The Federation of BC Writers Electronic Bulletin
June 19, 2008

In this issue of our e-bulletin

Literary Writes Reminder!
Federation Workshop with Betsy Warland
Trade Magazine Writers Symposium
The Symposium of the Book
Victoria School of Writing Workshops
Call for Poets–Montreal Poetry Festival
This Magazine’s Great Canadian Literary Hunt
Canadian Aid Literary Award Contest
WordWrights Canada

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Literary Writes Reminder!
20th Annual Literary Writes Competition
Judge: Pauline Holdstock
This Year’s Category: Short Fiction, any genre
(literary, mystery, romance, speculative or science fiction)
Deadline: July 1, 2008
First Prize: $500 and publication in WordWorks
Second Prize: $300
Third Prize: $150
Submission guidelines: http://www.bcwriters.com/literary.php

Federation Workshop with Betsy Warland
The June 28th memoir workshop with Betsy Warland is now fully booked but we are
accepting two more on our waiting list in case of last-minute cancellations. Please
email the Federation office at bc*******@sh**.ca for a registration form.

Trade Magazine Writers Symposium
The Federation is pleased to partner with the BC Association of Magazine Publishers
on a professional development event taking place in Vancouver at SFU Harbour Centre
on July 28. The Trade Magazine Writers Symposium will bring together trade magazine
publishers, editors and writers for an informative afternoon of panel discussions and
sessions. Federation members can attend the event at no charge. Please register in
advance. Call 604-688-1175 or email pr******@bc***.ca

SFU’s Symposium on the Book
At the Symposium on the Book (taking place at SFU Harbour Centre, July 12), crime
writing aficionados and literary fiction connoisseurs alike will be stimulated and engaged
in this year’s symposium as ten of Canada’s top experts on all aspects of crime writing and
publishing delve deep not only into the techniques and mechanics of writing crime, but into
the role and place of genre writing in Canada. Tickets are $75 and includes six books (one
from each author). For info, go to http://www.ccsp.sfu.ca/pubworks/symposium+book.html.
Register today by calling 778 782 5241 or email pu******@sf*.ca

Victoria School of Writing Workshops
TIME IS RUNNING OUT to register in the 13th annual Victoria School of Writing’s Summer
Intensive! Don’t delay. Call us at 250-595-3000 or email co***@vi*********************.org
Contact us to reserve your spot, now! Susan Stenson’s poetry workshop is full, and only a
few workshop spaces remain in:

Steven Galloway’s Fiction and Truth: “Fiction writers strive for ‘Truthiness’. If we have
to tell a few lies to get to the honesty of humanity that is at the cornerstone of fiction, so
be it.” Galloway, celebrated as a writer’s writer, author of The Cellist of Sarajevo, recently
sold foreign rights to 18 countries for an advance of almost $1 million dollars. He teaches
Creative Writing at UBC.

Rita Moir’s Writing Deeply: Creative Non-fiction: “A natural for journalists wanting to
go deeper than “she said,” “he said,” and for any writer wanting to blend the genres.”
Moir worked for years as a reporter and as a documentary writer. She writes and publishes
in many genres, and has won many esteemed awards for her works that successfully “merge
the personal and political.”

Curtis Gillespie’s Why Memoir?: “Memoir is fundamentally a narrative approach, and the
focus of the workshop will be on ways to best make the material serve the larger themes
and purposes of the work.” Gillespie has published four books, including the memoir
Playing Through. His most recent book is the novel, Crown Shyness.

Kathy Page’s The Lovely Hybrid: Jackie Kay says, the short story “is a lovely hybrid, a
cross between a poem and a novel. It catches people at crucial moments of their lives
and snaps them… allows us, in a short space of time, to understand huge things.” Her
collection of stories, As in Music, will be reissued this year by Phoenix Books. She is
also a novelist: Alphabet was short listed for a Governor General’s award in 2005, and
The Story of My Face was long-listed for the Orange Prize in 2002.

To register go to vswblog.wordpress.com to download a form. Email us at co***@vi*********************.org or call 250-595-3000. Fed Members have a
discounted tuition of $555 (regular rate $635).

Call for Poets–Montreal Poetry Festival
The Montreal Public Poetry Festival is now accepting applications from poets to participate
in this year’s event entitled “Pure Lines” scheduled for September 26 to 28. The festival
follows a “fringe” format and is being organized by Public Poetry/Poesie Pulique. Deadline
for applications is Friday, August 29. For info, go to www.publicpoetry.wordpress.com.
To receive an application form, send an email to pu**********@gm***.com and include the
words “application form” in the subject line.

This Magazine’s Great Canadian Literary Hunt
Don’t forget that the deadline for This Magazine’s Great Canadian Literary hunt is only two
weeks away! Power up your laptops, typewriters and pencil sharpeners to produce the best
original and unpublished fiction and poetry that this 12-years-running contest has ever seen.
If you get it in by the July 2nd deadline, you’ll be in the running for a $750 grand prize, not to
mention the chance to have your work reviewed by some of Canada’s top editors, publishers
and writers. You’ll also receive a one-year This Mag subscription with your entry fee, so you
can keep up to date on Canadian journalism and fiction. Full contest rules can be found here:
http://thismagazine.ca/contests/lithunt/index.php

Canadian Aid Literary Award Contest
www.canadianaid.com
Deadline: September 15, 2008.
Submit your fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry or children’s book manuscript not previously
published as a printed book. The winning author will receive a Trade Book Publishing contract
with the contest sponsor BookLand Press. Blind judging in effect. $45 entry fee per manuscript,
multiple entries allowed. Please see website for details.

WordWrights Canada
Ever wondered how other Canadian writers work and feel about their artistic lot? WordWrights
Canada has developed a set of annotated links to books of essays, memoirs and interviews,
“Canadian Poets and Fiction Writers on Their Art and Writing Life” at
http://www3.sympatico.ca/susanio/WWClinks.html

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Federation Vox is compiled by Fernanda Viveiros, Executive Director of the Federation
of British Columbia Writers. Established in 1976, the Federation of British Columbia Writers
is BC’s largest writers organization, serving over 650 organizational and individual members
throughout the province. For information on the Federation, please visit our website at
http://www.bcwriters.com/