Winter 2019 - WordWorks

BRITISH COLUMBIA’S MAGAZINE FOR WRITERS

FEDERATION BC WRITERS

WINTER 2019 $6.95

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May 10th - 12th, 2019

on the

Lake

Writers’ Festival

Prestige Harbourfront Resort Salmon Arm, BC

Whatever level of writer you may be, you’ll want to be part of this inspiring weekend on the shores of spectacular Shuswap Lake Presenters: Anthony Dalton

Nancy Bell

Kat Montagu

Judy Millar

Jonas Saul

Bill Stenson

Linda Kidder

Gail Bowen

Brenda Baker

Robert Mackwood

Julie Flett

Check website for updates

Expect to be encouraged, informed and thoroughly entertained.

Find out what these published authors and industry professionals can do for you.

Register at: www.wordonthelakewritersfestival.com

CONTENTS 04

From the Editor

05

The President's Pen

06

Members' Corner

Barb Drozdowich

07

What are the Most Popular Social Media Channels for Authors?

Coranne Creswell

10

How I Choose to Hibernate: Untethering

Barbara Black

11

Writing Retreats

Ariana Townsend

15

Bury Me

16

FBCW Faces

Chelsea Comeau

17

Hibernation

Bill Engleson

18

Inside the Ormsby Review. . . From the Outside A Personal Reflection

Judy LeBlanc

20

Building a Reading Series in the Hinterlands

Katelyn Foote

22

Why Every Main Character Needs a Gay Best Friend

Valorie Lennox

24

One Letter at a Time: The Rise of Artisan Letterpress

Ben Nuttall-Smith

28

Passing the Torch

29

Launched

WORDWORKS IS PROVIDED FREE, TRIANNUALLY, TO MEMBERS OF THE FEDERATION OF BC WRITERS. IT IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE & IN BC LIBRARIES, SCHOOLS, AND HISTORICAL SOCIETIES. WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. TO JOIN THE FBCW, GO TO BCWRITERS.CA

Winter 2019 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Page 1

CONTRIBUTORS ARIANA TOWNSEND

Currently studying English through BYU-Idaho, Ariana has previously studied creative writing with the University of Alberta. She lives in northern Alberta where her physical and emotional winters are often long and difficult.

BILL ENGLESON

Bill Engleson is a Denman Island author. He self-published his first novel, Like a Child to Home in 2013. Silver Bow Publishing released his second book, a collection of humorous literary essays titled Confessions of an Inadvertently Gentrifying Soul, in 2016. In addition to writing flash fiction, essays, poetry, reviews, and occasional letters to the editor, he is working on several larger projects including a prequel to his first novel entitled Drawn Towards the Sun. His website/blog is engleson.ca

BARB DROZDOWICH

Social Media and Wordpress Consultant Barb Drozdowich has taught in colleges, universities and in the banking industry. More recently, she brings her 15+ years of teaching experience and a deep love of books to help authors develop the social media platform needed to succeed in today’s fast evolving publishing world. She delights in taking technical subjects and making them understandable by the average person. She owns Bakerview Consulting and manages the popular blog, Sugarbeat’s Books, where she talks about Romance novels. She is the author of 18 books, over 50 YouTube videos, an online Goodreads course and an online WordPress course, all focused on helping authors and bloggers. Barb lives in the mountains of British Columbia with her family. She can be found on her author blog (barbdrozdowich.com) or business blog (bakerviewconsulting.com) as well as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

VALORIE LENNOX

Valorie Lennox is a Nanaimo-based writer, self-confessed nerd, graphic designer, and web developer. She was a journalist for 20 years, working on newspapers and magazines and picking up regional and national awards for articles/editorials. Recognizing that print journalism was a sunset industry, she switched to technical writing and then earned a diploma in web development. For the past 17 years she has worked online and in corporate communications. Her interests include history, calligraphy, and letterpress printing, so she was delighted to dive into a series on the history of print, from Gutenberg to current boutique and artisanal print shops. Her chief weakness is Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties), who have trained her in a variety of dog sports.

CHELSEA COMEAU

Chelsea Comeau is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in Quills, CV2, and The Maynard. In 2015 she was the Canadian winner of the Leaf Press chapbook contest.

She was also the 2017 artist-in-residence at New Westminster's Anvil Centre.

TRISH SHWART: COVER ARTIST Trish Shwart is a graduate from the University of Manitoba and the Emily Carr College of Art. For several years she worked on interior architecture projects and that experience with “place” continues to be important in her art practice.

In her work Trish tries to reflect the way in which contemporary life registers within our mood and consciousness. How the overlapping of moments and meanings create connections within our minds and bodies that shift our understanding of the ordinary. How we develop a momentary sense of recognition, a feeling of being “in” something.

A Pacific Northwest artist with an interest in yoga, Trish lives with the hope that one day she will hold a headstand for a full minute. trishshwart.com

Page 2 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Winter 2019

JUDY LEBLANC

Judy LeBlanc is a writer from Fanny Bay on Vancouver Island. She is a founding member and former artistic director of the Fat Oyster Reading Series. She teaches writing at North Island College. Her short stories have been published in numerous literary journals. In 2015 she won the Islands Fiction contest and in 2012, she won the Antigonish Review’s Sheldon Currie Fiction contest and was longlisted for the CBC short story prize. The Promise of Water, her collection of short stories, was published by Oolichan Books and released in fall, 2017.

CORANNE CRESSWELL

Coranne Creswell is a graduate of The Writer's Studio. She is published in the Emerge 2016 anthology and recently had a poem accepted for an upcoming issue of CV2. A practicing polygamist of literary genres and visual arts she chronicles her travel adventures in her blog; Rumblebee Road: Roaming Free & Writing it Down.

Winter 2019 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Page 3

EMILY BOURKE

A resident of Vancouver Island, the natural splendour of her home has, and continues to inspire Emily's art. In addition to being a member of the Federation of BC Writers, she is also a member of the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators, as well as the Island Illustrators Society. Having honed her artistic practice in the Visual Arts major at Vancouver Island University, Emily subsequently began her career as an illustrator. Her most recent accomplishment is illustrating a series of four children's books as well as writing and illustrating for the FBCW magazine WordWorks. Through her illustrations, Emily focuses on telling stories that are within everyone. Stories that speak to young people, which help them to better understand themselves, and the world in which they are growing up.

KATELYN FOOTE

Katelyn Foote has spent her 28 years of life enjoying the beauty of Vancouver Island. Her fiancé frequently teases her about the size of her extensive library but despite that she can never bring herself to downsize. She has two cats at home that have recently taken up the hobby of yelling at her though closed doors. Despite the number of times it is explained to them that communication is more than just a battle of volume, they continue. At the end of the night though, they curl up with a good book together, and all is forgiven.

BEN NUTTALL-SMITH

Ben Nuttall-Smith is a Past President of the Federation of British Columbia Writers and member of The Writers’ Union of Canada. Publications include novels: Mad God of the Toltecs and Discovered in a Scream, (Rutherford Press 2017), poetry: Crescent Beach Reflections, (Rutherford Press 2017), an illustrated biography—Flying With White Eagle, (Rutherford Press 2016), and illustrated children’s books: Henry Hamster Esquire and Grandpa’s Homestead. Ben’s poems and short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and online publications including All That Uneasy Spring; Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine; Poemata Canadian Poetry Association; Royal City Poets, and more. Ben was the winner of The Surrey Board of Trade Special Achievement Award 2011 for work as a writer and for service to the writing community. He was also awarded an Honorary Life Membership by the Federation of British Columbia Writers, May 2013, “in recognition of extraordinary service and dedication to the ideal of Writers Helping Writers”.

BenNuttall-Smith.ca

BARBARA BLACK

Barbara Black recently won first prize in the 2018 Federation of BC Writers Literary Writes competition and was longlisted for the 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She was also awarded first prize in the 2017 Writers’ Union of Canada Short Prose Competition and was a fiction finalist in The Malahat Review 2017 Open Season Awards. Her writing has appeared in Prairie Fire, Freefall, CV2, and The New Quarterly. She lives in Victoria, BC, where she enjoys riding her new motorcycle. barbarablack.ca @barbarablackwriter #bblackwrites

WordWorks is a Publication of the Federation of BC Writers

#412 – 1641 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, BC, V7M 2J5 | bcwriters.ca © The Federation of British Columbia Writers 2019 All Rights Reserved

ISSN: 0843-1329

WordWorks is published three times a year FBCW MEMBERSHIP RATES Regular: $80/year | Senior: $45/year | Youth: $25/year

Hello, Writers,

I

want to take this opportunity to say goodbye. November 1st was my last day as the executive director of the Federation of BC Writers, and this will be my last issue as WordWorks editor. I've loved my time with the FBCW, and I will sincerely miss it.

This was my first position after graduation, and it’s been quite a unique experience. Just fourteen days after walking in a procession of black-gownclad graduates, I took the title of Communications Manager here at the FBCW. Only a few months later, I was promoted to Executive Director, a position that I did my best to live up to.

The past three years have had a tremendous impact on my life. I was able to spend my days chatting with fellow writers and creative professionals, giving advice, learning, and being able to read so much talented work.

It’s been an invaluable experience, and it has allowed me to connect with so many wonderful people.

Thank you all, for being so welcoming to me. As things are restructured here at the Federation of BC Writers, it’s time for me to take a moment, and to consider the next steps in my career. I'm not sure exactly where I will go from here, but I do know that my time here will be valuable to me as I move on.

I am determined to remain involved in the writing community, and in our organization, no matter what those next steps end up being. I wish you all the best, and am excited to see what happens in my own life, as well as the life of this wonderful organization.

FBCW BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Ann Graham Walker Co-Vice Presidents: Doni Eve & Adriane Giberson Treasurer: Janice Meeks Secretary: Sheilagh Simpson Regional Representatives: Chris Hancock Donaldson (Islands), Carine De Kock (Sunshine Coast), Norma Kerby (North), Keith Liggett (South East), Barbara Drozdowich (South West), Alex Boldizar (Greater Vancouver) Directors at Large: Emily Olsen, Jacqueline Carmichael, Cynthia Sharp, Luanne Armstrong ADVISORY COMMITTEE J.J. Lee, Steven Price, Esi Edugyan, Alan Twigg, Gail Anderson Dargatz, Ann Tenning, Betsy Warland WORDWORKS STAFF Managing Editor: Shaleeta Harrison Business Manager: Sherry Conly Visuals Editor: Chris Hancock Donaldson FBCW Board Advisor: Ann Graham Walker Editors: Doni Eve, Chelsea Comeau, Ellen Niemer, Jacqueline Carmichael, Barbara Pelman Cover Artist: Trish Shwart

Shaleeta Harrison

Submissions: Content of WordWorks Magazine is, with occasional exceptions, provided by members of the Federation of BC Writers. If you would like to write for WordWorks, please email editor@bcwriters.ca

Advertising: WordWorks is pleased to advertise services and products that are of genuine interest to writers.

For information about advertising policies and rates, see bcwriters.ca/WordWorks/advertisers or email Sherry Conly at business@bcwriters.ca

Page 4 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Winter 2019

ANN GRAHAM WALKER

D

ear Writers,

I’ve been looking forward to this opportunity to tell you about our 2019 Spring Writes Festival/AGM, May 3–5. We alternate this event between Vancouver Island and the Mainland, with our eight hundred FBCW members pretty evenly divided on either side of the Salish Sea. Just like 2017, we will be in Nanaimo again. Nanaimo is the most central spot on the Island and a transport hub that makes it easy to get there.

If you have not been to the Island before, plan to stay a few days. There is so much to enjoy. Even without straying far from downtown Nanaimo, you can take a little ten-minute ferry ride over to car-less Newcastle Island and spend the day hiking

Winter 2019 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Page 5

in gorgeous solitude. We might plan a writers’ hike over there for the Sunday. Be sure to sign up early for workshops and presentations when the event listings come alive on our website. There will be events led by Lorna Crozier, Yvonne Blomer, Trevor Carolan, Joanna Streetly, Jo-Anne McLean, Jan Drabek, Wendy Donawa, Jennifer Manuel, Rachel McMillen, Betsy Warland and Toronto publishing lawyer Warren Sheffer.

Please go to bcwriters.ca for more details.

There will be a publishing panel on Saturday that will tackle the whys and hows of publishing your book.

The theme of the festival is “Where Will My Words Take Me?” A good question, because every time you sit down to write you go on a journey. And every time you share what you’ve written, you change a little piece of the world. We are dedicating a section of our festival to a number of reconciliation workshops that are still in development, in close collaboration with Nanaimo area Indigenous partners we came together with during our work sponsoring The Elder Project (theelderproject.org) over the past two years. If you are curious to know more about this project or want to be part of it you can contact me directly. In any case, the work in development will unfold as part of the festival. It’s too early to say much more as I write this.

I so look forward to seeing you in Nanaimo, May 3–5! It’s going to be great, please don’t miss out! We are going to be sure to schedule in opportunities for an

open mic so please bring something short to share. The best part of a Spring Writes Festival/AGM is writers getting together.

Now I just want to say a few words about Shaleeta, who has been with us since August, 2015—first as WordWorks editor then as WordWorks editor, Executive Director and person in charge of just about everything, as our only staff person.

Shaleeta has personally helped so many of you, in so many ways, in her kind and friendly manner. She has brought light and joy to the Federation and played a really important role in helping to grow it and change it. Shaleeta is moving on now to new challenges but she is still a FBCW member, she is still here with us in different ways. Please join with me in thanking her for all the good energy she has given and in wishing her well in this next phase of her career. You can write to her at membership@bcwriters.ca.

Happy 2019 everyone! Please watch the Write On newsletter for developments as we receive news on grants we have applied for and are able to tell you about what that means for our member services.

Regards, Ann Graham Walker president@bcwriters.ca

SHALEETA HARRISON

* MEMBERSHIP@BCWRITERS.CA

TODAY'S TOPIC: THE NEW TRI-ANNUAL CONTEST STRUCTURE This section provides information about accessing and getting the most out of memberships. The topics are compiled from the most common problems and questions that we see. Let us know* if you'd like something specific tackled!

This issue, we're talking about our new tri-annual contest structure. You may not have noticed that our contests are happening more frequently, but they are! Instead of only one Literary Writes contest each year, we're adding two additional contests.

WHY THREE A YEAR? There are a few reasons.

First, we wanted more opportunities to recognize and award writers. Writers rely on recognition through publication and prizes to receive grants, and this recognition can also assist writers with receiving publication contracts.

Second, we wanted to utilize our subscription to our submission management portal, Submittable. We pay a yearly fee to have our online submission portal, and more contests will offset that fee for us.

ANY OTHER CHANGES? The only other change is that with this printing of the winners in each issue, we will be approving fewer unsolicited creative submissions, and encouraging people to submit to the contests, instead. We will still encourage unsolicited informative articles (read a couple of issues of WordWorks at issuu.com/fbcw to get an idea of what we look for), and hope readers will consider submitting an article, or sending an email about an idea they have.

We aren't banning creative submissions to WordWorks, but instead looking at the purpose of our magazine, and ensuring we are focused on our goals: assisting and informing writers in BC. CAN I SUBMIT TO YOUR CONTESTS? Yes! Please do. The FBCW accepts contest submissions from all Canadian writers, though gives a discount to writers who are also FBCW members. Visit fbcw.submittable.com to see our current open contest, "Who is the Other? Adult and Youth Poetry Contests."

Come back next issue, and email us* any time if you have questions or problems!

Finally, we wanted to match our new tri-annual WordWorks structure. With three contests a year, we can print and feature the winners in each issue of WordWorks.

Page 6 â—† WordWorks â—† Winter 2019

WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS FOR AUTHORS? BARB DROZDOWICH

S

ocial media… love it or hate it… is here to stay.

As an author, what information do you need to know to incorporate social media into your promotional ‘bag of tricks?’

In previous years, to sell a book, you went to your local coffee shop or bookstore, signed some books, and chatted with readers. The internet has now brought the world to our doorstep. We no longer focus our sales efforts locally, but cast our gaze internationally. Because of this we need to find a way to chat with people from elsewhere without getting on a plane.

One of the easiest ways to connect with people nationally or internationally is the internet—through blogs/websites and social media.

As I often remind authors, social media isn’t a place of selling, but it is a place of conversation—a place to connect with readers in a variety of ways.

“The Key To Social Media Is…Being Social” ~Eli Fennell In this article, we’re going to review three social media channels—talk about what they are, the demographics and what can or should be shared. Before we go much further we need to define hashtags. Hashtags are an important feature of several social media channels. They can be defined as “words or phrases that start with the number sign” —#AmWriting or #BookMarketingChat. Hashtags don’t have spaces but can have capital letters to help with clarity.

Including hashtags with the content you share on social media allows you to associate your content with established groups and on Twitter and Instagram, make your content searchable. There are rules or norms—one hashtag on a Facebook post, two to three on Twitter and ten or more on an Instagram post.

Twitter In my experience, people either love or hate Twitter. Perhaps this relates to whether one likes communicating using a relatively small number of words.

Initially it may be hard to imagine, but you can have a meaningful conversation with someone in 280 characters. I think of it as texting with the world. Unless you direct your message to one specific person, anyone can see your tweet—followers as well as the general public. As a result, anyone can join the conversation.

Twitter is not a sales platform. It is not the place for you to repeatedly send out

Winter 2019 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Page 7

“buy my book” links. Rather, it is the place to have conversations, to share information, and to find friends. If all you do is tell people to buy your books, two things will happen: 1. Your tweets will be ignored 2. People will wonder how good a writer you are when all you can say is some version of, “Buy my book” and hesitate, in fact, to buy your book.

In fact, Twitter has specific rules against sharing only “promotional” tweets— those which contain hyperlinks. You are expected to share “content” tweets that are simply a means of communication—no links, no hard sells.

What I find interesting about the people on Twitter is that they seem to span all ages. Currently, there are 1.3 billion accounts with about 320 million active Twitter users.

Although people of a wide variety of ages are represented on Twitter, most younger users consider Twitter to be “old school.” My teen wouldn’t be caught dead on Twitter!

You should be sharing content that relates to your brand. You are an author and your business is your books. In addition to sharing about your books/writing, share interests that you have assimilated into your brand.

The hashtag is what allows Twitter (and Instagram) to be so powerful. Tweets can be searched or categorized by hashtags. People can search hashtag topics that interest them. Some hashtags are more popular than others, and are referred to as trending. Ensure that your tweets contain at least one hashtag that is applicable to the content of the tweet. The hashtag #JustinBieber, if your content is not about the singer, might bring attention to your tweet, but not the right kind of attention.

Your tweet content can, and should, include a picture. Keep in mind that the brain processes pictures much faster than words. Because of this, it is possible to get your point across faster with a picture than with words.

Facebook Facebook has been part of our society for the last number of years. With 2.19 billion users, we assume that everyone is on Facebook.

Authors and other business owners actually need to open two Facebook accounts. They need to open a personal profile in their personal name (that’s the account people ‘friend’) and then they need to open a Page in their author name under the appropriate category— "author" not "book" (this is the account that is ‘liked’).

The primary reason for this is to comply with Facebook’s rules. Specifically, you can’t use your personal profile for profit. One could argue that if you haven’t actually published your book yet, you aren’t selling anything. True, but as the saying goes: “Start as you mean to go on.”

The second reason for opening an author page is the limits that Facebook puts in place. There is a limit of 5,000 friends for a personal profile/account. There is no limit to the number of people who can like a Page. Five thousand may seem like a huge number when you are first starting out, but it is a limit. If Facebook decides to enforce their rules on you, imagine trying to get all 5,000 "friends" to voluntarily move to your Page.

Back to numbers: in addition to the 2.19 billion users mentioned, half of all internet users who do not use Facebook themselves live with someone who does.

The 25 to 34 age range accounts for almost 30% of users; 76% of all Facebook users are female, and the average time spent logged on is 20 minutes per day.

You should be sharing content that fits with your branding (as discussed in

Page 8 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Winter 2019

the Twitter section). Although you can share material from your friends, you should be primarily sharing information that you created. Facebook determines what everyone will see according to an algorithm.

Play with the content on your page and see what resonates with your audience. Give them more of the things that they like. The more engagement you get, the more people will see what you’ve posted.

Instagram Instagram is primarily a mobile-based social media site. Although you can view an Instagram account on a laptop or desktop, the photos or videos must come from a mobile device through the app. Because of this, it isn’t available to those of you who haven’t taken the leap to a mobile device.

Since it is one of the places that younger readers can be found, if you specialize in fiction for the younger set, I suggest that you experiment with this social medium. Even if your audience is older, I think that Instagram is fun and worth the time to explore

as a way of sharing As of this writing, 400 million users are active monthly and over 80 million photos are uploaded daily. 32% of U.S. teens claim that Instagram is their favorite social network. It is estimated that 90% of Instagram users are younger than 35.

What to share? A cover of the book that you are reading, a beautiful sunset or your puppy/kitty are all good suggestions. There are also graphic apps that will take a book cover and add a caption to it along with a nice background and make it available to Instagram.

Each picture or short video that you share on Instagram can be accompanied by a description with hashtags. In fact, Instagram is the only place that I know of where littering your description with hashtags is considered acceptable. Like other places, see what resonates with your audience—measured in likes, shares and comments—and build on that!

I hope you learned a little bit from my brief descriptions of some of the most common social media channels available to us today. Let me know how you communicate with your readers!

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CORANNE CRESWELL

I

am on a sabbatical from incoming memes. Self-improvement gurus in folded origami lotus position meditate in their respective closed books on a shelf. The lists of things to do and steps to take towards the exalted states of economic, intellectual, spiritual and creative bliss have shuffled off to nap. They are well-meaning little dictators with promises and directions, not invited to this event.

Meanwhile, I float on an amniotic lake of time, in a nest of twigs and wool insulated from the thunder and whispers of expectation… just for now. Both great and humble things have room to happen.

Expectation is a distraction. Shirtless and bare-breasted in the sun, a straw hat to

shade my eyes and confident of the womb of privacy, my favourite pen scratches on paper like a chicken’s feet in the dirt, teasing out nuggets to peck at. There is birdsong in this yellowing time of year; a familiar cup and sleeping dog.

Back when I nurtured and protected two bodies and souls, busy with judging and forgiving myself for Kraft dinners, for being a one-person team of mother and father, and the lack of Christmas merriment-happy-ever-after that I felt compelled to deliver, I stole moments. I drank liberal amounts of whisky into the wee hours, pushed paint onto canvases while listening to beats and grooves so I could conjure a kind of wild madness that allowed me for a few hours to untether from the necessary domesticity.

Domesticity’s desperate madness is now eclipsed by hibernation’s wildness.

International Literary Representation Specialists in Canadian writing

I become cellular; a semi-permeable selective wall at one with my nucleus. Autonomic processes proceed. In the stillness of hibernation, I am on leave. Out of this I could grow a great bear of a poem and birth it wet and shaggy; a big bruin poem with carnivore teeth, voracious for life, hungry, ready to turn over rocks and eat spring berries or, deliver a waking snake of a memoir stored long in a cool cave sliding to the surface out of the quiet.

Hibernation; not a place but a state, is my reach into the quiet. It is the antithesis of and medicinal holistic remedy for a modern life of raves, rants, confessions, speculations, love and loss and likely a primordial tool of survival. New and shiny things have their place. Even the raven says so, but I imagine that in hibernation, floating untethered, that I glow a little differently and then noticed like a red flower by a hummingbird, that I catch the attention of a benevolent muse who sees my receptive willingness. It is my biggest motivation.

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BARBARA BLACK

P

icture yourself writing in a BC vineyard, in a cottage in the heart of Stockholm, or in a seaside village in Italy. How about an off-grid cabin in the Adirondacks?

These are just a few examples of retreats on offer all over the world.

All writers at some point feel the need to retreat.

From daily life, from distractions, from all the things that drain our creative energy (social media). Luckily, there are many unique retreats in our province, our country, and worldwide that open their doors to writers who seek space and time to create, reenergize, or reconnect with other writers.

RETREAT STYLES Ask yourself: what do I want from a retreat? Quiet time to regenerate? Time to meet with like-minded artists and learn new writing skills? Structured classes, or no structure?

To answer that question, consider why you're retreating. Are you retreating to complete a project or to generate new work? You know yourself and your writing practices. Will you be more focused and inspired in a solitary setting or in a social setting?

Loner? Try an unsupervised, no-host residency. Or an independent residency amongst other independent residents, such as the Leighton Colony at Banff Centre for the Arts. I just spent a week there. I sat in a boat in the woods (while it snowed!) for up to 10 hours a day reading, researching and generating new text for a collaborative art song project. At the end of my residency, I had created the required texts to advance the project. The isolation (yet proximity to the food outlets) was the ideal condition for Winter 2019 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Page 11

me to stay in a sustained state of creation. The residency was self-directed, with no instruction. The schedule was entirely up to me.

A lone retreat does not have to be a cabin in the woods. It could be an apartment in London or Lisbon in the midst of a culturally vibrant city where you write both at home and in area cafes, bookstores or libraries.

Are you half loner/half socialite? You might benefit from a group retreat with instruction and scheduled hours of alone and together time. A group setting often provides creative energy you may not be able to generate yourself, and with an exceptional instructor who can create an envelope of mutual trust, you may create work in group situations that you would never have when working alone. You also benefit from seeing the work of your fellow writers. And you get instant feedback.

If you’re a community-minded writer and seek inspiration from connecting with others, some retreats encourage attendees to live in community on site, cooking together and socializing. Other retreats have a community component built in to the program where retreatants are asked to contribute to the larger community during or at the end of the retreat by hosting a reading or other literary event. Some incorporate the retreatants into an arts-related festival that takes place during the retreat.

MEALS For larger retreats which provide meals, keep in mind that there may be set meal times (e.g. Banff has a dining room with set times, but also a café and bistro that are continuously open). Sometimes set meal times can interfere with

your creative work, but meals are also an opportunity to connect with other retreat writers. In a smaller setting you may have no choice. Some more casual settings allow you to cook your own meals in a private or shared kitchen.

LENGTH If you seek space and time for a large project, you may need more than a week or two. Many retreats are available for one to several months. Not a lot of spare time? It’s surprising how much you can gain from just a two- or three-day retreat. Just getting away from home and changing your setting often kick-starts the process.

ELIGIBILITY There are retreats for writers at all stages in their careers, from emerging to established. You may have to submit writing samples, a CV, references and a project description to apply. There may be an application fee, too. See Sources for listings that may help you find your ideal retreat.

SOURCES Subscribe to one of the many excellent writer newsletters or sites that often list retreats and residencies for Canada or other parts of the world. Some to consider include: For established Canadian writers: writerstrust.com/programs/residency-programs/ For emerging Canadian writers: dreamerswriting.com/creative/self-directed-writing-residencies/ For facilitated retreats: dreamerswriting.com/creative/facilitated-writing-retreats-canada/ Submishmash Weekly’s newsletter often lists retreats discover.submittable.com/blog/category/submishmash-weekly/ Aerogramme Writers’ Studio lists retreats on their site and in their newsletter occasionally aerogrammestudio.com/ Poets & Writers Magazine has an online database for over 300 writing retreats and also includes upcoming deadlines for these in its print magazine: pw.org/conferences_and_residencies The Beltway Quarterly also has an extensive list of artist re-

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treats and residencies all over the world: beltwaypoetry.com/resource/artist-residency-programs/ The Write Life suggests some retreats on its website: thewritelife.com/writing-residencies/ Once you get an idea what is on offer, you’ll be able to finetune your requirements.

COSTS Some programs require you to pay a fee for your stay and/or your meals. Others may offer free lodging and meals, or scholarships to offset costs. Yet others allow you to do some light work in exchange for lodging. There’s a whole range of pricing that can accommodate all budgets.

Winter 2019 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Page 13

GRANTS AND FINANCES Short on money? Apply for a grant, or stay locally and save travel costs.

Look up grants well in advance. Canada Council for the Arts and the BC Arts Council do offer grants for established and emerging writers in career advancement or mentorship, but, generally, you will only get funding for retreats which include instruction or a structured exchange with a recognized mentor with a demonstrated outcome.

Remember, as a writer, you deserve a break. Sometimes you need to recharge or retreat. And there are people out there who know this, who provide venues for this very need and who welcome and support you.

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THE WINNER OF THE 2018 "BC SHORT" CONTEST

ARIANA TOWNSEND

W

inter ambushes me. Muddied grayscale creeps over my vision and the blurring, bleeding colours fade away.

A blanket of snow wraps around my emotions, softening the anger, obscuring the joy, blotting the tears from my eyes until the urge to cry disappears in a numb haze.

I shiver while I wait, longing for the warmth of the den I created. My husband comes through the door and kisses my forehead.

My days are growing shorter now. I'm sleeping in later, falling asleep earlier, taking long naps on the sofa. It doesn't help.

The exhaustion is tangible, stiffening my joints, slowing my reactions. Folding a basket of laundry takes a full hour. The words of my favourite books become tangled and elusive. The text has no meaning. Neither does the laundry.

A few days ago I would have grown defensive. Today I’m too lethargic, so I merely shrug and pull the soup down to stir it.

The edges are bubbling, but there is a chunk of frozen beet rising from the center. I swish the hot and cold together, not bothering with the monumental task of lifting the bowl back into the microwave. Lukewarm is fine. It’s going to taste like ash anyway.

Instinctively, I begin conserving energy. I curl up with my third packet of Oreos and the plush, white blanket from the closet, letting Netflix carry me elsewhere. I know if I could move, could stretch, could settle into a single downward facing dog I could break the ice, press my lips to the frozen underbelly of my prison and suck air from the surface, but this blurry, underwater world won’t release me. It lulls me, stealing the pain until all urgency to breathe dissipates.

The ache in my belly reminds me that woman cannot survive on cookies alone. I rouse from my burrow and shuffle to the kitchen, digging through the freezer for something squirrelled away during the hyper-productive summer months. I find a container hidden in the back and scrape away the frost with my fingernail to read the sharpie label. Borscht.

By the time I squeeze the fuchsia sludge into a bowl and push it into the microwave, fifteen minutes have passed. Time is irrelevant now.

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Still in your pjs?

He watches me eat.

You feeling okay?

As if okay is a sensation that can be felt. Or maybe he's asking if my feeling mechanism is intact, to which the answer would be a resounding no.

We stare at one another and I can see he wants me to speak, wants me to accept his comfort, wants me to want him back. I would, but want is a feeling and the feelings are gone.

I try to make my mouth form the right words. Try to make it say wait for me, I’ll come out soon.

My mouth is a disobedient thing. Instead, it says, I’m fine, and the words are those last two snowflakes that bury me underground.

1

FBCW FACES A look at writers and events around the province! You can submit your photos for consideration anytime: membership@bcwriters.ca

2

1. FBCW Member Patricia Heatherington speaking at "Fact & Fiction: A Literary Duel" in October at the Gibsons Public Library.

2. Patricia Heatherington and PJ Reece at the "Fact & Fiction: A Literary Duel" event 3. Chapter One at the Sechelt Library produced in affiliation with the FBCW. It was a curated event where seven writers submitted a first section of their story, read them out, and discussed what elements of their first chapters hooked the reader. Left to right: Frank O’Brien, Rasa Dawson, Anne Simonet, Mark Cameron, Caitlin HIcks, Gordon Halloran and Nicole Iversen.

4. Cast of "Next of Kin" in Sechelt, BC, a theatrical show to commemorate Remembrance Day and commemorate the launch of Jacqueline Carmichael’s Tweets from the Trenches.

As Carmichael could not attend, Caitlin Hicks and a local cast brought excerpts from her book to life for an enthralled crowd on November 10, 2018. (Photo: Rik Jespersen)

4

3

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Page 16 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Winter 2019

I

n thinking of hibernation, consider your own wildness. Consider how the body waxes and wanes, engaging in its natural rhythms. In the animal kingdom, hibernation is meant to conserve energy during the scarce months.

Writers, too, experience various scarcities, and may find that an energetic hibernation is just the thing they need to replenish themselves. Although requiring little physical strain, it’s the mental and emotional energy exerted when writing than can undo or elevate us. There are few things in the world as utterly satisfying as finding the perfect ending to a poem or crafting an astonishing metaphor, and we may spend hours outside of our daily professions striving to attain this perfection.

Many writers I know, including myself, navigate day jobs and carve out time to ensure their writing progresses.

Other writers juggle this as well as children and spouses. I used to arrive an hour and a half early before my working day began so that I could write, though I now find that I tend to be more productive in the evening after I’m home. This routine can be difficult to sustain for long periods of time. As much as we may want to finish projects, it will eventually become necessary for us to rest. It is impossible to prescribe any particular length of time for our hibernation. This past summer, I reached a place of absolute burnout after a school year of supporting students with special needs, as well as working two other side jobs and trying to maintain a social life. I had lofty plans of completing a full-length poetry manuscript before returning to work in September, and was excited to do a bit of traveling during my time off, as well. When the burnout hit, the summer had only really just begun, and I was completely knocked down by some of the worst anxiety and fatigue I had ever experienced. I could hardly handle watching Netflix, let alone writing a poem. I spent most of July and August in bed, going within myself. There was a kind of rebirth that happened for me during that time, a rebirth that involved a total shift in how I treated myself. I reassessed my priorities, and placed my overall wellbeing right at the top of my list. I didn’t write a word all summer. It bothered me, at first, until I realized how drastically my mindset had altered. I no longer felt as if I was in a rush to complete a manuscript. I was content simply to

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have overcome the emotional turmoil, and felt more at peace after the hibernation than I had ever been before.

And it isn’t only the extra hours we spend on writing that can leave us depleted. When a writer succumbs to a state of total vulnerability and shares deeply personal anecdotes, the catharsis can be incredible, but it can also leave us feeling drained as if at the end of an intense therapy session.

Authenticity inevitably leads to a resurfacing of whatever it is we are sharing. Memories surface from the subconscious so details can be accessed and utilized. Traumas may wash ashore. It is nearly impossible to emerge from this unscathed in some way, and removing ourselves from the writing afterwards may be necessary to avoid total emotional overwhelm.

Writing is so often perceived as a pleasant hobby, sometimes without any regard for what a writer endures to express themselves wholly.

So what do we do? We find balance. We reach into the depths of ourselves and truly get to know what it is our bodies are asking for. Meditation and my own form of prayer did a great deal to help me heal when I felt as if I had broken completely. Music was my ally, and, on the days I felt strongest, I read a little. I honoured anything that fostered a sense of calm in me, and immediately removed myself from anything that increased the anxiety. I rested. I napped. I reached out to others when I felt ready, and acknowledged that my needs and rhythms changed from day to day. I remained true to my wildness, accessing the intuitive part of me that knew when it was safe to relent to scarcity and conserve the energy that I barely clung to. It was one of the most important things I have ever done for myself, and I feel as if my writing shifted immensely because of it. I grew to know myself on a level I never had before, and was therefore able to access words in a way that was new to me. I understand, now, that the poems and stories will come when they come, and I must be gentle with myself and them until they do. I understand, now, the sacredness of hibernation.

CHELSEA COMEAU

A

s JP McLean and I travelled up to Campbell River last July 15th to attend a North Island FBCW’s Meet and Greet, I ruminated on a possible article for WordWorks. It occurred to me that a reflection about BC BookLooks’s online Ormsby Review, hosted by my Alma Mater, SFU, was somewhat overdue.

I made my pitch to Shaleeta Harrison, FBCW’s Executive Director/WordWorks editor.

She gave the green light.

In 2016, I had the unexpected honour to be asked by Richard Mackie, chief wrangler of the Review, to contribute a review of Mike McCardell’s latest book, None of This Was Planned. (I confess here that I had an unarticulated conflict of interest: Not only are McCardell and I Facebook friends, we share the same month/day of birth. I didn’t reveal this feeble yet still semi-egregious conflict because a. Mike and I had never met, and, b. the birthday is March 15th. The nefarious Ides of March! I assumed Mike was as familiar as I am with unexpectedly Julius Caesar/ Brutus, Et Tu Brute moments.)

Nevertheless, with the opportunity to contribute a literary critique, I became an ardent aficionado of The Ormsby Review.

And what a whirlwind it has become!

As I began the first draft of this accolade, the 345th Ormsby Review submission was posted. Serendipitously, it was Cherie Thiessen’s appraisal of fellow Denman Islander, Des Kennedy’s latest novel, Beautiful Communions.

This seemed a good omen.

"The Ormsby Review," its mandate declares, is “a venture

to double the number of serious book reviews in British Columbia. As an unfunded project started in mid-September of 2016, co-managed by Alan Twigg on a volunteer basis, along with Richard Mackie, former review editor of BC Studies, The Ormsby Review has radically increased the depth of coverage for books and essays pertaining to British Columbia.”

Richard Mackie and Alan Twigg, BC BookLook Publisher/Designer, jointly “named our new journal for reviews about B.C. history and literature after historian Margaret Ormsby.”

Ormsby, who died in 1996, was an excellent choice. Alan Twigg has explained why. “Few other scholars have been so identified with the history of British Columbia as Margaret Ormsby. Published in 1958 to celebrate the B.C. Centennial, her British Columbia: A History was immediately a bestseller…

She received her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College in 1937…taught at a private San Francisco high school until she could join McMaster University in 1940…”

Ormsby began to teach at UBC in 1943… “attained the status of Full Professor in 1955…became Acting Head in 1963, then chaired the department for ten years until her retirement in 1974.”

While the above paragraphs encapsulate the gist of The Ormsby Review since its inception in September 2016, it does occasionally veer off this path to offer a soupçon of other writings. Scattered among its bounty of comprehensive reviews of both popular and more serious books of fascinating historical interest, are obituaries of writers, some celebrated, others, less renown, as well as essays, excerpts, (including #239, a wonderful slice of memoir of 1969, and archivist, Major J.S Matthews, by poet John Pass), articles, (somehow distinguishable from essays), interviews, and the rare proffering temporarily caught

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in a draft.

The sheer number of expositions is impressive. Equally impressive is that over two hundred and fifty writers have contributed to the Review thus far. One passionate contribution illustrates the tenor of the topics covered. In #30 Bob Bouchette, Everyman scribe, Janet Mary Nicol, freelance writer and Vancouver secondary school history teacher, treats us to several powerful stories covered by the late Vancouver Sun/ Daily Province reporter/columnist, Bob Bouchette (19001938). While the final portion of Nicol’s elegy presents a mosaic of five articles that Bouchette wrote from January to August in 1935, each a riveting portrait of a year shrouded in the depths of the depression, the introductory story in her essay was, alas, one that he did not, could not write. He was but a silent participant: the account of his still unexplained death by drowning.

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While I am clearly no historian, (witness the P.S. below) I have learned, and continue to learn, so much from The Ormsby Review about the province that has nurtured me, tolerated me for my entire life.

P.S. A final confession of slight historical note: In my 1965 History 91 term essay entitled Churchill-1940, The End and The Beginning, I referenced five source tomes. My teacher, Ed Akenhead, Italian campaign war vet AND my driving instructor, opined, “Bill- I wish you could learn to write a history essay.” Even with that dressing-down, he gave me 82/100. Little did he know that my fifth entry in the bibliography, Humbolt and Nash’s 1953 book, The Winds of War, published by Alfred A. Knoff, Inc. was totally fabricated. Fake news, as it were, of a high school variety. Sorry, Ed.

BILL ENGLESON

JUDY LEBLANC

O

ne damp winter night in 2013, I found myself seated on a metal chair in a drafty community hall with a dozen or so of my new neighbours. The question on the table was “How can we get more use out of our hall?” I was new to Fanny Bay, population 895 according to the last census, and if you trust Wikipedia, officially a hamlet. I remain tickled by the fact that after spending most of my life in a city, I now live in a hamlet.

Not knowing better, I raised my hand. “What about a reading series?” With some elucidation on my part, this was met with enough enthusiasm that I left feeling optimistic it would come to pass in my new neighbourhood. However, as I drove the dark country road home, I recalled the words of a friendly woman at the meeting. “I’ll help you,” she said, and it struck me that I had been elected to start a reading series.

Other than being a long-time patron of author readings, mostly in Victoria, I knew nothing. Armed with a list of questions and a notepad, I talked to Matt Rader who ran a series at North Island College at the time. He connected me with Cornelia Hoogland from Hornby Island, long time organizer of Poetry London. When we met, she asked me a question we should all ask ourselves before taking on any volunteer project.

“Why do you want to do it?”

“I want a writing community” was my honest answer, admittedly, not an altruistic motivation, but one that gave me the incentive for the challenge ahead. Certain considerations are key to success, no matter your location, including venue, funding, publicity and the coordination of duties. However, in the five years since that meeting at the hall, I’ve discovered that building relationships and engaging community is what

gives a series the strong foundation it needs to survive.

KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY In the beginning, local Fanny Bay residents stepped forward and we struck a small committee. We came up with the name Fat Oyster, recalling what Fanny Bay is best known for, as well as those fat oysters from The Walrus and the Carpenter.

Within a few months we featured our first writers.

Any hint of elitism is suspect in a rural neighbourhood, particularly in resource-based towns where, historically, the hard work of making a living often excluded opportunities for intellectual pursuits. A long- time resident, volunteer, and Fat Oyster committee member reminds us of the importance of “de-mystifying” the reading series. When she’s asked by locals to describe a reading, she says, “A bunch of peeps coming to read their work.”

I’ve been pleasantly surprised to have residents new to readings express their appreciation for the experience and for the exposure it’s given them to writers. Our audience numbers are better than many readings I’ve attended in urban centres.

True enough, cultural events in proximity to home are rare opportunities for rural dwellers, but don’t underestimate the intrinsic draw of good literature. Popularity isn’t a measure of success, but why not dare to dream of a world where the reading of a story or a poem can fill a stadium. When Lorna Crozier and Patrick Lane came, the hall was jammed with a hundred people, and our average audience is from about forty to sixty. For this, mainly I credit the relationships that are fos-

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tered within the local community.

Though it may be our core audience, the population of Fanny Bay alone can’t support a reading series. Therefore, the Fat Oyster community extends beyond our hamlet to include all of the Comox Valley and north. Each year, Fat Oyster features the Haig Brown writer-in-residence from Campbell River, and the Comox Valley writing community looks forward to the annual open mic we hold on that night. We often feature writers from Nanaimo, an hour south of us, and this attracts a wider audience while supporting writers from the entire region. We collaborate with a number of Vancouver Island reading venues to bring in authors.

Finally, it’s important to be plugged into Canada’s literary community, to know who’s publishing what, who’s winning awards, who’s emerging with their first book, and who’s not getting the attention they deserve. Feature a diverse range of authors writing in all genres. At least one person on your committee, preferably the one you choose to name your artistic director, should have their finger on this pulse.

Treat invited authors well. Authors work hard and get little recognition let alone financial compensation for their work.

Also, you want to make their journey to your far flung locale worthwhile. Before they step up to the mic introduce them generously and with grace. Sell their books for them. Fat Oyster pays all its writers, hosts a meal at the home of a local resident and provides billets. Be as accommodating as is realistically possible. It gives your reading series a good name.

of Canadian Poets, and the Writer’s Union are the usual relevant sources of funding. Go to the website of each, and spend some time researching their advantages and disadvantages.

Fat Oyster has successfully applied for Canada Council grants since our inception, though don’t count on getting all you ask for.

We generate additional funds through a suggested donation of five dollars at the door, occasional fundraising evenings and petitioning local businesses. This money covers costs for printing, author dinners and an honorarium for local emerging authors who open our events with a short reading. It also makes up for shortfalls in the grant.

VENUE

PROMOTION

Most small communities have a hall or a public place of some kind. The Fanny Bay community association, eager to see the hall utilized, allows Fat Oyster free access on the night of the event. We dim the lights, arrange the tables café style, set up the sound system, a podium, a small raised stage, and a book table. Local women bring their baking to sell with coffee and tea at break time.

In a rural setting where you’re often asking people to drive a distance for an event that happens once every couple of months it’s necessary to throw yourself at promotion: posters, social media including a Facebook page and a website, press releases, and a mailing list.

FUNDING Securing funding so that you can pay featured authors a reading fee and transportation costs is in line with treating your community of writers well. Canada Council, the League

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STRUCTURE Fat Oyster, like most series, is entirely volunteer run. An artistic director facilitates all facets of the series with the assistance of a small committee who meet regularly. Decisions are made collaboratively, or at the very least, everyone is in the know. This ensures that people are invested in the success of the project. Committee members are responsible for primary roles like designing the poster, keeping financial records, managing the Facebook page and the email list etc.. Besides the committee, a body of volunteers called upon for postering, hall set-up and any number of tasks that crop up engages the community and prevents burnout.

On a reading night, in Fanny Bay the buzz of conversation fills the space of our cavernous hall. It’s a pleasure to be greeted by friends, to reconnect with those I haven’t seen in a while, to watch authors from across the country interacting with local people. Then there’s the joy of hearing words on the page come to life in their creator’s voice. And at the end of the evening, there’s the flurry of stacking chairs and tidying, the good nights. This is community.

WHY EVERY MAIN CHARACTER NEEDS A GAY BEST FRIEND KATELYN FOOTE

B

eing a lesbian with an insatiable love of reading, I have frequently been asked about my opinion on gay characters in fiction.

There can be some anxiety involved with getting it right, but there is nothing wrong with being concerned. That's understandable, and it shows the writer is at least making an attempt to write gay characters into their stories. It's important because it brings representation to a growing community of people who are looking for one smidgen of similarity between themselves and characters that they're reading.

The more people who write fiction to include the LGBT+ community, the more stories get told. I am only one part of the LGBT+ spectrum and therefore can only speak from that perspective, but it's that experience that has shaped me and my feelings towards gay characters in fiction. Going forward, I refer to 'gay' as a more all-encompassing term, however that does not mean that every person is the same.

Being represented matters. I have been a part of conversations where it's been said that writing gay characters is simply too controversial, so writers just don't try. Fear of writing LBGT+ characters incorrectly shouldn't mean that you exclude an entire group of people from your stories. Members of the LGBT+ community can have a hard time feeling included and are often alienated from the media. For a lot of people, literature ends up being an escape from that alienation. Turning to stories that include gay characters can bring solace and comfort in a world where it can be difficult to speak out. Inserting a gay character into a piece of writing doesn't have to make it the focal point of the story. In reality there are people of all sexualities everywhere. The same way a person of colour or someone with a disability connects to characters like themselves, it is often enough to know that someone shares your identity. This

is especially true for those of us who are not entirely comfortable with sharing our identities with others.

So how do you write a gay character? Well you write them like any other character. We aren’t mythical creatures with unknown desires. We live and love like anyone else. Being gay doesn’t limit our potential to participate in any adventures. If you're worried about offending, then do your research or ask someone from the LGBT+ community for their thoughts. As long as you are respectful, chances are they will be happy to help. Don't be concerned about making every person happy, though, it’s those attempts where mistakes occur.

If you write with good intentions and try to educate yourself then that is much better than not trying at all.

With any character you write, there are always clichés and stereotypes to navigate. Be aware of some of the more common ones for gay characters. Sometimes these examples can have an important reason for being incorporated into your plot, but often they are tiring. Taking caution around some of the overused tropes when creating gay characters is necessary. This is by no means a comprehensive list of gay stereotypes, but these misrepresentations are important to a lot of people: • Not every gay man has an amazing fashion sense or is incredibly well defined.

• Bisexuals aren't any more promiscuous than their straight counterparts. They are not indecisive or just waiting to find a partner of the opposite sex.

• Just because someone is attracted to those of the same sex, it doesn't mean they are attracted to every person of the same sex. This means your straight characters are safe in the

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midst of your gay ones. Attraction is different for everyone, and being gay doesn’t automatically make us a predator.

• Asexuals are not loners who just haven't been with the right person. It’s not a disorder that needs to be cured.

• Butch lesbians are not secretly trying to be men.

Also, don’t kill off only your gay character to create a tension filled plot line. It is absolutely unnecessary and typically won’t be well received. There is a trope in writing that is known as “burying your gays,” it simply means that in a story that is full of straight characters, the one person who happens to be gay is killed. This is increasingly apparent when you have a couple involved.

It shows not only that they are not allowed to be happy, but that their story is only furthered by their death. We have had so many beloved gay characters die simply to advance the plot or to create tension and it is a surefire way to alienate your LGBT+ readers.

It isn't always necessary to give your gay character a coming out. Some of us don’t realize their sexuality until way later in life, and plenty keep their private lives to themselves. Having some defining detail that allows us to recognize traits in ourWinter 2019 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Page 23

selves can often be enough. Consider the following paragraphs: Example 1: Janet was mortified, sitting inside her tiny cubicle in the ladies restroom. After running into a gossipy co-worker while she was on a date with Shannon, Janet had encountered a flurry of teasing and harsh words from her male co-workers come Monday morning. She had not told them she was a lesbian and now she was sure that had been the right choice.

Example 2: Janet had a wonderful date with Shannon over the weekend. They had gone to the local fair and ridden the Ferris wheel as the sun set over the horizon. She was grinning like an idiot and couldn't contain herself.

Monday morning had come too quickly and she couldn't wait until the following weekend to see Shannon again.

Notice the difference in the two paragraphs. The first revolves around Janet being gay. If she weren't there would be no plot to the story. In the second, we find out that Janet is a lesbian, but if you were to change any detail about it, the story would still be the same. Both types of stories are real and important, but the second shows

that you don't have to change your plot just to add a gay character. Those little details slipped in will mean a lot to someone. Saying the name of two women is such a small detail, it may not be noticed by someone not looking, but for those who care, it is incredibly powerful. The world is full of people of all sexualities, different ethnicities and colours, why shouldn't the stories you write be full of them too? Write them in because they should be there, because art reflects life.

In the end you are the writer. It is your choice, and you get to make those decisions on who your characters are in the world you’ve created. In my experience there comes a moment in every story where a reader finds a character he or she identifies with. A powerful connection is made that brings them deeper into the story, where they become completely invested. Sometimes it's the main character, but more often than not it's a supporting one; a tiny quirk or feature that sucks them in and chains them to the words. It's those connections that create a lasting relationship for the reader to the story, to the characters, and keeps the them coming back for more.

THE RISE OF ARTISAN LETTERPRESS VALORIE LENNOX

T

he 500-year reign of letterpress printing ended suddenly, killed by the computer chip.

Faster and easier to use, computers quickly conquered print shops. Unlike earlier changes in print technology that occurred over decades, letterpress seemed to vanish overnight.

The first inexpensive computers appeared on the market in the 1970s, initially as typesetting machines.

Code replaced compositors. The computers were faster and more accurate. Typesetters enjoyed a brief reprieve, moving from the hot lead of linotype keyboards to input text into computer-based systems. In the 1970s and into the 1980s, these Compugraphic typesetting and phototypesetting systems were state of the art—until they were swept away by desktop computers.

Desktop publishing on personal computers allowed

users to directly format their words into columns. Professional typesetters vanished, along with a whole assembly process of laying out waxed strips and blocks of type interspersed with graphics.

By the 1990s, letterpress shops had largely disappeared. Mountains of intricately cast lead type was dumped out of California cases and melted down as scrap.

The cases themselves became wall art, holding collections of small ornaments, or were used to store craft supplies.

Forty years later, the people who seek out these partitioned wood trays often don’t realize they were originally part of a print shop. Crafters with an eye for design also collected other print industry debris: remaining fragments of lead type or the surviving printers’ blocks—sometimes called cuts—which were used to create graphics or decorative borders or lines on the letterpress pages. These

Deep impressions are deliberately used in this piece of hand-crafted letterpress art

by Carly Butler of Ucluelet, right and above.

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‘WITH LETTERPRESS YOU HAVE TO SLOW DOWN AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE SAYING BECAUSE IT TAKES SO LONG TO SAY IT’ CARLY BUTLER

remnants were re-purposed as stamps or turned into jewellery or used in art projects.

Letterpress was finished. Except…it was not.

As print shops closed, idled presses became available for free or at rock bottom prices for hobbyists and artists. Type and graphic cuts were sold off by the pound.

Resources that would have been unobtainable or prohibitively expensive a few decades earlier were suddenly a glut on the market.

Plus, the presses were sturdy—originally constructed for decades of use—and the demise of the print shops had occurred so swiftly that there were still many people who knew how to operate and maintain the equipment.

Although the production process to use the presses was not as fast as a computer, the presses could still do fast, effective work. Many were electric and able to produce

Winter 2019 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Page 25

at high speed. Related arts included folding, embossing, punching, die-cutting, and foiling.

That is how Lloyd Bowcott of Cook Kettle Press came into the industry. Letterpress was in its death throes when he bought into a Victoria-based shop in 1985. His wife had invented a package for shipping audio cassettes at letter mail rates and the couple bought the shop with an eye on the die-cutting and folding equipment, not the letterpress.

The audio cassettes were a short-lived product, so Lloyd started utilizing all the other equipment in the shop: letterpress, foiling, numbering, embossing, and die-cutting. Most of his work was doing finishing work on print runs from digital/offset printers. He also did some letterpress projects: specialty packaging, business cards, greeting cards, and wedding invitations.

Lloyd Bowcott winches his 2,200 pound letterpress, which is placed on log rollers, into his shop near Sooke. When not serving with the Coast Guard, he restores letterpresses and also volunteers with the International Printing Museum.

“The money was okay,” he recalled. But technology continued to advance and eventually Lloyd closed the shop and moved his favourite presses to a home workshop. He loved letterpress, had become skilled in maintaining the equipment, and was already seeing the beginning of a resurgence in the art as a craft/artisan industry.

A decade ago he first visited the International Printing Museum in Carson, California. Wanting to share his knowledge, he became involved with the museum’s mission to save the equipment and educate people on its use.

He has saved and restored many press-

es, both for his own workshop and for the museum. One of his favourites is a 2200 pound, 14.5" x 22" C&P press, which is hand-fed and produces 10 prints a minute.

He also has a dozen or more additional printers: Craftsman tabletops, a Kelsey, a Golding Official, a C&P Pilot and a couple of Vandercook flatbed proof presses. At present, he is completing restoration on a Ludlow line caster acquired from the museum.

He notes that many of the museum’s presses have been used in movie and TV productions, which helps support the museum financially and also introduces

younger viewers to letterpress.

Lloyd now divides his time between working for the Coast Guard, supporting the Printing Museum and annual print fair, and repairing and maintaining presses for the new wave of boutique letterpress shops.

Dubbed the Small Press Movement, the wave includes home or studio-based artisan businesses and hobbyists.

Lloyd also supports the next generation of letterpress printers by loaning equipment. Among the borrowers is Carly Butler, an artist in Ucluelet, who has used one of Lloyd’s Vandercook flatbed presses for her work. She specializes in debossed prints, utilizing the ability of the press to indent paper.

Ironically, during the heyday of letterpress, indenting the paper was seen as poor printing technique. The ideal was a ‘kiss’ – just enough pressure to leave the ink with no sign of impression. But now the indent is prized because it differentiates craft letterpress from digital printing.

Due to the time and skill required, letterpress is often used for special projects such as invitations, greeting cards, shortrun custom books, and high-end business cards.

Carly was drawn to letterpress because of the history and precision of the craft.

“There is something quite meditative about setting type,” she said. She started doing letterpress printing at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2011. She had earned a Masters in Art History in the United Kingdom in 1998.

With letterpress, she says, “you get a different kind of print. To me, it has an authoritative nature that digital does not. It’s about the impression and the authority of it—this kind of gravitas that you don’t have with digital.”

Letterpress also forces the creator to slow down. Setting type requires focus as each letter is carefully aligned in the compositor. It is minimal technology, a hand done placement of each piece of lead into a form.

Page 26 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Winter 2019

“On social media people can dash off any half-formed thought.

But with letterpress you have to slow down and think about what you’re saying because it takes so long to say it.”

At home she uses a Pilot press but admits one of her favourite presses is the Vandercook borrowed from Lloyd Bowcott. She has done traditional text-based projects, including a series of life raft instructions done by letterpress. She also does unexpected combinations of paper and ink, using the press as one component in mixed-media art work.

Appropriately, for someone who has lived on Canada’s east and west coasts, much of her work has a nautical theme.

“Letterpress is a slowed-down experience that is anti-technology,” she says. That, she feels, is the strength of the craft and one reason for its resurgence. It is unique, tactile communication which has been assembled one letter at a time for more than 500 years.

Examples of printers block cuts, type, and lines. Clockwise from top left are linotype text, tiny graphic elements, five letters of 18 point Broadway type, a leaf-shaped cut, an ornate graphic block, two bars of fancy lines, and inter-changeable pieces that can be used to make a variety of graphic elements.

L U M I N O U S Edits Claire Mulligan

Highly Experienced Editor & Creative Writing Instructor Giller, BC Book Prize & Canadian Authors Award Nominee Editing. Mentoring. Screen Adaptation.

Free Consultation & Sample Edit %15 Discount for FBCW Members

www.luminousedits.org 250 815 9155

FICTION.

CREATIVE

c l a i r e @ l u mi n o u s e d i t s . o r g

NONFICTION.

Winter 2019 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Page 27

HISTORIC

NARRATIVES.

MEMOIRS.

SPECULATIVE

PASSING THE TORCH BEN NUTTALL-SMITH

T

hose of us who take our writing seriously spend days, weeks, months, even years in the writer’s cave. It would be easy to become myopic without a support community.

The best sources of stimulation for writers are good books and peer networking. The ultimate encouragement comes with that first acceptance by a publisher. However, the road to publication is strewn with pitfalls.

Having struggled for ages to find a publisher, despite numerous conferences and workshops, and despite having self-published a handful of books, I had all but given up hope of ever being professionally published. How I found publishers over the years is everything short of a miracle. Now, I’m delighted to share my good fortune with other struggling scribblers.

My strongest advice is GET INVOLVED. Become an active member of the Federation of BC Writers. Volunteer. Share your talents. Attend readings and launches.

Attend writers’ conferences.

Another very important piece of advice is to find a good editor. Grammar and spelling editorial skills are not enough. Try to find an editor who understands your specific genre of writing. If you write for children, find an editor who deals with YA Literature. If you’ve written a novel, find a story editor. It was necessary to find an editor for my poetry. She knew what would be a marketable style.

Editors can be expensive. Since it’s your name that will be before the world, how much can a good edit be worth to you? Might as well bite the bullet. If you’re writing to get rich, quit trying to get published, but don’t stop writing! You may improve, get recognition elsewhere, and eventually get there.

Through one of my workshops, I advise writers towards good query letter writing. The query letter is generally a make or break introduction to a publisher. That letter has to be nothing short of perfect.

A concise précis is a must. The précis is sometimes called an elevator speech. How much can an eager writer tell a prospective publisher between the parkade and the first floor of the Sheraton Hotel?

When all else is ready, ask an established author to read at least part of your manuscript and write a blurb for the book jacket. If the author is fairly well known, this blurb will also serve as an excellent piece of information for a publisher. Some authors, although very busy with their own work, are very happy to encourage an aspiring author.

Another skill I pass on to fellow poets and authors is the ability to read a work in public. Many authors are a delight to listen to. Some, however, despite being excellent writers, are dull and almost inaudible. As a trained actor and having taught voice for many years, I’m able to pass on the advice and skills that help participants to quickly learn to overcome shyness and anxiety to become dynamic and exciting presenters.

Quite a few established authors offer workshops in memoir writing, characterization, poetry, developing setting, dialogue. Each of these is always an excellent investment.

My final piece of advice to all is: Keep Writing. A gift to two of my grandchildren was a set of hardcover notebooks with pen attached. Writers learn to write by writing. Even in the primary grades.

Page 28 ◆ WordWorks ◆ Winter 2019

NEW TITLES BY FEDERATION OF BC WRITERS' MEMBERS

If you are an FBCW member with a newly published book (self or traditionally published) let us know! We'd be happy to promote it here. Please visit bcwriters.ca/launched to learn more. Due to space constraints, we can only post books that have been published fewer than 12 months before the deadline.

DEADLINES TO SUBMIT: FALL JULY 1ST WINTER NOVEMBER 1ST SPRING MARCH 1ST

Swelling with Pride: Queer Conception and Adoption Stories Sara Graefe | Dagger Editions, Caitlin Press | September 2018 | ISBN: 9781987915846

There’s no straightforward path to LGBTQ2 parenthood; just as every queer person has their own coming out story, every LGBTQ2 family has a unique conception or adoption story. In Swelling with Pride, creative nonfiction writers celebrate LGBTQ2 families and the myriad of ways we embark upon our parenting journeys. These honest, heartfelt, unabashedly queer stories cover a gamut of issues and experiences, including the varied paths to queer conception—from DIY methods at home to pricey medical interventions at the fertility clinic—and the daunting task of choosing a sperm donor. This collection portrays journeys to LGBTQ2 parenthood that start or end with adoption and the hurdles that go along with it.

Quantum Events George Opacic |

Employing rich language and tight narratives, George has provided us with a collection that offers a unique, perhaps even at times other worldly, perspective. Utilising styles ranging from poetry to screen plays, and everything in between, these slice-of-of life tales are punctuated throughout with George's dry sense of humour.

– James Harrold.

Pomegranates at 4800 Metres Kim Letson | November 2018 | $25.00

Pomegranates at 4800 Metres is a vibrant tapestry woven with themes of love, courage, and generosity. Kim Letson's husband, Mike, surrounds her with his many gifts of love, including his courage in the face of death.

At a freezing teahouse in the high Himilaya, Letson's porter presents her with a bowl of glowing red pomegranate seeds, as astonished silence spreads throughout the crowded room. At a beach house in Zanzibar, three little boys climb palm trees to bring her fresh coconuts, and their mother bakes a cake to be shared with them. In return for a handful of dates in the desert sands of Morocco, a gentle camel complies with her desires that he kneel. While kayaking in a storm off Vancouver Island, Letson's friend Pat demands she find the courage to "come in on a wave." This becomes a metaphor as Letson learns acceptance from her Nepali guide, Tendi Sherpa, and navigates her way through loss, grief, and transformation into an intrepid nomad.

Fate Accompli

Miriam Clavir | Bayeux Arts | April 2018 | ISBN: 978-1-988440-19-4 | $19.95 The delicate balance of Bérénice “Berry” Cates’ life comes apart when, working as an artifacts conservator on an archaeological dig in Quebec City, she unearths a corpse. Berry is doubly vulnerable, swept up as well in being a “newbie”—new job, new profession, new city, new love—and, at fifty-four, understanding age and loss. Just as Berry is coming to terms with discovering first-hand the death of a man she admired, a frightful second murder sears her and her amour Daniel Tremblay even more deeply. Cognizant of both sides of Quebec City’s ancient stone inscription of the Golden Dog, Berry gathers information while, like the dog, she waits until she can “bite him who has bitten me.” But it is instead Berry who is tricked and “bitten.” It becomes terribly urgent for her to devise a way to bring the killer to justice.

oesn’t stop!”

Shirley Martin| Self-published | November 2017 | ISBN: 978-0-9920615-1-7 Nature offers up a feast for the eyes, when two children view a West Coast harbour through their grandparents' binoculars. When they both spot a take-home treasure, who will be the keeper of the prize?

Shirley Martin grew up on the edge of Ucluelet harbour, where she spent precious hours scanning the water and beaches through her dad's binoculars. Her children, and now her grandchildren, have continued this tradition. The lively prose and whimsical illustrations bring the magic of the harbour to life.

The book ends with a section of "Morsels to Munch On," with photos and facts detailing each creature or item the children have focused on.

For more info: www.shirleymartinwrites.com

Beyond Control

Lawrence Verigin | Promontory Press | November 2018 | ISBN: 9781773740102 | $17.95 The stunning conclusion to the multiple award-winning “Dark Seed” trilogy, Beyond Control is a fast-paced, high concept novel of suspense and intrigue. Nick Barnes and his companions are back to confront the men who are behind the far-reaching plot targeted against Earth’s entire population. Nick’s team have been discredited and their lives are in danger as they are hunted by the agents of the Club. But the scheme is imploding, and now threatens even the people behind its design. The genetically engineered organisms and pesticides have proliferated beyond the creator’s control. After a game of cat-and-mouse that spans three continents, a final showdown between Nick’s group and the Club leaders is inevitable. But has a point of no return been crossed? Is it too late to stop what has taken generations to develop and execute? For more information: lawrenceverigin.com

The Breeding Hut

Lisel & Jeffrey Forst | Self-published | December 2018 | ISBN: 9781999469108 | $22.95 Mariana has come of age and it is her time to breed. Will her sexual awakening tempt her to become anchored to the primitive island she so often wishes to flee? Or, are there greater forces at work, luring her to places unknown? A matriarchal utopia where men are enslaved labourers and breeding studs begins to crack under the leadership of its risqué new Queen and her power-hungry Breeder King. When news filters down to the Breeding Hut about an uprising in the men's camps, Mariana is forced to make a choice.

Should she stay and help the women fight for a system she questions, or swim away and risk everything in the hopes of reaching the far-off Mainland? Unique to the marketplace, this type of smart, sex-positive literature had yet to be realized—until now. An Invitation to the Conversation: thebreedinghut.com

Change: The Face of Time

Robyn Gerland | Barley Wick Publishing | August 2018 | ISBN: 9780993658723 | $19.95 Historical Fiction. Using Bowen Island as the setting / catalyst, Robyn’s third book follows four children through four different eras of the Island’s history. Each era is linked, as is all history, with places and time but, in this case, also with characters and a mystery that may or may not ever be solved.

Prologue: This is a story of Time and of a small island, Bowen, and of how the two met and of how Time played with it, shaped and re-shaped it, and it is the story of Change because Change is truly the only way that we are able to see the Face of Time.

Available in libraries and at bythebeach@shaw.ca and 250-416-0175 – $19.95.

IAN WADDELL

—as a lawyer, m a ringside e repatriation ises on every

Through Grandma & Granddad's Binoculars

IAN WADDELL

da

Take the Torch: A Political Memoir

le Don’t Vote, nowledge to ot to where it d that, unlike es with their

Ian Waddell | Nightwood Editions | October 2018 | ISBN: 978-0-88971-347-5 | $22.95 Hon. Ian G. Waddell Q.C. Vic 63 former storefront lawyer, MP, Culture Minister of BC, author and filmmaker, released a memoir this November: Take the Torch. The book takes 6 instances from Ian's career where he played a role in making change in Canada and the world—the first Canadian class action, the Berger inquiry on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, the National Energy Program, section 35 of the Aboriginal Rights Amendment in the Canadian Constitution, the International Criminal Court, the 2010 Olympics, the Hollywood North film industry in BC. It's literally an insiders look at the political history of the last 50 years in Canada. Ian tells a young generation how to make political change.

cate? Check. k. Waddell’s grity, zest: all

for over five e argued and companying t by accident, the National ltural policy, lroney, often ensuring the (section 35). ver/Whistler

Take the Torch - A Political Memoir

Take the Torch A Political Memoir

BIG LEDGE: The Triumphs and Tribulations of Robert E. Sproule Brian D'Eon | Self-published | October 2018 | ISBN: 9781775387206 | $20.00

In late summer of 1882, long-suffering American prospector, Robert Sproule, rows his way up Kootenay Lake to a promontory known as Big Ledge. Almost at once he finds himself encamped on an extremely rich lode of high grade lead, likely laced with silver. Riches seem just around the corner. But another adventurer is on Kootenay Lake as well: the Englishman, Baillie-Grohman. His plans are even more grandiose than Sproule’s. And down in Oakland, California, businessman John C. Ainsworth is making plans to buy up the very property on which Sproule sits. Tension, conflict, and claim-jumping arise in quick order. On June 1, 1885, it all comes to a head with the murder of Ainsworth’s employee, Thomas Hammill. Almost by default, Sproule is pegged as the murderer and brought to trial in Victoria. In this piece of historical fiction, two heavenly beings follow Sproule’s case with great interest: the archangel Michael and the Hindu goddess Parvati. Contact: author@briandeon.com

Just This

Katrin Horowitz | Quadra Books | August 2018 | ISBN: 978-0993922374 Michelle is a poet who waffles between envy and anger as she watches her former best friend, now a famous broadcast journalist, shape the news into ever more right-wing narratives. Finally Michelle arrives at a gleeful moment of poetic justice: Cynthia is exposed as a fraud on the front page of The New York Times—and her jowls, "those sad pouches of defeated flesh," are on display for all to judge. An exploration of friendship and envy, politics and poetry, television and justice and what’s gone wrong with America, starting in the fifties when Michelle and Cynthia are little and ending more than sixty years later. At the close of each decade, the story jumps to a Friday in 2015 where we find Cynthia struggling to cope with her new-found infamy, while Michelle gloats, and worries, and hosts a dinner party.

One Strong Girl

Lesley Buxton | Pottersfield Press | November 2018 | ISBN: 978-1988286648 One Strong Girl is a mother's vivid account of what it is like to lose her daughter, India, to a rare debilitating disease. The story is a bold description of what it means to deal with deep sorrow and still find balance and beauty in an age steeped in the denial of death. At ten, India climbed the highest on the rope at gymnastics, yet by sixteen was so weak she was unable to even dress herself. The narrative follows the six-year fight for answers from the medical community. Finally, after the genetic testing of India's DNA, it was discovered there were two mutations on her ASAH1 gene, a deadly combination. Today her cells are alive in a research lab at the University of Ottawa. This is a legacy that cuts both ways, a point of pride and pain. One Strong Girl is a story of what it's like to outlive an only child. It describes the intensity of loving a dying child and most importantly, the joy to be found, even amidst the sorrow.

No Dog Barked: Who Killed the MacLauchlans?

Rod Drown and Ken McIntosh | Archives New West | 2018 | ISBN: 9781775095200 | $25.00

Graduating as a 1919 McGill Medical School prize winner was the most worthy thing Robert Henry MacLauchlan ever did. The greatest tragedy he ever initiated was when he seduced and misled Margaret Ann Cunningham, a modest teacher from New Westminster’s Woodlands School for the Handicapped.

Shock rippled through the city: first near Christmas 1965 when they were arrested for heroin smuggling.

Secondly, on March 21, 1966 in their 5th Street bungalow, when both were executed Mafia style—shot in the face by the nostril and then in the stomach. Newspapers speculated the underworld had silenced them just before the upcoming trial.

Mouth of Truth: Buried Secrets

Lillian Boraks-Nemetz| Guernica Editions | April 2018 | ISBN: 978-1-77183-322-6 Mouth of Truth: Buried Secrets is a gripping account of impossible choices, divided loyalties, and unimaginable horrors. Batya Lightenberg, a Canadian housewife and mother, tries to live a normal life oblivious to her troubled past while carrying a legacy of guilt and buried secrets inherited partly from her father, a successful lawyer turned Jewish policeman in the Warsaw Ghetto. Compelled by a need to unearth the truth about her family, Batya sets out for Eastern Canada, Ital, and Poland on a mission of discovery and healing.

Across a Narrow Strait

Sharon McInnes | Isle of the Arts Publishing | October 2018 | ISBN: 978-0-9867453-1-7 Life can change in the blink of an eye—a sister is born with disabilities, a plane crashes into a mountain, long-dormant cancer cells awaken. Is it chance—or destiny? Anna wonders. Then, nine months after her husband dies, she takes things into her own hands, leaves behind the sister she’s always felt responsible for, and moves to Kingfisher, a supposedly-tranquil island in the Salish Sea. On Kingfisher, Anna meets Sam, a man of few words who generally prefers birds to people. When he warns Anna against getting involved in a community controversy that’s threatening to explode, she scoffs. Then, wanting to support her teenage grandson and his Youth Against Ecocide friends, she’s drawn into a much bigger battle, one that takes her life in a direction she never could have predicted.

For more information and to purchase, please go to sharonmcinnes.com.

The Irish Affair

Linda Diver | FriesenPress | October 2018 | ISBN: 978-1525526749 |

With the terrifying and seemingly inevitable war between Britain, France, and Germany looming like storm clouds on the horizon, Scottish architect Lawrence McKellan uproots his Edinburgh household and moves his wife, two children, and brother to the safety of Ireland's controversial neutrality.

He purchases properties in the rural setting of County Mayo, and sets his wife, Helen, up as a hotelier and his brother, Harry, as a gentleman farmer. While somewhat jarred by Lawrence's compulsory resettlement, the family adjusts quickly to the beauty of their surroundings and the charm and culture of the Irish people. Unfortunately, even Ireland's verdant countryside is marred by shades of grey.

And, when Lawrence joins British Intelligence, a shroud of secrecy soon entangles him.

My Mary Bennet: Poems, Letters, & Miscellanea

Beth A. Skala | Pacific Qi Consulting | September 2018 | ISBN: 978-1-9993886-0-7 | Miss Mary Bennet, as all Jane Austen fans recall, is the annoying middle child and bookish sister from Pride and Prejudice. Austen did not seem to like Mary very much, using her solely to embarrass the heroine of her story. My Mary Bennet looks at how the introverted Mary became the socially inept teenager we see in the original work and gives her a chance to grow up, creating her own happy ending. Told through poetry, letters, and faux newspaper clippings, we hear the voices of the people who populate Mary's life, as well as sneaking the occasional peek at Mary's diary. A delightful read for fans and non-fans alike. Order from the author at bskala@shaw.ca.

Miles to Go

Beryl Young | Wandering Fox Imprint, Heritage House Publishing | September 2018 | ISBN: 9978-1-77207-264-2 Miles to Go is a middle-grade novel about a friendship between two twelve-year-old girls, set in Saskatchewan in 1948. Each girls faces a deep loss with the death of a family member. Anna makes a promise on her mother's deathbed to look after the newborn baby. Maggie, struggling with fears that she is adopted, loses her family ally, her beloved grandmother. Through a hard few months the girls face new challenges that threaten their friendship. Together they learn the meaning of loyalty and the value of keeping a promise.

"Miles to Go is sparse, poetic and at times perfectly heart wrenching. It subtly captures the coming of age of two young prairie girls. The beauty in this story is in the little things, the life things. In short, it's wonderful."

—Art Slade, author of Governor-General award winning Dust. See berylyoung.com

Superabundantly Alive: Thomas Merton’s Dance with the Feminine Susan McCaslin & J.S. Porter | Wood Lake Publishing Inc. | October 2018 | ISBN: 978-1-77343-035-5

Superabundantly Alive: Thomas Merton’s Dance with the Feminine is a unique, unified, multi-genre work that includes dialogue, imaginary letters, poems, and reflective essays by two established Canadian poets.

Taking cues from Merton himself, Susan and John establish a playful, jazzy, dialogic tone—superabundantly alive. This book invites participation for those who already know Merton’s work and for those who are meeting this whole and broken, prophetic, whimsical, paradoxical prophet and visionary for the first time. Robert Lax once described Merton’s poetry and the man himself as “superabundantly alive.” McCaslin and Porter prove the truth of this description in their enchanting account of the writer-mystic who now comes into his second century of stature and significance, in the words of Boris Pasternak, “[a]live and burning to the end." Go to woodlake.com to purchase your copy today

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