The Federation of BC Writers Electronic Bulletin
September 18, 2008

“Writing, I think, is not apart from living. Writing is a kind of double living. The writer
experiences everything twice. Once in reality and once in the mirror which waits
always before or behind.” ~ Catherine Drinker Bowen, Atlantic, December 1957

In this issue of the e-bulletin

FED Workshop
FBCW Board Positions
Word on the Street Vancouver
WordWorks Mailing List
Fed Reception for Caitlin Press
Wordstorm Reading Series

Opportunities & Contests
~ Four and Twenty Accepting Submissions
~ VIWF 10th Annual Poetry & Short Story Contest
~ RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers
~ Canadian Parlimentary Poet Laureate

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FED Workshop
We have four seats remaining in the Fed workshop, The View From Here: The Power of
Point of View in Fiction (and Nonfiction), presented by Lois J. Peterson taking place on
Saturday, October 11, 1 to 5 pm at the Alliance for Arts, Suite 100 – 938 Howe Street,
Vancouver. Cost: $65 ($75 for non-members). To register, contact the Fed office at
bc*******@sh**.ca

The View From Here : The Power of Point of View in Fiction (and Nonfiction)
Good control of point of view in short and long fiction, for adults and children (and in nonfiction,
too!) can determine how compelling your story is, how well you get and keep the reader’s
attention, and if you manage to get your point across successfully. This workshop for emerging
and experienced writers in all genres will include discussion, examples, and lots of writing
exercises to help you get a handle on this slippery element of craft.

Popular workshop presenter Lois Peterson is the author of 101 – and More – Writing
Exercises to Get You Started & Keep You Going (Metta Publications), and the children’s
novel Meeting Miss 405 (Orca Book Publishers, October 2008). More information at her
website: www.lpwordsolutions.com

FBCW Board Positions
The Federation of BC Writers would like to invite candidates for two available positions on our
board for 2008/2009: Vice President and Treasurer. For more information, contact FBCW
president Sylvia Taylor at wo***@sy**********.ca

Word On The Street Vancouver
Vancouver’s favourite celebration of reading is back for its 14th year with another jam-packed
day of author readings, exhibits, performances and all-round literary mayhem. A number of
FED members will be presenting readings and participating in panel discussions and literary
events: Norma Charles, Garry Gottfriedson, Heather Haley, Zoe Landale, Mark
Leiren-Young, Adrienne Mason, William (Bill) New and Howard White. Howard will
be reading his piece, “How We Imagine Ourselves,” published in the Fed’s new anthology,
Imagining British Columbia (Anvil, 2008). Copies of the anthology will be available at the FED
booth–please join us at 4:30 for readings by our Literary Writes winners in the Authors Tent.
For a full listing of authors and events, check out the WOTS website:
http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/vancouver/home.asp

WordWorks Mailing List
Last call to send in notice of address changes! If you’ve moved recently, please send your new
contact information, including telephone number, to our membership coordinator Barbara
Coleman at FB**@sh**.ca

Fed Reception for Caitlin Press
The Federation of BC Writers will host a reception for publisher Vici Johnstone of Caitlin
Press. Organized by North Regional Representative Hilary Crowley, the event will take place
on Saturday, September 20, 7 to 10 pm, at Books & Co. in Prince George. Free admission.
To RSVP, contact Hilary at hc******@ma*****.com or phone 250–832-3028.

WordStorm Reading Series
Island regional rep David Fraser and Cindy Shantz’s monthly reading series, WordStorm
http://www.wordstorm.ca/ has become one of the most successful reading series on the
Island. Readers are booked a year in advance and events are well attended. Check out the
website to view the photo galleries and reading schedule.

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Four and Twenty Accepting Submissions
Deadline is October 3, 2008.
Four and Twenty is an online poetry journal that publishes the shortest of short form poetry.
They are now accepting submissions for its Fall 2008 edition. The guidelines are simple. All
poems must be four lines or less, containing a maximum of twenty words. There is no set theme
for the journal; however, all submissions will be judged on their ability to create a vivid picture,
evoke an emotional response, or use creative wordplay. No previously published poems will be
accepted. For a full description of submission guidelines, including author rights and permissions,
or to view the current edition of the journal, please visit www.4and20poetry.com. Please e-mail
a maximum of five submissions to 4a****@de****************.com .

VIWF 10th Annual Poetry & Short Story Contest
Submit your finest prose and poetry to the tenth annual Writers Festival Poetry & Short Story
Contest, presented by the Vancouver International Writers Festival. Now in its 21st year, the
Writers Festival celebrates a world of words each October on Granville Island. The contest
deadline is 5 pm, October 26, the last day of the 2008 Vancouver International Writers &
Readers Festival. Entries may be dropped off at Book Warehouse locations, or delivered by hand
or mail to the Writers Festival office. Entries will be judged by professionals in the writing and
publishing industries. Winners will be announced by January 12, 2009. Full guidelines and prize
information: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/news/writingcontest08

RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers
Deadline is October 31, 2008.
This annual award of $5,000 is given to a writer who is a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant,
under the age of 35, unpublished in book form and without a book contract, but whose literary
work must have appeared in at least one independently edited magazine or anthology. For more
information, visit http://www.writerstrust.com/programs_apa_bronwenwallace.html

Canadian Parlimentary Poet Laureate
The Parliament of Canada has issued a call for nominations for the position of Parlimentary
Poet Laureate. Your mission: to promote the importance and value of poetry among all
Canadians. Terms of engagement: April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011. Declare your interest
by September 30, 2008. In order to give equal representation to Canada’s two official
languages, Poets Laureate are selected alternately from each official language community.
For the 2009-2011 term, a French-speaking Poet will be selected. For detailed information
about the nomination process, please refer to www.parl.gc.ca/poet , or contact the Parliament
of Canada Information Service at 1-866-599-4999.

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From the desk of
Fernanda Viveiros, Executive Director
Federation of BC Writers
604-683-2057
bc*******@sh**.ca