Freelance February / March 2013 Volume 42 Number 2
Jacqueline Guest is to be honoured with an Indspire Award for Arts on February 15, 2013 at the TCU Place in Saskatoon, SK.
Credit: Taken from www.indspire.ca
CONTENTS President’s Message...............................................................1 Volume 42 Number 2/Feb-March 2013 ISSN 0705-1379 © Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, 2012
Executive Director’s Report....................................................2 Writing North 3 Playing With Our Selves: Writing, Audience and Solitude ............................................3 2013 Winter Writers’ Retreat..................................................4
Freelance is published six times per year for members of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild.
Procedures, Perks and Pitfalls of Profile Writing....................5
Submissions to Freelance are welcome for editorial review. If accepted, articles will be edited for clarity. The basic criteria to meet in submitting materials are readership interest, timeliness, and quality and following the standard submission format (see Guild website). Viewpoints expressed in contributed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the SWG. We do not accept poetry or prose at this time.
What is Aboriginal Storytelling?.............................................8
Historical Kenderdine Campus at Emma Lake Closes............6
Copyright for articles, reports, photographs, and other visual materials or text remains with the creator and cannot be used or reprinted without permission. SWG pays for one time rights/use only. Payment for articles and reports is 10 cents a word. Photographs and other visuals are paid at a rate of $25 each. Deadlines for next issue of Freelance: April-May: March 5, 2013 SWG BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Wilson (President), Saskatoon; Cathy Fenwick (Past President), Regina; Caitlin Ward, Saskatoon; Gina Rozon (Treasurer), Regina; Candace Savage (Secretary), Saskatoon; Rod MacIntyre (VicePresident), La Ronge; Tekeyla Friday, Swift Current; Heather Becker, Regina; Allison Kydd, Indian Head
Cowboy Poetry.....................................................................10 Writing for Children & Other Intelligent People....................11 A Central Love Story + an Emotionally Satisfying Ending = Romance Genre.................................................................14 Space-Time Continuum........................................................16 Member News......................................................................17 Books by Members...............................................................19 In Memoriam........................................................................21 Calls of Interest.....................................................................26 Professional Development....................................................27 Contributors to this issue: Alison Lohans Annette Bower Ken Mitchell Edward Willett Kelly-Anne Riess
gillian hardingrussell Glen Sorestad Lisa Wilson Shirley Byers
Nina Wilson and Jeremy Fourhorns David Robinson
CONTACT US 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 Website: www.skwriter.com Mailing Address Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild Box 3986, Regina, SK S4P 3R9 Regina Courier or Drop-Off Address 1150 8th Avenue, Suite 100 Regina, SK S4R 1C9
On the cover: Jacqueline Guest Jacqueline Guest is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers, specializing in sports themes and historical fiction. Her books have received numerous Our Choice and Young Readers’ Choice citations, as well as American Indian Youth Literature Awards in 2012. Ghost Messages and Outcasts of River Falls are Moonbeam Gold Medal winners, while Ghost Messages was a 2012 OLA Forest of Rein the pinewoods of the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta.
The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild gratefully acknowledges the support of SaskCulture, Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund and the Saskatchewan Arts Board
Presidents MESSAGE arts and cultural community and the SWG staff, as well as an informative presentation to the SWG Board by Jeremy Morgan, former CEO of the Saskatchewan Arts Board and current Executive Director of the McKenzie Art Gallery. These discussions were fruitful in that they helped to affirm the importance of working on good governance structure and helped to focus the scope of the work to be done.
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ince my last President’s Report in the DecemberJanuary Freelance, we have held our board orientation and first meeting of the year. On November 24, 2012 in Craik the Board Executive was appointed as well as chairs of the various board committees. These are as follows: Executive Committee: Candace Savage, Secretary; Gina Rozon, Treasurer; Rod MacIntyre, Vice President; and Lisa Wilson, President Nominations Committee: Chaired by Cathy Fenwick Governance Committee: Chaired by Heather Becker Grain Ad Hoc Committee: Chaired by Caitlin Ward Foundation Liaison: Candace Savage In 2012 the SWG was fortunate enough to contract a governance resource person to work with the Executive Director to review existing policy in the context of the SWG strategic plan and operational structure. As a part of the review it became clear that the governance structure required some attention. Several consultations occurred between leaders in the Saskatchewan FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
“Over the course of 2013 the work on governance and policy will continue, with the objective of ensuring strong, effective, responsive directors and operations staff for the organization.”
During 2012, the SWG Board spent time reviewing and implementing new and revised governance policies as brought forward by the Governance Committee, which met numerous times to review the new policies being organized, written, and recommended by the ED and the governance consultant. The Governance Committee reported to and received feedback from the full Board, and ultimately brought a number of policies forward in two rounds for full board approval. I think the major shift over the course of the governance work was moving from using a mix of governance methods that caused
some confusion in both rules and roles to a more well-defined “collaborative governance model,” which allows the board to continue its focus on policy governance while clearly delineating the relationship between the Board and the Executive Director. A collaborative governance model works well with a grassroots organization such as the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild by allowing for many levels of collaboration between the Board and the stakeholders, which holds more appeal than attempting to strictly govern by a set of rules such as those provided in the Carver model. That approach proved to be somewhat effective, but not entirely practicable. For instance, the Board seemed to respond well to the policy governance aspect of Carver, but there was still some overlap in terms of board involvement in operations. In addition, executive limitations were not clearly spelled out in policy and in some cases the reporting and monitoring structures were weak. The new governance policies address these gaps. Over the course of 2013 the work on governance and policy will continue, with the objective of ensuring strong, effective, responsive directors and operations staff for the organization. The schedule of Board meetings for the year is as follows: January 27, 2013, Craik April 13, Saskatoon June 8, Regina September 28, Prince Albert or Swift Current (TBD) November 1, Regina (preAGM/Conference) Maarsii, meewetch, thank you! Lisa Wilson
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Executive Director’s Report Writing to me is more than “one expressing themselves”- it is about the continued development of civilization- about human communication for improving the human condition. - Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet, SWG Member, SWG Foundation Board Member/Legacy Project
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his philosophy is the motivation behind Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet following her dream to see a more permanent home for and stabilization of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. What is not to like about this quest? It’s a simple one: A building that would be a permanent place for the SWG to live and to provide programs, services, and a gathering place for the benefit of writers in this province and beyond. A building maintained and managed by the SWG Foundation, who would collect rent from the SWG and other tenants, which in turn would be funneled back, hassle-free, to the SWG for sustainability into the future. Imagine a place that has offices for the Guild and other related organizations that can communicate and partner easily, a facility for holding simultaneous workshops, sessions, and meetings, a large auditorium or several halls for readings and launches, festivals, conferences, and partnered events, a room or two for accommodations for writers from away. Envision an office space that houses all the Guild programming and operations staff, a writer-inresidence, a reference library, writing tools at your fingertips, and other amenities conducive to the literary arts. Now imagine where this place might be located and how it will come to fruition. A place where ideas can be exchanged, heard and respected, that is easily
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accessible and in close proximity of accommodations when events are held, an all around location that would benefit and reach a broader community, yet be a haven for writers. Guild members have already voted in favour of such a magical place and investigations began last year by the SWG Foundation under the capable leadership of Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet and Rod Dickinson. Securing funding and being on the lookout for potential locations have been the first steps. As Jo said in her update presentation at the fall conference, “We must keep in mind there is “no place” at a university at this time.” She is simply exploring if it is possible to be on campus at the University of Regina and noted that she also had a million dollar donor, if this could be arranged. Not bad to have both prospective substantial funding and location at once, perhaps. Although this location would put Saskatchewan writers “on the map” with a prestigious yet independent location for the SWG and the proximity to thousands of students living on campus for readings and attendance at events would be of benefit, Jo noted that this is only one possibility that is being researched. It is early days yet. First, there needs to be serious support from the writing community, especially from Guild members, going beyond a nod towards the concept. What’s needed is a show of solidarity for this concept, a serious commitment from stakeholders in pursuing the dream. Financial support from the stakeholders is the first step towards weighing in. Even if you don’t have much money to give, you can show your support in small ways. Decisions on location and the physical structure come later… No decisions will be made without
stakeholders input. Everyone will have an opportunity to have his or her say. It’s just not time yet. It is time to let the Foundation know if Guild members are willing to show their commitment to seeing this legacy project happen. They need to know how much support we are willing to give. Each of us needs to ask ourselves, are we willing to be a stakeholder in this dream of a permanent home and stabilization for the Guild’s future? Do we want to support this initiative and help decide how the building will look and where it will go? Do we want to have a voice in the future vision for the Guild? As the current Executive Director, I can say there are endless possibilities to what the Guild might do for the literary arts community, for developing writers, and touching the broader community by having a secure future and a permanent location from which to do it. We can pursue concrete visions, if we are willing stakeholders committed to seeing this happen. I believe there is enough interest for further engagement with this legacy project, so let’s rally and show some enthusiasm by responding to the initial call for support. Financial support from Guild members will go a long way to opinions being taken seriously at this early stage. After all, if we don’t have the funds to buy a building, there won’t be one located anywhere and what it looks like won’t matter. Lines of communication between the SWG Foundation, who is ultimately responsible for generously leading this project, and the Guild will be kept open, and as soon as there is something to discuss, Guild members will be the first to be contacted. For now we can be content to let the Foundation do their explorations and report back to us. I’m sure the outcome will be beneficial for the highest good of the whole. Respectfully, Judith Silverthorne FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
The SWG Welcomes the New Business Administrator for Grain Sarah Taggart was born and raised in Calgary and studied writing and publishing on the west coast. She moved to Saskatoon in 2012 to pursue an MFA in Writing at the University of Saskatchewan. Sarah has worked in book distribution, magazine, newspaper and for an online dating site. When she’s not at Grain, she’s writing short fiction and tinkering away at a novel.
Writing North 3 Playing With Our Selves: Writing, Audience and Solitude By David Robinson
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he Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild in partnership with the University of Saskatchewan hosted the third annual Writing North writers’ festival at the University of Saskatchewan in the NeatbyTimlin Theatre from January 25 to 26. The festival consisted of a panel discussion led by David Carpenter featuring fiction writer David Poulsen, playwright Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, poet Ken Babstock, non-fiction writer Candace Savage, and playwright C.E. Gatchalian. The authors would lead individual
workshops pertaining to their particular form. The festival also saw the launch of The Literary History of Saskatchewan, Volume 1. The theme for this year’s festival was Playing with Our Selves: Writing, Solitude, and Audience. The panel discussion provided some interesting insight into each writer’s ideas about being a writer, the writing process, and their audience. David Carpenter described being a writer as multifaceted. “I think that maybe all of us wear two hats,” he said. “One is the writer hat; the other is the author hat. The writer
is the person in solitude who writes in a vacuum. The author is the person who ties on his ascot and goes to conferences, or whatever you tie on these days.” David Poulsen elaborated on this idea. He says, “It’s important for all of us as writers to be more comfortable with that public side of authorship because publishers are no longer merely hoping that you will be out there promoting your works on their behalf and yours, but they are virtually demanding it, and more and more it’s expected of us,” he said. Emcee and playwright DonnaMichelle St. Bernard explained that she shows drafts of plays to different audiences when trying to determine the play’s ideal audience. “The way in which I develop work is by showing it often. I make an effort to have different audiences because I don’t know who my audience is yet. For example, I was developing a play and I was like ‘what’s this about? I don’t know. Let’s have strangers tell me.’ So for six months I showed drafts of it first in an academic festival so that it could get input from scholars, then in an activist festival so I could get input on the political aspect of it, and then in artist festivals so I could get input from the artistic perspective,” she said. There was a good turnout to the festival and a lot of humour
Panel discussion at Writing North 3. (L to R) David Carpenter, Candace Savage, C.E Gatchalian, Ken Babstock, David Poulsen, Donna-Michelle St. Bernard.
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to go around. Ken Babstock talked about the diversity of his audience. He says that while part of his audience consists of other poets and people studying English, he said that they also include fishermen in Newfoundland, a rancher in Northern BC, and the guy at the passport office. “The rancher in Northern BC shot me,” he said. “Just for the fun of it.” The audience laughed. He explained that it was an air rifle. He was asked to get off the man’s property after shooting out one of his lights. “I was doing a zigzag down the driveway,” said Babstock. There was a little controversy as
well. C.E. Gatchalian talked about the fine balance required when writing for the stage. He said that it is important to engage the audience, but at the same time advance the form. “Sometimes you don’t want to give them exactly what they want. Exactly what they want isn’t good for them,” he said. Some members of the audience were surprised to hear this. During the launch of The Literary History of Saskatchewan, author and former professor of English David Carpenter, who was the book’s editor, discussed the development of the province’s literary scene. Trying to pinpoint
the literary centre of the province, several possibilities become apparent. However, he explained that writing is not a team sport. “Maybe I could risk the admittedly glib proposition that the centre of creativity is where the writing happens,” he said. He listed the places where it happens in Saskatchewan: Warren Cariou’s fabled tower, Joe Robinson’s island cabin, and Lois Simmie’s bed. In the first two volumes of The Literary History of Saskatchewan there are 25 essayists. “You have 25 versions of Saskatchewan literature in here,” he said.
2013 Winter Writers Retreat
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n the snowy heart of January, seven writers from the Tisdale Writers Group met at a retreat to kick-start their creative efforts for the New Year. They met at Smoke’m Outfitters, the best-kept secret in northeastern Saskatchewan, one mile from Archerwill. The writers from various communities who gathered to work and share were, Peggy Looby (Bjorkdale), Pat Godhe (Wadena), Donna Cunningham (Lintlaw), Judy Revoy (Barrier Lake), Muriel Popp (Tisdale), Joanne Messer (Tisdale) and Doreen Bleich (Nipawin). The quiet setting was conducive to reflection, contemplation and writing. The lodge contained six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a well-planned kitchen, an eighteen-foot long dining table (which doubled as a workspace for five or six computers simultaneously), and a warm and welcoming sitting area around a cozy fireplace. The wood box was filled, and each evening after a full day of
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writing, revising and re-revising, members gathered around a blazing fire to share stories and a glass of wine, read their work, brainstorm and solve the riddles of various computer programs. Evening meals were at the new restaurant in Archerwill called Grandma Viv’s. They were excellent and the service was exceptional.
The work completed during the four days was varied—submissions for the group’s upcoming anthology were reviewed, poems and new short stories written, others were revised, and the first drafts of two new plays were work-shopped. All in all, a very successful retreat.
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Procedures, Perks and Pitfalls of Profile Writing
for quotable lines. The profilee should tell their own story, with you as the gentle editor.
By Shirley Byers
Perks
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profile?” Are you saying you want to draw a picture of me?” The knife maker was puzzled. “I thought you were a writer.” He wasn’t wrong. I did want to draw a picture of him - a word picture. Just as the artist’s profile shows one view of the subject’s face, the writer’s profile shows one view of the subject’s life. A profile can be as short as 500 words and rarely exceeds 3,000 words, with 800 to 1,000 probably being the most popular length. Subjects for profiles are everywhere. And so are the markets. A cursory perusal of a recent “Writers Market” reveals twentythree types of magazines that accept profiles - everything from retirement to religious to regional, from historical to hobby to humour. You’ll find markets for profiles in nature, photography, literary, in-flight, and little magazines. There’s even a fingernail magazine clamouring for profiles.
Procedures
Check out all the facts. If your subject tells you she’s the only tree surgeon in the city, you’d better make sure that’s true or you and your editor could spend the next month reading and responding to indignant letters from slighted tree surgeons. Bear in mind that while facts are facts, they are almost always open to interpretation. The tree surgeon says she can “operate” on twelve trees in an eighthour day. You’re impressed. But before you inject that awe into a sentence or a headline, you’d better ask around. Is twelve trees a day an astounding amount? I FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
don’t know. (I don’t even know if they call it operating) But if you’re going to write the profile, it’s your business to find out. A profile is the story of one person, sometimes two, or even a group, who are engaged in a common endeavour. Besides interviewing the people you’re profiling, consider talking to others, and do all the background reading that you can. For example, I wrote a profile on two women in what until recently has been a primarily male-dominated field. They are funeral directors. Besides interviewing Sally and Rosemarie, I talked to several other people, including the president of the provincial association for funeral directors, a woman who belonged to a religion in which preparation for burial is carried out chiefly by the women of the congregation, Sally’s boss, and various people who had dealt personally with Sally and Rosemarie. I also spent some time researching the history of the profession. While the experiences and feelings of Sally and Rosemarie provided the main thrust of the story, the profile wouldn’t have been complete without the background and texture provided by the other interviews and research. When you’ve gathered all your information, you can begin to write the profile. Use the 5 W’s of news: Who, What, Where, When and Why. It’s not imperative that you get it all into the first sentence, but try to let the reader know fairly early on who this person is, what they do, where they do it, how they do it, and why. Listen for the feelings behind the facts and watch
Payment for profiles varies from maybe $50 in the small town weeklies to four figures in a very few, very exclusive markets. While I will never be one to underrate the importance of payment — I am trying to make a living at this game, after all — there are other pluses to profile writing. Perhaps the best is that you get to meet interesting people. For example, when I was a little girl there was a perfect swimming hole within a couple of miles of our home, a river with a shale bottom. Years later I was astounded to learn that prehistoric sharks, crocodiles, and Loch Ness look-alikes had once frolicked in that same swimming hole 93 million years ago when it was all part of a huge, inland sea. A local farmer, a gentleman I’d known all my life, had made the first fossil discoveries -- prehistoric shark teeth. I had a lovely chat with Dickson, the retired farmer, and the profile, “And on His Farm he had Some Sharks’ Teeth,” was born. Some of your profile subjects will be saleable in more than one market. I sold profiles on a young mom who wrote and published a farm safety colouring book to a daily newspaper, a weekly newspaper, a regional magazine, and a national farm newspaper. I’ve also used material gleaned from profile interviews in my fiction writing. Remember that knife maker? What an interesting occupation for a cameo character in a novel. A silkscreen artist gave me enough material on her craft to create a setting I might someday use in a short story. Material from the funeral directors might end up in a mystery, and so on. It’s all grist for the mill.
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Pitfalls
But there are pitfalls to profile writing. For example, be careful of accepting gratuities. Published profiles can be helpful to the subject’s career, business, or self-esteem, and they may want to thank you. Sometimes they’ll want to pay you. You can’t let that happen. On the other hand, if the profilee sees you downtown and wants to buy you a coffee, I see nothing wrong with that. When in doubt, I ask myself how I would feel if the “thank you” appeared in tomorrow’s headlines. “Grateful Tree Surgeon Buys Writer Large
Decaf and Blueberry Muffin” doesn’t sound too corrupt. Also, while it’s important to keep an open eye and an open mind, be careful not to let yourself be led where you don’t want to go. This happened to me recently. I had landed an assignment to do an interview with a well-known politician. I was fairly impressed with her but thought I could still produce an unbiased profile. What I didn’t realize was that I was dealing with a person skilled in “media management.” She had her own agenda, her own
Historical Kenderdine Campus at Emma Lake Closes By Kelly-Anne Riess
… like memories, smoking for the first time since last time he was here. Many times he shook hands with these lakeflooded trees reaching like fingers from a dying hand.
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-Gerald Hill, from the poem “Arrival: Rowboat”
his summer, I had the opportunity to visit the home studio of artist Shelley Vanderbyl, who was putting together a series of landscape drawings inspired by a visit to Ferry Island at Emma Lake, north of Prince Albert. Using charcoal on paper, Vanderbyl shows light shining down on trees. She said she felt the spirit move through her while out in the wilderness. She’d been taking a course at Kenderdine Campus through the University of Saskatchewan. “I’ve always wanted to go to Emma,” I told Vanderbyl. As a writer, I’d been a St. Peter’s College kind-of-girl when it came to retreats. But, I’d always wanted to visit Kenderdine. One of these days, I had promised myself. Each artist got their own cabin; there were evening fires
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causes to advance. She was an experienced communicator; it was difficult for me to steer her away from those topics. I did the interview, I wrote the profile and it was acceptable, but not the best it could have been. Left to my own devices, without the questions my editor had specifically asked me to cover, I would have come out of that interview with little more than a public relations piece. Yes, profiles are fun to write. Yes, there are tons of markets. Yes, they can even be profitable. But always, always, always be prepared. ing trees and clouds. It offered what city life doesn’t: the silence was not empty, but filled with life, waiting to be heard, transformed, replayed, honoured.” Hobsbawn-Smith said that while at Emma she came into the awareness of her life as an artist. Out there she wrote stories and poems, many of which have
Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus from dock; Credit: Bernice Friesen
and a rowboat. Minus all the insects, it sounded fantastic. “I love Emma Lake,” said writer Dee Hobsbawn-Smith. “Sitting beside the lake and listening to it, to the loons, to the reeds, looking for beavers, watch-
found their way into print since. Many words have been inspired at Kenderdine. “Emma Lake is transformative,” said poet Bernadette Wagner. “The first time I attended FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
colony there I fell in love with Her. I stayed up all night at the fire pit on the beach and took notes for what would be my first-ever spoken word piece, “Love Song for Emma.”
some cautious optimism, some speculate it’ll be closed permanently, shutting the door on the site that has offered so many classes to not only artists, but biologists and others, since 1935.
Poet Gerry Hill described Emma Lake as a home away from home since his first visit there in 1983. “I celebrated both my 40th and 50th birthdays in Cabin 30, back when the Colony was held in late August,” said Hill. “I wrote dozens of poems at Emma, many on the broad seat of a rowboat, the Misty River. I’ll cherish that place forever.”
Founded during the depression, it ends during a Saskatchewan economic boom. The University had to make cutbacks to deal with a projected $44.5 million deficit by 2016. Previous budgets had operated on the assumption that provincial government grants - which supply 70 per cent of the university operating revenue - would continue to increase by four percent per year.
“I have been to a number of workshops and retreats and can honestly say that Emma Lake is one of the places where I have been most productive. The only other setting that was equally excellent was the Banff Centre for the Arts, much more expensive,” said writer Kathleen Wall. “The lake has its own harmony, and there is such a tradition of creativity.” In 1955, two members from the renowned group of painters, The Regina Five, Kenneth Lochhead and Arthur McKay, began the annual Emma Lake Artists Workshop, which attracted other notable artists like Joe Plaskett, Jack Shadolt, Will Barnet, Vic Cicansky, and Joe Fafard. Dorothy Knowles, one of Canada’s top landscape painters, studied there. And it was at Emma in 1962 where she experienced a turning point in her career. It was there where she was encouraged by American critic Clement Greenberg to pursue painting from nature regardless of the contemporary predominance of abstraction. I likely won’t have my chance to go to Emma now. I’m reluctant to use the word “never,” as the University of Saskatchewan has only closed the campus for three years. While I try to retain FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
University officials cite the capital costs needed to upgrade the Kenderdine Campus as the reason for the closure, costing a minimum of $3 million to upgrade the buildings. The suspension is also expected to save the university around $500,000 in operating expenses over the next three years. Some artists have talked about fundraising to keep Kenderdine open, but no one has really stepped forward to lead the charge, although fundraising a few hundred thousand dollars a year wouldn’t be that lofty of a goal, if the interest was there. U of S officials hosted a town-hall meeting to discuss the deficit, but many of the two hundred people attending primarily wanted to talk about Kenderdine’s closure. “When was the decision made? Who was consulted?” asked Biology Department Head Jack Gray during the meeting at Convocation Hall. With the closure of Kenderdine, Gray will have to find an alternate site for his honours students to do their field work course that had traditionally been at Emma.
“Are we simply looking at, sort of, a death by 1,000 financial cuts,” asked Kasia Majewski, president of the U of S Biology club. Dozens of other speakers voiced support for the campus, criticizing the University decision-making process and its financial estimates. Some asked if senior administrators reduced their salaries could Emma be saved. U of S president Ilene BuschVishniac has an annual salary of $400,000; along with a yearly $12,000 travel allowance and thousands more for extra expenses such as a vehicle allowance, free housing, tax planning and financial assistance. Another four top administrators make more than $300,000 a year. By comparison, Premier Brad Wall makes just under $150,000 a year, while the Prime Minister makes $317,000. It’s all-relative. “If you talk to people who are in the business community and take a look at the salaries that are paid to people who run businesses that have eight thousand employees like our university does, they would be paying much more to their CEOs than we’re paying to our president,” said Nancy Hopkins, chair of the board of governors. Busch-Vishniac is the fifth highest paid president out of eight comparable universities in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. Although university officials say they’ll explore all options, staff salaries will not be a part of that plan. “It would be quite difficult to do across-the-board salary adjustments,” said Hopkins. “We have collective agreements with most of the employees on campus.” Senior administrators are not unionized though, and several secretaries in the Faculty of Arts have since been let go. “Decision making invariably is top-down,” said Satya Sharma,
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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 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)
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an associate professor of anthropology in the university’s Department of Religion and Culture. “The groups who end up suffering in the name of “making efficiencies” are those lower down in the organizational structure without the power to make decisions, even if they are the biggest stakeholders. Nobody listens to them. In the eyes of the executives, these stakeholders are like ‘barking dogs’ that will eventually go silent.” But Emma Lake, and the memory of what Kenderdine once was, remains, even if the campus stays
closed and artists have to find a new space to make legendary. It’ll be the U of S that will ultimately lose, on being part of creative greatness. He sees himself years ago in water’s hands. The lake is still but the rowboat always moves. These tugs of pressure, current, wind . . . . . . hands boat water wind shore. - Gerald Hill, from the poem “Arrival: Rowboat”
What is Aboriginal Storytelling? Prepared by Nina Wilson and Jeremy Fourhorns
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or Aboriginal people, storytelling is both a gift, and a very old custom, sanctioned by the people. It has a place, and it has those who are recognized by the community as translators of this custom. In Aboriginal storytelling there is a difference between stories used more for entertainment and those that are more focused on the teachings of culture, ceremonies, and spirituality. There are many stories that are tied to the ceremonies and spirituality of Aboriginal culture. Stories of this nature are used not as entertainment, but as messengers. These stories may not be as entertaining to those unaccustomed to the process of why and what we communicate. These stories are used more as a bridge to get a teaching across to the audience; in these instances the actual stories may be nothing more than a stage prop, and the teaching or meaning of the story is the main attraction. Some stories are funny, some are sad, scary, disturbing; and not all have happy endings. Some stories are true others are not. Some are animated and some are somber. Some have room for embellishment; others
must remain as true to the way they have been told for centuries. Again, stories that must remain as true to their origins as possible are usually ones that are fundamental to the teachings, ceremonies, and way of life of Aboriginal people. We also have to take into account the way Aboriginal people look at ceremonies and spirituality. In mainstream society ceremony and spirituality are almost always terms that are, associated with religion. Aboriginal people do not see their ceremonies and spirituality as a religion, they see it as a way of life. The ceremonies and spirituality of Aboriginal people are embedded deeply in their everyday life. Aboriginal people are more intimate with their ceremonies and spirituality; there is less detachment because they do not only practice this way of life on Sundays, or other designated times. This way of life is virtually ingrained into values and morals that motivate those who embrace it, into everyday action. Because Aboriginal people see these things as a way of life, they also live their lives by the laws that govern their spirituality and ceremonies. So, it is not considered telling religious FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
important. With all the drama, In Aboriginal pageantry, and stimulus enstorytelling there is a trenched in our media today, it is not surprising that people unfamildifference iar with what Aboriginal Storytellbetween stories used ing actually is, usually come to more for expect something totally different. entertainment and The term ‘storytelling’ gives the audience a perception, and that those that are more perception is based on expecfocused on the teachtations the listener brings to a ings of storytelling session. Without culture, ceremonies, Storytelling, there would be no avenue to instruct and train for and spirituality. policing, doctoring, educating, trades, and those involved in stories or teaching religion; it is aspects of government as leadconsidered more along the lines ers and as protectors both from of sharing the teachings of their a military and civil perspective. way of life. This is in part because Almost everything that is here (such as in the Cree language) in the present was there in the there is no word specifically desig- past. The language barrier was nated for “religion.” This is beone of many challenges that kept cause it is very difficult to convey those coming into contact with the meaning of Aboriginal conthe First Peoples of this land from cepts using the English language; knowing and understanding this. so the word used for “religion” in Cree for example, is a descripWhen a person hears the phrase tive word that basically means Aboriginal Storytelling, they will “another way.” The stories share all most likely come to differthe teachings, history, culture, ent meanings to the term within and way of life of the Aboriginal themselves, and there are many people. Because Saskatchewan reasons for this. The way a person has many Aboriginal languages is raised, his or her influences with different dialects, there will on others, as well as a person’s be distinct terms for everything. familiarity with a language, will have much to do with how they Various nations on Turtle perceive Aboriginal Storytelling. Island (Mother Earth) had a word Again, in many cases it is almost designated for the storytelling impossible to convey the meanrole or the act of storytelling. In ing of Indigenous concepts using most Indigenous languages there the English language. Much of are many cases when a word is the meaning gets lost in translasimply a description of an object, tion and we do our best with action, person, and a place; so what we have left. Within each when there is a word specifically Aboriginal community in Sasdesignated for something, it is katchewan there are very pow-
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erful and distinguished original terms for Storytelling in the orator’s first language: what it does, why it’s used and so on. However, a story may differ from one to another, one key reminder should be acknowledged about Aboriginal Storytelling. These are our stories. They have a rich connection to who we are as Aboriginals since they are an important component of Aboriginal identity. If the stories are not understood, perhaps the fault lies not with the orator, but in the bridge between the orator and his/her audience that might include negative stereotypes. It is impossible for our storytelling to resist evolving or changing as our culture continues to; however, our storytelling and stories are still considered sacred. As storytelling is rooted to spirituality; it is the basis of all customs, traditions, and everyday actions. As N ê hieyawak, Dakota/Nakota/ Lakota, Denesuline, and Anishinabek, Inuit, and Métis, we cannot easily compartmentalize categories of our customs and lives. Within Aboriginal circles, and since time immemorial, storytelling has been more than sheer entertainment. It has been a critical and profound component in our ancestral camps, and was as commonplace in daily life as eating a meal. Evaluations of subsequent participation in this event have proved this endeavor has been worth every minute of its winter month timing campaign. Reprinted from Saskatchewan Libraries website: http://www.lib.sk.ca/Storytelling.
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Cowboy Poetry By Ken Mitchell
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hat exactly is Cowboy Poetry?” is one question I frequently get asked since I took up the craft about ten years ago. Cowboy poetry is essentially a folk art, first heard on the western plains in the 1870s during the evenings of big cattle drives when herders and vaqueros entertained each other around the campfire. Very few of these poems were published at the time, but as stories or songs they were transmitted by word of mouth. Such song-poems were “The Strawberry Roan” or “Get Along, Little Dogie”. A more modern tradition that has recently evolved, however, can be clearly dated back to a single event: the first Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, in January 1985. The American Endowment of the Arts had funded a group of Western artists (led by Hal Cannon) to organize a conference on cowboy culture. Cannonwas the director of the Western Folklife Center in Elko, and he sent out a call for storytellers, poets, singers, and craftspeople to attend. The first “gathering” was an astonishing, oversubscribed success, and the Elko gathering has been held every year since. It inspired several hundred similar festivals and events, now held across the U.S. and western Canada. Major Canadian events are held annually in Calgary, Pincher Creek, Stony Plain, Maple Creek, and Kamloops. Here’s a definition of cowboy poetry that was inscribed at the original Elko gathering in 1985 by a folklorist named Mike Korn. It would eventually be approved in a vote by the assembled throng.
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Left to right: Don Mitchell, Ken Mitchell
“Cowboy Poetry is rhymed, metered verse written by someone who has lived a significant portion of his or her life in Western North America cattle culture. The verse reflects an intimate knowledge of that way of life, and the community from which it maintains itself in tradition. Cowboy Poetry may or may not in fact be anonymous in authorship but must have qualities, content, and style which permit it to be accepted into the repertoire of the cultural community as reflecting that community`s aesthetics in style, form, and content. ``The structural style of cowboy poetry has its antecedents in the ballad style of England and the Appalachian South. It is similar to popular works of authors such as Robert W. Service and Rudyard Kipling.” Currently, Robert Service remains one of the most popular poets heard, not only through “The Cremation of Sam McGee”, but also in various unacknowledged `adaptations` of his Yukon tales. Cowboy poems tend to be passed on and swapped around to
other rhymesters, that is, shared by the assembled community. Since 1985, Cowboy Poetry has become very popular in the wider American culture, especially in the western states, and has been closely paralleled by the rise of “rap” and hip-hop poetry in urban communities throughout the world. A similar phenomenon has been observed in Australia with the rapid growth of socalled ``bush poetry” throughout the land, most of them in the style of the original buckaroo, `Banjo’ Paterson -- who wrote “The Man from Snowy River” as well as “Waltzing Matilda”. In the 21st century, these forms of ‘the art of the spoken word’ have risen out of the campfire ashes to replace so-called free verse (that is, unrhymed and unmetered poetry) that has been the predominant style of literary poets for close to one hundred years. Or at least so says Professor Dana Gioia, poet, literary critic, and a former chair of the American Endowment for the Arts, probably FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
the most influential cultural agency in the English-speaking world. In his ground-breaking book Disappearing Ink: Poetry at the End of Print Culture, Dr. Gioia claims that the most significant development of poetry in this `postmodern` era has been the clear (and unexpected) re-establishment of `musical` poetry: ``Namely, rap, cowboy poetry, poetry slams, and certain overtly accessible types of what was once a defiantly avantgarde genre, performance poetry. These new forms of popular verse have seemingly come out of nowhere to become significant forces in American culture.`` Despite the suspicion of the artistic and literary academies, this populist versifying for huge and sometimes raucous audiences has become more popular, and has gradually become accepted by the general public, not only in America, but around the world. As he says, ``In a literary culture that during most of the twentieth century declared verse a dying technique, no one would have predicted
this vastly popular revival.” To take Gioia’s argument event further, abstract poetry has gone the way of artistic expressionism and atonal music, at least in the view of the general public. The intellectual appreciation of “free verse” peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, as academic and literary presses churned out thousands of new poetry chapbooks, only to have them pulped almost as soon as they appeared. It`s fair to say that the bulk of postmodern poetry only had appeal to other poets, and was of remote interest to the general public. In other words, it was verse that could only be comprehended by other poets, just as other musicians can only tolerate atonal music.
do not read music from a page of composition, so we cannot understand the bardic tradition from a printed page. When invited into workshops and schools now, I am not interested in reading student poems so much as hearing them, and encouraging young performers to articulate their work. Only in the sound created by their own voices can they ever understand the poems they read or write. My advice? Learn to use the voice, and forget about digging out the “meaning” or “theme” so valued to our poor, befuddled high school teachers. Or as Archibald Macleish said in his masterpiece “Ars Poetica”: “A poem should not mean -- but be.”
Personally, I began listening to poetry much closer after first hearing Leonard Cohen (in 1968), and later Bob Dylan, who sang their poems in concert and learned the crucial difference between reading and listening to poetry. For myself, poems – like music -- must be heard to be understood and valued. Just as we
I mustn’t distress my worthy colleagues further with this alarming canto on the bardic tradition, but I do suggest that contemporary examples of cowboy poetry can be located in my recently re-published anthology, Rhyming Wranglers, Cowboy Poets of the Canadian West, from Frontenac House, Calgary.
Reclaiming the Wonder: Writing for Children & Other Intelligent People By Alison Lohans
Writing is a reflexive activity that involves the totality of our physical and mental being. To write means to write myself, not in a narcissistic sense but in a deep collective sense. To write phenomenologically is the untiring effort to author a sensitive grasp of being itself—of that which authors us, of that which makes it possible for us to be and speak… in the first place. Max van Manen, 1994, in Researching Lived Experience FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
Alison Lohans Credit: Shelley Banks
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encountered Max van Manen’s thought-provoking writings during the years spent working on my master’s degree, now over a decade ago. This article will pull together some thoughts on aesthetic theory and other ways of “seeing” and thinking that I’ve encountered along the way—here, not as they relate to arts education, but as they seem to fit writing for children, and writing in general. Max van Manen is unknown in writers’ circles. An awardwinning distinguished scholar emeritus of the University of Alberta, he has published numerous books in his specialty areas of pedagogy and phenomenological research methods in the field of education. Philosophical
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writings on research may seem out of scope for those of us who write “creatively”—yet, looking more closely, we may find we’re talking about some of the same things. Van Manen considers writing a crucial aspect of coming to understand a life question, a way of giving it voice. In this sense all writing becomes a form of “research”. And isn’t research exactly what we do as we find things out, as we grow during the writing process and emerge a changed person as the result of having written something? I think it’s important for writers to connect with a feeling of wonder—beyond that sense of excitement or delight, which hits with the initial bang! of an idea, and again as we jump-start it into a narrative voice. What I’m getting at is the sense of play that each of us knows, and which keeps us at this peculiar occupation that gives very little financial reward for the huge amount of work that we actually do. So many bar-
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riers stand in our way. Writing becomes a job; we come to the conclusion that we write because this is what we do, and we’re good at it. And sometimes we remember that it can be fun, even exhilarating. How do we reclaim the wonder, that freshness, year after year?
Barriers
Viewed cynically, this business of writing can sometimes seem like trying to smash through a multilayered wall. There is the rejection-slip treadmill we all know so well, and in recent years, the non-response rejection of our work. Sometimes we lack the uninterrupted time or confidence to fully dwell in the creative centre of our work. With tangible success—a new book in hand— comes a new set of barriers. Our huge investment of time and self is subjected to the uncertainties of promotion. There are lacklustre reviews or, worse, that insidious, quiet neglect—those ugly, blank silences. Worthy books end up not being submitted for ap-
propriate awards. The onus falls more and more on the shoulders of us individual writers, and we wonder when we will “get our turn”. If we’ve been around for a few decades, we sometimes wonder if our turn is long past when that which is new and shines with excellence goes unnoticed because the spotlight is now fixed on other voices. There is the roller coaster ride of marketing that’s driven by central office orders and the massive U.S. publishing presence; there is the loss of reviewing venues as is the case in the recent Globe and Mail decision; and corporate powers wield a clout that puts publishers and writers alike out of commission. Royalties go unpaid; wonderful books that took years, even decades, to write are too quickly remaindered or allowed to go out of print. This is brutal stuff, and it can be hard enough to hang onto a sense of personal validity, let alone wonderment. If we try affixing a dollar value to the worth
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of our dreams, our craft, our art, things get extraordinarily messy. They get even messier when “genre games” come into play. Childhood tends to be devalued in our society. There is a common perception that children’s books, written for “less important people”, shouldn’t be taken as seriously as those written for adults. (After all, it’s just a little book; it can’t possibly have been hard to write. Anybody with half a brain could do that; maybe I’ll dash one off in my spare time…) Two-time Governor General’s Award winner Julie Johnston probably shocked polite literary society years ago when she spoke up at the awards ceremony about “being allowed to read along with all the grownup writers”; however, her point is well made. Children’s writers aren’t the only ones given short shrift in this unevenly-stacked deck. Nobody likes being pigeonholed as “lesser” on the basis of what we choose to write. Or what calls to us to be written.
Creative Stance
Writing is about creating timeless moments, or, perhaps, re-creating those moments: the stilled sensory “experiencing” when we truly perceive or apprehend with an uncluttered mind. It’s about evoking the authentic, the aesthetic, about calling up primal names (and the un-named) from our innermost self, which is probably most accessible when leftbrain thinking shuts off. Call it a willing suspension of disbelief; call it wonderment. W.O. Mitchell’s Who Has Seen the Wind? comes immediately to mind as a powerful example. Fictional writing is also about creating movement. It’s about change and growth, about logic used as a tool to craft a convincing narrative by gathering, sorting, and re-clustering selected imagistic moments (and silences) FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
in a skilled sequence which adheres to the rhythms of plot. Include in the mix a generous dose of human empathy, manifested in believable characters. And, of course, curiosity. Good writing for children (and other intelligent people) includes all of the above. Good writing for children is a multi-faceted process. I think the most crucial aspect is respect: respecting readers, and pre-readers, enough to approach them as equals, offering a face-to-face encounter with something that genuinely excites us. The late Ernie Coombs, better known as Mr. Dressup, provided a stellar example of this respectful, noncondescending stance toward his child audiences. This quickly excludes sermonizing with its hierarchical power dynamic, the “Iam-greater/wiser/more-powerfulthan-thou” narrative approach. Also excluded is the “sweet little story” about Freddie Fox or Caitlyn Caterpillar: one of the four-letter words of this genre is the patronizing C-U-T-E-word. Rather, we invite readers to share a whimsical sense of delight, or perhaps to feel and come to better understand certain elements of the fears and pain that are necessary for the growth of the human spirit. Honesty and empathy are essentials. So how do we additionally see eye-to-eye with our child characters? Each of us has a continuing awareness of self that extends throughout our conscious existence. This singular “self” is in fact a cluster of multiple awarenesses and roles, or plural selves. We are both one and the “many” and, as such we’re offered exciting possibilities for literary voice.
Finding the voice(s)
What ages and events of child-
hood do we recall most vividly? Who is the “me” that was four years old, perceiving through lenses that fit those particular stages of intellectual, emotional, and social development, within the contexts of family, community, and culture? What about the eight-year-old, far more independent socially and emotionally, capable of accomplishing many things but still unable to think abstractly? The young teen, seeking autonomy but also needing the security of family (sometimes to rebel against), at times feeling invulnerable yet in other ways approaching the world from a highly self-conscious stance? The adult, at various stages of growth and development? The answers are different in every instance, and each will bear the imprint of significant turning points and other rites of passage we all encounter as individuals. It is from these that we can derive energies with which to imbue our characters. As writers we’re challenged to be the “other”, who may or may not reflect our own personal experience or values. We see through those particular eyes; we resonate to that unique voice. In this way, we give birth to characters who live and breathe within the framework of the narrative questions posed by our story. It’s important to have more than a single question or challenge, for each prompts levels of problem-solving that result in character growth and empowerment. Writing for children is all about letting child characters wrestle with imbalance to work out their own solutions. There are other important aspects. Good children’s writing is about active voice: using strong verbs to craft an image-packed presentation. It’s about experiencing the world now, with immediacy, about articulating ideas without pedantic explanations or lengthy flashbacks. In doing all of the above, we can begin to write
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convincingly, with authenticity and power, for younger readers (and for plenty of older ones, too).
Reclaiming the wonder
So how do we reclaim the wonder? That stillness, those silences we need in order to fully perceive? These, not only to nourish our rushed adult selves, but also to access that inner self from which we create. The willingness to dream a little. We need to trust ourselves and the processes by which we practise our craft, yet we also have to remain open to growth, for we can’t keep living the same literary questions. We need to hold onto a basic faith that the market will provide opportunities for our offerings to shine, but we also have to expect some of the doors to slam in our faces. We need a strong protective shell, yet still remain open and vulnerable to those fleeting moments which can transfigure into something of exquisite beauty. This mess of contradictions
seems, at times, to suggest the snake swallowing its own tail. I’m afraid there are no simple answers, no universal recipes. No step-by-step survival manuals. Most attempts in this direction would end up being truisms anyhow. Perhaps it all comes back to this: we write because we must, for in this manner of approaching the world in van Manen’s “deep collective sense,” applying “the totality of our being” to our craft and art, we also find play and flow, simultaneously with our work. The act of writing, that “untiring effort to author a sensitive grasp of being itself—of that which authors us [and] makes it possible for us to be and speak…in the first place,” demands that we seek the wonder. That we stop to attend fully, with uncluttered mind. For without this pure “seeing”, without the stillnesses that permit creation, we invite the risks of imitation rather than au-
A Central Love Story + an Emotionally Satisfying Ending = Romance Genre By Annette Bower
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omantic love is described in fiction, poetry, movies, plays, and music because love relationships are possibly the most central part of our humanness. We strive for it, we embrace it, and we grieve the loss of this powerful emotion. The romance genre specifies that it must meet its audience’s expectation of an ending that affirms loving relationships. A love story must be central to the novel. Please join me in a visit with Clara, a published romance writer,
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and Marcie, who wants to write romance. Somewhere in Regina, Clara visits her friend Marcie.
thentic innovation, of jarring false notes when we could be singing in perfect pitch. Whatever the barriers, we owe it to ourselves, and to our craft, to do it well. Writing for children, after all, we always try to leave our readers with hope. Of course it’s probably audacious to claim to write for anybody, child or adult. Rather, we write from and for ourselves, those works which demand to be written.
Alison Lohans published her first book in 1983. Since then, 24 more books have appeared for people aged four through adult, as well as one poetry chapbook. She served as Writer-in-Residence at Regina Public Library in 2002-2003, and received the 2012 YWCA Women of Distinction Jacquie Schumiatcher Award for the Arts. Alison’s most recent novel is Crossings (Bundoran Press, 2012).
“I’m going to write about love and relationships, and then I’ll get published, and buy a big house and a white fluffy dog.” “Anything else?” Clara snorts. “How hard can it be? I read one of those romance books at the cottage about five years ago and I knew that I could write one just like it.” “Why now?”
“In the living room, Clara. Come on in.”
Marcie taps her knuckle on the pink fiberglass. “This broken leg. And there isn’t anything on TV. It’s a perfect solution to boredom.”
Marcie’s laptop is propped on her lap.
“What do you know about writing?”
Clara says, “Your text said that you’re going to write a romance novel.”
“I have a word program and I’m determined. Remember I always aced our grammar exams. You’re a writer. Do you have any hints?”
“Marcie, where are you?”
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The romance genre specifies that it must meet its audience’s expectation of an ending that affirms loving relationships.
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“I’m always willing to help.” Clara shrugs out of her jacket. “Fabulous. Would you bring me a coffee? I’ll open a file and take a few notes.” “You still take one cream and two sugars?” Clara calls from the galley kitchen. “Yes, thanks. Hurry and sit. Let’s talk.” “Marcie, are you thinking about the Harlequin Enterprises when you think about your writing career?” “Of course, Clara. Are there any others? Boy meets girl, boy and girl hate each other, and boy and girl get over it and fall in love and live happily ever after.” “Pass me your computer. I want you to look at this site.” http:// www.harlequin.com/articlepage. html?articleId=538&chapter=0 Clara handed Marcie’s laptop back, sipped her coffee and waited. “Wow. There are thirty-four different categories. And they’re accepting manuscripts. I knew I was onto something good.” “Not so fast. When you click on each of those categories you’ll notice they require different types of heroines, word lengths, level of sensuality, plots and subplots.” “But what about creativity?” Marcie says as she bangs her mug on the table.
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“Romance genre readers have certain expectations, and when you know those you can be as creative as you wish within the parameters.” “So there’s a formula for the Harlequin novel. I’m good at following recipes.” Marcie smiles. “Can I borrow your computer again? I found this website by Irene Vantanoff that might help enlighten you on the formula. I’ll just click on it. http:// www.myromancestory.com/ writingRomance/fabledFormula. php. One of her suggestions is that you read the books you want to write.” “More research, come on! When do I get to write? Some of those deadlines for submission are right around the corner.” ”You can begin any time but if you intend to submit to a specific publisher you should follow their guidelines.” Clara says as she rolls her shoulders. “But I’ll probably get bored reading the same kind of book over and over again.” “If you get bored reading them, then how do you expect to stay with it for the time it takes to write one of the books?” “How long can it take?” “There isn’t a short cut. If you want to write romance you have to read the books you want to write. You’ll see patterns, feel the rhythm, and learn the requirements of the category.”
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“My visions of a two story house with a three car garage are slipping away.” “Hold on to that dream and tell me what you like most about reading.” “I want to lose myself in the story. To keep reading through the conflict to a conclusion.” “You’ve got it. Conflict is the core of a good story. But the conflict in
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the mystery or suspense genre is different from the romance genre. Remember, romance is about falling in love and the emotions that surround that and the commitment to that relationship. ” “More research, right?” “An article for Writer’s Digest, written in October 2012 by Jennifer Lawler, discusses the requirements of romantic conflict that keeps the hero and the heroine apart. She states,. . .’what keeps the reader turning pages is wondering how on earth you’re going to get them to overcome that obstacle and reach the happily ever after.’ Here’s the link.” http://www.writersdigest.com/ whats-new/how-to-write-aromance-novel-the-keys-to-conflict
“Do I have to write sweet or can I have a little spice?” “You’ll learn your own comfort level and write for the category that either has chaste kisses or more explicit acts.” “My vision of a cute, cuddly Bianca just evaporated. Now my legs ache and I haven’t even written one word.” “Marci, don’t give up. That house and dog are possible. I’d like to suggest two more web pages which I find most helpful.” 1. The Romance Writers of America: http://www.rwa. org/. They have over ten thousand members and over one hundred and forty chapters. They have as much information that you could ever hope to
The Space-Time Continuum By Edward Willett
In this column I want to return to the World Fantasy Convention that was held in Toronto last November and a panel that rubbed me the wrong way. Entitled, “The Changing Face of YA Fantasy,” the panel was described this way: “Fantasy works for young adult readers have changed over the years, perhaps even more than their counterparts for adults. The themes tackled are more cutting-edge; a wider variety of cultures is explored; locations are often more realistic, more gritty and urban, than in the past; a more diverse cast of characters is brought into play; and the heroines and heroes are perhaps more realistic than their predecessors. Our panel will discuss the popularity of YA fantasy, its changing face, and its future.”
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use. They also provide conferences and online classes to learn the craft of romance writing. 2. The Saskatchewan Romance Writers: http:// saskromancewriters.com/ have been together for over twenty-five years supporting writers in the many romantic categories. “I’d better go. I can see you need your rest. I don’t want to discourage you from writing, so begin. But also think about reading a sample of books that are available and we’ll talk again about writing in the romance genre.” “Thanks Clara. Come back and let’s talk more.” “Til next time.”
find it really important to sort out the context of violence within the narrative; not just splash and gore, but what is the context?
The panelists were authors Tone Milazzo, Laura Anne Gilman, Hiromi Goto, Morgan Keyes, and Amanda Sun. They began with a discussion of whether YA fantasy is getting “too dark.” The counter to that concern seemed to be that, a) the “darkness” in young adult fiction is simply a reflection of the darkness of the real world, or b) this darkness is good for YA readers. “Any genre has to look at what’s happening outside us,” said Goto. “It’s been a scary time and the literature is going to reflect that...these books are teaching kids it’s okay to be afraid.” She noted that “there’s so much violence in children’s lives already in terms of games culture. A lot of it is graphic and gratuitous. As a writer and a parent I FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
The relationship of the violence between the characters, how can the character negotiate it.”
but what I kept hearing, underneath all that, was, “swallow your medicine like a good little boy.”
Gilman said, “The fear always seems to they’re not ready to handle this, they don’t have the tools. My argument is always that the book is the tool...most fantasy is proactive even in the worst-case scenario; it helps them deal with the reality outside. Even if they’re not succeeding they’re doing something.”
Why did I feel like pushing back against this oh-so-worthwhile discussion of how oh-so-worthwhile YA books are? I think it goes back to the lecture one of my junior high school teachers gave me when I couldn’t remember the author of a book I’d enjoyed: it was important to remember the author’s name, he (or possibly she; I don’t remember the teacher, just the lecture!) said, because otherwise I was “just reading for escape.”
Sun said, “these issues are issues they have, these are things they’re dealing with.” The panel continued in that mode: the ways in which swearing, sex, race, and other hot-button topics are dealt with in YA fiction were all discussed in terms of being good for the readers. It’s not that I disagree with that. It’s true, I’m sure, that books help young readers deal with problems and I know it’s more true for some readers than others, and I’m really glad it’s true, and it’s an important function of YA books, and blah, blah, blah...
As if that were a bad thing! Even the panelists in Toronto would probably say “escape” is a good thing, a doorway into a better world than the oh-soterrible real world. But you know what? Escape is a good thing even if you don’t really have anything you need to escape from. Entertainment is a worthwhile goal in its own right.
Member news Beverley Brenna Named as Printz Honor Book by the American Library Association
Beverley Brenna
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Bev Brenna is one of only 3 Canadian authors who’ve placed as an award winner or through writing an honor book in the international pool of over 60 authors from the last 14 years that the Printz Award and Honor Book program has been in operation through the American Library Association. Other authors on previous honor lists include Canadians Kenneth Oppel (for Airborn)
I’m as good as any author at talking about the oh-so-important issues in my books. But the truth is, I’m not writing novels to help readers deal with their problems. I’m writing out of the sheer joy I get from creating different entertaining worlds. It’s very nice if readers put down one of my books and think, “I feel so much better about my own problems now that I’ve seen that character deal with theirs,” but all I really want them to think is, “what a terrific story.” I am not a pharmacist, a counselor, a psychologist, or a social worker. I am a storyteller. I tell stories set in the past, present, and future, in worlds that exist, could exist, and can and do exist only in my mind. I write stories that span the spacetime continuum, and I welcome readers along for the ride. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a high enough calling right there.
and Allan Stratton (for Chanda’s Secrets) along with Australian author Markus Zusak (for The Book Thief), New Zealand author Elizabeth Knox (for Dreamquake) and American authors M. T. Anderson (for The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing) and Jack Gantos (for Hole in My Life). The White Bicycle is the third stand-alone novel in Brenna’s young adult trilogy about a teen named Taylor Jane who sees the world through the unique perspective of Asperger’s Syndrome. In each of the three books, Taylor seeks independence and adulthood, but through different means. In Wild Orchid, the first in the series, she hoped that having a boyfriend would earn her passage into the adult world. In
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the second book, Waiting for No One, she thinks about how postsecondary education, and entering the world of work, will help her find maturity. In The White Bicycle, she combs through stories from her past and comes to terms with the fact that independence is based on daily decisions and her family relationships rather than a visible achievement. Reading existential work by Jean Paul Sartre helps her formulate a new world view, as does setting out into the south of France for an unpredictable summer. For more information, see www.beverleybrenna.com and http://www. ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/ bookawards/printzaward/previouswinners/winners.
McNally Robinson Announces the 100 Bestselling Books for 2012 The McNally Robinson Saskatoon store recently compiled a list of the top 100-bestselling books of
2012. Number 1 on the list is The Great Saskatchewan Bucket List by Saskatchewan Writers Guild members Robin and Arlene Karpan. It’s nice to see that there are several Saskatchewan-authored and/or Saskatchewan-published books on the list. The Great Saskatchewan Bucket List was also the Number 1 bestselling Local Interest category title for 2012 for all stores combined in the Saskatchewan/ Manitoba region of the Chapters/ Indigo/Coles chain. For more information visit: http:// www.mcnallyrobinson.com/ newsletter.
Welcome New Members • Darlene Smith • Laura Strem • Jane Nester • Gloria Marie Engel • Kenneth G.P Carriere
Member Notices Have you some exciting news you’d like to share with the writing community? Why not announce it right out front on the Guild’s home webpage? As SWG members, you have an instant do-it-yourself way to let others know about your achievements through the online Member Notices. Post accolades, members’ activities, events, new publications and other announcements for website visitors to view. Those viewing can easily click on a button on the Guild home page www.skwriter. com/ to see more information. Adding information is easy. Access the simple form through the Members Only page. Once published, you’ll have the ability to delete expired notices yourself; or if you need to correct a published notice - delete and repost it. Notices will automatically be removed one month after the initial publish date. Of course, members can still use the Members News sections in Ebriefs and Freelance to advise members of your accolades, readings and news. And remember to send your books for the Books by Members section of Freelance so they can also be included in the Guild library. We also require a maximum 150- word intro about the book and you as an author. Send all your information for inclusion in Ebriefs and Freelance to: communications@skwriter.com
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books by Members
Orchid Flower Love Poetry: Amorous Moods of Sensuous Passion By Raymond Douglas Chong Publisher: XLIBRIS ISBN: 978-1-4797-4759-7 Orchid Flower Love Poetry: Amorous Moods of Sensuous Passion is the romantic gem of eclectic poetry by Raymond Douglas Chong. His moody love poetry amorously covers ecstasy, angst, and caprice. His lyrical verses sensitively describe love in an authentic way, with idiosyncratic reality and ingenious creativity. They are in the context of an orchid flower, a traditional Chinese motif for delicate beauty. The poems are passionate yearnings with vibrant and vivid lyrical imagery of love. Their scope includes the peaks and the valleys of the amorphous art of love. In sensuous passion, they will intimately connect his heart as poet with your heart as reader. Raymond Douglas Chong’s first poetry book is Plum Blossom Love Poetry: Between Dragon Village and Gold Mountain. He is a writer of stories, composer of poems, and producer of films. He is a professional Engineer in California, Texas, and Saskatchewan.
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Fatal Intent By Ryshia Kennie Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing ISBN: 978-937349-55-4 Leading a scientific excursion into the Borneo rain forest is a life long dream for entomologist, Garrett Cole. But when her guide turns up dead and headless, her abilities are tested. As the dense foliage pushes her team further from the river, they are lost. Every shimmer of sound is a threat, and when a blonde haired, half-naked giant emerges from nowhere, she wants to run. But there are no options - she needs help. Fatal Intent is a romantic suspense that was inspired by the author’s journey into the Borneo rain forest. It is a story rich in setting and filled with unique characters, some of whom are inspired by real life and all of whom are carved solely out of fiction. Ryshia Kennie is the author of three published romances: From the Dust, Ring of Desire, and Fatal Intent. An award-winning author, her recent novels focus on women’s fiction as well as suspense - always with a hint or even a dollop or romance. Visit her website at http://ryshiakennie.com.
Portraits of the Bison: An Illustrated Guide to Bison Society By Wes Olson & Johane Janelle Timbergulch Press ISBN: 978-0-9880114-0 Portraits of the Bison, Second Edition stunningly documents bison society with numerous new color photographs, detailed anatomical illustrations, and engaging description. Wes Olson explores the history, social structure, and life cycle of these intriguing animals. Bison society is composed of individuals and families, of bands and clans that span many generations and this book helps anyone with an interest in bison understand bison societies. Portraits of the Bison is rich in detailed illustrations and photographs that enable age and gender identification from birth to death. Wes Olson and Johane Janelle live in Val Marie, SK, next door to Grasslands National Park. Wes retired from a career as a National Park Warden in 2012 after spending more than 30 years working with bison in several National Parks. Available from www. wesolson.ca
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A Field Guide to Plains Bison By Wes Olson & Johane Janelle Timbergulch Press ISBN: 978-0-9880114-0-3 A Field Guide to Plains Bison is the first book of its kind in wildlife field guides. No other book on bison depicts this charismatic species throughout its entire life span, through all four seasons and from across its historical range. The Guide is enhanced with interesting notes about social and group behavior, interactions with other wild animals and plants, and anatomical adaptations to the ecosystems they live in. This Guide is a must for naturalists, park interpreters, bison biologists, hunters, ranchers, and for anyone with a love for this truly remarkable species. Wes Olson and Johane Janelle live in Val Marie, SK, next door to Grasslands National Park. Wes retired from a career as a National Park Warden in 2012 after spending more than 30 years working with bison in several National Parks. Available from www.wesolson.ca
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While the Sun is Above Us By Melanie Schnell Publisher: Freehand Books ISBN: 978-1554810611 While The Sun Is Above Us takes readers deep into the extraordinary world of Sudan through the intertwined narratives of two women. In the midst of a bloody civil war, Adut is brutally captured and held as a slave for eight years. Sandra, fleeing her life in Canada, travels to South Sudan as an aid worker but soon finds herself unwittingly embroiled in a violent local conflict. When chance brings Adut and Sandra together in a brief but profound moment, their lives change forever. In captivating prose, Melanie Schnell offers imaginative insight into the lives of innocents in a land at war, rendering horrific experiences with exquisite clarity. While The Sun Is Above Us explores the immense power of the imagination, the human desire for connection, and the endurance of hope.
Still Blue Water By Marje A. Dyck Calisto Press ISBN: 978-0-9738249-1-6 Marje A. Dyck’s latest book, Still Blue Water, is a collection of her tanka written over the past twenty years. Michael Dylan Welch, founder of the Tanka Society of America, writes in his foreword to her book: “Not many Canadian poets have paid their dues in writing tanka for as long as Marje Dyck. In this collection of poems we discover the poet’s reverie, and the inspiration she finds in her prairie world - usually gentle but at times turbulent.” He continues, “These poems swell and surge as delicately as waving wheat or the ripples on a prairie lake.” Dyck’s poems explore the landscape of Saskatchewan; the wide prairies and the northern lake country. Her tanka poems often include an emotional element that enhances the experience of these scenes. Michael McClintock, of whom Miriam Sagan (columnist for Writers Digest) has said, “He remains one of the strongest and original voices in contemporary American tanka,” describes one of Dyck’s poems as “a classic”...that...”will touch every reader with its flash of awareness about the transcience of things, time, we ourselves...”
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IN MEMORIUM A tribute: Elizabeth Brewster 1922 -2012
By gillian harding-russell
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lizabeth Brewster passed away on December 26, 2012. Her death marks the disappearance of a landmark in Canadian literature. While visiting my husband’s family in Saskatoon, I made my biannual visit to the Luther Special Care Nursing Home, and discovered that Elizabeth had passed away two days before my arrival. Catching sight of a photo of her face above the nursing desk – no notice, none needed – I knew what had happened, and was instantly struck with regret that I had not had the chance to visit Elizabeth one last time. There is something angelic and full of character in the faces of the very old: Elizabeth had lived her life with a zest to the end. I first met Elizabeth in the 1980’s when I was pursuing a Ph.D. in Canadian Literature at the University of Saskatchewan, and had asked if she would supervise my dissertation on post-modern Canadian poetry. Elizabeth agreed at once, and our relationship, initially a professor/student one, but later something more, continued long after my thesis was finished and passed in 1986. Over the years I visited Elizabeth in her homes on Clarence Avenue and 9th Street, where she would always invite me in for tea and a long chat. I learned about such writers and academics as Desmond Pacey, Fred Cogswell, FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
Elizabeth Brewster Credit: Patricia Pavey
Al Purdy, Margaret Atwood, and Northrop Frye. Elizabeth’s spectacular career spanned nine decades, and she lived her life both as an academic and a poet: she taught in several universities including the University of Toronto, the University of Victoria and the University of Saskatchewan where she was awarded Professor Emeritus and wrote approximately thirty books (most of them poetry collections). When Elizabeth taught at the University of Saskatchewan, she liked to visit Victoria during reading week in February, staying at Helm’s Inn where everybody knew her and she could write in the lounge. These winter pilgrimages continued until her health declined shortly before her stroke in 2010. Elizabeth had many friends in Victoria from when she taught at the University of Victoria, one of her closest being P. K. Page (Pat). I remember seeing Pat’s painting, “Bright Centre” – a deep-sea scene with luminous fishes that draws the
eye to its centre – in Elizabeth’s front hall on 9th Street, and discovered that her poetry collection of that same title (2005) was named after that very painting. In Saskatoon, Elizabeth was close friends with Anne Szumigalski, and together they started a poetry circle which they took turns hosting until Anne’s death. Although I didn’t attend this circle, I once walked into a meeting, and was welcomed into the group. I had the pleasure of meeting Nancy Senior, David Carpenter, Jeanne de Moissac, and John Barton, then writerin-residence at the Saskatoon Public Library and long-distance editor for the Malahat Review. Even after her stroke in 2010, Elizabeth lived her life bravely and continued to compose poems. Although I never learned who gave Elizabeth a plush monkey as a gift to hearten her recovery, I know that she treasured that gift and wrote a poem about it, entitled “Monkey Face.” Eliza-
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beth dictated the poem to her friend Nancy Senior, who typed it out and, as I hear, typed out all of Elizabeth’s work after her stroke. I am lucky enough to own a copy of that poem. The wry last line addressed to the monkey, “And do you expect me back sometime soon,” haunts me still. Of course, Elizabeth was worried about recovering from her stroke, but I know that she also toyed with the idea (half-seriously) of reincarnation (a belief held by P. K. Page). Throughout her life, Elizabeth thought much about her faith. Her poetry is full of Biblical allusions, primarily from the Old Testament: as a child she was brought up a Protestant,
but (I hear) later converted, first to Roman Catholicism, and then in later years to Judaism. Elizabeth gave me Amos Oz’s lyrical memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness that she admired greatly and had been reading when she decided to convert to Judaism. Elizabeth has interacted with a wide circle of poets over the course of her life, and will be missed by many. Awarded the Order of Merit (2002) and A Lifetime Award for Excellence in the Arts (Saskatchewan Arts Board), Elizabeth has also been named an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild (among a list of other honours
including an Honorary D. Lit University of New Brunswick). Also, she contributed to the founding of the Writers’ Assistance Fund. Most recently, Jacob’s Dream was the recipient of a Saskatchewan Book Award (2003), and Footnotes for the Book of Job and Time & Seasons were nominated for Saskatchewan Book Awards. Her poetry collections and multitude of poems in anthologies will be treasured by many. Over the years, Elizabeth has sent me copies of her poetry collections, so a chronological row of her books from 1985’s Selected Poems of Elizabeth Brewster (two volumes) to Time & Seasons (2009) lines my shelves. I will remember her poems, starting with those from one of my favourite collections, The Passage of Summer (1969), and continuing to one of her most recent poems, not yet published, “Monkey Face.”
Remembering Elizabeth Brewster (19222012) By Glen Sorestad
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hen Elizabeth Brewster joined the Department of English at the University of Saskatchewan in the early 1970s, she was already a well established poet with a considerable publishing record. About the same time, perhaps even a year or two before Brewster moved to Saskatoon, she had also joined the League of Canadian Poets. I was a newly fledged teacher of high school English and I quickly understood that Elizabeth, along with Anne Szumigalski, were certainly the two best known poets in Saskatoon. I came to know Elizabeth and to read her books of poetry as
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that not only had she something extremely meaningful to say, but that she was able to say it in a way that was very convincing, very impressive – and anyone who has spent a good time writing in any genre knows just how difficult this is to achieve. It is likely that at the time of her death in December 2012 Elizabeth may well have been one of the League’s longest serving members, having been a member for at least 40 years that we can trace and a Life Member for 30 years. That latter fact alone – 30 years as a Life Member – illustrates clearly the tremendous respect Brewster had earned from her fellow poets across this country. From her early life in New Brunswick and her friendship with Alden Nowlan and Fred Cogswell and others in the poetry community there, to her sterling academic record and several post-graduate degrees, to her library career, succeeded by her final academic teaching career in Saskatoon, Brewster impressed with her accomplishments, In retirement she continued her writing, almost to her final days. Undoubtedly there will be posthumous publications of her work still to come. Donald Gammon and Elizabeth Brewster on UNB Campus, 1946. Credit: Carolyn Gammon
they appeared from Oberon with considerable regularity. Elizabeth was a regular winter resident at Helm’s Inn in Victoria and Sonia and I discovered why she stayed there the first time we showed up at the family-run hotel close to the Inner Harbour and right off Douglas Park. We have since stayed at Helm’s Inn on various occasions when Brewster was also there and we’d meet and chat over afternoon tea which was served daily in the lobby of this little treasure of Victoria. What I came to love about Brew-
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ster’s poetry was that she had a most distinctive voice, one that was often so quietly understated or so simply and casually proffered as to seem entirely unmemorable. Except that the more you read the more you became increasingly aware that there was a quiet but very persistent conviction that rang through her seemingly casual musings and descriptions. Not only was her voice so clearly identifiable as her own and one unlike any other, but the more you read of her poems the more convinced you became
When one considers that Elizabeth’s first collection of poems was published in 1951 and her last books in the middle of the first decade of the present century, it can be seen that her poetry publishing output spanned almost six full decades -- in itself a most remarkable record of prolific publishing, one that few can rival. Her long publishing relationship and friendship with publisher Michael Macklem resulted in Oberon Press alone publishing over 20 volumes of Brewster’s poems, as well as books of her fiction. Along with Ray Souster, Brewster was an ongoing feature of Oberon’s poetry publishing for
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three decades. Oberon published Brewster’s Collected Poems in 2003. It is also worth noting that Elizabeth Brewster was one of the co-founders of The Fiddlehead, one of Canada’s (and North America’s) longest serving and still active literary magazines or journals. From the time as a teen when she first won a poetry competition and was singled out for the award by P.K. Page, with whom she later became lifelong friends, Brewster garnered many awards and much recognition for her outstanding contributions in a long life of poetry. She was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2001, was given a Lifetime Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Saskatchewan Arts Board in 2005, was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2008 and presented with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. Though her outward mien may have been that of a very quiet, meek-mannered woman, perhaps augmented by her relatively small stature, I remember Elizabeth Brewster as a woman who also had a decidedly feisty side and one who was not the least hesitant in defending her turf in any literary discussion. Elizabeth was, in fact, during her many years in Saskatoon, one who gathered together little dinner parties at her place and I was fortunate enough to have been a part of several of them. What I remember especially well about them is that Elizabeth held her own in any discussion of poetry or literary matters and she could be quite adamant in holding her ground against all comers. I certainly came to see another side of this seemingly unassuming person. I discovered that Elizabeth was one who held firm convictions about what mattered most to her and this quality is something that stands out in her poetry as well. 24
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In some respects, though Brewster’s long life of poetry has been recognized across the country, it can also be argued that her poetry has never received as much critical recognition as it deserved. Though one of her books, Footnotes to the Book of Job, was nominated for a Governor General’s Award in 1995, none of her many poetry volumes ever earned a GG. I have a feeling that this may have been one of the disappointments for Elizabeth in her long and distinguished list of publishing achievements. It is quite possible that the low-key voice and the seemingly casual manner in which she expressed herself in so many fine poems, may well have worked against her to some degree, though it is hard to justify why her fine books appeared to have been dismissed with so little serious recognition. Brewster’s poetry is highly crafted because she was always a careful student of language and she has always chosen her words with the utmost care to say exactly what she means. That is, for me, one of the sheer strengths of her life work, just as it was of her life. The League of Canadian Poets has lost one of its most distinguished members and Canadian literature one of its most distinctive voices. Glen Sorestad, January 2013
Mary Woodbury Tribute By SWG Staff
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ccomplished poet, memoir writer, and children’s and young adult author, Mary Woodbury passed away in her home in Edmonton on January 19. (This very “dynamic and determined woman” was a fixture of the Alberta
Mary Woodbury. Credit: www.marywoodbury.ca
literary scene for decades. She also touched the lives of many children’s authors in Saskatchewan and across the country. Alison Lohans remembers “so many memories of this dearhearted, down-to-earth woman with the wonderful uproarious laugh, whose vision for “what could be” was followed by tangible actions to make things happen ... for example, Hodgepog Books.” Several Saskatchewan authors have titles published with this kids book publishing company, which she cofounded in Alberta. Additionally, Mary was instrumental in the formation of the publishing house The Books Collective, as well as a founding board member of the Writers Guild of Alberta and the local chapter of the Canadian Society for Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP). She also co-launched the literary magazine Other Voices more than 25 years ago. Published twice a year, it remains a vibrant contributor to Alberta literary culture. Through her numerous mentorships and workshops, for adults, seniors and youths, she has influenced several generations of writers. Young people know her for her FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
For many years Mary was “the hardest working writer in Alberta”, undertaking annual promotional mailings to every school in the province, and continually doing school visits and conferences. Polly McDoodle series. The Invisible Polly McDoodle and The Intrepid Polly McDoodle were both “Our Choice” selections of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. She has been short listed for many awards. She published eight titles with Coteau Books, including a number of awardwinning books, plus the bestselling Polly McDoodle Mystery Series and two YA novels. For many years Mary was “the hardest working writer in Alberta”, undertaking annual promotional mailings to every school in the province, and continually doing school visits and conferences. In 2012 Mary received the honour of being named “Mistress of the Modern”, one of seven honoured in a gala celebration at the Alberta Art Gallery. This award is for outstanding women whose contribution has not been adequately recognized. (http://www.marywoodbury.ca/ mistress.html) Mary’s impact on the Alberta literary community has been immense and her talent and hard work will resonate for generations. For Saskatchewan writers, her warmth and insight will be cherished, as will memories of her friendship. Mary will be greatly missed by her husband Clair, and their large family, as well as by the Alberta and the Canadian writing communities. She leaves behind a legacy of writers who admire and were mentored by her.
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For more information, please see: http://www.legacy.com/ obituaries/edmontonjournal/ obituary.aspx?n=mary-woodbur y&pid=162591780&fhid=14818
L E G A C Y
P R O J E C T
Saving for the Guild’s future (Donor status is cumulative)
“Are you a Builder or a Bystander?” Contributors— up to 99 Friends— $100 to $999 Supporters— $1,000 to $4,999 Benefactors— $5,000 to $10,000 Patron— over $10,000 Please make cheques or money orders payable to: 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.
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Calls of Interest: 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.
Call for Submissions- Short Grain Writing Contest Enter your poetry or fiction into Grain magazine’s 25th annual Short Grain Writing Contest. Two top prizes of $1,000 and $4,500 in total prizes to be awarded. The judges for the 2013 Short Grain contest will be Stan Rogal,Fiction and Meira Cook, Poetry. Winning entries and judges’ comments will be published in Grain Volume 41 No. 2. The deadline is April 1, 2013. For more details visit: http:// www.grainmagazine.ca/. skwriter.com/home/436. Call for submissions: Windscript--SWG Magazine of High School Writing Teachers and librarians are encouraged to have high school students submit their creations for the upcoming issue. For complete submission guidelines please visit: http://www.skwriter.com/publications/windscript. For more information, please contact Milena Dzordeski, Program Assistant, by email at swgevents@skwriter.com or by phone at (306) 791-7746. Deadline for submissions is March 1, 2013 at 4:30pm. Vertigo Call of Interest: 2013 Winter Season If you are a published or unpublished writer and are interested in reading at the Vertigo Series 26
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between January and June 2013, please send an email to vertigoseries@gmail.com. If you are a musician and are interested in playing at a Vertigo event, get in touch! We are especially looking for writers who haven’t read in the past year. 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.
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 is 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 info@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, FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
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 blogwe would love to hear from you. For submission requirements and further information visit plenitudemagazine.ca.
Professional Development Aboriginal Storytelling Month Celebration When: February 26, 2013 Where: Albert Scott Community Centre, 1264 Athol Street MC/Storyteller: Cadmus Delorme Storytellers: Dennis Omeasoo, Carol Daniels with Richard Van Camp Sponsored by LSSAP—Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples Spring Volume 8 Launch: March 19, 2013 Spring editors have selected the very best in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction from emerging Saskatchewan writers for the latest volume of this popular SWG publication. Join us for the concurrent launches in Regina and Saskatoon at 7:30 p.m. on March 19! Regina Launch: Wascana Centre (2900 Wascana Drive) Host: gillian harding-russell, managing and poetry editor Saskatoon Launch: The Woods Alehouse (148 2nd Avenue North) Host: Sandy Bonny, fiction and non-fiction editor The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild summer retreat The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild will be holding a summer retreat at St Peter’s Abbey June
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28-July 26, 2013. Unfortunately we have had to adjust fees accordingly to address an increase in costs at St. Peter’s Abbey. The fees for this year are: • $340 for SWG and 0 CARFAC SK members 0 (Saskatchewan residents) • $540 (Out of Province 0 residents, members 0 of SWG or CARFAC) • $ 620 (Out of Province 0 residents, non members 0 of SWG or CARFAC) • Deadline for receipt of 0 applications is 4:30 0 Friday, April 5, 2013 • There is a non-refundable 0 $35 fee for applications 0 received after the deadline Please send completed applications to: Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, Attention Retreat Coordinator, Box 3986, Regina, SK, S4P 3R9. To apply online please visit: http://www.skwriter.com/ sk-writers-artists-retreats/ retreat-application-form For more information, please contact the retreat coordinator at skretreats@skwriter.com Four New Voices Apprenticeship Reading When: Thursday, May 2 @ 7:00 p.m. Where: Wascana Centre (2900 Wascana Drive) This event is open to the public, Admission is free and everyone
is welcome. There will be free refreshments and a cash bar. The readers are celebrating the completion of their participation in the SWG’s mentorship program—come out and join them. SWG gratefully acknowledges the support of: the Saskatchewan Arts Board, Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund, SaskCulture and Canada Council for the Arts Talking Fresh 11: Writing Canada, Eh? When: March 8-9, 2013 Where: The Artesian (262713th Avenue, Regina) Who: Kimmy Beach, Chrystene Ells, Joel Thomas Hynes, and Noah Richler There is no cost for this event. Talking Fresh is a two-day writers’ festival that targets Regina and a wider Saskatchewan community including aspiring writers and anyone interested in writers and books. Now in its eleventh year, Talking Fresh tackles the impact of “place.” This year writers and artists explore writing about place and the influence it has on the local and provincial community through the theme of “Writing Canada: Eh?” For more information about this event visit: http://www.skwriter. com/home/437.
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S AS KATCH E WA N W RI TE RS’ G U I LD DO N ATI O N S C harit y Registration #11914 0556 RT0001
Help us continue to serve Saskatchewan’s Writing community. for pressing or imminent needs in administrative, equipment and programming
Assistant Fund (WAF) to assist members in an urgent and immediate need
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Grain Magazine to assist in publishing SWG’s nationally and internationally recognized literary quarterly
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Donate today and help to create a legacy for the Guild. SWG Foundation General for immediate priority programs and administrative costs
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Judy McCrosky Bursary Fund—covers the registration fee for a selected participant to attend one week at the SWG Writers/Artists winter retreat
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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
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BACKBONE SWG Thanks Our Donors PATRON (over $500) Anthony Bidulka Sharon Butala Robert Calder BENEFACTORS ($200-$499) Lyn Goldman Jean Henders Rod MacIntyre Lynda Monahan Karen Klassen Terry Toews
Ken Mitchell Jacqueline Moore Kathleen Morrell Kay Parley Evelyn Rogers Sunday Afternoon Co-op Janice Wood
SUPPORTERS ($100-$199) Ileen Boechler Margaret Durant Louise Halfe Cathy Fenwick George Khng March Consulting Associates (In memory of Ngo Khiam Eng) Ruth Roach Pierson David Richards Anne Slade St. Thomas More Students Union Rea Tarvydas Caitlin Ward Larry Warwaruk
CONTRIBUTORS (up to $50) Shirley Andrist Chris Ewing-Weisz Jean Fahlman Ted Haas Sharon Hamilton Sharon Heagy Jean Henders Charles Hersberger Delila Jahn-Thue Sheena Koops Robert Leech Margaret Lonsdale Dianne Miller Laurie Muirhead Joan Olson Muriel Popp Barbara Sapergia Harvey Schmidt Alison Uitti Dianne Young
FRIENDS ($50-$99) Mary Harelkin Bishop Rita Bouvier Gail Bowen Myrtle Conacher Joanne Epp Carol Grossner Jerry Haigh
ANDREW SUKNASKI WRITERS ASSISTANCE FUND Ian Adam Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Sandra Birdsell
William Blum Anne Campbell Brian Coulter Robert Currie Don Domanski Laurie Graham Tony Harras John Harris Connie Kaldor Joe Karasinki Myrna Kostash Pat Krause Judith Krause Sid Marty George Melnyk Bronwen McRae Moose Jaw Public Library Susan Newlove John Nilson Charles Noble Candace Savage Shanon & Don Shakotko Annabel Sheppard Glen Sorestad RETREATS Jessica Eissfeldt William Galbraith GRAIN Cheryl Kloppenburg KLOPPENBURG AWARD Saskatoon Community Foundation
Thanks To Our SWG Foundation Donors SWG FOUNDATION Sharon Adam Nola Buhr Jean Freeman George Jeerakath
FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013
FACILITATED RETREAT Susan Hogarth JUDY MCCROSKY BURSARY Judy McCrosky
SWGF LEGACY PROJECT Sharon Adam Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet Gloria Boerma Rodney Dickinson George Jeerakathil George Khng Judith Silverthorne Glen Sorestad
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Freelance February / March 2013 Volume 42 Number 2
Publication Mail Agreement #40063014 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Administration Centre Printing Services 111–2001 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
FEBRUARY–MARCH 2013