, Break the Silence(Broken Jaw Press)

M.T. Dohaney, When Things Get Backto Normal (Goose Lane Editions)

Elaine Elliot, Summer Flavours(Formac)

Barbara Hayes, This Small Life (Pot-tersfield Press)

Dianne Hicks Morrow, Long ReachHome (The Acorn Press)

A.A. (Tony) MacKenzie, The HarvestTrain (Breton Books)

Robin McGrath, Donovan’s Station(Creative)

Ed Smith, From the Ashes of myDreams (Flanker Press)

Verna Thomas, Invisible Shadows(Nimbus Publishing)

l 2–4 p.m. Launch of Three HillsHome – a historical novel of Aca-dians in exile by Alf Silver. Wind-sor Historical Society, 281 KingStreet, Windsor (Sandy Schofieldat 798-4706 for more information).

continued on page 8

8 Eastword

l 3:30 p.m. Patrick Crean talks about The Politics of Publishing in Canada.Join us for a tale of monumental geography, take-overs, border skirmishes andthe indomitable will to survive – a bestseller! Lecture Theatre, Art Gallery ofNS (Bedford Row entrance).

l 7:30 p.m. Dazzling Dames – Fabulous Fiction from Christy Anne Conlin, SueGoyette and Donna Morrissey – The Final Chapter of Atlantic Book Week &Festival 2002 – for information, visit www.writers.ns.ca

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND BOOK WEEK EVENTS

(Hosted by the PEI Writers’ Guild and The Acorn Press)Wednesday 22 Mayl 4–6 p.m. Launch of Spring titles at City Cinema, 64 King Street,

CharlottetownLaurie Brinklow, PEI Memories (Travel Memories Press)Anne Compton, Opening the Island (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)Milton Acorn/Poems selected by Anne Compton, The Edge of Home: Milton

Acorn from the Island (Island Studies Press)Dianne Hicks Morrow, Long Reach Home (The Acorn Press)Gary Saunders, So Much Weather (Nimbus Publishing)Hugh MacDonald & Alice Reese, editors, A Bountiful Harvest: 15 Years of the

Island Literary Awards (co-publication of The Acorn Press/PEI Writers’ Guild)

l 7:30 p.m. Gala Book Week reading with David Weale, Michael Crummey,David Doucette and Travis Lane at Confederation Centre Public Library,Charlottetown

NEWFOUNDLAND BOOK WEEK EVENTS

(Hosted by Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland & Labrador and the Newfoundland& Labrador Publishers’ Association)

l Wednesday 22 May, 8 p.m. Gala Book Week reading with Patrick Walsh,Linda Little and Anne Simpson at Provincial Museum of Newfoundland andLabrador, Third Floor, Duckworth Street, St. John’s

l Thursday 23 May, 7 p.m. Launchof Spring titles at The Downhom-er, 303 Water Street, St. John’s

David Benson, And We Were Sailors(Creative)

Cpt. L. Marmaduke Collins, The Sink-ing of the Titanic (Breakwater)

Susan Haley, Maggie’s Family(Gaspereau)

Robin McGrath, Donovan’s Station(Creative)

Robert Parsons, Between Sea and Sky(Creative)

JoAnne Soper-Cook, Waterborne(Goose Lane Editions)

NEW BRUNSWICK BOOK WEEKEVENTS

(Hosted by Atlantic Provinces Inde-pendent Booksellers and Goose LaneEditions)

l Tuesday 21 May 7 p.m. Launch ofOpening the Island by AnneCompton at UNB-St. John, FacultyStaff Club, Ward Chipman LibraryBuilding

l Thursday 23 May 7 p.m. Launch ofWeathers: Poems New and Select-ed by Douglas Lochhead, OwensArt Gallery, Mount Allison Univer-sity, Sackville

Thanks tothesponsors ofAtlanticBook Week


Hackmatack kids’writers reading inNS public librariesVivien Bowers

Thurday, May 16 – 10 a.m. readingat North Branch Library, Halifax

Friday May 17 – 2 public readingsin the Cape Breton Regional Librarysystem

Rachna Gilmore

Friday, May 17 – 2 public readingsin the Cape Breton Regional Librarysystem

Linda Granfield

Friday, May 17 – 9:30 a.m. readingat Amherst Library; 1 p.m. public read-ing at Jonathan McCully School

Shane Peacock

Friday, May 17 – public readings inBerwick and Wolfville

Eric Walters

Thursday, May 16 – public readings9 a.m. Amherst library and 1:30 p.m.at Springhill

Friday, May 17, 9:30 a.m. readingat Alderney Gate Library, Dartmouth

Valerie Wyatt

Thursday, May 16 – 10:30 a.m.reading at Stewiacke Library; 1:30 p.mreading at Truro Library

Shelley Tanaka

Thursday, May 16 – public readingin Antigonish

Friday, May 17 – public reading inNew Glasgow

Maxine Trottier

Wednesday, May 15 – 6 p.m. read-ing at Digby Library

Thursday, May 16 – 3 p.m. readingat the Yarmouth Library

Ting-Xing Ye

Friday, May 17 – 9:30 a.m. publicreading in Tatamagouche; 12:30 p.m.public reading in Elmsdale

BusStopby Jane Buss, Executive Director WFNS

One year ago exactly, my Eastword squib was titled “Arts Council HammStrung” and noted “that this province has never had a particularly good record ofsupporting the arts with anything more significant than tokenism, though it talks agood line when it says the arts and culture are important to this province.” A yearlater and even the good line has been erased.

On the Wednesday before Easter, the Province marched in and changed thelocks on the Arts Council doors, dismissed Executive Director Tim Leary andannounced that the Council was suspended. An Easter weekend of stunneddisbelief followed. Then a roar of protest emerged — thousands of working artistshave sent letters, have marched on the Legislature, and have tried to reason with anincreasingly deaf Minister of Tourism and Culture who mouths platitudes andnonsense about administrative savings ranging from $270,000 to $424,655. As wewho work here know, there was no administrative fat in the Arts Council of NovaScotia. What the Minister should understand is that the problem could easily havebeen resolved, and at considerable administrative savings, if he’d simplytransferred responsibility for all the arts to the Council — the CulturalFederations, the Symphony, Neptune and Mermaid Theatres and the AtlanticTheatre Festival. The well-informed Council staff could also have broughtexpertise to funding the so-called cultural industries — publishing, soundrecording, film.

The Province’s pitiful support is underscored by the following information onper capita funding of the 10 provincial arts agencies: Quebec $8.30; Alberta$7.00; Manitoba $6.90; Saskatchewan $3.60; BC $2.90; Ontario $2.10; PEI $1.60;NS $1.50; NB $1.10; and Newfoundland & Labrador 80¢.

What this past month has brought vividly to light are the aspirations, struggles,maturity, achievements and determination of Nova Scotia’s creative community.As a chorus of shouts for the Minister’s resignation resounds, odds are that, atworst, we are only one election away from the restoration of an arm’s-length NovaScotia Arts Council.

On the horizon — the AGM

WFNS’ Annual General Meeting is set for Saturday, June 15, 11:30 a.m., at thehome of Sharon Gibson Palermo, 14 Glenn Drive, Halifax. Business is generallybrief at the Fed AGM which more resembles a picnic social than a bored meeting.All members in good standing are welcome. It’s a fine opportunity to hear what’shappened at the Fed this year, learn of plans for next, catch up with colleagues andindulge in an early afternoon nibble. Please give the office a call to confirm yourattendance.

April 30 is your deadline to make application to Writers’ Council. Writers’Council is the invisible skeleton of the Federation — writers whose work has beenprofessionally published or produced may make application for Writers’ Councildesignation once a year. Ten of your 12 Board members must be drawn from thisbody of writers, and only Council members may participate in Writers in theSchools. The Federation also provides a website for all Council members. If youwish to be considered, simply send a request to the Standards Committee at WFNSwith a complete writing résumé.

10 Eastword

Screenscene

What to do when thetugboat company sinksby Ron Foley Macdonald

To the shock of many last month, one of the biggest production companies inNova Scotia abruptly went bankrupt. Andrew Cochrane & Associates, theproducers of such projects as Theodore Tugboat, Lifeline To Victory, Pit Pony, andLife On The Internet, tanked without much in the way of warning to employees,suppliers or the general public.

Needless to say, members of the film and television industry are a bit shaken.With the sale of Salter Street and the collapse of Cochrane, there are only twocompanies left of the original “Big Five” — IMX and Topsail. Once upon a time,there was Salter, Cochrane, Citadel (which became Topsail), Imagex (whichbecame IMX), and Charles Bishop Productions (which was bought by Salterbefore Salter itself was swallowed by Alliance Atlantis). Those were the five bigcompanies that helped start off the film and television boom on the East Coast.Now we’re down to two.

Mind you, coming up behind the original wave of companies is a newer waveof younger, riskier outfits that have already carved out important market niches ina new multichannel universe. Better yet, these companies are a little moreaccessible and writer-friendly. Specifically, because they are not yet big enough tohire employees just to keep people such as writers away from their executives(indeed, most of the companies haven’t yet reached the level of calling their leadpeople “executives”), the second wave of companies is a little more flexible thanthe first.

While the Big Five cut their teeth on contracts from major broadcasters such asthe CBC-TV and CTV for traditional television fare — mostly live action dramaand comedy — the newer bunch are breaking into the industry by making info-tainment shows, animation and light formula documentaries for specialty channels.Budgets are smaller, but each production offers possibilities for entry-levelpositions, particularly for writers. High-end drama and comedy usually employsestablished writers who’ve already worked in that particular genre; programs forthe new specialty channels can use all sorts of writers, from journalists to ad copywriters to editors.

Here’s the caveat: because the budgets are so small, the work is fast, franticand not very well-paid. There’s no guarantee that any of the companies will useanyone outside their immediate circles, and pestering them will undoubtably leadnowhere. However, here’s a brief rundown of three film and television productioncompanies in Halifax that are solid members of the second wave.

Collideascope Digital Productions is probably the youngest and hippest ofthe lot. Led by the dynamic duo of Steve Comeau and M. A. Kuttner,Collideascope kept itself afloat for years doing graphics and multimedia for thelikes of Salter Street and CBC TV’s First Edition. Last year they won a Gemini fortheir Teletoon Animated Series Ollie’s Under The Bed Adventures. They nowemploy 40 animators and are working on several other series

Ocean Entertainment is perhaps the busiest company on the info-tainmentcircuit. They’re currently putting together the second season of two series for thenew Food Network — The Chef At Large (which stars Michael Smith, formerly ofMaple) and Food Hunter (which sports vege-booster Pete Luckett as host).

Headed by Michael MacDonald (norelation), the company also producedan hour-long documentary for theSpace Channel last year on the ShagHarbour UFO Incident.

Paul Kimball’s company Red StarFilms also has a Space Channel doc inthe can. This one’s called Stanton T.Friedman is REAL!, and it profiles therenowned Fredericton-based UFOexpert of the title. Red Star is also inthe midst of planning and post-production on two low-budget digitalvideo features, both to be finished bythe end of this year.

Each of these companies is stilleasy to reach and talk to. Just don’texpect miracles on the first phone callor meeting.

And the answer to “What to dowhen the tugboat company sinks?” —learn to swim, of course. Real fast!

First Works sees the futurethrough a camera lens

Eight Nova Scotians will participatein the fourth Nova Scotia First WorksProgram from April 15 to June 14 inAntigonish. The program providesunemployed, out-of-school NovaScotians between the ages of 18 and 29with hands-on experience in the basicsof film and video production. The teamwill be responsible for all aspects offilm and video production, includingscript development, producionmanagement, the film shoot, and finaledit. Participants are provided with amodets income during the 9-weekprogram. The team will partner withexperienced filmmaker Lulu Keatingand a personal leadership facilitator.

Call for applications – AtlanticFringe Festival – July 3 deadline

Deadline for applications for theAtlantic Fringe Festival is Wednesday,July 3. The Festival runs for 9 days/5nights, covering 2 weekends, and fea-tures 35 to 40 shows in 5 or 6 venues indowntown Halifax.

Contact Ken Pinto at 11 Fourth St.,Darmouth, NS B2X 1Y1. Tel: 902-435-4837. Fax 902-490-5950. Email:[email protected]


March Gala honourscompetition winners

On March 23rd, more than 200 writers, their friends, families, and dozens of book loversgathered in the North Street Church in Halifax to celebrate the winners of the 2001 AtlanticWriting Competition. The Fed had another reason to celebrate — the competition that hashelped launch the careers of many published writers turned a quarter century this year.

A jury of 18 judges read, commented on and discussed 263 manuscripts that arrived from all cornersof Atlantic Canada. Their final selection honoured 20 entries in 5 categories.

With her masterly touch for things both ceremonial and comic, Jane Kansas guided a procession ofspeakers across the stage. While Jane commanded attention from the microphone, a silent bidding war wasraging across the hall for auction prizes donated in support of the Fed’s Writers-in-the-Schools program.The evening wrapped up with a surprise announcement and Honourary Life Membership to Budge Wilsonfor her long-standing support and contributions to the Federation and authors in the province.

Budge Wilson

Heidi von Palleske

Vanessa Moeller Judith Green Ferron

And the 2001 Atlantic WritingCompetition winners are:The H.R. (Bill) Percy Prize for unpublished novelFirst: Heidi von Palleske (Bear River, NS)Second: F. Colin Duerden (Head of St. Margaret’s Bay, NS)Honourable Mentions:

Susan Flanagan (St. John’s),Carol McDougall (Halifax)

The Frog Hollow Books Poetry PrizeFirstst: Christina McRae (Wolfville, NS) and

Vanessa Moeller (Sussex, NB)Third: Glen Murrant (Upper Sackville, NS)Honourable Mentions:

Rose Adams (Dartmouth)Patricia Wilson (Sheet Harbour, NS)

The Short Story Award

First: David Speare (Charlottetown)Second: Keith McPhail (Halifax)Third: Troy Myers (Dartmouth)Honourable Mentions:

Sandra Phinney (Yarmouth),Barbara Tanner (Yarmouth)

The Joyce Barkhouse Writing for Children Prize

Second: Rita Glen (Lunenburg)Third: Dick Charlton (Dartmouth)Honourable Mentions:

Sharon Bird Anderson (Kingsley, NB),Krista Tannahill (Dartmouth)

Magazine Article/Essay

First: Judith Green Ferron (West Pubnico, NS)Second: Johanna Bertin (Smithfield, NB)Third: Rita Glen (Lunenburg), and

Barbara Tanner (Yarmouth)

Christina McRae

Photos by Susan Kerslake

12 Eastword

imPRESSed: The newest titles by WFNS members

Lures

Sue Goyette(HarperCollins, 2002)ISBN 0-00-200506-9 $32.00

Lures is a story of two families, ofgrowing up in a small town in Que-bec, of love and secrets. Seventeen-year old Grace often finds herselflocked out of her own house. Sheila,her mother, spends endless hours ster-ilizing the plastic-encased surfaces oftheir immaculate home. Her brotherGary squints at life through a haze ofpot smoke, while Les, her father,finds instant gratification in buying anendless parade of gadgets. Lily’s fam-ily, though torn by its own conflicts,seems like a harbour of love and ac-ceptance to Grace who tries to escapethe turmoil of her own background.Like watching the world through apair of binoculars, as Curtis does inthe novel, Goyette offers a close-upview of the seemingly ordinary livesof several people to reveal their se-crets, fears and longings.

Sue Goyette is the author of theGovernor-General’s Award-nominat-ed poetry collection, The True Namesof Birds. Sue was raised in Montrealand now lives in Cole Harbour withher family.

The Seven Strategies of MasterNegotiators

Brad McRae

(McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2002)ISBN 0-07-089887-1 $24.99

Whether negotiating a multi-milliondollar contract, terms with a newsupplier, a raise with the boss, or yourchild’s allowance, everyone findsthemselves striking partnerships and“making deals” on a daily basis. In TheSeven Strategies of Master Negotiatorsauthor Brad McRae interviews 21 ofCanada’s top negotiators to gain insightinto their negotiating secrets. Combinedwith his own experience teachingthousands of people to negotiate, hepresents the seven key strategies that canmake you a master negotiator.

Dr. Brad McRae holds a PhD degreein counselling psychology from theUniversity of British Columbia and wastrained in negotiating and influencing atthe Harvard Project on Negotiation. Hehas been teaching negotiating for the past16 years in both the private and publicsectors on a worldwide basis. Currentlyon the faculty at St. Mary’s University, heis also president of McRae & AssociatesInc.

Seasoning Fever

Susan Kerslake

(The Porcupine’s Quill, 2002)ISBN 0-88984-234-5 $24.95

Hannah and Matthew eyed eachother as children, fell in love as youngadults, quit the deadened East andheaded West to homestead on theprairie. There’s a sod house, crops,cows, children, and passion in furrows.There’s women in daylight and in thedark of night, a man who loves Hannahand the horizon, and a man who loveshorses and pregnant women.Compared to Annie Proulx andCormac McCarthy, this long-awaitednovel serves up a Western epic withperceptiveness and innocence.

Born in Chicago, Susan Kerslakehas lived in Halifax since 1966. Herprevious books are Middlewatch,Penumbra, BlindDate, and Book ofFears, which was shortlisted for theGovernor General’s Award. For thepast 20 years, Susan has worked as avolunteer with children with cysticfibrosis. Seasoning Fever is her firstnovel in 12 years.


Downhill Chance

Donna Morrissey

(Penguin Books of Canada, 2002)ISBN 0-14301-227-4 $24.00

The world of Downhill Chance,familiar yet exotic, is a pair of utterlyremote outport communities in pre-Confederation Newfoundland. Set inthe bleak years during and after theSecond World War, the narrativerevolves around two families, theOsmonds and Gales, both burdened byscars, sorrows and secrets — terrible,unspeakable secrets. Morrissey blendsmelodrama, gritty realism and a flairfor the comic in this unique novel. Atits core is the unraveling of secrets —and the redemption the truth ultimatelybrings to the people who inhabit thesepages so memorably.

Donna Morrissey, the author ofaward-winning Kit’s Law, left herbirthplace The Beaches, a small outporton the west coast of Newfoundlandwhen she was 16. She lived in variousparts of Canada before returning to St.John’s, where she graduated fromMemorial University. She now lives inHalifax.

Three Hills Home

Alf Silver

(Nimbus, 2002)ISBN 1-55109-401-0 $19.95

In Acadia in the spring of 1755,Eulalie La Tour’s life seems placidlylaid out ahead of her — she will marrya young farmer and raise their children.At the same time, British CorporalCully Robin’s life also seems laid outahead of him — press ganged into theBritish Army as a teenager, his verysoul has been brutalized. He faces a lifein barracks or on the battlefield until heis killed or crippled or grows too old tomarch. When the Governor of NovaScotia expels the Acadians, Cullydeserts and escapes to the north withEulalie La Tour and her family. Andreis the only Acadian who knows that“Cully the tinker” is in fact a Britishsoldier. The story encompasses 8 yearsand a journey through the very differentlandscapes and societies in the coloniesfrom Massachusetts to Louisiana.

Alfred Silver is the author of TheRed River Trilogy, The Haunting ofMaddie Prue, and Acadia (which wonthe Thomas Raddal Atlantic FictionAward. He lives in a farmhouse in Ar-doise, Nova Scotia.

Le soufflé de mon père

Alain Raimbault(illustrations par Daniel Dumont)

(Soulières Editeur, 2002)ISBN 1-55109-384-7ISBN 2-92225-66-6$8.95

“S’il vous plâit, monsieur le chef,auriez-vous un restant de soufflé auhomard pour moi et ma petite famille?Nous avons faim.”

Le chef a répondu que non et qu’ilétait un peu tard pour venire dérangerles gens. Ce n’est pas grave. Si vousavez des oufs, du gruyère, du lait, dubeurre, de la farine, et un ou deuxhomards, je vais le préparer moi-même.Avant que le chef ne refuse, papa a prissa trompette et is joué un air connu. Lechef a craqué.”

Alain Raimbult a écrit cette histoirerocambolesque parce qu’il adore lesoufflé au homard. Et, comme il vit enNouvelle-Écosse, du homard, il entrouve facilement et à longueurd’année.

14 Eastword

n Racked –– members work appearingin the avalanche of journals, mags ande-signals crossing your editor’s deskinto the Fed Reference Library (open9:30 to 4:30 Monday through Fridayfor your edification and entertainment):winning poems from Betty Dobson inSol-Magazine (www.solmagazine.org)and in the Spring issue of 52%,published by The Womyn’s Centre atCarleton University in Ottawa. Bettyalso landed a contract in March with aNew England firm for creating wordtemplates and editing; Elaine IngallsHogg shared her secrets on becoming awriter at the Writers’ Weekly website(www.writersweeklycom/success/040302-03.html); “Silverfish Poem” byJoanne Merriam is slated for publica-tion in the Prairie Journal, followed by“Dandelion’’ in The Antigonish Reviewand yet another piece in White WallReview; Michelle Thomason has apiece appearing in June’s CanadianLiving; Dalhousie Review is enlivenedwith a new story from Ian Colford ;“Tails” by Tyne Brown appeared withillustrations by Ingrid Slyder inLadybug in April and Tyne’s lookingforward to seeing her work appear this

Who’s doing whatspring in Pockets and Dandelions;Wayne Forrester had an enabling lookat employers’ concerns about support-ing workers with disabilities in Abilitiesmagazine; Karin Cope provides poeticreport on “Who Hears the Voice ofGod” in The Antigonish Review, whereyou’ll also find Richard Cumyn andAnne Simpson in reviewing mode;Gaspereau Press’ The Devil’s WhimOccasional Chapbook series featuredGeorge Elliott Clarke’s AfricadianHistory: An Exhibition Catalogue. TheDW series is offered quarterly on asubscription basis from the press…andclosing a chapter…the final issue ofGaspereau Review - No. 16 - includedworks by poets G.E. Clarke, DeannaYoung and Brian Bartlett ; HiltonMcCully ’s work continues to appear inv: his poem “Bay B’y” was augmentedby an article titled “It’s the Bay B’y”and a short prose piece, ‘‘A Salute tothe Bay’’; Phil Moscovitch pondersthe perversity of puppets in the springissue of Canadian Screenwriter.

n Scholastic has just released theSwedish translation of Budge Wilson’sBreakdown, with Finnish, Italian and

German editions on the horizon, as is aRomanian translation of Oliver’s Wars.A new novel, Izzie: the Chistmas thatAlmost Wasn’t –– set on Nova Scotia’sSouth Shore during World War I –– isdue out in May as part of Penguin’sOur Canadian Girl series, and fall willbring us a new story collection aboutfamilies, Fractures.

n Avalon Books is set to release a newmystery from Lynn M. Turner ––Cutter’s Wake. When the lives of coastalfishermen intersect with the world of bigcity oil interests, and a child is missing,the suspense keeps building.

n After wrapping up an ambitiousspring festival of readings, the NewGlasgow Library lured the public withfresh events in April. Heather Pyrczintroduced her new collection of poems,Viaticum, in an evening of readings withanother poet, Pam MacLean. AndriaHill was also an April visitor readingfrom her book, Mona Parsons: FromPrivilege to Prison, From Nova Scotiato Nazi Europe. April closed with hautecouture: Kris Wood and Pat Wilson ofThe Frenchy’s Connection reading andproviding a Frenchy’s fashion show.Their book is headed into a 4th! printingand a US edition is projected under thetitle, What Goes Around, ComesAround.

n Heather Pyrcz continues on theroad, reading from Viaticum at Har-bourfront in June. She teams up withfellow Gaspereau poet, Deanna Young(Drunkard’’s Path) for a joint readingin Ottawa, before Deanna moves on tothe Art Bar Poetry Series in Toronto.

n Halifax author Thea Smith e-ed usfrom her travels in South America toalert us to the publication of her novel.She Let Herself Go (Thorndike Press) isa story of 49-year-old Ruth re-evaluat-ing her life and her relationship with her“straightlaced, predictable” husbandRichard. For an excerpt , visit Thea’swebsite at www.SheLetHerselfGo.com/.

n Kevin Toal also has a new book onthe horizon: Mobius Books, a brand

continued on page 15

n On March 20, the new Frog Hollow Books was jam-packed for the launch ofSue Goyette’s Lures. Earlier in the day, Sue (second from left) had joined PhilRoberts, Jeanette Lynes, Lindsay Marshall and David Woods, and their radioprops to celebrate Poetry Month. Sue won the CBC Radio Atlantic round of thepoetry competition which challenged poets to craft work based on “Love in theMaritimes … Toronto … Prairies …”


new small NS publishing company, isset to release his first collection ofshort stories in June. Mobius is alsohosting a contest for short stories in thesupernatural, horror, or science fictiongenres. Prizes include anthologypublication and US$. For details:www.mobiusbooks.com

n As the 250th anniversary of theHalifax Harbour ferry service approach-es, Joan Payzant is expanding on heracclaimed look at the subject, Like aWeaver’s Shuttle. Nimbus plans torelease an expanded new edition underthe title, We Love to Ride the Ferry.

n Ian Colford has been awarded aCanada Council Emerging Artists grantto work on his novel, The Story ofHector Tomas, which he sets in anunnamed Latin American countryemerging from repressive totalitarianrule.

n The 90th anniversary of the sinkingof the Titanic on April 15 has meant avery busy spring for Blair Beed. InApril, Blair was in England where hesigned his book, Titanic Victims inHalifax Graveyards, at the BritishTitanic Society Convention in South-hampton. On his return, he read at theMaritime Museum of the Atlanticbefore heading to Ottawa in May foranother book signing at the TitanicInternational Convention.

n Maxine Trottier ’s Under a Shoot-ing Star was among five Canadian YAbooks shortlisted for the GeoffreyBilson Award for Historical Fiction forYoung People. The winner of the$1,000 prize, administered by theCanadian Children’s Book Centre, wasannounced on Canada Book Day, onApril 23. Maxine’s By the StandingStones (Stoddart, 2001) has beenshortlisted for Ontario’s 2002 RedMaple Award.

n Donna Morrissey’s, DownhillChance, climbed to #7 on the AprilNew Releases’ Bestseller list. Donnaenchanted the crowd at a jampackedlaunch at the Lord Nelson, organizedby Frog Hollow Books. In April,Donna was featured on CBC Radio 1’s

This Morning reducing host ShelaghRogers to giggles. Later in the day, sheread at Harbourfront.

n Sheree Fitch’s “The MarvellousMagnificent Mellifluous Ms. Millicent-Librarian!” is one of six new “librarystories” by Canadian writers appearingin the Canada Book Day 2002 schoolbooklets being distributed to highschools and public libraries across thisvast country. Other contributors areBill Richardson, Eric Wilson, RochCarrier, Robert Munch, and Anita RauBadami.

n Saskatchewan has recently joinedthe parade of Children’s ChoiceAwards flourishing across this country:Budge Wilson (The Cat that Barked),Lesley Choyce (Carrie’s Crowd) andMaxine Trottier (Prairie Willow) areamong the writers included in theinaugural Saskatchewan Young Read-er’s Choice Awards — the Willows..

n George Elliott Clarke celebratedNational Poetry Month by visitingemerging poets in PEI and conductinga 2-day workshop entitled “Coming toVoice: Imagining Poetry”. George’sWhylah Falls was one of the five booksincluded in CBC radio’s literaryversion of Survivor –– Canada Reads.A panel of five prominent Canadiansmoderated by Mary Walsh discussedwhy their favourite book was the onewhich all Canadians should read. Atthe conclusion of a week, George foundhimself face to face with the ultimatewinner In The Skin of A Lion byMichael Ondaatje.

n New Brunswick applauded a paradeof Atlantic authors last month. LynnDavies and Brian Bartlett read inMiramichi, Moncton and Fredericton.Joe Blades, matt robinson, AnneSimpson, Sharon Gibson Palermo,and Carol Bruneau were amongdozens of Canadian and internationalauthors participating in The NorthropFrye Literary Festival in Moncton, heldfrom April 25 to 28. Lynn Davies alsotravelled to PEI in March to participatein the UPEI “Winter’s Tales AuthorsSeries”.

n Derek Bradford, a Halegoniansince October, helped celebrateUNESCO World Poetry Day on March21 by sharing some recent work at theBig Life Café. He also performed at arecent open mic at Hell’s Kitchen andwas featured in Neptune TheatreSchool’s production of Romeo andJuliet, touring NS high schools andperforming at the du Maurier Studio atthe end of April.

n And speaking of World Poetry Day:George Borden, Alain Raimbault , andSue MacLeod joined young poets ChrisBessey and Samantha Rideout atGovernment House where LieutenantGovernor Myra Freeman hosted theNova Scotia portion of Canada-widevice-regal celebrations of poetic licence.

n Université Ste-Anne invited LiseRobichaud to appear at their monthlyLes Causeries du mercredi where shespoke about her book on the life andlegend of Acadian “sorcerer” Cy àMateur.

n Joanne Jefferson’s becoming a verywelcome CBC radio voice: Outfrontaired her reminiscences of her grand-mother’s diaries in March; and Aprilfound her passionate voice speakingout in support of the N S Arts Council.

n Deb Hale is sweating to finish thefinal book of her current Harlequincontract before the outside temperatureclimbs and she can enjoy a morerelaxing summer. Bonny Bride has beenreleased in Germany, Italy, Holland,and Korea, while The Elusive Bride hasspread wings to Germany, Holland,Italy, and the US. Harlequin is reissu-ing Deb’s second novel, A Gentlemanof Substance, as a 2-in-1 with bestsell-ing author Elaine Coffman.

n Allan Lynch is enjoying internationalattention on a different plane. His mostrecent writing trips took him to Englandand Wales. After visiting the new 2002Commonwealth Games site in Manches-ter, he hopped on a Ferry ’cross theMersey and tested the Canadian-ownedWelsh golf club where the 2010 RyderCup will be held.


16 Eastword

n In addition to receiving one of thoselast, endangered NS Arts Councilgrants to work on a new manuscript,Julie Vandervoort learned that herpiece, “The Debit Slips” was one of thethree winners in the Long Grain ofTruth creative non-fiction category inGrain Magazine’s annual contest. mattrobinson joins her as one of thewinners of the prose poem with “f(x) –5th metacarpal; on seeing the x-ray ofyour broken hand”; and JeanetteLynes in the dramatic monologuecategory with “A Girl’s Prayer toGlenn Miller A.K.A. God”.

n Joyce Barkhouse’s novel Pit Ponycontinues to garner recognition andpraise. The television adaptation whichaired on the Encore Pay TelevisionNetwork south of the border receivedthree nominations for the 23rd YoungArtists Awards in Los Angeles.

n It’s swell that Darcy Rhyno, untilrecently Education Officer at the NovaScotia Arts Council, is able to savoursome good news these days –– Rose-way Press is set to release his firstcollection, Conductor of Waves.

n Virginia Hayden’s winning streakcontinues: Otello and Desdemona,which won the SOM ProductionsSpotlight: Playwrights 2002 interna-tional competition, was given a drama-tized stage reading at the end of April.At home, we’re all looking forward to afull production of her new play WellWomen which is scheduled for per-formance at Festival Antigonish,August 15 through 25.

n CBC’s Definitely not the Opera iscontinuing with Alf Silver’s fascinatingexploration of the men and women whohave changed the face of contemporarymusic –– ‘‘Rebel Angels of Song’’.Bessie Smith rolled April out in style,and we’re all looking forward to afitting June 1 close to DNTO’s seasonas Alf spends the hour, with MargaretIsaacs, discussing and listening to thewords and music of Robert Burns.

n Brad McRae launched his newbook, Seven Strategies of MasterNegotiators, at Pier 21 in April. Brad

enjoyed interviewing 21 of Canada’stop negotiators and presenting theirstrategies and negotiating secrets in thistimely new release from McGraw-HillRyerson.

n Shandi Mitchell’s Baba’s Houseaired on Global TV across the countryon March 26. Shandi wrote anddirected this half-hour drama focusingon 9-year-old Christina and herUkrainian grandmother.

n Uniformed members of the CanadianLegion were en guarde to help HattiePerry launch her latest book, Soldiersof the King, Vol. 1 (1914 –– 1918) atWilson’s Store in Barrington Passage.With characteristic verve, Hattie’salready hard at work on Volume 2.

n Lesley Choyce is flying high acrossthe country to appear at the NanaimoInternational Children’s Festival whererumour has it that he’ll be adapting hissurfboard maneuvres to be specialguest with a rollerblading rap groupfrom the Netherlands.

n Halifax Poet Laureate Sue Mac-Leod launched Poetry Month forHaligonians with a well attendedreading at the Spring Garden RoadLibrary –– an audience member evenmade a special request for a favouriteMacLeod poem. Sue received a specialcommendation from the Petra KenneyInternational Poetry Contest which isawarded annually in London, England.

n Don’t miss Steve Vernon weavinghis storytelling magic at the KeshenGoodman Library, May 3 at 10 a.m.; atSackville Public Library, May 23, 10a.m,. and at Spring Garden RoadLibrary on May 30, also at 10 a.m.

n March 20 marked the launch ofListen to Our Hearts, the secondedition of the Youth in Care Newsletter.The newsletter was a joint project ofthe Children’s Aid Society of Halifaxand the Youth Employability Project.With gentle guidance from facilitatorAndrew Safer who organized volun-teers from King’s School of Journalismand the NS College of Art and Design,12 young men and women met in Ma

Fed’s Reading Room over the past fewmonths to work on the project. Theresult of their Wednesday evening get-togethers is a professional lookingnewsletter featuring articles, interviewswith youth in metro’s group homes, andart, all submitted by this year’s partici-pants. Bravo!

n There’s been some drama in the livesof Kent Thompson and DouglasArthur Brown . Theatre PEI invitedKent to work with J.J. Steifeld’s TheFranz Kafka Therapy, which metamor-phosed into a complete staged readingby week’s end. Douglas spent a weekworking with students in Ingonish andwas adjudicator of the final theatrefestival.

New members

The Directors, members and staff ofWFNS are delighted to extend thewarmest welcome, or welcome back, tothe following members:Trevor J. Adams, HalifaxJanet Barlow, HalifaxMarcel Brooks, East PrestonJennifer Burnett, HalifaxTyla Burnett, WolfvilleAnne Camozzi, AntigonishGail Chester, Cornwallis ParkClaire Christie, HalifaxLinda Marie Coakley, YarmouthJill Cooper, HalifaxJodi DeLong, CanningMarilyn Anne Dickson, L.SackvilleFrancene Gillis, Port HoodMelanie Jasmine Grant, HalifaxKatie Guitton, HalifaxMarg Hemsworth, BedfordDon Linehan, PleasantvilleMarilyn Rose Graydon, DartmouthMary E. Knickle, LunenburgPeter Loveridge, GlenwoodStephen Lukas, Hammonds PlainsEllen Millard, TatamagoucheChristopher Mills, Ketch HarbourFaith Piccolo, HalifaxPhil Roberts, Annapolis RoyalCarol Sparkes, HalifaxMichelle Thomason, HalifaxHeather Van Loon, HalifaxGeanna A. Walker, Sandy CoveGillian Webster, HalifaxLinda A. Welsh, Rothesay, NBMarie Weeren, Halifax


The DigestEditing to win

“Editing to Win”, the national conference of the Editors’ Association of Cana-da, is scheduled for May 24-26 in Montreal. There’ll be 35 plenary and concurrentsessions in English and French. Topics include editing for traditional and new me-dia, author-editor relations, libel law, organizing how-to photography, and transla-tion as editing. For information email [email protected] or visitwww.editors.ca/conference 2002

Fine foodPatrons of Prince Edward Island’s Provincial Library Service are paying off

overdue fees with everything from cans of tuna to boxes of pasta over the next twomonths. During the second annual Food for Fees program, until May 31 Islanderswho donate a single food bank item get $2 off their library late charges. (The fooditem does not have to be worth $2). The program was launched last year after twolibrarians read about a similar program in the United States. The Island’s libraryservice only began charging for overdue items in 1998 and quickly noticed thatwhile they often got the book back, they didn’t always receive the late fee. It wasthought that the Food for Fees program would help reduce outstanding fees andsupport the food bank simultaneously.

PLR pays $9.6 millionA total of 13,269 Canadian writers, translators and illustrators received

payments amounting to more than $9.65 million from the Public Lending RightCommission (PLR) in March. The PLR Commission, set up in 1986, makespayments to Canadian authors for the presence of their books in public anduniversity libraries.

An additional amount of $1 million was provided to the PLR Commission’sbudget this year by the Canada Council for the Arts. This was part of the $25 mil-lion increase to the Council’s funding announced last May.

The Public Lending Right Commission, comprised of representatives of nation-al writers’, librarians’ and publishers’ associations, administers the PLR program.PLR payments are determined by sampling the holdings of a representativenumber of libraries. There is a per-author maximum each year –– this year, 414 au-thors received the maximum payment of $3,675. For more about the Commission,visit their website at www.plr-dpp.ca

A final peer at creativityShortly before the tragic disbandment of the Nova Scotia Arts Council by the

provincial government, the Council released a list of 48 artists who had succeededin finding support in the Professional Development, Creation, and Presentationprograms. Among the writers who saw success in their requests were:

Shandi Mitchell received support to enable her to attend the Banff Women inthe Director’s Chair Program. Eleonore Schönmaier will be attending the BanffCentre for the Arts Writing Studio where she may well run into Anne Simpson asshe attends “Playing the Wild Card: Undisciplined Thoughts on Wilderness”.Karin Cope has been given time to write a novel – Wonders Taken for Signs – atale of a modern day saint who goes awry, as has Jeannette Lynes whose novelwill look at inter-generational relationships between women, while Heidi Priesnitzwill be completing the first draft of A Darker Light which focuses on the story of ayoung photographer faced with a vision-destroying illness. Julie Vandervoort willbe working on a draft manuscript of linked stories.

Greenburg Fund forfilmmakers to option Cdnstories

The Harold Greenberg Fund has$300,000 a year to be dispersed as in-terest-free loans for filmmakers to op-tion Canadian stories. Eligible worksinclude Canadian novels, short stories,plays, and operas with a minimum 24-month option period.

“This will allow producers criticalupfront funding to cover 100% of theoptioning price,” says Wendy MacKei-gan, chair of the Harold GreenbergFund.

The Greenburg Fund provides pro-ducers with an interest-free loan to as-sist with cash flow in bidding for andholding film options. They may applyfor the full cost of the film option andoverhead expenses up to a maximum of20%,” says Lila Karim, HGF’s manag-er of script development and adminis-tration. There is no set amount perproject as the cost for each will vary.Loans are to be repaid on the first dayof principal photography

Over the course of 2002, the Fundwill have 5 deadlines for applicationsfor the story option phase – February18, April 22, June 24, August 26, andOctber 21.

Deadlines for the Fund’s script de-velopment program are July 4 and Oc-tober 3. There is no deadline for theFund’s equity investment program.Deadlines for the script developmentcomponent of the family film programis July 4 and October 3.

Applications are available from theHarold Greenburg Fund in Toronto –email [email protected] – and onits website.

For more information and applica-tion forms visit their website –www.themovienetwork.ca (click on“about us” then click on “industrylinks”).

Astral Media founder HaroldGreenburg created the fund in 1986 tofoster the development of Canadianfeature scripts; the money comes fromthe Astral-owned specialty channel,The Movie Network.

18 Eastword

Consider C.of W.by Mary Jane Copps

CONSIDER . . . the season. Summer is a time heralded by brochures and ad-vertisements as the perfect opportunity to “retreat” with our writing. ThroughoutNorth America and in Europe, the call resounds — “Come write with us”.

Last year, due to the diligence, foresight and just plain pig-headedness of GwenDavies, Nova Scotia added its voice to this call. Community of Writers, a 5-daywriting retreat at the Tatamagouche Centre, exceeded the expectations of lastyear’s participants:

“I don’t think I have ever attended a workshop that was so wellorganized and seamlessly run.”“Got more than I ever expected and learned more than I evercould have anticipated.”

Words like this certainly demand a return engagement. This year’s Communityof Writers takes place at the Tatamagouche Centre from Sunday, July 21st to Fri-day July 26th, with workshops in fiction, poetry and memoir.

Consider . . . the setting. Tatamagouche Centre has facilities for eating, sleep-ing, working, socializing, and exploring that make it the perfect spot to build Com-munity. Next to the property, the French River empties its tidal waves into Tatama-gouche Bay, passing under a foot bridge that forms part of the Trans Canada Trail.The Centre’s canoes are available for use, and a nearby kayak rental facility makesriver trips easy. The swimming is fine, too. The grounds of the Centre are beauti-fully maintained, including gardens, lawns, towering trees, and a field labyrinth formeditative walking.

Consider . . . the format. You may participate in Community of Writers in oneof two ways.

The Workshops (fiction, poetry, and memoirs), provide small groups in whichto discover your writing and/or advance your skills. Morning gatherings cover thebasics; afternoons are for writing; evenings are for talks, readings and more learn-ing. Instructors challenge, support and get you to the heart of your writing. Thecost for the workshops is $495, including room and board.

The Retreat is a smaller program for writers who wish to settle in the Commu-nity to write, write, write. It is the perfect opportunity to delve into your workwhile being supported by other writers. The cost for the retreat is $375, includingroom and board.

Consider . . . the leaders.Jeanette Lynes leads the poetry workshop. Her latest poetry collection is due

out in the spring of 2003. She is the recipient of the 2001 Bliss Carman PoetryAward, an associate editor of The Antigonish Review, and teaches Canadian litera-ture and creative writing at St. Francis Xavier University.

Phil Milner leads the memoir workshop. He is sought after on both sides of theborder for his journalism and creative non-fiction; he teaches writing, movies andAmerican literature at St. Francis Xavier University; and he is the author of TheYankee Professor’s Guide to Life in Nova Scotia.

Donna Morrissey leads the fiction workshop. Her best-selling, award-winningnovel, Kit’s Law, has been translated into Japanese, German and Dutch. Her twoscreenplays have won the Atlantic Film Scriptwriting Competition two years insuccession, with one of her scripts, Clothesline Patch, filmed and aired onCBC-TV. Her second novel, Downhill Chance, has just been released by Penguinand is hitting the top-10 charts across the country.

Consider . . . the facilitators. Visual artist Rose Adams, who also continues towin recognition for her poetry; photographer Margot Metcalfe, who maintains astrong commitment to the Tatamagouche Centre; and Gwen Davies, the creator of

this Community and a well-establishededitor, writer and teacher, all add theircreativity to the week’s success.

Consider . . . the Community —writers and artists coming together forsupport, challenge and high-spiritedfun. Arrive a day early, July 20th, andenjoy the local literary festival, Readby the Sea in nearby River John. TheCentre then invites you to stay the nightand be on site when the whole Commu-nity gathers for supper on July 21.

Accommodations, in one of threeresidences, are simple and comfortable.Program costs cover double occupancy.Some bursaries are available for theWorkshops.

Consider . . . joining the Communi-ty of Writers this summer!!! Call theCentre toll free at 1-800-218-2220 toregister, or on the local line (902) 657-3445. You can also email the Commu-nity at [email protected]. Ad-ditional information is also at the Cen-tre’s web site, www.tatacentre.ca (thenclick on “Community of Writers” onthe left-hand side of the page).

Magazine Writers & Editors1-on-1, July 26-28, Chicago

Having spoken to a number of Ca-nadian writers who have attended theMagazine Writers & Editors 1-on-1,this is the writing workshop and confer-ence Eastword’s editor dreams of at-tending. It is nirvana for a magazinewriter. Attendees in 2001 reportedlymade more than $93,300 U.S. as a re-sult of the conference, even in a downmarket.

This annual conference is a way forexperienced magazine freelancers tomeet in person with editors from select-ed magazines, hear what these editorswant from writers, and meet with someof them in private 10-minute sessions.

The eight publications attending in2002 are Reader’s Digest, Self,Cooking Light, National Geographic,Meredith Integrated Marketing,Continental Airlines, Profit, andModern Maturity.

Information and registration formsare available online atwww.magazinewriters.com.


Markets, etc.■■■■■ Pottersfield Portfolio makes a fewchanges:

Managing editor Douglas A. Brown andhis editorial team continue to makechanges to this Atlantic Canadian literaryinstitution, which is one of the best-looking magazines in the country. Itspages are now devoted entirely to writingand photography by Canadians. MaureenHull has joined the editorial team,sharing editing short fiction and creativenon-fiction with managing editor Brown.

Beginning with Volume 22, # 2, thePortfolio will publish 2 issues a year(Summer and Autumn) instead of 3. Thenumber of pages in each issue goes fromthe previous average of 56 pages to 96;therefore, the total number of pages willactually increase, from an average of 168pages to 192 pages. Poetry occupies 12pages per issue as opposed to 8. Bookreviews will remain at 15 per issue (withthe exception of the autumn issue, whichwill include reviews of all the booksshort-listed for the Richardson, Raddall,Brimer, Atlantic Poetry, DartmouthBook, Booksellers Choice, and CunardFirst Book Awards).

The deadline for fiction, poetry andphotography for the Autumn issue isAugust 30.

In consultation with WFNS, it willpublish the winning entries for poetry,short fiction, and novel (excerpt) in theAtlantic Writing Competition.

Douglas says, “Pottersfield Portfolio hasnoticed a steady increase over the past 3years in the number of fiction submissionsdealing with central themes of sexualabuse, family violence, and addiction.These same themes are reflected in storiespublished by other literary magazinesacross the country. Although importantissues, the sheer volume and sameness ofthese types of submissions are numbing.At times, I feel we are in the business ofcommunity services rather than literature.In an effort to encourage submissionsdealing with other themes, Portfolio willnot be publishing any fiction in the next 2

years where the theme is primarily one ofabuse, family violence or addiction. Theserestrictions have been added to oursubmission guidelines.”

Their book review policy has beenexpanded to include reviews of Atlanticauthored, published or themed books aslong as they are still in print, in the beliefthat books have a shelf life longer than theretail-driven “3-month window of sales”philosophy. We want our readers tounderstand that books published 5, 6 ormore years ago are as worthy of review asbooks released in the past 6 months.”

■■■■■ ZeD beta v0.1: (www.zed.cbc.ca)CBC TV has launched ZeD beta v0.1,the pilot phase of a new kind of latenight programming across the countryand on the Web. ZeD is a launch pad – aplace for performance, short films, freshideas and creative expression of allkinds. The idea is to create a space onCanada’s public TV network for theimagination of emerging filmmakers,musicians, writers, dancers, artists – andthe audience. Viewers will be able toparticipate by uploading their personalcreations and by posting commentary viadiscussion forums, chat rooms, email,and voice mail – any of which may endup in the broadcast. As much as possible,the content will be viewer driven, in abid to achieve what’s called “open-television”. ZeD will also showcasedramatic and documentary shortsacquired from independent producersacross the country. As well, contentproducers have been selected in variouscities nationwide to produce storiesabout the local arts scene and perform-ances by emerging talent. For info callRon Crocker, Regional Director AtlanticRegion CBC TV 902-420-4005.

■■■■■ What bugs you? Try the followingbugs published by Cricket MagazineGroup (www.cricketmag.com) PO Box300, Peru, Illinois, 61354. Sample copy ofmagazines available for $5 each – sendIRCs (International Postal Reply Couponsavailable at post offices) valued at US $5,no cheques or money orders. Do not queryfirst, send complete manuscript addressedto “Submissions Editor” of the specificmagazine, include SASE. Payment forfiction and non-fiction usually 25¢/word,$25 minimum. BABYBUG: A listening

and looking mag for infants and toddlers 6months to 2 yrs. Stories – very simple &concrete, 4 to 6 short sentences, max.Poems – rhythmic, rhyming, 8 lines max.Nonfiction – very basic words andconcepts, max 10 lines. Activities –parent-child interaction, 8 lines max.Rates vary, $25 minimum. Responds in 8to 10 weeks. LADYBUG: for youngchildren ages 2 to 6. Features originalstories and poems illustrated in fullcolour. Fiction – read-aloud stories,picture stories, original retelling of folkand fairy tales, multicultural stories, up to800 words. Rebuses – focus on concretenouns, length up to 250 words. Nonfiction– concepts, vocabulary, simple explana-tions of things in a young child’s world,up to 400 words. Poetry – up to 20 lines,rhythmic, rhyming, serious, humorous,active, $3/line, $25 min. LADYBUGPARENT’S COMPANION: an onlinepublication (www.ladybugforparents.comthen click on “parents”). Do not query,send complete manuscript and encloserésumé &/or statement of contributor’squalifications for writing on the topic,responds in 6 to 12 weeks. Articles – 700to 1,000 words on issues of concern toparents of children age 2 through 6;subscriber base is primarily upscale,educated parents who want to go beyondthe basics of child rearing; treatment ispractical, tone is conversational, butsuggestions must be based on a thorough,up-to-date understanding of child devel-opment. Payment: up to 25¢/word, $25min., rights vary. SPIDER: for childrenages 6 to 9. Stories, poems, articles.Fiction – 300 to 1,000 words; realisticfiction, easy-to-read stories, humoroustales, fantasy, folk & fairy tales, sciencefiction, fables, myths; Nonfiction – nature,animals, science, technology, environ-ment, foreign culture, history, 300 to 800words. Poetry – serious, humorous,nonsense rhymes, 20 lines max, pays up to$3/line. Other – recipes, crafts, puzzles,games, brainteasers, math and wordactivities, 1 to 4 pages. CRICKET: forreaders 9 to 14. Fiction – 200 to 2,000words (2-8 pages) realistic, contemporary,historical, humor, mysteries, fantasy,science fiction, folk tales, fairy tales,legends, myths; pays . Nonfiction – 200 to1,500 words (2-6 pages), biography,


20 Eastword

history, science, technology, naturalhistory, social science, archeology,architecture, geography, foreign culture,travel, adventure, sports. Poetry – serious,humorous, nonsense rhymes, 50 linesmax, pays up to $3/line. CICADA:bimonthly literary mag for teenagers andyoung adults. Short stories & poems.Sometimes purchases rights for excerptsfrom books yet to be published. Interestedin reprints. Fiction – up to 5,000 words;realistic, contemporary, historical fiction,adventure, humour, fantasy, sciencefiction; main protagonists should be 14 orolder; stories must have a genuine teensensibility and be aimed at readers in highschool or college. Novellas – runs one perissue, up to 15,000 words. Nonfiction –first-person experiences that are relevantand interesting to teenagers. Poetry –serious or humorous, rhymed or freeverse, up to 25 lines.

■■■■■ Maisonneuve magazine: DerekWebster, editor, 5726 Sherbrooke StreetWest, Suite 203-4, Montreal, QC H4A-1W8. “Publishes artifice (poetry, fiction,humour, novel excerpts) and artifact(essays, interviews, reviews), visual art...If Maisonneuve has an ‘intention,’ it is todissolve literary borders, to mingle thework of a new generation of youngartists with the older, distributing newCanadian and American writing acrossrespective borders. In design andeditorial standards, we’re harkening backto the Montreal of the 1940s and ’50s –at its best, an international, experimental,sophisticated place.”

■■■■■ Deconstruction Media: 2-140 KingSt. East Suite 310, Hamilton ON L8N1B2. ([email protected]) Anew small press in Hamilton, Ontario,seeks “progressive writers in the fields ofliterary fiction, poetry, political andphilosophical essays, and experimentalworks. . . . Our particular interest isshowcasing challenging work that maybe overlooked by the mainstreampublishing houses, and as such we arehappy to look at submissions from firsttime authors.”

■■■■■ Vallum, a journal of contemporarypoetry: PO Box 48003, Montreal, QCH2V 4S8. Inquiries only [email protected] – no emailsubmissions. Seeks poetry, essays on

poetry, concrete poems, book reviews,and artwork (b&w or colour). “Willconsider most styles, particularly workthat is edgy and well-crafted. Send 4-7unpublished poems. Sample copy $7.

■■■■■ All About Kids Publishing Inc.:6280 San Ignacio Ave., Suite C, SanJose, CA, 95119 USA. (www.aakp.com)Linda Guevara, editor. Nadine Rakvori-an, art director. Accepting manuscriptsfor board books and sample chapters ofchapter books. Send full manuscript forboard books. For chapter books first 3and final chapters. Looking for materialsuitable for children ages 2-10. Fiction –adventure, animal, concept, fantasy,folktales, humor, nature/environmental,multicultural. Non-fiction – animal,concept, history, multicultural, nature/environmental, special needs. Include acover letter, full manuscript, and infor-mation on your personal/professionalbackground. Send only 1 manuscript at atime. SASE for return of material.

■■■■■ Chase Park: David Horton, editor, POBox 9136, Oakland, California 94613-0136. A new poetry journal. Interested inconsidering poetry (1-7 poems at a time)from Canadian writers.

■■■■■ Lichen: The Editorial Board, 234 -701 Rossland Rd. E., Whitby, ON, L1N9K3. Email: [email protected]. Abi-annual literary journal. Seeks unpub-lished poetry, short fiction, play or novelexcerpts, review, essays, interviews, b&wphotography & art. Send an email forthemes of upcoming issues; for samplecopy send SASE.

■■■■■ The Contemporary Poetry Series:University of Georgia Press, 330Research Drive, Athens GA 30602-4901.Selects 4 books of poetry for publicationin this series each year. The Press isinterested both in encouraging emergingtalent and in helping to maintain poets inmid-career, so holds two separate roundsof manuscript selection: (1) Poets whohave never had a full-length book ofpoems published may submit manu-scripts during September each year.Chapbook publication does not disquali-fy a writer from this round of publica-tion, nor does publication of a book insome other genre. (2) Poets with at leastone full-length book publication with

any press should submit manuscriptsduring the month of January each year.Publication is open to writers of English,whether or not they are citizens of theUnited States. Poems included in themanuscripts may have been published injournals or anthologies. Collected orSelected Poems will also be consideredin the January selection period. Manu-scripts must be at least 50 pages inlength. $15 submission fee (makecheques payable to the University ofGeorgia Press). Manuscripts will not bereturned. The winning collections will bepublished in trade paperback editionsunder the terms of a standard Universityof Georgia Press contract.

■■■■■ Orion Afield: 195 Main Street, GreatBarrington, MA 01230. Email:[email protected]. Website:www.orionsociety.org. A quarterlymagazine for and about people whovalue nature and community. NamedBest New Magazine for 1998 by theUtne Reader’s Alternative Press Awards.“Highlighting grassroots iniatives thatprotect and honor human communitiesand the landscapes they inhabit, OrionAfield seeks news of groundbreakingprojects, of extraordinary individuals,conservation, restoration, and environ-mental justice success stories; as well asarticles on the struggles associated witheach of these kinds of work. Lookingbeyond straight journalism, we publishpersonal stories with heart and style, butseek articles that also have a stronginstructive dimension, giving readers asense for how a thing was accomplished.Authors of more reflective and philo-sophical material that explores therelationship between people and natureare encouraged to look at the guidelinesfor Orion magazine.” (See followingitem.) Each issue has a thematic centre-piece section that’s about one third of theissue. In addition each issue also hasfeature articles unrelated to the theme,along with a host of regular departments,media reviews and other short features.Manuscript length 1,200 –2,400 words.

■■■■■ Orion: 195 Main Street, GreatBarrington, MA 01230. Email:[email protected]. Website:www.orionsociety.org. A quarterlymagazine that explores the relationshipbetween people and nature, examines


human communities and how they fitinto the larger natural community.Publishes literary nonfiction, shortstories, interviews, poetry, reviews, andvisual images related to this exploration.“Orion is meant as a lively, personal,informative, and provocative dialogue.”Looks for compelling, reflective writingthat connects readers to important issuesby heightening awareness of theinterconnections between humans andnature. Generally does not select materialthat is academic or theoretical, ormaterial that’s overly journalistic oroverly topical. Welcomes literaryjournalism. Considers articles that havealready received a very limited orregional audience. Prefers to see com-pleted manuscript. Tries to respondwithin 2 months. Pays 10¢/word onpublication for special section, feature,and department articles; $100 per poemor review.

■■■■■ Mercator’s World, The Magazine ofMaps, Geography, and Discovery: 845Willamette St., Eugene, OR 97401. “Alively and informative magazine de-signed for students and enthusiasts ofcartography, geography, and the historyof exploration and discovery ... presentsprovocative and authoritative stories thatexamine the art, science, and history ofcartography, the evolution of geographi-cal concepts, and significant milestonesin exploring and discovering the earth’sterrain ... also focuses on how cartogra-phy has both reflected and influencedgeography and celebrates the avocationof map collecting through profiles ofcollectors and collections ...” Featurearticles 1,500–3,000 words. Fee $350–$500, based on quality and length. Queryfirst, clearly stating the subject andpremise of the proposed article, include aproposed lead, an outline of the majorpoints to be covered, and a list ofsuggested illustrations and their availab-lity; enclose samples of published workand a description of subject-matterexpertise. Send queries by surface mailto: Mercator’s World Query, 845 Wil-liamette St., Eugene, Oregon 97401 or byemail to Gary Turley, Managing Editor [email protected]

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Descant: PO Box 314 Stn P, Toronto,ON M5S 2S8 (www.descant.on.ca). Thisquarterly plans an issue on speculative

literature edited by Peter Darbyshire &Brian Panhuyzen (www.descant.on.ca/speclit). Deadline July 31; mark envelope“Descant Speculative Literature”.“Speculative Literature can be sciencefiction, fantasy, horror, or magic realism;an experiment with language; mythology;technology; rewriting the past. It can beanything that mixes some or all of these.It should be something that defies theconventions of reality and offers a newway of considering/constructing theworld.” Seeks “unpublished fiction(6,000 words max, prefers 3,000 or less),poetry (80 lines), art, photography, orsome previously undiscovered medium.”Do not send more than 2 stories, 6poems, or 10 images. Include SASE forreturn of mss. Will respond via email ife-address is included. Pays $100 uponpublication.

ContestsBlind judging – means writer’s namemust not appear on manuscript; include aseparate sheet with your name, address,phone number, email, and list of titlesentered.

The entry fee paid usually includes a 1-yrsubscription to the magazine sponsoringthe competition.

■■■■■ Davoren Hanna Poetry Competition2002: Deadline May 31. Sponsored byEason Bookshops (Ireland’s largest chainof bookstores) and The Muse Cafés.Named after the gifted young Dublinpoet who died in 1994. Prizes: 1st

$5,000; 2nd $2,000; 3rd $1,000. Open topublished and unpublished poets over theage of 18. Entry form, rules and guide-lines available at Eason Bookshopswebsite (www.eason.ie). No limit onnumber of poems entered. 50 lines perpoem max. Entry fee $7/poem, $16 for 3,and $4 per poem thereafter. Judges:Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy, and USPoet Laureate Billy Collins. PoetryCompetition, The Muse Café, EasonBookshop, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1,Ireland.

■■■■■ The Flannery O’connor Award ForShort Fiction: University of GeorgiaPress, 330 Research Dr., Athens, GA,30602-4901 USA. (Accepts collectionsof stories &/or novellas of 200 to 275pages. Deadline May 31 postmark. Two

winners receive US $1,000 and publica-tion by the press. Open to writers inEnglish, whether published or unpub-lished. Stories that have previouslyappeared in magazines or in anthologiesmay be included. Stories previouslypublished in a book-length collection ofthe author’s own work may not beincluded. Collections that include longstories or novellas are acceptable.Estimates the length of a novella to bebetween 50 and 150 pages. Novels orsingle novellas will not be considered.Manuscripts should be accompanied by alist of the author’s published work givingplace and date of publication. Allmanuscripts must be accompanied by a$20 submission fee.

■■■■■ Great Blue Heron Poetry Contest:The Antigonish Review, Box 5000, St.Francis Xavier University, AntigonishNS B2G 2W5 (www.antigonishreview.com). No email submissions. DeadlineJune 1 postmark. Entry fee $25. Totalentry not to exceed 4 pages. Maximum150 lines. Blind judging. Prizes: 1st $800and publication, 2nd $500 and publica-tion, 3rd $300 and publication.

■■■■■ Arc’s 7th annual Poem of the YearContest: PO Box 7368, Ottawa ON K1L8E4. (www.cyberus.ca/~arc.poetry)Deadline June 30 postmark. Entry fee$18 for 4 poems, 100 lines each max.Entries not returned. Only winners willbe notified by September 15. Prizes: 1st

$1,000; 2nd $750; 3rd $500. Winningpoems will be published in Winter 2002issue. 2 honorable mentions and up to 7Editor’s Choice poems also published.Authors and titles of the 50 final poemsposted on the Arc website.

■■■■■ 2003 Moondance International FilmFestival: Boulder, Colorado.(www.moondancefilmfestival.com)Deadline October 1, 2002. Details andentry and release forms available onwebsite. Entry fee varies according tocategory. Any genre is welcome, includ-ing comedy, romance, drama, action, etc.Competition categories: feature screen-plays; short screenplays; screenplays forchildren’s films; stage plays; shortstories; feature films; short films;children’s films; documentaries; anima-tion films; tv pilots; TV MOWS, libretti;musical fim scores; screenplays by 18-&-under filmmakers and writers.

22 Eastword

IBBYSylvia Gunnery

The International Board on Books forYoung People (IBBY) is a non-profit or-ganization which represents an internation-al network of people from all over theworld who are committed to bringingbooks and children together. IBBY wasfounded in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1953.Today, it is composed of more than 60 Na-tional Sections all over the world. IBBY-Canada was established in June, 1973.

IBBY’s mission is to promote international understanding through children’sbooks; to give children everywhere the opportunity to have access to books withhigh literary and artistic standards; to encourage the publication and distribution ofquality children’s books, especially in developing countries; to provide supportand training for those involved with children and children’s literature; and to stim-ulate research and scholarly works in the field of children’s literature.

Encouraging more Atlantic Canada IBBY members

In Atlantic Canada, there are many or-ganizations enthusiastically involved inthe world of children’s books: publishers,booksellers, libraries, and writers’ associa-tions. IBBY sent out information packagesin February to these regional businessesand associations, encouraging those whohad not yet joined IBBY to consider doingso. Some inquiries have been made and itis hoped that Atlantic Canada membershipwill increase as more people becomeaware of the importance of the work ofIBBY in Canada and internationally. Indi-viduals may also join IBBY. (IBBY can befound on the web at www.ibby.org. IBBY-Canada is at www.ibby-canada.org)

“Alligator Pie” on the East Coast

On International Children’s Book Day,April 2, at 8:45 a.m., Dennis Lee’s poem“Alligator Pie” was heard across CBC Radio 1’s regional airwaves on “Informa-tion Morning”, over bowls of cereal in Atlantic kitchens, and in early-morningclassrooms. This “good luck” message was enthusiastically dedicated to DennisLee, Canada’s author nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Canada’sother nominee was illustrator Michele Lemieux.

Anderson Winners 2002

Although our Canadian nominees were not selected for the 2002 Hans Chris-tian Andersen Awards, the celebrations of April 2 garnered unprecedented nationalattention for the awards and the impressive reputation that Canada’s children’sbooks have earned on the international stage. This year’s winners are writer Aidan

Chambers and illustrator QuentinBlake, both of the United Kingdom.Chambers’ writing shows a clear un-derstanding of the adolescent mind.There is suspense in each gripping sto-ryline with thoroughly real characters.Quentin Blake had been elected as theUK’s first Children’s Laureate. Hisoriginality and sense of humour, to-gether with his skill with line, coloursand movement have made him a belov-ed illustrator with wide internationalimpact.

The Fun of Reading

Also on April 2nd, Roch Carriereof the National Library of Canadalaunched The Fun of Reading: Interna-tional Forum on Canadian Children’sLiterature, which will take place in Ot-tawa on June 26-29, 2003. The purposeof the forum is to promote Canadianchildren’s literature in its full cultural,linguistic and regional diversity and tostrengthen the presence of this litera-ture in Canada and on the internationalstage. The forum will include an inter-national conference on Canadian chil-dren’s literature, as well as literary andartistic activities for young peopleacross Canada. More details are availa-ble on the National Library of Canadawebsite (www.ncl-bnc.ca/forum).

Russell Award

IBBY-Canada is pleased to an-nounce that Françoise Lepage, a lead-ing specialist in children’s literature inFrench Canada, is the recipient of theFrances E. Russell Award for outstand-ing research for a publishable work onCanadian children’s literature. The an-nual award comes with a grant of$1,000.

Mme. Lepage plans a comprehen-sive book on Paule Daveluy. For al-most half a century from 1958 to thepresent, Mme. Daveluy has played aprominent role in francophone chil-dren’s literature as an author, a transla-tor, and the founder of Communication-Jeunesse. Françoise Lepage’s study, tobe completed by the end of 2003, willbe a major contribution to the apprecia-tion of Canadian children’s literature.


Getting published is abusinessby Joan Hinz

I have been writing since childhood and still have two homemade books todemonstrate my early enthusiasm. My stapled pages of poems and how-to makecrafts, bound together with cardboard made me feel like an author. Eventually I gotmarried, and moved to a small town. I had studied Biological Sciences at NAIT(Northern Alberta Institute of Technology), and worked in my field for a while, butat that time permanent jobs were limited. I was fortunate to find a new career at aradio station. My sales skills got me in the door, but soon I was writing commer-cials and news. When my first child was born, I stayed home, and transferred myskills to writing a weekly newspaper column.

During this time, I read everything I could find about writing and publishing.Over and over the same words floated before me. Research the publishers. Ordertheir catalogues. Read their guidelines. Don’t submit without researching. Go tobookstores and see what’s popular. Talk to librarians.

When you live in a small town, research is not so easily achieved. We did nothave a bookstore. The library was not a complete resource. The local stores didnot have elaborate magazine sections. It seemed that by the time I wrote to a pub-lisher and requested all the required information, it would be quicker and moreeconomical to submit over and over, and sooner or later someone would buy mywork. I learned this approach only wasted time.

I joined a writers’ club, where I was under the false illusion that everyone wasmore published than I. This inspired me to write, write, write. I did not want to goto a meeting and say I had not written anything for 30 days. The club membersshared market information and I learned how others tackle the business of writing.

It also helped when Internet service became available. I was able to searchwriting markets, and discovered many publishers who put their guidelines and cat-alogues online.

Once I began to think of publishing in a business-like way, things started tohappen. My long-term goal was to be published in book format, but I started towrite features and news to gain more credibility.

It occurred to me if I had numerous clips, book publishers might take me moreseriously. Some publishers may hesitate before agreeing to take on a writer who isunaccustomed to the editing process. My clips prove I am a professional.

In the past I had written first, then tried to sell. Now I decided to sell first, andonly write after I had a commitment. I avoided the major prestigious magazineswhere the competition is intense. Instead I sought out smaller, lesser-known mar-kets that were more likely to buy the stories I could provide.

I trained myself to seek out and recognize what publishers are looking for, andsupply them with what they want. Soon I was writing for a variety of newspapers,and worked my way into the magazine market.

True I was working on newsy features instead of the fiction I wanted to sell,but it was all part of my plan to gain credibility. I knew I could write, but I neededclips to convince others.

Meanwhile, I discovered I enjoy the challenges and creative aspects of newsand feature writing. Being edited helped hone my skills. Deadlines forced me towrite on a regular basis and develop consistent work habits.

Three years ago I saw a listing under WestWord’s market listing that statedWhitecap Books in Vancouver was looking for children’s nature books. This

sounded like the perfect project for me.My specialty at NAIT was ecology andI love children’s books.

I decided to follow the rules. Iwrote to the publisher and requestedguidelines and a catalog. When itarrived, I studied it carefully to seewhat types of books were favoured. Irealized how narrow a publisher’s areaof interest can be, and focused myquery letter to suit their needs. My firstquery was a proposal for a children’sbook about deer. I included writingsamples and a biography of mypublishing credits.

When the response came, it was “agood reject letter.” My idea wasdeclined because a similar book wasalready under discussion, but theresponse included personal commentsabout my writing sample. I was thrilled.All the books on writing had preparedme well. If you get a personalcomment, immediately resubmit withanother idea.

In my second query I thanked thepublisher for her comments. I wantedto jog her memory of encouraging mywriting. This time I suggested a chil-dren’s astronomy book called Dot toDot in the Sky. It would be a blend offacts and storytelling, including themyths behind the stars and how to lo-cate constellations. I pointed out that asan amateur astronomer and teacher ofconstellation identification, I was anideal candidate to write this book. I ad-dressed marketing concerns by describ-ing the research I had done on other as-tronomy books, and how mine wouldbe different.

I avoid thinking about query lettersin circulation, and was taken off guardwhen a few months later a voice on thephone identified herself as a represent-ative of Whitecap Books.

A publisher called me on the tele-phone! Can you see where this is lead-ing? That first call came three yearsago, and Dot to Dot in the Sky is nowin bookstores in Canada and the U.S. Ihave been visiting schools and readingto children from my very first book.

24 Eastword

Private 2 bedroom apartmentin century home

on the shores of theLaHave River.

10 minutes from Lunenburg.

Weekly rentals.

902-766-0148

www.trellishouse.ca

Caught in the WebEschew the SASEby Joanne Merriam

New technologies are always accompanied by change, and the internet is noexception. It used to be a cardinal rule that one never, ever, ever forgot to include aself-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with one’s submissions. Electronic mailhas changed that.

Some publishers still want nothing to do with email, while others haveembraced it and no longer accept submissions by post. A few provide online formsthrough which a writer can submit their work. Most journals will now reply byemail even if they maintain a strict policy against electronic submissions. When indoubt, check their guidelines — on their website, of course.

Below are some of the print markets which no longer require the once essentialSASE:

Stand Magazine: based at Leeds University, (www.people.vcu.edu/~dlatane/stand.html) pays around £20 per page. Send submissions by post, but dispensewith International Reply Coupons by including your e-mail address for their reply,and specifying that your manuscript is disposable.

The Cortland Review (www.cortlandreview.com) provides an onlinesubmission form; be aware that they request world rights in a variety of media. TheCortland Review publishes poetry, fiction, essays, reviews.

Glimmer Train (www.glimmertrainpress.com) provides an online submissionform and password-based tracking system, replies by e-mail, and pays up toUS $500 per piece.

Broken Pencil (www.brokenpencil.com)Canadian Literature (www.canlit.ca)The following all accept emailed submissions:Conversely (www.conversely.com)Edinburgh Review (www.ed.ac.uk/englit/edinburghreview/ERS_Index.html)StoryQuarterly (http://storyquarterly.com)The New Yorker (www.newyorker.com) now only accepts e-mailed

submissions.Happy surfing!

In becoming a published author, Igive full credit to:

1. Seeking out smaller marketsto get my foot in the door.

2. Building credits to show I ama professional writer.

3. Tailoring my query to suit thepublisher’s needs.

4. Finding markets by network-ing with other writers.

5. Persistently following mydream and not letting rejection stop me.

There are many different types ofwriting, each one pleasurable for differ-ent reasons. If you want your writing tobe enjoyed by a larger audience, con-sider approaching getting published asa business.

This article first appeared in West-Word, Magazine of the Writers Guildof Alberta. Joan Hinz lived in Athabas-ca when she first tackled the businessof freelance writing. She now lives onan acreage west of Edmonton, and hascontributed to numerous newspapers,magazines, web sites, and CBC Radio.

The Elinore & LouSiminovitch Prize inTheatre

In 2002, the $100,000 Elinore &Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre willbe awarded to a professional Canadianplaywright in mid-career who, througha body of work, has made a significantcontribution to theatre in Canada. Lastyear, its inaugural year, the Prize wasawarded to a Canadian director. Nextyear, it will be awarded to a Canadiandesigner.

The prestigious award – at$100,000, the largest theatre prize inCanada – is divided between the win-ner and a protégé, with $75,000 goingto the winner and $25,000 to the pro-tégé. The Prize honours the men andwomen whose personal style and artis-tic approach, in terms of craft, vision,technique, interests or collaborators,have made a mark on Canadian theatre.Deadline for nominations May 31. Thenomination form and detailed informa-tion is available on the web(www.siminovitchprize.com).

Atlantic Book Week May 18–25 · 2018-07-15 · Atlantic Book Week May 18–25 March winds and...

Documents

Transcript of Atlantic Book Week May 18–25 · 2018-07-15 · Atlantic Book Week May 18–25 March winds and...