Aug/Sept 2012 Freelance by Admin Assist

Freelance August/September 2012 Volume 41 Number 5

Sylvia Tyson is the 2012 Caroline Heath Lecturer. Read more about the upcoming Fall Conference inside!

photo: SIlvia Pecota

coNTENTS Volume 41 Number 5 / Aug-Sept2012 ISSN 0705-1379 © Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, 2012 Cover photo credit: Silvia Pecota. Freelance is published six times per year for members of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild and other interested parties. Submissions are welcome. Send in the body of your email message, or post, referring to Submission Guidelines: www.skwriter. com/publications/freelance. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. Copyright remains with the writer and cannot be reprinted without permission. We do not accept poetry or prose at this time. Deadlines for next issue of Freelance: October-November: September 10, 2012 SWG STAFF Executive Director: Judith Silverthorne Accountant: Lois Salter Administrative Assistant: Milena Dzordeski Program Manager: Tracy Hamon (Regina) Program Coordinator: Sarah Shoker (Saskatoon) Communications Coordinator and Freelance Managing Editor: Kelsey Gottfried SWG BOARD OF DIRECTORS Cathy Fenwick, President Regina; Lisa Wilson, Vice-President, Saskatoon; George Khng, Treasurer, Saskatoon; Darla Read, Secretary, Saskatoon;, Allison Kydd, Indian Head; R. P. MacIntyre, La Ronge; Scott Miller, Estevan; Jarrett Rusnak, Regina; Caitlin Ward, Saskatoon; Ex-Officio: Judith Silverthorne.

President’s Message .............................................................1 Executive Director’s Report ..................................................3 Program News Aboriginal Programming Report ............................................4 New Employees at the Guild .................................................5 Enjoying (Parts of) the Journey .............................................6 The Estevan Writers Group ....................................................8 The Wind in Their Sails .......................................................10 Glimpses of Labrador .........................................................12 Should Writers Blog? ..........................................................15 A Blogger’s Tale- Treaty Walks ............................................17 Before You Hit Send ............................................................19 On Rejection….....................................................................20 Craig Silverman: BS Detective in the Age of the Internet ....................................................22 Space-Time Continuum .......................................................25 Member News ....................................................................27 Books by Members .............................................................28 In Memoriam- Jim Weseen .................................................29 Markets and Contests..........................................................34 Professional Development Opportunities ............................35 Contributors to this issue: Shirley Byers Allison Lohans Kathy Fenwick

Charlene Blackwell Toby Welch Edward Willett

Maureen Ulrich Valerie Compton

Program Manager: Tracy Hamon Phone: 306-791-7743 E-Mail: programs@skwriter.com

Regina Courier or Drop-off Address: 1150 8th Avenue, Suite 100 Regina, SK S4R 1C9

Program Assistant: Milena Dzordeski Phone: 306-791-7746 Email: swgevents@skwriter.com

Saskatoon Courier or Drop-off Address: 205A Pacific Avenue Saskatoon, SK S7K 1N9 SWG Office Contact: Phone: (306) 757-6310 Toll Free: 1-800-667-6788 Fax: (306) 565-8554 Email: info@skwriter.com or communications@skwriter.com Web site: www.skwriter.com

Accountant: Lois Salter Phone: 306-791-7748 Email: accountant@skwriter.com

Executive Director: Judith Silverthorne Phone: 306-791-7742 E-mail: edswg@skwriter.com

Administrative Assistant: Kelsey Gottfried Phone: 306-791-7740 Email: info@skwriter.com and communications@skwriter.com Aboriginal Program Coordinator: Joely BigEagle Phone: 306-791-7744 Email: swgap@skwriter.com

The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild gratefully acknowledge the support of SaskCulture, Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund and the Saskatchewan Arts Board

Saskatoon Program Coordinator: Sarah Shoker Phone: 306-955-5513 Fax: 306-955-5528 Email: saskatoon@skwriter.com Retreat Coordinator: Anne Pennylegion Phone: 306-757-6310 Fax: 306-565-8554 E-mail: skretreats@skwriter.com Grain Editor: Rilla Friesen Phone: 306-244-2828 Fax: 306-244-0255 Email: graineditor@sasktel.net Grain Business Administrator: Robin Mowat Phone: 306-244-2828 Email: grainmag@sasktel.net

President’s Message

hroughout my working life, whether it has been paid or unpaid work, I have asked myself questions such as: Why am I doing this? For whom am I doing this? I believe it benefits members of any organization to ask themselves similar questions. Members of the Guild might ask the following questions: Why am I a member of the SWG? What are my responsibilities to the organization, to other members and to the larger community? As Guild members are we aware of our governance model? Why do we need one? What do we expect from the people who serve our membership? Since we receive public money, do we have systems in place that help us to make the case for continued support of public dollars? Are we providing a necessary service? How do we demonstrate that what we do serves the Public Good? A couple of members have expressed concerns about all the changes happening at the Guild. In my reports during the last two years, I’ve written quite a lot on the topics of change and teamwork, both of which are typical concerns for any organization. At the last meeting of the SWG board of directors we spent more time than we usually do discussing due diligence and good governance. Times change, legislation changes, we need to keep up and pay attention to currently accepted practices and procedures. Funders everywhere are demanding that organizations and service providers are more accountable for the dollars they receive and demonstrate that they are providing a necessary service. Good governance is meant to represent all members of an organization as well as function within the confines of the rules and regulations of the laws of the land. For the SWG this means that members of the board of directors demonstrate strong leadership, support our members, and advocate on their behalf, while at the same time demonstrating financial responsibility and accountability. We do our best to be responsive to our members and our funders.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Bylaws and policies give us the authority to act on behalf of the SWG to do what needs to be done in order to continue to do the work of supporting and representing our members. People serving on the board are given clear direction, which is documented in the bylaws, as voted on by SWG membership at the AGM. SWG members, Board of Directors and Executive Director need to be clear about the expectations of the organization. We have been updating policies to more clearly define these expectations. We want to work within a model of governance that is meant to encourage participation, where people can say, “I see what my job is. I want to be involved.” Our Guild relies on public funding. Membership fees and donations, as well as dollars from the private sector, are not enough to cover all of our costs. Equally important is the fact that public funding protects us against the vagaries of the economy; as well, our not-for-profit status gives us legal protection. To retain this special status we keep our not-for-profit and charitable status up-to-date, and ensure that all legal accountability is being done. We earn the right to receive funds

SWG President Cathy Fenwick. Credit: Staff

from the public purse by practicing due diligence and following the rules and regulations as set out in the Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act, the Saskatchewan Non-profit Corporations Act, and the Arts Professions Act. Changes have been made to these Acts and we’re doing what needs to be done to keep the SWG vibrant and strong by working within the guidelines of these Acts. Members and funders might have different priorities; as trustees of the SWG, the board of directors works to ensure that we have systems in place to ensure that our longterm funding is secure and that our members’ concerns are being addressed. Board, staff, and membership are committed to the SWG—we work together to achieve goals that support our members, while satisfying our funders that we are offering a necessary service. We strive to demonstrate the validity of our work and show the very real

Freelance

value writing and literature has to the quality of life for the people of Saskatchewan and beyond. Board and staff have been discussing the concept of governance as partnership, which is basically the way the SWG has been functioning all along. More details about how we do this are being outlined in our policy updates. This idea of governance as partnership is appealing to many organizations, especially those that are publicly funded, not-forprofits, such as ours. Under this model the spotlight is on collaborating to achieve common goals. This kind of collaborative governance focuses on achieving the goals as laid out in the strategic plan and clearly outlines how all stakeholders work together to achieve those goals. Collaboration is important. It takes the focus off who’s accountable for what, because each has specifically stated roles and responsibilities. Functional policies clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of members as well as the board of directors and staff. What are members’ expectations of the board? What are members’ expectations of the Executive Director? What are members’ expectations of each other? When these are clearly defined, time and energy can rightfully be spent in achieving our common goals. When a number of groups of people are working together to deliver a service, it’s not enough for each group to be accountable for its part, or for one person to be responsible for overseeing the whole service. Making a collaboration model work means harmonizing different cultures and overcoming a multiplicity of concerns. Our goal is to have meaningful and workable partnerships within our organization as well as between the SWG and external groups. Our Mandate 2

Freelance

states that the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild is a not-for-profit membership-driven organization that strives to sustain and enhance an environment in Saskatchewan where writers and all forms of writing flourish; to promote the well-being of all writers; and to advocate on their behalf. There is an expectation beyond that of exclusivity. Members of our Guild should reflect popu-

Board and staff have been discussing the concept of governance as partnership, which is basically the way the SWG has been functioning all along.

lation demographics. Are we appealing to all writers? Are we responding to the needs of writers of all ages and ethnicities? Are we providing meaningful services to Aboriginal writers? As a mature organization we strive to meet the demands of our members and our funders. Membership should trust their elected board to make good decisions and to set achievable and reasonable goals. We should trust our Executive Director to

work with staff to do what needs to be done in order to achieve our goals. Members are encouraged to participate in a meaningful way by responding to surveys, offering constructive and helpful feedback, and volunteering to work on committees. Everyone benefits when many people are actively and positively involved. This sense of community was brought home to me in a very powerful way last spring when SWG members and staff worked together to create a beautiful and fitting memorial service for Saskatchewan Poet, Andrew Suknaski. I felt it again at this year’s Saskatchewan Festival of Words in Moose Jaw, where numerous SWG members met, mingled and learned. Our Guild sponsored the excellent well-attended poetry workshop on July 9 with Phil Hall, as well as the Friday afternoon panel discussion, which included Esi Edugyan, John Vaillant, Allan Fotheringham, Keith Ross Leckie and Alison Pick. The topic, truth-telling in writing moderated by Dave Margoshes, provided a dynamic and superb discussion. Saturday afternoon ended with the Coteau Book Launch of Margoshes’ A Book of Great Worth. Overall, I’d say the Festival this year was another great success. I very much enjoyed the sessions I attended and bought a stack of books to take with me to Vancouver, where I will spend the next couple of weeks with my daughters and grandsons. Members of the SWG are indeed writers helping writers, many thanks to those who give freely of their time and talents. Soon there will be another excellent opportunity for us to meet, mingle, learn, and get involved at our Annual Conference and AGM in Saskatoon, October 25-28. I hope to see many of you there. —Cathy Fenwick

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Executive Director’s Report

ummer at the Guild office is at its usual high activity level with year end and audit preparations, training and advising summer students, planning the conference and fall activities, and writing reports for grants, as well as juggling vacation times for staff. We’re finalizing the review of the board and operational policies and I am about to embark on writing our new three year annual global funding grant, which we receive from Saskatchewan Lotteries through SaskCulture and the Saskatchewan Arts Board. This important document will lead the Guild forward and allow some new directions in operations and in programming, which we will implement as a result of surveys and other member consultations and feedback, as well as observations of the writing community.

Staff Restructuring As staffing needs and personalities have changed, we have made some modifications to job descriptions and position roles. Milena Dzordski has been promoted to the newly created Program Assistant position and Kelsey Gottfried has agreed to take over as full-time Administrative Assistant. Since Jan Moirer is no longer with us, the decision has been made to outsource the design and layout of Freelance, Windscript, Spring and other print and media needs. The remaining duties of the previous Communications position, such as compiling and distributing Ebriefs and collecting all print articles and materials, are now part of Kelsey’s Admin Assistant responsibilities, while some of the previous duties will be performed by Milena in her new position. Milena is the coordinator of the Author Readings Program, the ACCESS TV shows, Visiting Writers (WIR) program, Youth Programming and will manage the Writers Groups, as well as assist with other Guild programming and programmers. New Author Readings Program Info Due to popular demand, the Author Readings Program has undergone some adjustments to accommodate more authors and AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

hosts. Please note that from now on host schools, libraries and communities will only be allowed to apply for two author readings in a year (August 1 to the following June 30). Authors are limited to five readings per year. Applications for readings must be submitted four weeks prior to the event. For more information on the program and how to access it, please visit our website: www.skwriter.com/programs-andservices/author-readings-program. History Info Needed Having access to our history is one way of being informed and keeping accurate records of it is a necessity. As part of a review of all Guild documents, we have discovered there are a few gaps that seem to be lacking for one reason or another. We are asking for your assistance in helping us fill in the missing information. For instance, does anyone recall what dates, even approximately, and locations that the Guild Regina office was located at various stages over the years? Other questions will be forthcoming, and we appreciate any and all answers and suggestions that you might have for locating the information. Online Forums for Members We are pleased to announce the Online Forums for our mem-

SWG Executive Director Judith SIlverthorne. Credit: Elaine Iles

bers are now active. We have a general one and one that is more specific to Aboriginal members’ needs. They both can be accessed through the Member Area on the Guild website: www.skwriter.com. Guidelines and protocol measures are on the website, as well as in this issue of Freelance, along with the handy pull-out information and registration form for the upcoming fall conference. We have a stimulating line-up for this year’s fall conference in Saskatoon and are pleased that we are in partnership with the Ânskohk Aboriginal Literature Festival. We hope to see you all there. Watch also for news of all the exciting events we have planned this fall: professional development workshops, awards presentations, facilitated retreats, readings and more. All the best. Judith

Freelance

PRoGRAM NEWS Aboriginal Programming coordinator Summer Report

t’s been sometime between reports on what is happening at the SWG with respect to Aboriginal programming. I have been busy planning workshops, readings, events, youth writing retreats and our 2nd annual Aboriginal writing retreat. As well, we have two summer students, Louise BigEagle and Desarae Eashappie, that are also working and assisting in the area of SWG programming. Our summer student, Louise BigEagle, attended three provincial events to highlight SWG successes and to promote our upcoming workshops and retreats. She set up information booths at the June 20 & 21 Wanuskewin Pow-wow, June 22 & 23 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Saskatoon hearings, and at the July 20 & 21 Back to Batoche event. We received a number of interested people wanting information on the SWG and many registrations were received from participants eager to attend our workshops and retreats. We hosted a “Healing through writing” workshop for residential school survivors held concurrently on June 28 in Regina and Saskatoon. The Saskatoon workshop was led by poet Louise Halfe and the Regina workshop was led by English professor and writer Dr. Jesse Archibald-Barber. We hosted the Bringing Back the Buffalo: Aboriginal youth writers’ creative writing retreat and workshops in Regina and Saskatoon. These events were created with the intention of honouring the buffalo and the tie that Aboriginal people feel to the buffalo spirit as

Freelance

Back Row L to R : Daniel Adams-Lindberg, Dream Hutchinson, Co-Facilitator Barb Frazer, Violet Starr, Precious Bitternose, Shayla Tootoosis, Shay Pelletier, Savanna Smythe-Mcarthur, and Amanda Rockthunder. Front Row L to R: Mariah Bigsky, Naomi Daniels, Elder Lilly Daniels, Co-Facilitator Nickita Longman, Nahanni Adams-Lindberg, and Facilitator Carol Morin.

attributed in the title from Blair Stonechild’s book, “Education is our Buffalo”. The Regina event was created as a pilot project aimed at Aboriginal youth aged 14 to 22 and was facilitated as though it was a youth writing retreat. It was held in partnership with the First Nations University of Canada on August 7—10 with Aboriginal Arts and Culture Leader and Facilitator, Carol Morin and co-facilitators Barb Frazer and Nickita Longman. The Saskatoon event was aimed at Aboriginal youth aged 14 to 19 and created as daily writing workshops with Curtis Peeteetuce, facilitator, and was in held in partnership with the Saskatoon Native Theatre Company August 20—24. Both events were successful such

that the Aboriginal youth that attended were nurtured in their chosen literary field and experienced life as a writer for the week. Their written pieces that were workshopped by their peers and facilitators during the week will be edited and bound in the 1st SWG Aboriginal Youth Anthology “Bringing Back the Buffalo” and distributed to First Nation schools and the nonFirst Nations school divisions in the province this Fall, 2012. At the time of publication, the 2nd Annual Aboriginal Writers’ Retreat at the Spring Valley Guest Ranch in Ravenscrag, SK will have been held from August 15 to 19. It was sponsored by SGI, ISC, Office of the Treaty Commissioner, Crown InvestAUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

ment Corporation, and Sasktel. Our host writer-in-residence during the retreat and facilitator was Dr. Jesse Archibald-Barber. We had six successful emerging and beginner Aboriginal writers attend the retreat and they were all extremely grateful to be given the opportunity and freedom to attend and to have the time and place to write. We hope to hear a lot from these writers in the near future. A more detailed report on both retreats will be updated in the next issue of Freelance. For future programming, we are working on continuing with our SWG Aboriginal Advisory Circle meetings to brainstorm and gather knowledge from the community on what programs and events to host and coordi-

nate to encourage more Aboriginal writers to be a part of the Guild. We have partnered with the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Writers Circle Inc. and agreed that all of the SAWCI members will receive a complimentary membership in the SWG. We are working with our FNUniv partner on the FNUniv reading series and hosting Randy Lundy in October 2012 and Richard Van Camp in February 2013. If you have any programming ideas for First Nations or Metis writers please let me know via email swgap@skwriter. com or phone 791—7744. Cheers, Joely BigEagle Aboriginal Program Coordinator

Saving for the Guild’s future (Donor status is cumulative)

LEGACY PROJECT

New Employees at the Guild

Credit: Robin Mowat

The SWG Welcomes the New Business Administrator at Grain Robin Mowat joins the Grain team as the new Business Administrator. He has previously worked in a number of different types of organizations, including non-profits like The Sheaf and the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union. Most recently, Robin worked in communications at the University of Saskatchewan.

“Are you a Builder or a Bystander?” Contributors Friends Supporters Benefactors Patron

up to 99 $100 to $999 $1,000 to $4,999 $5,000 to $10,000 over $10,000

Please make cheques or money orders payable to the SWG Foundation PO Box 3986, Regina SK S4P 3R9 You can also donate via Paypal at: www.skwriter.com/payments-and-donations SWG Foundation Reg. Charity Number 818943870 RR 0001

Thank you for your donation. A tax receipt will be issued.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Credit: SWG Staff

The SWG welcomes Sierra Morgan, the new Accounting Assistant! Sierra Morgan is a January 2012 graduate of FW Johnson Collegiate. She took Information Processing and Communication Production Technology. Sierra has been working at the SWG since late July as the new Accounting Assistant.

Freelance

Enjoying (Parts of) the Journey: How Adele Dueck Puts Together Award Winning Prose By Shirley Byers

ulti-award winning writer, Adele Dueck, enjoys revising and she loves editing, but the initial writing — not so much. Right now, there are a couple of ideas noodling around in her head. “I’m toying with writing a mystery for adults. I’m also thinking of a children’s story set in 1967. .. but neither of them has forced me into my chair yet,” she says. “I always wrote in my head. If I was thinking things out I’d do it as if I was writing it. I’d write letters to companies, complaining about products. I’d never write them on paper because once I wrote them in my head they were done.” She wrote short stories when she was a child and she continued to write and tell kids’ stories when her own children were little, working alongside her, picking peas in the garden. The stories kept their minds occupied and their hands on task. Around that time she began composing short humour pieces about life as a young mother on the farm. She sent four of them to Western People, a magazine supplement to The Western Producer. “When they wanted to publish them I was just stunned,” she says. “I couldn’t believe it. I still meet people who remember them.” Her first book, Anywhere but Here, was published in 1996. Like all of Dueck’s novels, it is set in rural Saskatchewan. “It’s important to me to have something rural. I just think there’s not enough of that in kids’ books and because it’s where I live. You write what

Freelance

you know. And I wanted that for my kids, though now I’m writing for my grandchildren.” Dueck has written three children’s novels and an easy-reader. Anywhere but Here is a mystery published by Red Deer Press. Marjorie and her friend Craig find stolen farm chemicals hidden in an old barn. How did they get there? Solving the mystery becomes a lot more important and a lot less fun when she realizes that her father might be the thief. Anywhere but Here was a Children’s Book Centre Our Choice Selection for 1997/98. It was shortlisted for the Manitoba Young Readers Award, 1998, and for the Silver Birch Award, 1997. Nettie’s Journey was published in 2005 by Coteau. Set mostly in rural Ukraine, Nettie’s Journey was inspired by Dueck’s motherin-law Nettie’s life as a young girl in flight from Ukraine with her Mennonite family during the time of the Russian revolution. The New Calf, an easy-reader, was published by Scholastic in 2007. Alison is a little girl and the cows on the farm are very big. But when she finds a baby calf in trouble she must act quickly. There’s no time to be afraid.

Adele Dueck Photo credit: Adele Dueck

Racing Home, published by Coteau in 2011 tells the story of Erik, a 12 year old arriving in Saskatchewan from Norway in 1908 with his mother, sister and stepfather. There’s plenty to do and plenty of new things to get used to, but it’s becoming more and more apparent that there are also things from the past that must be resolved. The reviews are positive and the awards are piling up, including the Saskatchewan Book Award for Children’s Literature; one of The Year’s Best for 2011, grades 3 to 6 from Resource Links; one of their Best Bets for Children’s Literature 2011 from the Ontario Library Association; and Dueck is one of three finalists in the category of Best Woman Writer in the 2012 High Plains Book Awards. Adele likes to read old-fashioned murder mysteries, and she’s considered writing a mystery for adults. “I don’t read blood and AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

gore. I still read Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer. I also like Sue Grafton and Sara Peretsky. They’re basic mysteries, the type I would like to write, where you don’t have to have somebody else die just to keep the story going. I like to watch YouTube English murder mysteries while I work around the house — even with several murders, but done in more of a light-hearted style.” After writing two historical novels, Dueck has mixed feelings about writing another. “You know, after I wrote Nettie I said I would never write another historical because they’re too hard. At a conference a lady said that before she writes a historical novel she wants to know what kind of underwear they wore, meaning she wants to know all the details.” And sometimes those details just can’t be found. “I realized writing Nettie’s Journey, that I had no idea what their kitchen (in Russia) was like; was there a drawer to put the cutlery in? I found it very frustrating and I didn’t really know how to find out. Or if I did, the material wasn’t in English.” Nevertheless, she went on to write Racing Home and she has been thinking of writing a novel set in 1967, Saskatchewan. “I read somewhere you can consider historical anything over 50 years old and that will be 50 pretty soon.” And, she admits, “There is something very satisfying about writing a historical.” Her novels start at the beginning with a character. Sometimes she makes an outline when she’s halfway through. “I look at what I’ve done and where I need to be, then I do my outlining. I don’t think I can plan a book out; say we’re going to do ABC and D, a lot AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

of it I don’t know before I write. In fact, I even have trouble right now thinking of what I should do next. I haven’t felt I could just take a day to sit at my desk and play around. So, I think about it while I’m doing other things and I just want to have a typewriter or a computer under my fingers while I’m thinking. I should be able to plan a book in my head while I’m washing dishes but I don’t seem to be able to.” But later this summer . . . maybe. There’s a bunkhouse in the farm yard, with no phone, no distractions . . . Or, she might try to do a 24hour writing thing, “where you actually have to sit down and you can’t stop. Just to get something down. Once I’ve got something down I love editing. It can be done in bits and pieces. The first draft is always the hardest. After that it’s more fun. I love it because you’ve got something you can work on. You don’t have to think so hard!”

MANUScRIPT EVALUATIoN SERVIcE

Professional evaluation at a sensible fee The Manuscript* Evaluation Service assists writers at all levels of development who would like a professional response to their unpublished work. The service is available to ALL Saskatchewan writers, and uses the talents of Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild (SWG) published members. The SWG offers this service with the generous partnership of the Saskatchewan Arts Board.

Full details & fees at www.skwriter.com programs services manuscript evaluation service Send your manuscript and payment to the following address: Manuscript Evaluation Service Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild Box 3986 Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3R9 For more information, phone 306-791-7743 or Email programs@skwriter.com *

MANUSCRIPTS :

•

Prose

•

Poetry

•

Dramatic Scripts (theatrical)

Freelance

Front Row (L to R) Danita Stallard, Rhonda Stock, Laura Stock, Andrea McClelland; Middle Row (L to R) Maureen Ulrich, Maggie Holmes, Jeremy Stock, Betty McGillivray, Marie Calder; Back Row: Trevor Garling. Photo credit: Maureen Ulrich

Estevan Writers Group by Maureen Ulrich

joined the Estevan Writers Group (EWG) over ten years ago after attending a meeting in the fall of 2001. Katina Chapman, Marie Calder, Norm Park, and Joanne Bannatyne-Cugnet were some of the group’s movers and shakers back then. Jo would regularly hop onto her soapbox to remind us that writing is a profession and we shouldn’t write for free.

Thanks to the influence of the group and Allan Safarik, Estevan’s then Writer-in-Residence, I finished my first draft of a young adult manuscript about girls’ hockey and parceled it off to Orca in July 2002. Over the course of the next four years, the EWG sustained me through the publishers’ long silences and subsequent rejection letters. “Always try to keep something out there,” member Betty McGillvray told me. “That way there’s potential to be published.” Our monthly meetings spurred me to keep plucking away at revisions to Not Just a Boy’s Game, which Coteau Books published in 2007 as Power Plays. By no means am I the only group member to find success. A number of members have been published in magazines, poetry 8

Freelance

anthologies, and e-zines. Jo has written three children’s books, including The Prairie Alphabet. Elaine Hjortland’s story “The Big Hill” was on CBC Radio’s Ambience and Bessie Brekke’s childhood memories have been recorded in Tales of the Twenties. Katina printed Reservations, a romance novel, in 2004. Thistledown Press published Suzanne Longbottom’s Site Dreams in 2007. Borealis Press has embraced Marie Calder’s The Other Side of War series. William Sinclair has co-authored an ebook called Love & Relationship: How To Love and Make it Last. The group was formed in 1986 after a one-day writing workshop at the old library. An article in Freelance, dated October 14 of that year, announced the formation of a new writers’ group

in Estevan and its affiliation with the SWG. Bill Wallace was the president, Suzanne, the secretary, and Katina, the treasurer. In the beginning the group was called the Estevan Literary Group and remained so for many years. Members met at the library in the beginning, and then began taking turns at their homes. “I was always the one romance writer,” Katina explained. “Bill wrote poetry, Suzanne’s works were literary, Bessie wrote true life stories of growing up, and Jo was the children’s writer.” Other ELG members included Irene Roy and Joyce Beggs. Thanks to a yearly grant from the SWG, the group held yearly workshops featuring writers like Gary Hyland, Linda Wegner, Mary Balogh, Rod McIntyre, Robert Currie, Sharon Butala, Linda Aksomitis, Alison Lohans, Judith Silverthorne, and Candace Savage. However, in recent years we have discovered a propensity for ministering to ourselves. Last spring, member William led an in-service on e-publishing. We also hold group critiques, which entail getting together to discuss a 10-page excerpt from each participant in round-table fashion. We value one another’s suggestions. We try to be gentle with one another, but not too gentle. We all want to get better and the only way that happens is if someone points out what isn’t working. Shauna Stock, one of the group’s newest members, had this to say AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

about her first group critique experience: “I received both general and specific advice on my mystery-thriller, which has been very helpful. I am looking forward to the fall critique.” We hold two retreat weekends per year. Last November we stayed at the Antler Bed and Breakfast in Wawota, and in May, rented the Mother Teresa Centre at Kenosee Lake. “I love retreats,” EWG member Andrea McClelland commented. “We bring potluck, so the food is always great. We write, share, discuss, and write some more. The highlight of the weekend is Jeremy’s retreat poem in which he bumps us off one at a time. We can’t wait to hear it!” Lately, we have been able to get by without SWG grants. Saskatchewan Lotteries, the Saskatchewan Arts Council, and the City of Estevan sponsor our room rental at the library and our yearly membership fee of $20 is put to good use. This year the EWG paid the accommodation for one retreat per member. “I’m not sure if that practice is sustainable,” commented EWG secretary Laura Stock, “but it sure helps.” Rhonda Stock is our current chair. By day she masquerades as a mechanical engineer and horse breeder. Somehow she manages to find time to lead our group and write Depressionera historical fiction based on the travels of her train-hopping grandfather in Western Canada. In addition, Rhonda writes cowboy poetry and realistic fiction. Danita Stallard, our youngest member, writes and illustrates graphic novels, besides writing fantasy and steam punk. “It’s only a matter of time before a publisher notices how brilliant Danita is,” Rhonda commented.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Nicole Flaman (Assiniboia) and Maggie Holmes (Pierson) drive long distances to participate. Lately Maggie has started Skyping our monthly meetings, instead of driving ninety miles to take part in person. “It’s so worth the drive when I do come,” says Maggie. “I enjoy learning new things at the workshops.”

As much as our families try to understand us, the only people who really “get us” are other writers. We are so lucky to have one another.

Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at the Estevan Public Library. We don’t meet during the summer months, although some group members continue to meet at one another’s homes on Fridays. We welcome new members. In fact, we have printed a colourful brochure that is available at the library. We hold at least one coffee house per year to encourage other writers to come out of the closet and join us. In addition we use social media to promote our group. Rhonda recently uploaded a website at www.insksters.weekbly.com.

“In this fast paced world, I’m not sure we would be able to keep up with the group if we didn’t have Facebook,” observed member Monica Floden. “Rhonda posts the minutes from our meetings there. If someone has a question, we can also see what it is and weigh in on the answer. It’s pretty handy for planning events too.” We recently revisited the notion of hiring a writer-in-residence for Estevan. With the advent of the Internet, it’s possible the person wouldn’t even have to live here. Our members would benefit from access to a professional writer and we are hopeful we can partner with the public library and the city in this venture. Truly, we are not so different from the individuals who started meeting at the public library twenty-six years ago. We may write in diverse genres, but we do our best to support and encourage one another. As much as our families try to understand us, the only people who really “get us” are other writers. We are so lucky to have one another.

THE TERRY FOX RUN FOR CANCER RESEARCH

NO ENTRY FEE NO MINIMUM PLEDGE Walk-Run-Wheel-Ride

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 1 888 836-9786

terryfox.org

Freelance

(L to R) Paige Mitchell, Amy Baldwin, Elliece Ramsay, Kayla Ingold. Photo credit: SWG staff

The Wind in Their Sails By Charlene K. Blackwell

aving never heard of Windscript when I attended Walter Murray Collegiate, I first came across it in the early nineties while working at the Resource Centre for Sport, Culture and Recreation in Regina, admiring the quality publication which highlights student’s work. Recently reading through an Ebriefs bulletin, I was astonished I hadn’t read anywhere else about the 2012 Windscript award winners, one of whom I recognized as Sarah Jane Houghtaling from Swift Current, winner of the CurrieHyland Prize. Then I wondered how many people across Saskatchewan really know about this magical opportunity for young writers. Last May I was covering a story for the Gull Lake Advance on an art auction/coffeehouse at the Lyric Theatre in Swift Current when I first met Houghtaling, an amazingly bright and multi-talented student from Maverick School. After speaking with Principal Jayne Nicholson, I could see what an incredible impact Maverick’s arts-based programming had on the students, so to discover not one, but two students had published in Windscript Volume 28, I set out to speak with them in Swift Current to see what Windscript meant to them.

Freelance

Still recovering from a week-long canoeing adventure in Prince Albert National Park, Alexus Poh was anxious to read her poem, “To Play in the Wind”, a spirited, inspirational piece. “Everything I’ve written I wrote when I was younger,” she said, talking about those dark and difficult years when she wrote to express her emotions. “Marnie MacMillan encouraged me to submit my work,” said Poh after her English teacher had read her writing. Currie-Hyland Prize winner Sarah Jane Houghtaling, recently awarded the Heart of Maverick Award, has really come into her own this year, perhaps that is what shone through her words to win the award. “I love words,” she said, pointing out one of the words in her poem “Pick Up Lines for Aspiring Bard.” Growing up in a very nurturing and supportive family she was encouraged to use big words at a very young age. All smiles as she toted her award and Love of Mirrors by Gary Hyland from Coteau Books, Sarah said she really enjoyed reading Hyland’s poems. Loving the great prizes— free books and iTunes cards—she also noted on Facebook, “I’m ridiculously honoured. I only wish I’d been at the ceremony to meet the other writers. Oh well, maybe next year!” What better incentive to keep writing? “The Currie-Hyland Prize is awarded for excellence in poetry to a high school writer living outside Regina or Saskatoon,” states the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild website. Established in 1992, the award is a tribute to Robert Currie and Gary Hyland in recognition of

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

their achievements in literary excellence and commitment to students and fellow writers. The Jerrett Enns Award are two awards of excellence for high school student writing in poetry and prose, named in honour of Victor Jerrett Enns, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild from 1982 to 1988 who created Windscript during his tenure. This year’s awards went to: •

Jerrett Enns Award for Poetry: Elliece Ramsey

•

Honourable Mention for Poetry: Amy Baldwin

•

Jerrett Enns Award for Prose: Paige Mitchell

•

Honourable Mention for Prose: Kayla Ingold

•

Currie-Hyland Prize: Sarah J. Houghtaling

•

Currie-Hyland Prize Honourable Mention: Tessa L’Hoir

Finding themes in the entries, especially when they were in just the right order, was a pleasant surprise. “Seeing the basic manuscript shaped, formed, packaged into a professional-looking magazine, I think this really honours the quality of work the young authors submitted.” The glossy white cover with a bright colourful photo really stood out and the text was expertly laid out and organized, making it easy for readers to follow and enjoy. Sheena couldn’t say enough about what the publication and its launch means to these students. “Andrew drove eight hours from Waterhen First Nation just to be at the launch. Another young lady drove five hours. Every author who came to the launch came there with family. It was a big deal, a real honour. My husband was pub-

lished in Windscript back in the 80’s and it always meant a lot to him. He was a published author.” As writers, teachers, librarians, and mentors, we need to remind ourselves why we continue to support Windscript and what we can do to spread awareness of this great opportunity. “One idea to make the magazine more visible,” Koops suggested, “would be to publish a teacher’s guide with interactive worksheets, encourage schools to buy a class set and use the magazine as a text. I think this might heighten the awareness amongst teachers and librarians so that they can promote to their students.” The more people hear about the wonderful student resources available, such as Windscript, the greater youth will succeed in developing their paths toward the future.

“Nine contributors came to read at the launch including the two Jerrett Enns Award winners and the honourable mentions out of twenty published in volume 28,” said SWG Administrative Assistant, Milena Dzordeski. “The launch took place on May 23rd as part of the Cathedral Village Arts Festival at the Unitarian Centre in Regina. A lot of family members, SWG staff, and editor Sheena Koops were also in attendance.” Responsible for editing Windscript’s volume 28, author and high school teacher Sheena Koops read over sixty blind entries, most of them multiple submissions, and Koops placed them into three piles: no, maybe, and yes. Providing comments and suggestions to strengthen the poem or prose for some on the yes pile, Sheena scanned for word pictures, smells, sounds, tastes and touches. “I was looking for fresh perspectives on the everyday, for pieces that took me somewhere new,” she said.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Freelance

Alison Lohans at the Hopedale reading. Photo courtesy of Alison Lohans

Glimpses of Labrador By Alison Lohans

abrador: half the size of Saskatchewan, with a population smaller than Moose Jaw. It’s a huge land, much of it being wilderness, with small, friendly communities scattered inland and along the coast. I had the privilege of spending twelve days touring there in May for the 2012 Canadian Children’s Book Week, sponsored by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC). Formed in 1976, the CCBC encourages, promotes and supports the reading, writing, illustrating and publishing of Canadian books for young readers. The 38th TD Canadian Children’s Book Week sent 34 writers, illustrators and storytellers to schools and libraries in every province and territory. In Labrador, my third Book Week tour, I did fourteen readings and one workshop in eight diverse

Freelance

communities. Librarian and poet Sandy Chilcote of Corner Book, NL, did a superb job of booking me into areas seldom seen by those from the “outside”. Urban readings were minimized so that I could travel to historic sites and remote fly-in communities on Labrador’s north coast in the new Inuit territory of Nunatsiavut. I started in Labrador West near the Quebec border with read-

ings in the iron mining towns of Labrador City and Wabush, reading to 110 grade 3 children in Labrador City, and to grades 5 and 7 in Wabush. A 9-minute clip on CBC Radio’s Labrador Morning show taped in Labrador City preceded me everywhere I went, and generated book sales: http://www.cbc.ca/labradormorning/episodes/2012/05/08/authoralison-lohans-visits-for-canadianchildrens-book-week/. Likewise, a newspaper interview in Wabush appeared in The Aurora and The Labradorian: http://www.theaurora.ca/Entertainment/2012-05-15/ article-2979910/Canadian-childrens-author-visits-Labrador/1. Labrador West is a bustling area where “if you don’t have a job, it’s because you don’t want to work”. Average real estate prices soar higher than Saskatchewan’s: rent for a “basic” condo is more than what my son pays in Edmonton. AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

A three hour early morning drive on the Trans-Labrador Highway took us through beautiful terrain that looks like Northern Saskatchewan. The at-first-excellent paved road became well-maintained gravel, and then a rough ride on dirt and mud that brought us to Churchill Falls. Here I did a high school writing workshop, followed by library presentations to grades 1-3 and 4-6. Churchill Falls is a company town owned by Nalcor Energy, whose Churchill Falls Hydroelectric Project is the secondlargest in North America. All major services—school, grocery store, library, post office, hotel, restaurant, and gym—are housed in one large urban complex, and all residential properties are companyowned. After my day of readings there was time to explore the area and, in the evening, tour the massive hydro plant.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

From Churchill Falls, I flew to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador’s largest city, where I read at the middle school. A driver then took me to the historic Hudson’s Bay settlement of North West River, where I read to children in grades 2-7 and 8-9. The next morning, a Twin Otter took me to Makkovik, the Inuit coastal village of 350 where people are happy and healthy, and culture is strong. J.C. Erhardt School was like a gallery of Inuit art; posters and signs were in English and Inuktitut. Prior to my readings, I spent a delightful morning hanging out with women in the staff room and being toured around town by principal Liz on her “bike” (all-terrain vehicle). We stopped to visit Nellie, an elderly craftswoman of Canadian renown, where I purchased sealskin mitts and a handcrafted bag. The school presentations were especially enjoyable. I was

only the second author, ever, to visit and a palpable excitement hung in the air. Many of the high school kids sported the “Labrador tan”—a reverse-raccoon look with pale skin around their eyes, protected by goggles during countless hours snowmobiling. Later, I attended a concert of traditional Labrador music and had the rare treat of hearing high school girls perform Inuit throat singing. A snowstorm was sweeping across Labrador when all the other guests at the Adlavik Inn left on the late afternoon flight. I stayed, and stayed... While the storm in Makkovik was nothing to get excited about, planes weren’t leaving Goose Bay. Inn owner Lori phoned at meal times to ask what I wanted to eat and then she’d come and prepare it. As I ate, she regaled me with local stories. It so happened that my stay coincided with a com-

Freelance

Alison Lohans getting a tour around Makkovik, NL on one of the principal modes of transportation for Labrador’s north coast. Photo courtesy of Alison Lohans

munity walk (and hotdog roast) honouring 14-year-old Burton Winters, who perished on the sea ice in January during a blizzard. My plane arrived 32 hours late. Flying low beneath the cloud cover I saw exquisite wild scenery enroute to Hopedale, population 600. The restaurant was

closed weekends so kindergarten teacher Valerie, with classic Labrador hospitality, welcomed me into her home where she served barbecued moose and caribou ribs and, the next day, Canada goose—all hunted by husband Reuben. On Sunday we explored the upper rooms

SPRING MAGAzINE EDIToRS WANTED

Plans are under way for Spring Volume VIII, the SWG’s magazine for emerging writers. We are seeking SWG members who are published writers for the three positions of managing/non-fiction editor, fiction and poetry editors. Spring magazine is published bi-annually, funding permitted, by the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. The purpose of Spring is to showcase and encourage the work of new writers who have not yet published in booklength form (64 pages, unless children’s writing) and who have not yet entered into a contract with a book publisher. All contributors are Saskatchewan residents or members of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. Spring is provided electronically to all members of the SWG and printed editions are available for purchase for $10.00. For more information about the publication, please visit: www.skwriter. com/publications/spring or contact Tracy at (306) 791-7743 or programs@skwriter.com. Please send your literary resumé and a cover letter to: SWG, PO Box 3896 Regina, SK S4P 3R9, postmarked by 4:30 pm September 28, 2012.

Freelance

of the historic Moravian church, discovering all sorts of amazing “stuff.” Amos Comenius School also was impressive for its art— and the polar bear that greets everyone in the front lobby. My two readings were crowded, as parents and grandparents attended as well. Afterwards, I was presented with a pair of beaded moccasins made by a high school student! That evening, looking to purchase mitts for a friend in Regina, I had the privilege of sitting with the women’s sewing group, where I chose the rabbit fur trim for those mitts, which were finished as I watched. My last two readings were in Nain, Labrador’s Northernmost settlement. There only four hours, I had few impressions of the place. Back in Happy ValleyGoose Bay it was a shock to see paved roads and traffic that consisted of more than an ATV buzzing along every ten minutes or so, and friendly pedestrians who never failed to say “hello.” During my twelve days in Labrador I came to understand the passion of the many people I met who’d come “for a year,” but stayed much longer. And I hope some of those kids feel inspired to share their own stories, depicting a child’s way of life that, to us, spells adventure. Alison Lohanss has published 25 books for children and teens, most recently Crossings (Bundoran Press, 2012); Stop That Pup! (Pearson Education, New Zealand, 2012); The Break (Pearson, 2012); and Picturing Alyssa (Dundurn, 2011). Alison is the recent recipient of the Regina YWCA 2012 Jacqui Schumiatcher Woman of Distinction Award for the Arts.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Should Writers Blog? By Toby Welch logging is a touchy subject for a lot of writers. Some swear by its merits while others vow to never do it. If you aren’t blogging already, should you be? That is a tough one to answer. Blogging isn’t the magic bullet that will give you the fame of J.K. Rowling but it can give your writing career a boost.

The complaint most people have about blogging is that it takes up too much time, time that they would rather spend doing something else. Blogging can easily eat up the majority of your allotted writing time if you let it. Not only that, it can be a lot of work. Some people find it hard to continually come up with ideas on what to blog about while others find it challenging to stay motivated to write the blog posts.

•

Despite the downsides, blogging has numerous advantages: • • •

• • • • • • • •

Convenient and low-cost way to promote and market yourself and your writing. Increased exposure for yourself and your writing. Helps people find and/ or hone their writing voice and continually improve their craft. A creative outlet for expression. Gives the blogger a way to interact with his/her audience including readers and fans. A way to connect with other writers. An avenue for developing content or conquering a writing project. A source for selling your writing services, e-books, and such. A cheap form of therapy—a blog can allow you to blow off steam. A means of networking. A way to make additional income if you use advertisement generating software or an established online program like Google AdSense.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

•

If you blog on your website, it gives you fresh content on a regular basis, that translates to a higher ranking in search engines. A way to immerse yourself in the online world of social media; a blog can be a convenient home base for all of your social media activity. A means of developing a strong online presence and platform. Helps you establish credibility in your industry. Your own personal soapbox.

Congratulations—you’ve decided you want to give blogging a try! Where do you start? First you need to decide on a venue. If you already have a website, that might be the ideal place to blog. Looking beyond that, you’ll find a number of easy-to-use websites to blog on; some are free and some are relatively inexpensive. Personally, I like Blogger.com as there is no cost and it is easy for even a nontechnologically-savvy writer, such

as myself, to use. In five minutes you can be up and blogging. Blogger.com and WordPress.com are the two major blogging websites and have the largest user databases, but there are others to consider. Check out Weebly. com, yola.com, LiveJournal.com, TypePad.com, tumblr.com (especially handy for photo bloggers), and posterous.com (ideal for those with many social media avenues), among many others. The next step is to figure out the topic for your blog. The most important thing is to offer something of value to the reader. Some people just want to be entertained whereas others want to learn something. As a writer, you have the ability to satisfy at least one of those criteria, but preferably both. So, what should you blog about? It needs to be something you know more about than the average person; a level of expertise is a definite plus. It also needs to be something you are passionate about and have a burning desire to share. Look to your work, hobbies, and interests to decide on a topic for your blog. Don’t waste your time or anyone else’s on a blog that doesn’t offer something useful. Now that you’ve figured out your blogging topic, set up an action plan. List the topics or

Freelance

cALL foR BoARD NoMINATIoNS

he SWG Board Elections will be conducted once again at the AGM in October during the fall conference. In accordance with the Guild bylaws, several term positions are available. This year the Nominations Committee of the Board is seeking volunteer SWG members to let their names stand for President for a one-year term and as one of four members-at-large. The Board of the SWG is made up of members from across the province, both urban and rural, dedicated to serving the membership. Members-at-large are elected for a term of two years on a rotating basis with new members being elected every year. The President and other members of the board are eligible to serve two consecutive terms. There are a minimum of five Board meetings per year and usually no more than eight, which are held in various locations around the province to accommodate Board members as much as possible. Members are encouraged to submit their names, or if you wish to nominate someone, please be sure of their willingness to serve before sending their name forward. For information about the SWG Board or to submit a nomination please contact the Chair of the Nominations Committee, Rod MacIntyre at rpmacintyre@gmail.com or the SWG office. CRITERIA FOR NOMINATIONS TO THE BOARD

• • • •

• •

The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild relies on the expertise and knowledge of its board to carry out its mandate and vision. The Board shall ensure that the following criteria be adhered to for selection of nominees to the Board: Candidates must be a resident of Saskatchewan and live in the province at least 8 months of the year. Candidates must have a demonstrated commitment to the art and craft of writing and be an active member of Saskatchewan’s writing community. Candidates must be a member in good standing of the SWG. Candidates must be 19 years of age.

• • • •

• •

Candidates must be willing to abide by SWG Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policies. A broad range of knowledge, skills and experience will be sought in the composition of the board. Nominees to the SWG Board of Directors cannot be in a status of bankruptcy. To the greatest extent possible, the composition of the board should reflect the cultural diversity of the province, in particular Aboriginal representation. To the greatest extent possible, the composition of the board should reflect gender balance and regional representation To the greatest extent possible, the composition of the Board should reflect the literary diversity of the province.

NoMINATIoN foRM I hereby submit the following person for election to the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild Board of Directors at the AGM on October 28, 2012. Nominees are not required to be present to accept the nomination, but must be in agreement and be members in good standing of the SWG. NOMINEE INFORMATION Name: Address: Postal Code: Daytime phone: Evening phone: E-mail: Nomination designated for the position of: President Board Member

Freelance

NOMINATOR INFORMATION: Name: Phone: E-mail: A seconder for the nomination will be required at the AGM. Please send a brief biography of the nominee.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

titles of the first six or seven blog posts, more if you can. Then look at your schedule and figure out how blogging fits into your life. Some people blog daily whereas others blog once or less per month. When deciding how frequently to blog, keep in mind that it is more important to be a consistent blogger (whether it’s once a day, week, or month) than to be sporadic. Try to avoid blogging five times in one week and once the following month. When writing your blog posts remember that, like with all writing, readers will come back if they like your writing style and your voice. Match your tone to your topic and let your personality shine through. Engage your

readers and allow them to leave comments. Interact with them on your blog’s site. Figure out why the readers are coming to read what you’ve written and meet those needs. If you doubt your blogging ability it’s better to not blog at all than to do a poor job in the blogosphere. As you go about your daily life, ideas for your blog will pop into your head. Make sure you jot them down as soon as you think of them instead of letting the ideas flutter away. Blog posts don’t have to be long—even a couple hundred words can be more than enough under the right circumstances. If you’re not looking to blog for yourself, organizations and

companies often pay freelance writers to blog for them. These jobs can be lucrative but are often monotonous. A little knowledge about how SEO (search engine optimization) works is ideal for such a job. Scour writing work websites if you’re interested in a paid blogging position. Whether or not to blog is a tough quandary for many people. If you are leaning towards doing it, give it a try—you have nothing to lose but time and you never know what you might get in return. But if you want it to be a success, only do it if it’s something you are passionate about and you wouldn’t rather spend your time doing something else. Hope to see you in the blogosphere!

A Blogger’s Tale: Treaty Walks–www.treatywalks.blogspot.com By Sheena Koops ugust 29th, 2011. I find the blogspot website. If my sisterin-law and cousin can figure this out, I should be able to, too. My fingers are swollen tight with liquid stress. I follow the instructions, resisting the urge, each finger peck of the way, to yell for back up. My husband is just downstairs. But I can do this. I choose a template, almost the first to pop up, with grass and dandelions. I don’t change the green colour theme. I type Treaty Walks as a header and add the line, “Join me on my year-long -journey to and from school ‘every day the busses run.’ As I walk I will meditate on treaties, blogging and posting pictures along the way.” I pick a few gadgets, whatever those are, and hit “preview blog”. Hey, that looks okay. I find the new post button and title my first entry “Afraid I’m Going to Flake Out.” I start blogging.

August 29th, 2011. This past spring I started reading The Artist Way by Julia Cameron. She advocates writing “morning pages” and sometime last June, while writing about wanting to get into better shape, I came up with the idea that I should walk to school for a year. (Starting next fall, of course.) It wasn’t long into this stream-of-consciousness morning rambling that the walking had a theme: as I walked to school, I AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

would meditate on the treaties. You see, I live in Treaty 4 territory (as many do in Southern Saskatchewan), and because of where I live (past Fort Qu’Appelle’s ski hill), if I was walking to school, I’d walk right past the largest inhabited teepee (so I’ve heard it called); the Treaty Four Governance Centre; and the Treaty Four grounds. So here’s the confession that might answer the question,

“Why would a teacher need to ‘meditate on the treaties’?” I’ve lived in Treaty Four territory most of my life, (except for five years living in Black Lake, Treaty Eight, and one year in Calgary... Treaty Seven), and as a Saskatchewan teacher, I am expected to bring “treaty teachings” into my classroom; however, I “know” very little about treaties. Thus began my blog Treaty Walks. I didn’t flake out. I walked out the door the next morning, as I did one hundred and ninetynine more days, blogging and posting pictures along the way. Treaty Walks became a writing discipline, an artist’s exercise. I’d arrive at school, plug in the card reader, select some photos, and post them on the blog: pictures of the sun shining, the grass growing, the river flowing under the bridge; pictures of

Freelance

a wind ripped ribbon of British of the most humble and joy filled Flag found rain beaten into the moments in my life as I listened sand outside of the hospital’s in from cloud number nine. four flags – Treaty Four, Saskatchewan, Britain, and Canada. Number Eight: Stories of friendUsually in the evening I’d blog ship remind me of who I am about the day and who I through a treaty want to be. lens. Stories I didn’t flake of young men Number marching to Seven: Opporout. I walked out Ottawa with tunity to think the Indian Act on significant the door the next chained to their teachings, like ankle; giving a the seven samorning, as I hitchhiker a ride cred teachings and hearing -- love, respect, did one hundred his perspective courage, honon the phrase, esty, wisdom, and ninety“tough on humility, truth. crime”; marchOr the Tipi nine more days, ing with my Teachings students to -- obedience, blogging and the Truth and respect, humilReconciliation ity, happiness, posting pictures Commission love, faith, Hearing in Fort kinship, cleanlialong the way. Qu’Appelle ness, thankfulcarrying the ness, sharing, banner, “It Matstrength, good ters to Me.” child rearing, hope, ultiFor the final ten mate protecdays, I began tion, balance a countdown or control. of the reasons I love my Number Treaty Walks: Six: Meeting amazing Number Ten: Walking and talkpeople, Like Leo and Ashley, the ing with people I meet on the March 4 Justice boys, who are road like Scott and Kennedy. on their own treaty walks, all the Passing other walkers on their way to Ottawa with the Indian way home or to work or school. Act chained to their ankles. Walking with folks like Sue and Angie. Walking with Arwen and Number Five: From plus 38 to Mom. Walking and talking. minus 38, I love this land. I love the seasons. I love the wind Number Nine: The panel discusand rain and sun and snow and sion at my Day One Hundred moon and northern lights. Treaty Blog Launch. I’d do all two hunWalks have taught me to say, dred days again just to sit and “thank you for sharing the land.” listen to Kate, Michelle, Sandy and Lynn interacting with each Number Four: As I Treaty other, interacting with Michael Walk for my students and and the audience about what daughters I am really joining treaty means to them. It was one them as a learner and child.

Freelance

Number Three: Treaty Walks have been good for my body, mind, heart and spirit. Number Two: Treaty Walks slows me down enough to gain some communication traction around ideas of great passion: restitution, equality, justice, healing, treaty. Number One: Treaty Walks is not over. Although I am not happy that there is such a long road ahead of everyone who is walking toward the promise of treaty, I am happy to be on a good road with visionary people. Although my two hundred day treaty goal is over, Treaty Walks has become more than a blog, it is now part of my way of being in the world. This summer, as I drive into town for groceries, my thirty-five minute walk turning into a five minute blur, I miss the way the powwow grounds open up slowly, one footstep at a time. I am surprised how quickly the teepee grows in perspective and then is gone behind me. I believe my year-long Treaty Walks was always a life-long journey. I will be out on that road again, past the powwow grounds, the Governance Centre, the All Nations Healing Hospital, on my way to school.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Before You Hit Send. . . By Shirley Byers

“

hat you wrote made me look like a complete jerk!” the client fumed, “I thought it was your job to make sure things like this did not happen.”

I couldn’t say much in my defence. He was right. It had been a simple enough project. Using the client’s notes and words I was to write and print a one-page letter. He was a high school teacher and the letter was a presentation to his School Board, an appeal to gain funding for a class day trip to a nearby city where him and the students would visit several museums and take in a movie at the IMAX. To sell his case he’d outlined the many benefits, both educational and social, that the students would derive from this outing. They would “learn more about the art, history, and culture of our First Nations peoples. They would see an educational movie on First Peoples and they would gain experience in how to conduct themselves in a public place.” I composed it. I typed it. I hit spellcheck and I printed it. And it was perfect. Except for one, little problem. When I typed the word “public,” I missed the letter “l.” Spellcheck is not a person. Spellcheck doesn’t care about the writer’s intention, gross mortification or wrathful clients. If it’s a word, it accepts it and moves on. A line by line edit can be tedious and boring and after you’ve re-worked the piece a gazillion times for content, it’s tempting to think revision isn’t necessary. I submit that you might

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

want to rethink that position. If my sad, little tale isn’t enough to convince you, I offer for your contemplation, a few other examples of little oopsydoodles that could have been avoided. “Trap Shooters Will Reform” screamed a headline in a local weekly newspaper. No, the trap shooters weren’t going to reform, lay down their guns and quit terrorizing

“Dead man asked to leave memorial”was the headline that greeted me one morning last winter as my computer took me to my internet provider’s home page. Disturbing, but it turned out it was someone else’s memorial he had been asked to leave prior to his own death. And from a promo for a fictionalized memoir: “At age fiftyone, my father had been dead for over twenty years, and my mother’s health was poor.” Misplaced modifiers can confuse. Don’t let little slip-ups make you look less competent. Let your story/article/ copy cool for a while. Give it one last check before you send it on. Reading it from bottom to top, end to be-

I composed it. I typed it. I hit spellcheck and I printed it. And it was perfect. Except for one, little problem. When I typed the word “public,” I missed the letter “l.” those helpless, little bits of clay. The club had disbanded a number of years ago and was now about to re-form. “Local Stores Ready for Paramours” topped another story in a pre-Valentine edition of another weekly. On reflection, might the writer have reconsidered one particular word choice in that headline? Although paramour can mean any “lover,” in popular usage it has about it the whiff of the illicit.

ginning can catch missed words, typos and errors in usage. Check definitions of any words you are unsure of. Strive always to find exactly the right word. And never, never, never rely totally on spell check.

Freelance

on Rejection… The following are notes from a talk I gave at the Atlantic Book Festival in April 2010. They are also notes to myself. When the hard parts of the writing life threaten to get the better of you, it’s helpful to have a few sturdy old notions to lean on. These are mine. —Valerie Compton ike anyone who’s been writing fiction for a while, I have extensive experience with rejection. This is because I have extensive experience with the submission process. Have you thought about that word, submission? It means: humility, meekness, yielding to authority. If you sign up for that, by default you are signing up for rejection.

So, I have submitted. And I’ve received all kinds of rejection letters. The hard ones that break your teeth and gooey ones that are so sweet they make your teeth hurt. I’ve been told my writing is simply “not right for us.” And I’ve been told it’s “elegant and deft and beautifully written”—but “not right for us.” Of course, in all those years of rejection, I’ve also had experiences of acceptance. Acceptance. Rejection. The words even sound like opposites, don’t they? But consider what they have in common. Here are snippets from two letters. One a rejection, one an acceptance. 1. . . . beautifully written, and impressively structured and controlled . . . 2. . . . extremely well-crafted, and very moving. . . captivating . . . dexterously told and deliciously compelling . . . a very fine accomplishment . . . stellar. . . Can you guess which is which? One of these letters contained the phrase not right for us. Of course that second glorious 20

Freelance

letter was the rejection. But it’s tell you so. Rejection is also difhard to tell, isn’t it? Because the ficult when you’re further along. rejection letter contained so much Maybe it was a grant application praise. And acceptance letters are you’d submitted and there was the same. They often contain rebig money involved. Maybe getjection. You may not realize it right ting rejected means that you don’t away, but sooner get to write, or later someone because you will enlighten have a mortRejection you. Probably gage to pay your editor, who and kids to never stops. will send you a feed, or other fix note. My last adult responIn fact, one was 10 pages sibilities. long, singleit gets worse. spaced. (Ironic, Rejection isn’t it? In subnever stops. The farther mission guideIn fact, it gets lines, the editor’s worse. The you go, mantra is “12 farther you pt. type, Times go, the higher the higher New Roman, the stakes, double-spaced”). the bigger the stakes, But never mind the loss. So the fix note. I how do you the bigger was thrilled. I got deal with it? to work with a the loss. smart, thoughtful This is what editor who read I’ve learned. my words with Five things: great care, and revision under 1. It’s crucial the guidance of to actively a good editor is seek rejecan unmatched tion as early pleasure and in the writing a privilege. process as possible. I’m So here we are at the hard fact not suggesting you submit again. Acceptance is better. Beearly—just the opposite— ing rejected can be very difficult. I’m suggesting you reject It’s psychologically difficult. It’s your own work. Reject difficult when it’s your first story everything that feels even or you haven’t yet placed anyslightly wrong. Every little thing and you just desperately thing and every big thing. want some affirmation. You want Change words, change the to know that you can write. You point of view. Go wild with want some unbiased person to your red pen. Reject whole

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

4. Don’t imagine that acceptance or publication will solve any problems. It may create new ones. It almost certainly won’t mean riches. Even if lightning strikes and your 2. When you get a rejection book wins a prize or a place from a journal or an editor at a on a bestseller list, life can be publishing house, take it serihard. Here’s a reality check: ously. If there are comments, there was a story in the payou might want to use them pers recently about a Canato revise. If there are no comdian novelist’s multi-million ments, remember that a rejecdollar advance—then a major tion means that one reader magazine gave the book a has said, “this piece isn’t bad review. Imagine what a working for me” and maybe roller coaster that must be. you can figure out why. Often 5. Realize that you are part of we know what’s wrong with a community. Writers can our work—we just don’t want help each other by sharing to admit it. Try to use the manuscripts, information, and rejection letter as fuel. Build a stories about their experiencfire. See what kind of phoees. Unpublished writers can nix rises out of the flames. help each other by providing 3. Think practice and proaffirmation and that means cess, not product. It takes so much in the beginning. years to master a craft. Ten Read the work of your fellow years, or 10,000 hours. In writers. Buy books and literary the beginning, it’s imporjournals, recommend them tant to focus on getting to friends. And when you get better. Take a class, write a a rejection letter from the lot, and revise endlessly. editor of one of those books pages. And while you’re at it, reject the word rejection, because of course what I’ve just described is revision— the secret to good writing.

or journals, please remember that person is also part of your writing community. Be polite! And now, since I haven’t said anything about jealousy, let’s look at that for a minute. Say you get a rejection letter from a journal, this letter is like life: nasty, brutish and short. You must be kidding, it says. Learn to write! Of course it doesn’t really say that. It says: Sorry, this is not right for us. Rejection letters are tricky like that. Your brain translates the words on the page into other words. So what do you do? You make a cup a coffee and eat half a bar of really dark chocolate and you wander around your house muttering oaths about snot-nosed Master of Fine Arts students who don’t know how to read. Or, if you happen to have an MFA, you mutter about philistine editors who ought to have gone to school. Then your phone rings and it’s a writing friend, and she just got

cHARITY REGISTRATIoN # 81894 3870 RT0001

Donate today and help to create a legacy for the Guild. SWG Foundation General for immediate priority programs and administrative costs

Facilitated Retreat Fund— to support Facilitated Retreats for emerging writers Judy

SWG Foundation Endowment Fund—a long term investment fund, the interest of which is to fund programs and the organization annually

McCrosky Bursary Fund—covers the registration fee for a selected participant to attend one week at the SWG Writers/Artists winter retreat

Legacy Project Fund—the sole purpose is for procurement and maintenance of a building, which will become a permanent home for the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild.

Caroline Heath Memorial Fund— to sustain the Caroline Heath Memorial Lecture series, which features senior writers and publishers as guest lecturers at the SWG Fall Conference

Make cheques or money orders payable to: SWG Foundation, PO Box 3986, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 3R9. You can also donate via Paypal at: www.skwriter.com/payments-and-donations

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Freelance

an acceptance letter from the same editor. You can’t speak because you’re choking on a piece of chocolate, so she reads you every sugarcoated word of her sickening letter. Of course at this point you remember that you’re part of a writing community, so you say congratulatory and supportive things. Then you hang up and go out for a quadruple latté and walk around with your eyes crossed for an hour. Or you buy four beers and stumble around. The better way to deal with this is to ask yourself what it was you wanted in the first place. It’s probably not the $30 per page journal publication fee. Is it the fame that derives from publishing in a little magazine with a distribution of 500 or 1000 souls? You can get more hits on YouTube with a video of a cat. Is it that you want to be acknowledged as a writer? You’re already a writer if you write. Writers are people who have figured out that the biggest thrill in life is on the page.

their work, then I ate dinner with them, and made friends. I commented on manuscript pages that have since appeared between covers, talked for hours with people who care about writing as passionately as I do, and got a piece of advice I will never forget. On the last day of the conference I found myself in a little gathering of writing women, and two much older women came up to join us. They were sweet, grandmotherly types in their seventies or eighties who’d been coming to Bread Loaf for years. They seemed wise, and they were always smiling. We made room for them in our little group, and they started to ask questions. What kind of things do you write? Are you starting to publish, dear? Disarmed, we answered politely and truthfully. We’d all published a little, some of us more than a

little, and we were passionate and ambitious. They listened quietly for a minute, and then one of them asked if we had families and children. And we nodded and smiled. We had writing and kids, or husbands, or both! It was a remarkable moment: the sun was shining, we were at Bread Loaf, we were writers and mothers and life was good. And then in the next minute, everything changed. Those gentle ladies suddenly became very serious—as if masks had fallen away from their faces—and they said firmly: “Girls, remember this: Writing is not as important as life.” I’ve thought about that moment a lot. Reprinted with the permission of Eastword.

craig Silverman: BS Detective in the Age of the Internet

So seek the thrill of the luminous sentence. Be ambitious for the story, not yourself. The best way to circumvent rejection is to write an outstanding story. You do that by rejecting yourself. Revise, revise, revise. Rejection is like rain: it clears the air, it clarifies the mind.

Now, on the subject of ambition, which is what gives rejection and jealousy their power, one final story.

Craig Silverman. Photo credit: M.E Powell

A few years ago, I spent a little bit of my summer at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the oldest gathering of writers in North America. I had a great time. I listened to some of my literary heroes and heroines read from

By M. E. Powell s researchers, we love and hate the Internet. On the one hand, it allows us to look up facts and connect to people much more quickly

Freelance

than library card catalogues. On the other hand, we wonder how much of the information on the Internet is credible. How many times have people posted and shared (or “retweeted”) AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

inaccurate “tweets” (the name for posts on Twitter) or posts on social media sites like Facebook and blogs? Too many times according to Craig Silverman. Silverman wrote Regret the Error, and holds the media accountable on his blog of the same name, now available through the Poynter Institute. Silverman points out one instance last year, where a tweet went “viral” on the Internet, saying Piers Morgan, a major journalist, had been suspended from the broadcast network CNN. It was false. Or rather, it originated as a satirical posting by @DanWooden, but it was retweeted as news (to view it, see http://www. slideshare.net/craigsilverman/ bs-detection-for-digital-content). Mistakes happen, right? If the major news syndicate Reuters was fooled, then how can we hope to prevent these errors? Silverman says we can. He recently gave a one-hour seminar at MagNet 2012 in Toronto to share the “universal media literacy skills” we need to gather research and check information on the web. “One of the things about this particular example is that all of the information you needed was really right on Twitter itself,” Silverman pointed out.

HoSTS WANTED

The Rural Readings/Workshops Program (Sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts) sees professionally published Saskatchewan authors going to communities to give a public reading and a workshop—both at no cost to participants. The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild is offering these workshops to 5-10 communities in Saskatchewan. Local co-hosts may be libraries, writing groups, band offices on reserves, and other interested community organizations. Each co-host has the opportunity to offer one or two readings and workshops through this program. About the Program The events can be held on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday, although this timing is mostly up to the local host organization and the author who will be coming out. The goal is to make it as accessible as possible for the public. A public reading by the authors giving the workshops is encouraged as it includes the community and lets the audience become familiar with each author’s work.

If you are interested in hosting a Rural Readings/Workshop please contact Tracy at 306.791.7743 (or programs@skwriter.com) for more information.

How to verify a tweet or post: Anyone doing online research needs to verify the information, and also needs to verify the person who is the source of the information, Silverman said. The two best and simplest ways to verify tweets that come into your Twitter feed are: Check the short biography of the person’s Twitter account, by clicking on the person’s name. The bio for @DanWooden, for example, identifies him as a “fake

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

The workshops are intended for adults. They may run concurrently, or as a separate workshop and reading (one Friday, one Saturday). Each workshop runs for a full day (usually six hours, from 10:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m.). The workshops consist of a mixture of instruction, writing exercises, and discussion. Instructors usually have a minimum and a maximum number of people they are willing to work with.

showbiz editor” sharing “the best unsubstantiated gossip.”

there will often be enough,” Silverman pointed out.

Check previous tweets and see how reliable they are. One of @ DanWooden’s previous tweet reads, “Jennifer Lopez is divorcing Mark Anthony...”

A third way is by contacting the person to ask questions. Twitter also allows its users to send a reply to the person who posted the tweet, or to send a direct message under certain circumstances. People may also be reached by email or Skype.

“There’s a lot of other things you can do, but those two right

Freelance

Internet Tools to Help Verify Information By M. E. Powell

As well as this common sense approach, Silverman pointed out several tools for checking information online: • Google name searches with the words “spam, scam, spammer” • “Klout,” “Identify” (Firefox), or “Hover me” (Chrome) account searches • “regex.info/exif.cgi” and “TinEye” for photos • “Wolfman Alpha” for weather • Whois, PageRank, and Wayback Machine for domain histories • Diigo or Delicious for shared material by or about the person • Lazy Truth – an app that will allow you to debunk email and send it back to the personal originating it with the reasons debunking it. • Politifact – a visual “truthometer” used by the Tampa Bay Times (formerly St. Petersburg Times) to fact-check politicians and rate them between “true” and “pants on fire” • Fact-checking blogs such as the Washington Post “Pinocchio” tracker, measuring truth in noses • For slides from Silverman’s talk and a list of sources, see “B.S. Detection for Digital Content”: • http://www.slideshare.net/ craigsilverman/bs-detection-for-digital-content

Freelance

Talking to people may be “old school,” he added, but it can help avoid what Silverman called the Law of Incorrect Tweets: “The initial misinformation is tweeted more than the correction.” Silverman proved that with several documented cases.

Photographs and visual images can also be faked. For example, during Hurricane Irene someone posted an image of a shark swimming in flooded streets. After it went viral, it turned out to be a combination of two separate photos.

“Remember that there are some fundamentals that will never go out of style, and that includes things like developing human sources and actually talking to people,” he added.

Silverman also discussed tips to help verify the accuracy of photos. For instance, check to see if landmarks are consistent on existing maps and satellite images. Look for clues in the photo, such as clothing styles, bags, language, license plates, billboards, store signs, street signs, or types of cars in specific countries. Examine weather reports and shadows to confirm the date and time.

As well, on Twitter, check when the account was created. In general, be suspicious of new accounts, he said. Evaluate accounts by asking questions: Who are they following? Who is following them? What do they usually tweet or post about? In what locations are they tweeting? Are their posts being retweeted by credible people? What conversations are they having? Are they interacting with others in a way that seems genuine? “These are the kind of judgements that you’re going to make,” he said. “A lot of times what you’re doing is gathering as much information as you can and then triangulating to figure out what the best educated decision is.” Some social media masters like Andy Carvin use Twitter or social media sites for crowd-source verification, which means asking people in our networks for information. Carvin will tweet a question or challenge in response to the original tweet, using phrases such as “Source? RT...” or “... *Not* confirmed” or “Anyone else reporting this yet?” In other words, he’s doing the “old school” legwork of talking to people, admitting what he doesn’t know, and using the technology to connect with them.

Also, beware of confirmation bias. “When you want something to be true so that you can use it, you’re more likely to ignore the evidence to the contrary,” Silverman pointed out. To avoid this always look for primary (original) sources and ask advice from trusted colleagues. “Communicate and collaborate. These are fundamental best practices for verification. I don’t care if it’s a tweet, or a photo, or just information that a source told you in an interview.” Online research is like detective work. “It really is just about being an intelligent and really discriminating consumer of information, and knowing that just because something is spreading doesn’t mean that it’s true,” Silverman said. “And also I think we all have a responsibility when we see something spreading that isn’t true, to actually try and activate that opposite effect, to kick that information in the opposite direction.”

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

The Space-Time continuum By Edward Willett he Hunger Games may be getting all the attention right now, but there’s a long history to dystopian science fiction. War of the Worlds, Brave New World, 1984, A Canticle for Leibowitz, A Handmaid’s Tale...the list goes on and on. I’ve written some myself. Dark and dangerous futures are, of course, ripe settings for fiction (as are dark and dangerous pasts or presents, for that matter). They provide the author with plenty of opportunities for adventure and excitement as the heroes struggle to survive against nature, their fellow

humans, or, in science fiction and fantasy, aliens, zombies, goblins, or what-have-you. I mean, there’s a good reason you don’t see many Star Trek stories set on Earth: Earth is presented as pretty much a perfected utopia, and unless it’s threatened from the outside, it just doesn’t offer many storytelling opportunities. But David Brin, scientist, inventor, and New York Timesbest selling science-fiction author, thinks the tendency to paint the future using only the darkest colours of the

palette is “what is wrong with science fiction today.” He makes the statement in a recent article on the website Geekwire (www.geekwire. com/2012/10-questions-authordavid-brin-science-fictionscience-geeks/). “Too many authors and film-makers,” says Brin, “buy into the playground notion that cynicism is somehow chic and knowing.” “Playground notion” seems a particularly apt phrase to me and, I suspect, anyone else who has worked a lot with teen

AN EAR To THE GRoUND

Please join us for the Regina Launch of Brenda Schmidt’s Flight Calls: An Apprentice on the Art of Listening (Kalamalka Press 2012)

Monday Sept. 24 at 7:30 pm, 100- 1150 8th Ave, Regina, SK Join the SWG for an evening of conversation with Brenda Schmidt and Gerald Hill. In the introduction to Flight Calls: An Apprentice on the Art of Listening, Schmidt recounts her first meeting with mentor Gerald Hill during the SWG Mentorship Program, and how that mentorship led eventually to the overall concept of this book of contemplative essays. Gerald Hill will be on hand to help prompt and provoke the conversation making this mentor/ apprentice reunion one of the “must-listen” events of the fall! Books, cake, and refreshments will be available at the launch as meditative embers provid-

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

ing the audience with a number of ways to sink their teeth into something satisfying!

Award for poetry on four occasions. Grid, her fourth book of poetry, was published by Hagios Press this spring. Flight Calls: An Brenda Schmidt is a writer, Apprentice on the Art of Listenvisual artist and naturalist based ing, a book of essays and letter in Creighton, a mining town in fragments, was published by northern Saskatchewan. She was Kalamalka Press as part of the the 2011 Mackie Lake House Mackie Lecture and Reading writer-in-residence (BC), a feaSeries. tured writer at the 2011 Talking Fresh conference at Luther Winner of the 2009 SaskatchCollege at the University of ewan Book Award for Poetry Regina and a faculty member at for his fifth collection, 14 Tracthe Fernie Writers Conference tors (NeWest Press) and 2nd in 2007 and 2008 (BC). Brenda Prize for Poetry in the 2010 CBC was finalist for the SaskatchLiterary Competition, Gerald ewan Book Award for Poetry in Hill winters in Regina, where 2001, winner of the Alfred G. he teaches English and CreBailey Prize for Poetry in 2003 ative Writing at Luther College and a finalist for the CBC Literary at the University of Regina.

Freelance

be exposed to your solutions for the problems you foresee.

“Too many authors and film-makers buy into the playground notion that cynicism is somehow chic and knowing.” writers. There’s a phase young writers tend to go through where every story has to be dark and depressing. I think it’s an effort to achieve gravitas, to write something deep and important, although in practice that means, if you’re reading a lot of teen writing, way too many stories involving car crashes, cancer, death, or abuse. Brin seems to be saying, and I’d concur, that some writers never grow out of that phase. Brin continues: “So many 50 or 80-year-old clichés are rampant (e.g. “hey look, I invented suspicion of authority!”) while nostalgia pushes aside what used to be our genre’s golden notion: that we in this civilization might find ways to improve, to solve problems, to become better than we were.” A difficult task, he admits, “fraught with many pitfalls.” But, he says, too many creators portray the future as hopeless. “How pathetic!” says Brin. “That beneficiaries of relentless progress should repay that debt by casting doubt on the very possibility of progress?” Nor is this political, in his view. “I see the habit spewing from both ends of the hoary, lobotomizing so-called ‘left-right axis.’ My late, lamented friend Ray Bradbury called this fetish the very lowest form of ingratitude.” “But wait!” some may cry. “It’s not realistic to portray the future in sunny terms. Just look at all 26

Freelance

the problems in the world today!” Brin doesn’t deny that there’s a place for dark fiction. He points to Bradbury again: “Ray plumbed the darkest depths of the human soul in tales that could freeze your heart. So? He considered fantasy chills and terrifying sci-fi what-ifs to be part of exploring our dark corners and failure modes.” But, he continues, those dark stories were “always aiming to achieve effective warnings. Self-preventing prophecies.” You might call that dystopia-asprophylaxis: by portraying a dark and disturbing future, and detailing how our present can lead directly to it, you can convince people in the present to take the steps necessary to prevent that future. (Would 1984 have been more like 1984 if George Orwell had never written 1984?) “Some of us are rebelling,” says Brin. “Neal Stephenson, Kim Stanley Robinson, Greg Bear and others have been laying down a challenge to our peers. If you think we have problems, expose them! But spare a little effort to suggesting solutions or stoking others with beliefs that we can.” Of course, then you face counter danger: that, rather than wallowing in cynicism and hopelessness, you end up writing your story from atop a soap box or behind a pulpit. That can turn readers off, and if they never finish your book, they’ll never

That may happen anyway if they disagree strongly with either your diagnosis or the solutions you present. Pace, says Brin, that really does get into politics, because for every person who thinks “the government ought to do something” there’s another who thinks the government does way too much already and is far better at making things worse than it is at making things better. But if you write a compelling story, even those who disagree with you will read to the end. And if they end up arguing with you along the way, or arguing about your ideas with others, then you’ve still done something to shape and hopefully, improve the future. The broad gate and road seem to lead to fictional futures of cynicism and hopelessness, while the strait gate and narrow road lead to possible futures where things may yet be better than they are today. Or, to paraphrase another famous quote, “Cynicism is easy...hope is hard.”

Freelance

ADVERTISING RATES We accepts classified and display ads at the following rates: D I S P L AY A D S :

Full page: $150 1/2 Page: $100 1/4 page: $50 business card: $35 (SWG members pay 75% of above rates) CLASSIFIED ADS:

20 cents per word (plus GST). Ads run in three consecutive issues unless cancelled. (SWG members may place one 25-word ad free of charge each year).

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

MEMBER NEWS To have your news included in this section, please send no more than 100 words in a Word document. Member news blurbs may include announcements of members’ good news, awards, new books, and other accomplishments and may contain web links to author websites, blogs or book trailers. Photographs of the individual may also be included, subject to space, but must be at least 300 dpi. For more information on formatting: www.skwriter.com/rsu_docs/18_freelance/freelance-policy.pdf

Welcome New Members • Wendy Bachelu, Regina SK • Amy Baldwin, Regina SK • Louise BigEagle, Regina SK • Irene Bingham, Swift Current SK • Ann Campbell, Lloydminster AB • Desarae Eashappie, Monmartre SK • Mary Ehman, Regina SK • Heather Fox, Regina SK • Beth Goobie, Saskatoon SK • Ian Goodwillie, Saskatoon SK • K. Morgan Govender, Regina SK

• Louisa Helgason, Elrose SK • Julia Herperger, Saskatoon SK • Shelley Hosaluk, Saskatoon SK • Sheila Janzen, Saskatoon SK • Nitara Kuzak, Regina SK • Stefan Laforge, Saskatoon SK • Denean Lindsay, Regina SK • Murray Lindsay, Saskatoon SK • Anna-Marie Mackenzie, Saskatoon SK

• Carol McGuigan, Fort Qu’Appelle SK • Donna Miller, Rosetown SK • BJ Muntain, Regina SK • Joan Robbie, Rosetown SK • Shirley Dawn Salkeld, Rosetown SK • Mark Stobbe, Saskatoon SK • Shannon Swekla, Saskatoon SK • Peter Willis, Regina SK

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild will be held on

Sunday, 28 october 2012 at 9:00 am Garden Hilton Hotel, 90 - 22nd St. East, Saskatoon, SK SWG BYLAW NOTICE OF MOTION Please note that the following motion will be presented to the Annual General Meeting to be held at the Garden Hilton Hotel, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on Sunday, October 28, 2012. WHEREAS: The SWG Board feels there is a need to clarify the proposal of substantive motions at Annual General Meetings, and WHEREAS: substantive motions are of concern to the whole membership and require advance notice so that more members can plan to attend the AGM

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

to be included in the discussion and vote NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the following be added to the Bylaws of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild 7. Notice of Motions Notice of all new substantive motions to be considered at an annual membership meeting shall be given in writing to the Executive Director at least 45 days prior to the AGM for circulation to the annual membership meeting in any year. Any new substantive motion may be introduced at the an-

nual membership meeting if the membership, without debate, dispenses with notice by affirmative vote of a simple majority of members present and voting. Rationale: The passing of this motion allows members the opportunity to consider in advance substantive/major proposed changes to the Guild`s operations and to make arrangements to attend the AGM for informed discussion and voting. This is a standard practice for most similar organizations/not for profits. If you would like a copy of the bylaws, please contact the Guild office.

Freelance

BooKS BY MEMBERS To have your book included in this section, please send no more than 150 words, plus a colour digital photo/scan of the book cover (300 dpi or higher resolution). Include book title, publisher’s name, ISBN number, a brief blurb and brief author bio. Web links to author websites, blogs or book trailers may also be included. If you wish your book to be displayed in the Guild library, please forward a copy to the SWG Regina office. For more information on formatting: www.skwriter.com/rsu_docs/18_freelance/freelance-policy.pdf

The Sometimes Lake By Sandy Bonny Thistledown Press ISBN 978-1-894235-99-7

Breakaway By Maureen Ulrich Coteau Books ISBN 978-1-5505051-2-1

The Sometimes Lake is a debut story collection from Saskatoonbased writer/artist/earth scientist Sandy Bonny. Set in varied Canadian locations, these stories explore the crossroads between the ways of being and the ways of knowing. Characters navigate defining roles of adulthood, parenthood, and partnership; science, religion, and culture press forward different versions of reality; the dead weave stories for the living, and realms of probability and possibility collude.

Jessie is in her last year of high school and finally playing AAA hockey. She’s been made captain, and she’s putting relationship disasters behind her by dating wonderful, sensible Evan. At last, she has things worked out. But things have a way of conspiring against her, and somehow Jessie ends up fighting rumours that threaten her captaincy. Meanwhile, her eleven-year-old sister Courtney falls in with sophisticated older friends, and their parents seem oblivious to the problem. It’s time for Jessie to grow up, step up, and fix things once and for all.

Available online and in print from Thistledown Press at www.thistledown.com

Freelance

Maureen Ulrich is a YA author and playwright. Her Jessie Mac hockey trilogy, published by Coteau Books, includes Power Plays, Face Off, and Breakaway. Connect with Maureen at www. maureenulrich.ca and I Heart Jessie Mac on Facebook.

In the Temple of the Rain of God: The Life and Times of “Irish” Charlie Wilson By: Garrett Wilson CPRC Press ISBN: 9780889772885 In the Temple of the Rain God is a personal narrative of the dramatic first 50 years of Saskatchewan history, from immigration, homesteading, politics, business, the agony of the Depression of the 1930s and the farm debt crisis, to the Second World War and recovery, all told through the eyes of Charles Wilson, Garrett’s father. “Irish Charlie” Wilson arrived in the West in 1905, the year of Saskatchewan’s birth. He established himself as the pre-eminent farm loan agent in Saskatchewan and then converted to spokesman for the farmers who had become indebted because of the failure of the crops and prices in the 1930s. Much of his story is told in his own words with unusual authenticity and colour.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

In the Temple of the Rain God recounts how governments and individuals struggled to save western agriculture from the crushing mountain of farm debt that was threatening to empty out the land so recently settled.

IN MEMoRIUM

Garrett Wilson is a Regina Lawyer turned author. His previously published books include: Deny, Deny, Deny, Diefenbaker for the Defense, Guilty Addictions, and Frontier Farewell

cULTURE DAYS PRoGRAMMING SALoN oPEN HoUSE THURS., SEPT. 27 4:00 PM– 7:00 PM Do you have questions? Learn about your programming needs from our expert staff. Our doors will be open in round-robin style allowing you to chat with Tracy, Joely, Sarah, Milena, Kelsey, Lois and Judith about Guild programs and services. Hors d’oeuvres and creative concoctions will also be available 7:00-9:00 pm Open Mic – 3-5 minute sessions Sign up starts at 6:30 pm

EVERYoNE WELcoME!

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Jim Weseen Dec. 23, 1944 – Jul. 20, 2012

t is with great sadness that I must inform you all of the passing of Jim Weseen after a valiant but short battle with cancer. The written word has always come easy to me but today I find the task difficult. Jim was a man of passion, a man of conviction, a man of principal. He cared deeply about the written word but more importantly he cared about his fellow writer. We were always on his mind. When I think about the Saskatoon Writers’ Coop, I think of Jim. He served as president multiple times over the past seven years and often took on a work load that seemed impossible for several men, let alone one. Jim was a man who

spoke his mind. At board meetings we’d square off, always trying to get the last word. We had opinions and wanted our voices heard. I respected Jim and I know he respected me. Workshops had to be planned and Jim never settled for second best. You worked hard because Jim expected nothing less. I shall miss Jim, the look in his eye when he knew his point had been driven home. Jim Weseen was the Saskatoon Writers’ Coop and in his name we carry on. Goodbye my friend. Dave Schultz President Saskatoon Writers’ Coop

Freelance

2013 MENToRSHIP PRoGRAM

he Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild mentorship program allows developing writers (the apprentices) to work in a supportive environment under the guidance of professional writers (the mentors). The mentor provides the apprentice with one-on-one instruction (not editorial services) in the craft of creative writing. The program is open to writers in all genres and will be tailored to the apprentice’s individual needs. The pairs will be in weekly contact and can communicate through E-mail, phone, and face-to-face meetings. When an apprentice and mentor do not live in the same community, at least one face-to-face meeting is required (to take place within the first two weeks of the program).

it’s possible that apprentices may not produce a significant amount of new work during the mentorship, but will instead work with previously written material.

Because the focus of the program is on craft development, apprentices should not expect to have a completed manuscript by the end of the program (although that sometimes occurs). Also, because the program will focus on the apprentices’ development of their craft,

There is no cost to apply for this program and there are no participation fees. There will be a small travel allowance for apprentices who need to travel to meet with their mentors.

The program will run from 01 January—30 April 2013. At the end of the program, the apprentices will give a public reading of their work.

CALL FOR MENTORS The Saskatchewan Writers Guild is seeking experienced writers in all genres to participate in the mentorship program. Mentors who have participated in the program in the past are welcome to re-apply.

Application: Please include the following in your application: • •

Mentors will be selected based upon the following criteria:

•

• • •

the possession of a significant body of published work experience as a teacher, workshop leader, mentor, writer in residence, or editor the ability to commit time (15-20 hours per month) during the mentorship period Saskatchewan residency

• •

a literary resume (maximum 5 pages) a cover letter which includes the following: all your contact information (including work and home phone numbers) a specification of the type or types of writing you’d be willing to work with a brief paragraph explaining why you are interested in the program an explanation of what the apprentice could learn from you

Also see the submission guidelines on page 33. Mentors will receive an honorarium of $2,500 for their participation in the program.

Freelance

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

2013 MENToRSHIP PRoGRAM CALL FOR APPRENTICES The Saskatchewan Writers Guild is seeking four writers who wish to develop their skills in the craft of creative writing. Eligible applicants will meet the following criteria:

Applications:

•

a cover letter which includes the following information: • your contact information (mailing address, work and home phone numbers, E-mail) • an explanation of the project you would work on during the mentorship period • a clear statement of what you hope to achieve through the program (the more specific the better—e.g. better dialogue, more skilful use of imagery) • an outline of past professional development experience • a description of the quantity of material you will have available to work with over the mentorship period (e.g. number of poems written, number of pages already written for a novel) • a description of how long you have been writing and a summary of your writing activity for the past twelve months • an outline of your family, work, educational, and cultural commitments during the time of the program AND how you will accommodate them while still making time for the program • a sample of recent writing (no longer than ten pages) in the genre in which you plan to work during the mentorship period (double-spaced for prose, single or double-spaced for poetry)

• •

•

they will have a body of work of sufficient quality to benefit from the program they will have work in progress when they apply they will not have had a book published (or have had a book-length manuscript accepted for publication) in the genre in which they wish to apprentice they will have demonstrated their commitment to writing by having participated in some form of formal or informal professional development (e.g. workshops, Manuscript Evaluation Service, working with a Writer-InResidence) they will be free to devote a significant amount of time to the program: a minimum of 20-25 hours per month; some past participants have spent up to 40 hours per month. As this program offers a prized and rare opportunity for development as a writer, past participants have recommended that future participants consider arranging their schedules so they can devote as much time as possible to it. Some previous apprentices have taken time off work or reduced their working hours in order to do so. they will be Saskatchewan residents 19 years of age or older

There is no application form for this program. Instead, send the following material:

Please see further submission guidelines on page 33.

...a home for your voice. visit us online: www.skwriter.com

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Freelance

2013 MENToRSHIP PRoGRAM SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR BOTH MENTORS AND APPRENTICES To ensure that your application is processed, please follow these formatting guidelines: • • • • • • • •

submit all material on 8½ × 11-inch white paper type all entries in black ink use plain text fonts (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Courier), not display fonts such as Algerian use a 12 point font have 1.25” margins on all sides single-side all pages please do not submit pages that have been holepunched to fasten submissions, use paper clips (including fold-back clips)—avoid

• • •

staples or any other fastener which goes through the paper (including binders and presentation covers) good-quality photocopies are acceptable we will not accept entries on disk or those sent by fax or E-mail if sending by courier, send to the courier address listed below, not the box number

Please keep a copy of your submission; material will not be returned. The applications of apprentices who have been accepted to the program will be forwarded to the mentor.

Applications must be post-marked by Friday September 28, 2012. Late applications will not be accepted. PLEASE NOTE: Material sent to the box number may take an extra day for processing and may therefore arrive late. If you are sending material close to the deadline, please consider Xpress Post, Priority Post, courier, or special delivery. If sending by courier, send to the courier address listed below, not the box number. Electronic and faxed submissions and those send on disc or CD will not be accepted. The results of this competition will be announced in early—mid November. The decisions of the jury will be final. Jurors may choose to not make the entire four matches if they believe there is a lack of suitable candidates.

Freelance

For more information, contact Tracy Hamon at 791-7743 (programs@skwriter.com). Send Applications To One Of the Following Addresses MAILING ADDRESS Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild Box 3986 Regina SK S4P 3R9 COURIER OR DROP OFF ADDRESS Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild 100-1150 8th Ave Regina, SK S4R 1C9

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Freelance

MARKETS & coMPETITIoNS Inclusion in the Markets & Competitions listing is not an endorsement of any contest, market, event or otherwise. This is only an informational resource. We encourage all readers to thoroughly investigate all contests or markets before submitting their work.

Berton House Writers’ Retreat Berton House Writers’ Retreat provides a unique opportunity for professional Canadian creative writers to work in a remote northern community. The writer is housed in a cozy two-bedroom bungalow in Dawson City, Yukon. The residence is the actual boyhood home of author Pierre Berton. The program is intended to provide writers with an opportunity to further develop

their professional career. It is also an opportunity for them to become familiar with a part of the country they might otherwise not experience. For more information visit: www.bertonhouse.ca or find the application form at http://bit.ly/K4eOlm. August through May Field: Contemporary Poetry and Poetics (www.oberlin.edu/ ocpress) Published twice a year by Oberlin College Press, Oberlin, Ohio. Reads submissions August through May.

Accepts poetry only. Pays contributors at the rate of $15 a page. Poems (2-6 at a time) should be submitted through online submission manager. Deadline: September 1, 2012 Rhubarb announces its first literary contest with a total of $1,500 in prize money open to anyone with $30.00. Fittingly enough it is for a future Rhubarb issue with Mennonites and money as its theme, in the three usual categories published in the magazine. Like the loosely defined Mennonite voices we usually

SIGNATURE READING SERIES Join the SWG for an evening with Victoria writers Yvonne Blomer and Cynthia Woodman Kerkham as they read from their latest collections.

oct. 11, 2012, 7:30pm, at the SWG Regina office, Suite 100, 1150 8th Ave., Regina, SK Yvonne Blomer lives in Victoria, BC where she works as a poet, memoirist, writing teacher, event organizer and mom. She was born in Zimbabwe and came to Canada when she was two years old. With her husband she has taught in Japan, cycled in Southeast Asia and lived in the UK where she completed an MA in Creative Writing: Poetry. Her poems have twice been shortlisted for the CBC Literary awards and have appeared in literary journals in Canada, the US, Japan and the UK. Her first collection of poetry, “a broken mirror, fallen leaf”

Freelance

(Ekstasis Editions), was shortlisted for The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award in 2007. She is the host/organizer of the Planet Earth Poetry Reading Series in Victoria, BC. In June 2012, Yvonne’s illustrated series of poems Bicycle Brand Journey launched with Jack Pine Press, and “The Book of Places” launched with Black Moss Press. Cynthia Woodman Kerkham was born in Toronto and raised in Hong Kong and Vancouver. She has a degree in Asian Studies and English literature from UBC and has worked as an au pair in

France, a potter, a journalist and a teacher. Her poems have appeared in literary journals in Canada and the US. In 2009 she won the Federation of BC Writers Literary Writes Competition, and in 2011 she won the Malahat Review’s Open Season Award for poetry. In 2012, her poem “In Praise of Mushrooms” was selected for BC’s Poetry in Transit. Good Holding Ground, her debut collection of poems, was published in spring 2011 by Palimpsest Press. When not sailing the Westcoast, she lives with her family in Victoria in a constant state of renovation.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

publish, any creative variations on the theme are welcome. The prizes are $300 and $200 each in poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction, and publication in the magazine. All honourable mentions will also be published and receive the standard $50 payment for publication. All entrants will receive a subscription to Rhubarb magazine beginning with the money issue. Prizes may not be awarded in all categories, at the discretion of the judges. The judges are: Armin Wiebe— Fiction, Aiden Enns—Non-Fiction, Maurice Mierau—Poetry. The entry fee is $30.00. Three poems of up to 30 lines can be submitted as one poetry entry, fiction and non-fiction are limited to one submission with a maximum of 2,500 words. Entry Details Please provide all contact information including your name address and email on a cover sheet, without your name appearing on the entry itself. Submissions will be accepted by email at submit@ rhubarbmag.com and surface mail. Email entries won’t be logged until a cheque for $30 arrives in the mail. Please address surface mail entries and cheques payable to “The Mennonite Literary

Society” to: The Mennonite Literary Society Money Contest, 606-100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1H3. Continuous Submission BookLand Press submissions (book-length manuscripts only) non-fiction—Canadian History; non-fiction—Canadian Sports; Aboriginal Literature—booklength manuscripts of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry by Aboriginal authors; Fiction; Poetry. Send submissions via email (preferably in a Word file as an attachment) to submissions@ booklandpress.com For details visit www.booklandpress.com Continuous Submission Pink Magazine Stephen LaRose is the editor of Pink, a new women’s magazine that wants to hear from women authors, especially those who have just had their latest works published. For more information, contact Stephen LaRose at Stephen@getcompass.ca or call (306) 529-5169 Continuous Submission ENC Press (www.encpress. com) accepting submissions of

fresh, original, entertaining novels (45,000 to 75,000 words) driven by engaging characters. “We are looking for full-length, character-driven novels that contain elements of social and political satire or commentary, offer unusual insights into foreign cultures, have a strong element of humour and tip a few sacred cows along the way. We avoid genre fiction unless the genre is but a context for a satirical commentary on human condition.” Details on website. Continuous Submission Plenitude aims to complicate expression of queerness through the publication of diverse, sophisticated literary writing, graphic narrative and short film, from the very subtle to the brash and unrelenting. We are not interested in genre writing, political essays, or rants. We are only interested in literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic narrative and short film at this time. If you are interested in writing political essays, or other analyses, please contact us about contributing to our blog- we would love to hear from you. For submission requirements and further information visit plenitudemagazine.ca.

PRofESSIoNAL DEVELoPMENT oPPoRTUNITIES Connect, Celebrate & Collaborate! Doreen Pendgracs, expert writer & PWAC Vice President will deliver a two-hour workshop on travel writing. Join us on September 22, 2012 in Saskatoon, SK to learn best practices on the business of writing from the professionals. SWG is sponsoring a workshop at the PWAC (Professional Writers’ Association of Canada) fall conference.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

SWG members receive an early bird discount until August 15th. Early registration fees are $90. To register, please visit www. bonniezink.com. Piper’s Frith: Writing at Kilmory Resort—October 22-27, 2012—Newfoundland Emerging and mid-level career adult writers are invited to apply to join faculty Michael Crummey, Don McKay and Lisa Moore

for small-group workshops and one-on-one explorations of your writing. Social evenings, readings and a spectacular setting enhance the intensive Piper’s Frith five-day experience. The cost is $685 (Cdn) including all program fees, meals, accommodations and social events. Deadline to apply is August 14, 2012. To learn more and to apply: www.literaryartsnl.com

Freelance

2013 SASKATcHEWAN BooK AWARDS cALL foR ENTRIES

In 2013, the following award competitions are being offered:

Book of the Year • Regina Book • Saskatoon Book • Scholarly Writing • Fiction • Aboriginal Peoples’ Writing • Aboriginal Peoples’ Publishing • Non Fiction • First Book • Poetry • Young Adult Literature • Publishing in Education • Publishing • Prix du livre français Fees for submitting books to be considered for the 2013 Awards are $50 per title per Award. The criteria for each award can be found online at www.bookawards. sk.ca/how-to-submit-a-book.html . Submissions will be received from September 4, 2012 to November 1, 2012. Please note the eligibility dates; for most Awards, eligibility is calculated from September 16, 2011 to November 1, 2012, but in some cases (awards that accepted submissions in alternating years, for example), submission dates are slightly different. In most cases, books published on or after September 15, 2011 are eligible. Please be aware of the eligibility requirements for the titles you submit. The awards are listed above. The Prix du livre français is being offered in 2013.

w rd-

inn

ing

jou ry a r e lit

rna

The Saskatchewan Book Awards were established by the Saskatchewan Library Association, the Saskatchewan Publishers’ Group and the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild to celebrate excellence in Saskatchewan writing and publishing. Since 1993, the Saskatchewan Book Awards have been recognizing excellence in writing and publishing. In 2013, the Saskatchewan Book Awards will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary. Submissions can be sent to: Saskatchewan Book Awards c/o SPG, 2405 – 11th Avenue S4P 0K4, Regina, SK Authors’ awards are $2,000, except in the Book of the Year category, which offers a $3,000 award.

Publishers of winning titles may request die-cut seals for display on their books. A targeted media campaign and reading events leading up to and following the Awards celebration further promote short-listed and winning titles. The mandate and criteria of each award are posted on our website, along with entry forms and a full description of our jurying process, at www.bookawards.sk.ca Please note, submissions will not be received until September 4, 2012, with a deadline of November 1, 2012.

Subscribe!

and save 42% off the cover price!

SUBSCRIBE BUY BACK ISSUES grainmagazine.ca 36

Freelance

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

fAcILITATED RETREAT

Need A Nudge? A Kick in the Pants to Get Your Writing Going? The SWG is holding a Facilitated Retreat, November 8-11, at St. Peter’s Abbey in Muenster, Saskatchewan, with writer Kimmy Beach.

t the SWG Facilitated Retreat, as well as undisturbed writing time, Writer-In-Residence Kimmy Beach will give an introductory talk on an aspect of writing, provide one hour of one-on-one discussion for feedback on your writing and/or answers to your writing-related questions, and informal discussion at mealtimes along with the other participants. The Facilitated Retreat is designed as a time for you to focus on the writing you would like to do and to gain encouragement and motivation by interacting with the Writer-In-Residence and your fellow participants. Kimmy Beach has published four collections of poetry with Turnstone Press, and her fifth book, The Last Temptation of Bond, is forthcoming in 2013 with The University of Alberta Press. Kimmy has twice served as Writer in Residence for the Writers’ Guild of Alberta/Parkland Regional Library, and this year facilitated the Introduction to Poetry and Fiction workshop at Sage Hill Writing Experience where she was team-teaching with John Gould. She also co-facilitates a writing retreat/workshop on the Greek island of Crete. Kimmy has read across Canada and in the UK, and her work has appeared in over two dozen literary journals. She writes from

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Red Deer, Alberta, where she lives with her husband, Stu. Applicants (19 years and older) must submit an example of the writing they will be working on at the retreat, a paragraph or two describing their writing experience, and a paragraph about why they want to attend the SWG Facilitated Retreat and a completed application form, which can be found at: www.skwriter.com/skwriters-artists-retreats/ swg-facilitated-retreat Successful applicants will be invoiced by the SWG, and payment will be due upon receipt of

the invoice. Payment must be received by Oct. 22, 2012, or the participant’s spot may be given to another applicant on the waiting list. Payment may be made by cheque, via PayPal, or by credit card by phoning the SWG office at (306) 7917740. Preference will be given to SWG members who have not published a book and who have never attended any of the SWG retreats. A maximum of twelve participants will be accepted. Please contact Anne Pennylegion, Retreat Co-ordinator, by email at skretreats@skwriter. com with any questions about the SWG Facilitated Retreat.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 4:30 p.m. Sept 30, 2012. Freelance

SASKATcHEWAN WRITERS’ GUILD DoNATIoNS cHARITY REGISTRATIoN #11914 0556 RT0001

Help us continue to serve Saskatchewan’s Writing community. SWG General Donations for pressing or imminent needs in administrative, equipment and programming Writers/Artists Retreats to help provide a quiet refuge for uninterrupted writing time and thought-provoking exchange of ideas after working hours Grain Magazine to assist in publishing SWG’s nationally and internationally recognized literary quarterly Andrew Suknaski Writers

Assistant Fund (WAF) to assist members in an urgent and immediate need Patricia Armstrong Fund to support educational programming for rural writers. Make cheque or money order payable to: Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, Box 3986, Regina SK S4P 3R9 You can also donate via Paypal at:

www.skwriter.com/ payments-and-donations

SPRING VoLUME VIII cALL foR SUBMISSIoNS & GUIDELINES

Submissions are being accepted for Spring Vol. VIII, the SWG’s magazine showcasing emerging Saskatchewan writers.

pring editors will consider poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from Saskatchewan residents or members of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, from those who have never published to those who have not yet published in book-length form (64 pages, unless children’s books) and who have not yet entered into a contract with a book publisher or for self-publishing. Writers selected for publication will receive payment.

Guidelines: • Submissions must be previously unpublished in any format. • The maximum length for fiction and non-fiction is 3,000 words and for poetry is six poems totalling no more than 12 manuscript pages. Excerpts from longer prose and poetry works will be considered. • In a covering letter, include your name, contact information, and the genre(s) and title(s) of your submissions(s). Your name and the title of the

•

• •

•

piece must appear on each page of your submission(s). Entries must be submitted electronically in a Word document, following usual formatting for manuscripts. Contributors must be residents of Saskatchewan. Include a short biography that will appear in the magazine should your submission be published. Email submissions to programs@skwriter.com with Spring in the subject line.

Spring is provided electronically to all members of the SWG and available in print for purchase for $10.00. For more information about the publication, please visit: www.skwriter.com/publications/spring or contact Tracy at (306) 791-7743 or via email at programs@skwriter.com.

Deadline for submissions 4:30 pm Friday, November 30, 2012. 38

Freelance

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

coNNEcT, cELEBRATE, & coLLABoRATE!

The Professional Writers’ Association of Canada (PWAC), Prairies and North Region, invites you to Connect, Celebrate, & Collaborate with the professionals this Sept. 22, 2012. PWAC-SK is hosting a full day of professional writing workshops and discussions. Learn about best practices in the business of writing, social media strategy, and niche writing from successful writers working and making a living in markets across the prairies and the world. THIS FULL-DAY CONFERENCE FEATURES: Breaking In: Taking Stock of the Marketplace by M E (Marie) Powell (http://mepowell.com/blog/): Learn from over 20 years of experience as Reginabased professional writer Marie Powell helps us examine the current print and online marketplace, how to choose a market, how to approach those markets, and how to ensure success in the changing marketplace. Marie is the founding president of PWAC-SK. Social Media Strategy by Bonnie Zink (http://bonniezink.com): Learn how to strategically incorporate social media into your own communication strategy and how to effectively offer social media management services to your clients. Bonnie is a working freelance knowledge mobilization professional and professional writer based in Saskatoon. Her specialties include social media strategy, communications, and health policy. Your Next Travel Story Might be Right in Your Own Backyard by Doreen Pendgracs (http://doreenpendgracs.com/): In this 2-hour workshop, Pendgracs will

help attendees learn how to spin a travel story from virtually any experience, whether at home in your own backyard or halfway around the world. You’ll learn how to find markets for your work and how to create your own! Doreen, PWAC National Vice President, has worked as a freelance professional writer for 19 years. She has authored dozens of non-fiction magazine, newspaper articles, and books. Her latest title, Chocolatour:A Quest for the World’s Best Chocolate, is expected to be released within the next year. Niche Writing: Your Ticket to Success: Join us as we learn from experts currently working in diverse markets across the prairies. James Romanow (PWAC / SWG member), Jillian Bell (Saskatchewan Publishers Group), Michelle Greysen (PWAC Prairies and the North Regional Director), Darrell Noakes (PWAC / SWG member), and RoseAnna Schick (PWAC Manitoba member) will discuss the challenges of finding a niche, their successes as niche writers, and address where and how to publish their passions.

September 22, 2012 at The Refinery, 607 & 609 Dufferin Ave., Saskatoon, SK 9:00 a.m. registration with program to begin at 9:45 a.m. Early Bird Fees: PWAC members $75; Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild member $90; supporting organization members $100; and general public $120 EARLY BIRD PAYMENT DEADLINE IS AUG. 15, 2012

To register, mail or email a completed registration to Bonnie Zink at bonnie@bonniezink.com Registration Form is available at http://bonniezink.com

to register or for more information: Bonnie Zink, PWAC-SK President, at bonnie@bonniezink.com Door Prizes: All non-PWAC members will be entered in a draw to win a one-year PWAC membership (over $200 value). Draw to take place at 5:00 pm. You must be present to win.

We wish to thank our supporters, Writers.ca, Saskatchewan Tourism, the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, the Saskatoon Writers’ Coop and the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit, for sponsorship and continued support.

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

Freelance

cALL foR APPLIcATIoNS

city of Regina Writing Award The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild is seeking applications for the 2013 City of Regina Writing Award, funded by the City of Regina. This competition is an award for literary merit in creative writing; it is open to writers in all genres. The $4,000 award is designed to enable one local writer to work on a specific solo writing project for a threemonth period. The award competition is juried by professional writers from outside Saskatchewan. You are eligible to apply for this award if you are 19 years and older and if you were a Regina resident as of January 1, 2012. Applicants may submit one entry to this competition per year. The recipient of the award must complete the three-month grant period by the end of February 2014. The decision of the jury will be final. Jurors may choose to not award the prize if they believe no submission merits it. Applications There is no application form for this program. Instead, send the following material: 1.

a cover letter which includes the following information: • all your contact information (including mailing address and work and home phone numbers) • a statement confirming you are 19 years or older • a statement confirming that you were a resident of Regina as of January 1, 2012 • a statement of intent indicating how you propose to use the funds for your writing, if you should win—this is to be separate from the cover letter • a description and brief outline of your writing project (no longer than two pages total) 2. a sample of your writing • this sample must be a portion of the project to be worked on • this sample should be ten pages long; do not send extra pages as they will be discarded • an outline or synopsis of the project is not considered to be part of your writing sample Note: the judging for this competition is blind; therefore your name and/or previous work titles cannot appear on the statement of intent, sample of writing, and cannot be referred to on any part of the outline or synopsis—your entry will be returned if your name/previous work does appear. Do not submit literary resumes, letters of support, reviews of previous work, or evaluations; these will be discarded.

Submission Guidelines To ensure that your application is processed, please follow the submission guidelines below: 1. all material must be on 8.5 × 11-inch white paper 2. entries must be typed in black ink 3. all material must be typed in plain text fonts (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Courier) and not in display fonts such as Monotype Corsiva 4. please keep font size to 11 or 12 point 5. entries must be single-sided 6. at least a one inch margin on all sides 7. avoid hole-punched paper 8. writing sample: • the sample should be double-spaced for prose, single or double-spaced for poetry • pages should be numbered sequentially • do not send illustrations or photos 9. to fasten submissions, use paper clips (including fold-back clips)—avoid staples or any other fastener which goes through the paper (including binders and presentation covers) 10. good-quality photocopies are acceptable 11. Keep a copy of your submission; material will not be returned. Applications can be emailed to: programs@skwriter. com by midnight Thursday, January 31, 2013. If sent by regular mail, they must be postmarked by Thursday, January 31, 2013 (see address below). If sending by courier, send to the courier address listed below, not the box number. Mailing Address City of Regina Writing Award Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild Box 3986 Regina SK S4P 3R9 Courier or Drop-Off Address City of Regina Writing Award Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild #100-1150 8th Avenue Regina SK S4R 1C9 For More Information Tracy Hamon, Program Manager Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild Phone: 791-7743 Fax: 565-8554 E-mail: programs@skwriter.com

This program is funded by a generous grant from the City of Regina Arts Commission.

Freelance

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

BAcKBoNE SWG Thanks Our Donors PATRON (over $500) Bidulka, Anthony Calder, Robert BENEFACTORS ($200-$499) Goldman, Lyn Klassen, Karen MacIntyre, Rod Monahan, Lynda SUPPORTERS ($100-$199) Bishop, Mary Harelkin Boechler, Ileen Bower, Annette Durant, Margaret Fenwick, Cathy Halfe, Louise Khng, George Lorer, Danica March Consulting Associates Pierson, Ruth Roach St. Thomas More Students Union Toews, Terry Warwaruk, Larry Young, Dianne FRIENDS ($50-$99) Bowen, Gail Conacher, Myrtle Epp, Joanne Guymer, Myrna Koops, Sheena Krause, Pat MacFarlane, Sharon McArthur, Wenda Mitchell, June Mitchell, Ken Moore, Jacqueline

Morrell, Kathleen Parley, Kay Sunday Afternoon Co-op Wood, Janice CONTRIBUTORS (up to $50) Andrist, Shirley Butala, Sharon Calder, Robert Ewing-Weisz, Chris Fahlman, Jean Freeman, Jean Glaze, David Gossner, Carol Haas, Ted Hamilton, Sharon Heagy, Sharon Herr, Helen Hindle, Judith Jahn-Thue, Delila Leech, Robert Lonsdale, Margaret Miller, Dianne S. Muirhead, Laurie Olson, Joan Popp, Muriel Rogers, Evelyn Uitti, Alison Wardill, William ANDREW SUKNASKI MEMORIAL FUND Adam, Ian Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Birdsell, Sandra

Blum, William Campbell, Anne Coulter, Brian Currie, Robert Domanski, Don Graham, Laurie Harras, Tony Harris, John Kaldor, Connie Karasinski, Joe Kostash, Myrna Krause, Judith Krause, Pat Marty, Sid Melnyk, George McRae, Bronwen Moose Jaw Public Library Newlove, Susan Nilson, John Noble, Charles Savage, Candace Shakotko, Shanon & Don Sheppard, Annabel Sorestad, Glen WRITERS ASSISTANCE FUND Kerr, Donald RETREATS Buchmann-Gerber, Annemarie Eissfeldt, Jessica Galbraith, William Goetz, Melody Sarsfield, Pete GRAIN Kloppenburg, Cheryl

Thanks To Our SWG Foundation Donors SWG FOUNDATION Adam, Sharon Buhr, Nola Daunt, Felicia Estate of Mossie Hancock Freeman, Jean Glaze, David La Ronge Wild Rice Writers’ Group Nilson, John & Linda Peter, Anthony Sorestad, Glen

AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2012

FACILITATED RETREAT Hogarth, Susan JUDY MCCROSKY BURSARY McCrosky, Judy SWGF LEGACY PROJECT Bannatyne-Cugnet, Jo Boerma, Gloria Dickinson, Rod Fenwick, Cathy Friesen, Bernice

Gossner, Carol Khng, George Lohans, Alison Powell, Marie Remlinger, Paula Jane Silverthorne, Judith Slade, Arthur Sorestad, Glen Story, Gertrude Yeager, Michele

Freelance

August/September 2012 Volume 41 Number 5

Publication Mail Agreement #40063014 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Administration Centre Printing Services 111â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2001 Cornwall Street Regina, SK S4P 3X9 Email: adminprint@sasktel.net We gratefully acknowledge the support of SaskCulture, Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund and the Saskatchewan Arts Board