October / November 2013 Freelance by Admin Assist

Freelance October/November 2013 Volume 43 Number 6

In this issue: Naming Fictionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Children The Perfect Word Space-Time Continuum

Contents Executive Director’s Report............................................................................1 Dianne Warren: 2013 Kloppenburg Award Winner Knows Her Place...2 Diet for a Successful Writer...........................................................................3 SWG Welcomes New Staff..............................................................................4 Bringing Back the Buffalo Aboriginal Youth Writers’ Retreat...................5 Libraries in Saskatchewan: A Vibrant Information Industry....................6 Wasn’t It A Party, TWUC Opens the Door to Self-Published Authors...9 PWAC…just who is the Professional Writers Association of Canada......11 Naming Fiction’s Children............................................................................12 Space-Time Continuum................................................................................14 The Perfect Word............................................................................................15 Wascana Writers Group Celebrates 40th Year...........................................18 Member News.................................................................................................19 Books by Members.........................................................................................20 Calls of Interest ..............................................................................................23 Professional Development ............................................................................24 SWG Event Highlights...................................................................................26

Contributors to this Issue Shirley Byers Vanda Schmockel Glen Sorestad Edward Willett Rod MacIntyre Robert G. Thomas Michelle Greyson Jeanne Alexander

Vol. 43 Number 6/October-November 2013 ISSN 0705-1379

© Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, 2013 Freelance is published six times per year for members of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. 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. 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. Cover art payment is $75. Deadline for the next issue of Freelance: November 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 Design & Layout: Jessica Riess

On the Cover: Magnolia in the Rain

Image used with permission. © Zara Ellis 2013

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

Fifteen year old Zara Ellis has handled a camera like a pro since the age of eleven. She waits patiently for just the right moment to capture an image.

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

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Executive Director’s Report

ith autumn upon us, robust and warm, we are gradually settling into a routine with new staff in both of our offices. We’ve sadly said goodbye to Kelsey, Sierra, and Scott who are all off on new adventures. In Regina, you’ll meet Lauren Numrich (noom-rick), the Guild’s new Accounting Clerk that will be assisting Lois in managing the Guild’s finances. New also is Stefanie Ferguson, our Administrative Assistant who keeps the office running smoothly. In Saskatoon, we welcome Danica (Dan–eek-a) Lorer, who is in charge of programming. Additional information about each of them can be found in this issue. Please pop in and say ‘hi’ to them when you’re in the area.

News & Items of Interest Other new items introduced in the Guild office, include a gift certificate opportunity. If you’re thinking of the perfect gift for that special someone, consider giving a gift certificate for any amount that can be used towards a membership, workshops conference registrations, etc. or simply purchase a gift certificate for a membership. The Guild’s new brochures are now available as well, and you may wish to consider taking some to your readings, events, or workshops. Drop by the Guild office for these and other promotional and programming material. As you will see in this issue, we are requesting current information for all writers’ groups in the province, and an indication of whether or not you are open to new members. We’d like to have a listing in the office and even potentially on the website for writers looking for a group.

Membership Database Thank you for your patience while we install a new membership database system. For almost a year and a half we have struggled with the progressive deterioration of our old customized Access Database. We were unable to find anyone who could fix the specialized beast, including the designer, and unable to modify anything because of outdated software working on newer computers. As a result, we have had many problems with saving updated member information, adding new members and generating membership renewal notices and email lists for Ebriefs, etc., which has been very frustrating to us and to our members. After an extensive search for a solution that was not astronomically expensive, we finally hit upon SQL (Structured Query Language) and Rio Saxon Design Inc to customize the system for us. We are in the process of re-

entering the almost 700 member profiles (thanks to Jordan Morris) and of creating the filtering structures needed to perform the many tasks associated with the membership database. As you can imagine, this will take some time for it to be operational. In the long-term it will be a much easier database to manage and maintain. We hope to have it fully functional by the end of October, though glitches may occur until we have all the potential bugs worked out. We appreciate your tolerance of the situation and welcome your input on issues that might arise with your personal information and or communication after the new database installation.

Member Registration Forms We will be producing new membership forms that we ask everyone to fill-out and return to us. New features on these will be the professional services listings, but more importantly whether or not you want the Guild office to give out your contact information to those requesting it. Another feature will be questions pertaining to our new Equity and Dversity initiatives, so that we can research and assess programming needs and gather statistics for possible funding opportunities. The majority of the work of restructuring the board and board governance policies has reached near completion this fall, thanks to SaskCulture’s Capacity Building Grants for which the Guild is very grateful. The process was extensive over the past several years and this is the second such project grant SWG has received from SaskCulture to accomplish this important work. The Guild also thanks the many people involved in our consultation process and in helping us develop the policies, monitoring schedule and bridging process to ensure there is a working partnership of board and operations, and a clearer link between board and members. Training and tweaking will be ongoing as the process is unfurled and put into use, but already dramatic changes have resulted in clearer lines of communication, definition of roles and more efficient use of volunteer and staff time. The SWG Board will make further inroads in this new method, which combines policy and complementary governance models, by holding a facilitated strategic planning session in the spring. New initiatives and actions will be evident over the course of the next several months and years. Judith Silverthorne

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Dianne Warren: 2013 Kloppenburg Award Winner Knows Her Place By Vanda Schmöckel

Dianne Warren’s internal compass is in fine working order. The Regina-based author’s work tends to map Saskatchewan’s geography into her stories, imbuing her characters with complimentary interior landscapes in the process.

arren grew up in Swift Current and her crisp, observant prose often concentrates on complicated lives being lived in rural – and often remote - places. “I kind of feel that almost everything I write starts with a place,” she says. “And I’m really interested in the connection between people and place.” In Cool Water, for which she won the 2010 Governor General’s Award, Warren interlaces the lives of several characters living in the fictional small town of Juliet, Saskatchewan. These are people in the throes of introspection, quietly bound by their surroundings, but reaching for a connection outside of themselves.

“There’s the real idea of wilderness and then there’s the idea of a character’s remoteness from other people,” she says. “I think there’s a lot in the relationships between my characters that is unsaid or unconnected and there’s a kind of search for connection.” One of the perils of writing from outside a major urban centre is the tag of the ‘regional’ writer – an arbitrary label seemingly applied to anyone living in a place with fewer than one million people. Warren makes it clear that she thinks the term has no place in current discussions about literature. In a blog post she wrote earlier this year, she took a reviewer of a book by a Pennsylvanian author to task

for making a weird caveat (before an otherwise positive review) about the remarkably un-provincial nature of the writing, despite it coming from rural Pennsylvania. The Canadian equivalent is, of course, regionalism. You can find it applied to everything from art work to news stories coming out of anywhere other than Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver. “I think, to me, everything is regional,” she says. “But we don’t call ourselves regional. Like, I would never say: ‘I’m a writer from one of the ‘regions’’. I think regional is something you call somebody else - when you’re naming someone else from the perspective of being in the ‘centre’. It’s a colonial term, really.” Three years after winning the Governor General’s award for English language fiction, Warren finds herself a very happy recipient of the 2013 Kloppenburg Award, given to Saskatchewan authors who have written a substantial amount of acclaimed literary work. She says it’s a particular honour to be recognized by her home province, and her fellow writers here. “It has a different kind of meaning from winning a national award,” she says. “It’s a validation that the place where you live knows what you do, and appreciates what you do as an artist. I think it’s really important that we have these things, where you go to the reception and you see other writers that you know, and people that know your landscape and the place that you come from. It’s certainly not anything that an artist takes for granted, that you’re automatically going to be appreciated by your home town audience.” The Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence was established in May 2010 by Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg. It honours a Saskatchewan writer who has written a substantial body of acclaimed work with a prize of $10,000 and a painting by Saskatchewan artist Dorothy Knowles.

Dianne Warren (left), the 2013 recipient of the Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence, with Henry and Cheryl Kloppenburg. Photo Credit: SWG Staff.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Diet for a Successful Writer By Shirley Byers

n an age that’s all about social media, self-promotion and being available 24/7, award winning and self-supporting writer, Beth Goobie not only doesn’t do Facebook, Twitter, website or email, she doesn’t even have an internet hookup in her home. Nor does she have any kind of music or movie player or a telephone. “I don’t think it was a conscious choice,” she says. “My life as it is right now sort of evolved.” Goobie began to move into her cone of silence in the mid nineteen eighties. She was at the University of Alberta taking creative writing courses when a classmate told her he unplugged his phone when he wrote. “I thought that was an interesting idea so I started to do that and I found that immediately there was a sense of freedom, that I had this uninterrupted solitude that I could work with and it really allowed my mind to roam further.” In 1990 she developed chronic fatigue syndrome and it lingered for a number of years. She was living alone and starting to recover memories of abuse she’d suffered as a child. “I found while I was doing that I needed long periods of uninterrupted solitude. So again I started unplugging the phone for hours and hours at a time and eventually after several years, I was only plugging in my phone if I wanted to call someone. I just felt so much freer with uninterrupted space. It allowed me to do the writing that I wanted uninterrupted and it just allowed my mind to travel wherever it wanted to go – it felt so much freer.” When she moved to Saskatoon in 1996 she gave up the phone completely. The Internet has never appealed to her. If she needs

information she heads for the library. Social media holds no allure. “I don’t know what people do with Facebook,” she says, “but why can’t you just call (people) and talk to them directly if you want to? It seems to me the voice is an important part of a relationship so why would you want to do it through electronics? That’s never seemed to me to be very appealing.” She reads tons of books but she doesn’t read newspapers or watch movies. “There’s a lot of hot air out there. And if you want to live a productive life that is meaningful, the skill that you really need to develop, I think, is one of focus and discipline. You need to weed out the distractions. And there are endless distractions out there for your mind just like there are for your appetite when you’re eating. I’ve found that your mind is much like your body. If you stuff it full of a lot of crap it becomes obese and it feels bloated and it feels constipated and nothing much moves around in there. Now you need to put it on a diet so that you’re not stuffing it full of entertainment and information all the time. It needs to clear itself out. And if you want to be a writer you’ve got to have mental space for your thoughts to move around in. You’ve got to weed out the distractions and you’ve got to be disciplined about what you allow into your mind because it’s your closest companion and you’ve got to treat it with respect just like you don’t eat a lot of sweets and pie and cake for your body – you’ve got to do the same thing for your mind. Especially if you’re a writer.” But wait a minute, isn’t heavy involvement with Facebook and Twitter and any other social media absolutely prerequisite to any kind of a writing career? Isn’t selfpromotion essential?

Outrageous Sweater Party: Winter Welcome Come out to the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild at our annual Open House. Wear your outrageous sweater to celebrate the arrival of winter, and bring your old wearable sweaters, toques, scarves, and mitts to donate to charity. Thursday, December 5, 5:00-7:00 p.m. | Suite 100, 1150-8th Avenue, Regina. Seasonal cocktails and a plethora of tasty treats await your arrival.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Goobie admits it might seem naïve and not everyone would agree, but she’s convinced that if what a writer is writing is good enough, it’s going to get published and people are going to read it.

out after it. I didn’t know if I was going to make it. And the place it has taken me now with hind sight is 22 books in 22 years. And I feel a lot stronger in myself and I know myself much better. I just feel really strong in myself.”

She writes for young adults and some knowledge of current pop culture is necessary but you don’t have to know the specifics, she says. While it’s important to mention the trappings of modern life, it’s not necessary to go into a lot of detail unless it’s crucial to the plot.

“So, you know, it was a really healthy choice for me and it’s not one I see myself changing any time soon and fortunately I’m working with publishers who are happy to work with me the way that I work so it hasn’t been an issue.”

She realizes that her lifestyle might cause her to acquire a reputation of being antisocial or emotionally fragile but she maintains that she came to this point in pursuit of a goal. “For me the reason I’ve chosen to live this way is I wanted to eliminate distraction. I wanted to be productive. I had a purpose in mind and I was disciplined and I set

For a decade, Shirley Byers was a contributing editor for WITH, a U.S. based teen magazine. She also practised naming fiction’s children in her book, Cat and Mom Story and publications such as Brio, Clubhouse, Listen and Discovery Trails.

SWG Welcomes New Staff

Saskatoon Program Coordinator

Administrative Assistant

Accounting Assistant

Danica Lorer has been a professional storyteller for more than fifteen years. She is also a freelance writer and photographer. She is a passionate advocate for art and artists with a special place in her heart for prairie writers and storytellers. She lives in Langham and follows the highway as a ribbon tying her to the amazing sky, clear water, words on the wind and beautiful people. She reaches out with her telling to audiences of all ages at festivals, libraries, schools, extended care homes and more. She recently spent four years as a board member for the SWG and is excited to be taking on her new role with the organization.

Stefanie Ferguson is the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild new administrative assistant. She has over eight years experience in the administrative field. Stefanie is a strong supporter of the arts, human rights, and animal welfare. She believes that the arts are the truest expression of the human spirit.

Lauren Numrich has joined our staff as part-time Accounting Assistant for SWG. She has been working seasonally as an income tax professional and instructor, while raising two young boys and doing volunteer work at Douglas Park and Arcola schools. Lauren is delighted to have found a job in her chosen field (accounting), which allows her to spend time with her boys and continue her volunteer work at Douglas Park School.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Bringing Back the Buffalo Aboriginal Youth Writers’ Retreat

Student participants at Bringing Back the Buffalo receive journals from the Office of the Treaty Commissioner. Photo Credit: SWG Staff.

ringing Back the Buffalo, Aboriginal Youth Writers’ Retreat was held on August 6-9, 2013, at the First Nations University of Canada. The retreat welcomed Aboriginal youth, from Regina, to participate in facilitated writing sessions. The Aboriginal Youth Writers’ Retreat was made possible thanks to SaskCulture, Saskatchewan Lotteries, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Office of the Treaty Commissioner, and the First Nations University of Canada. Carol Daniels provided leadership for the youth, sharing her own experiences and accomplishments as a writer. She facilitated writing exercises and inspirational activities for the youth to express and explore their writing abilities. Nickita Longman assisted and led writing sessions on poetry and encouraged participants to look at different types of writing. Elder Lilly Daniels took part in the retreat, offering cultural leadership, knowledge, and support to the youth throughout the retreat. Lamarr Oksasikewiyin, from the Speaker’s Bureau on behalf of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, made a special presentation to the participants, gifting them journals

Bringing Back the Buffalo participants with facilitator Carol Daniels and Elder Lily Daniels at the First Nations University, Regina. Photo Credit: SWG Staff.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

and speaking on the importance of Aboriginal voices being heard through writing. Throughout the four-day retreat, the youth had the opportunity of exposure to a variety of writing techniques and styles in a safe, accepting environment. The young writers were able to attempt, practice, develop, edit, and complete writing works with the help of the facilitators. The writers were given time, assistance, and supplies to write. They had the opportunity to learn about themselves as a writer and meet some of the goals they had set for improving their writing skills.

The young people that attended the retreat came with different skills and abilities. Some became motivated to continue writing and were given more ideas about what they could do to write. For some, just being given the time to sit down in a supportive atmosphere and put pen to paper with other young writers from their community was a great opportunity.

Libraries in Saskatchewan: A Vibrant Information Industry By Robert G. Thomas

s President of the Saskatchewan Library Association I have had many opportunities to meet people throughout Saskatchewan, who work in, or partner with, libraries from one end of the province to the other. Many of these individuals see firsthand what a difference libraries can make in the lives of Saskatchewan’s residents. I also have had many opportunities to talk to the public about libraries: my neighbours, friends, and acquaintances. Many of these individuals have a fairly accurate albeit limited understanding of the impact libraries have. I want to explain through a number of stories some of our profession’s diversity and the services that our member libraries offer.

Public Libraries: If there is any type of library that is archetypical in people’s minds it is the public library. Over the last few decades electronic resources have allowed libraries to increase their services through initiatives such as the Saskatchewan Information and Library Services (SILS) support for a single Saskatchewan wide catalogue. Library cards work seamlessly throughout the province providing patrons with the ability to easily order copies of books from libraries throughout the province. Other services include the Overdrive audiobook delivery system and Pressdisplay which provides up-to-date access to 2200 newspapers in 97 countries in 54 languages. Beyond technology, Public Libraries continue to provide

places for young parents to bring their children, retirees to learn about health and wellness, teens to work on their school assignments, and recent immigrants to become acculturated to their new home. Public Libraries have community written into every part of their buildings and programs.

Healthcare: In Healthcare there is an ever-increasing focus on evidencebased practice. What is done in healthcare facilities must be based on the latest research on drug treatments, therapies, surgical options, and hygiene. The research that informs these decisions is ever changing. Librarians who work in our health regions assist with providing instruction on how to use information resources and do database searches. Some may also assist more directly with finding research for doctors.

Higher Education: There was a time in higher education when finding information for an assignment was an arduous task full of paper indices, card catalogues, interlibrary loans, and Xeroxing. The last two decades have seen an incredible increase in information availability and ease of access. While previous generations suffered from a scarcity of useful research sources today’s students suffer from much the opposite. There is so much information out there and so much of what is available is either not relevant or of questionable quality that students find it difficult to

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

get what they need. Librarians assist with this in several ways. We help students refine their research questions and focus their search terms. We help them choose the best databases and suggest other methods that they may not have considered (for instance government sources or newspapers). Finally we try to encourage them to think critically about what is being presented to them. What makes this writer an authoritative source on this topic? Is a paper from 2005 too old? Did you realize that this writer has a bias?

Legislative Libraries: The Legislative Library in Saskatchewan is similar to those in other provinces and territories and in Ottawa. The focus is providing MLAs with timely non-partisan and confidential research on the issues of the day. They allow members to make more informed decisions on the implications of policymaking and legislation. Although these reports are published for individual members, they are often collated into reports that are published and made available for the public. Much of this research is very valuable for policy makers, activists, journalists, researchers, and citizens.

Special Libraries: This is a miscellaneous term for a variety of mostly corporate libraries. These are found primarily in information and research-intensive industries. Librarians in these sectors may find in-depth and timely information on the latest engineering research and practices. In the realm of finance they may focus on multi-faceted and highly granular corporate information (the leadership of the firm, risks and opportunities on a corporate or industry level). This information is essential for making informed and evidence based multi-million dollar investment decisions. Particularly in the finance sector this kind of research can be highly time sensitive and the work environment can be quite stressful and results focused. I hope that this very short introduction to the multiplicity of library types will encourage you to consider more about the professional input that goes into making decisions in a highly information dependent society. Robert G Thomas, MA MLIS, a graduate of the University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) is Social Sciences Liaison librarian at the University of Regina’s Dr. John Archer Library. He lives in Regina in a house inundated with books.

Professional Services Registry for SWG Members: Editors, Journalists, Ghostwriters, and Other Services Sought Many of you may recall the Guild’s request a few months back for members to join an Editor’s Registry list to be used as a resource for office inquiries. This sparked great interest and we have taken this internal list and developed the concept much further. Now, not only can you add the information about your services yourself straight into your member profile, but potential clients can contact and hire you directly. AND, besides offering to work as an Editor, you can add any of your areas of expertise related to the writing field as offered on the website. Potential clients will be able to search for services and locate you through the “Find Saskatchewan Writers” link on the Guild website. To add your professional services to your member profile, please go to the member area of the SWG website and sign in. Click on Member Profiles, and then on Update Saskwrites. At the top of the page you will see: Currently editing: with a dropdown menu box. Click on Services, make your choices and add your information. You will be done in minutes. Please note that we do not endorse any particular member over another. We do ask that if you sign up to offer a service that you have sufficient experience and credentials to do so. This is another opportunity for the reputation of the Guild and its members to shine. For more information, please contact the Guild office: info@skwrites.com or 1-306- 757-6310.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Wasn’t It A Party— TWUC Opens the Door to Self-Published Authors By Rod MacIntyre Celebrating its 40th birthday, the Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) passed a motion to allow self-published authors into the union.

eturning to Ottawa, where the first TWUC AGM was held, just shy of two hundred members attending, including eight founding members who at times tearfully expressed their still strong passionate beliefs in union matters. The Conference and AGM was filled with useful workshops and one-on-ones with agents, not to mention the keynote addresses and social events. But the clear highlight was at the plenary session of the Conference where a motion to accept self-published authors into the Union was introduced. Throughout its forty-year history, TWUC has previously held firm in its belief that self-published authors were less than professional and were often served by so-called “vanity presses” to pursue their dilettante whims and therefore had no place among the more serious writers who banded together to collectively address significant writerly issues of the day. The only way into the Union was to have a book published by a properly accredited publishing house. Self-published authors were verboten. However, ‘times they are a-changin’.

One of the changes is how TWUC implements new strategies through a “taskforce structure”, replacing the standard committee structure similar to our (SWG’s) own. Briefly, online-member discussion groups (monitored) form “Task Forces” (roughly equivalent to our Ad Hoc Committees) to which “Board Liaisons” are attached and who report to the board. This “bottom up” structure is what guided the “Resolution To Amend The Writer’s Union Constitution To Extend Membership To Self-Published Writers Who Meet Certain Criteria For Professionalism.” The motion was moved by Eric Enno Tamm, Chair of the Task Force on Membership Criteria. In its preamble supporting the inclusion of self-published authors, he outlined the extensive and broad-ranging changes within the publishing industry—including bankruptcies and merges—the technological advances in communication including innovations of online bookselling, digital books, and online print-on-demand services among others. He noted the traditional trade-publishing model is undergoing radical change in its treatment of authors with respect to growing numbers of authors being required to pay for publicity, book websites, book tours, book design, and

Are you listed on Find Saskatchewan Writers and Services? Have you updated your information lately? Find Saskatchewan Writers and Services is a valuable online promotional tool for Guild members and the work you do. Consider adding yourself. If you are already listed, please make sure your information is current so people may learn more about you. SWG provides this service to profile you as a writer, for hosts to contact you to do readings and presentations, and to provide information about other professional writing services you might provide for hire. This simple search engine holds a wealth of information to promote you to the public and the writing community. For more information on how to become part of this network of writers, please contact the Guild office at 306-791-7740 or info@skwriter.com

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even editing and production, and finally, that “the Writers’ Union of Canada will likely face dwindling and ageing membership if new and young self-published professional authors are not admitted in the membership.” The actual amendment to the constitution clearly stipulates the process whereby a self-published author may become a member of the Writers’ Union. First, anyone can qualify if they have “had a book published by a commercial or university press or the equivalent in another medium; or (and I will quote it in bold as it was amended through a series of friendly amendments by the membership at the TWUC AGM) that the writer has self-published a book and satisfies all three of the following conditions: 1. That the book is registered with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

The discussion focused on these three conditions that were initially somewhat longer but were reduced to these essential notions. The first is a no-brainer; a book must have an ISBN to be a book. The second is designed to discourage the wealthy dilettante, and the third is to insure a peer review. All prospective members are accepted or rejected for membership by a majority vote of the Membership Committee. This is often a mere “rubber stamping” procedure. But for the Committee to actually review the book is a significant step. And so, after a vote of the membership, the motion was not only passed, but it passed unanimously—a rare thing in votes by the TWUC membership, especially on an issue that had such long-standing opposition in days gone by.

2. That commercial intention is demonstrated 3. The Membership Committee select two TWUC members, who shall remain anonymous to the applicant, to review the self-published book and attest to the applicant’s professionalism.

SWG Author Readings Program Author Readings Increased The number of readings for authors participating in the SWG Author Readings Program for Schools, Libraries and Communities has been increased to seven for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. For more information please check the Guild website: http://www.skwriter.com/programs-and-services/author-readings-program or with Milena at swgevents@ skwriter.com

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PWAC … just who is the Professional Writers Association of Canada … By Michelle Greysen

he Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) is a non-profit organization that supports and advocates for Canadian freelance writers. Founded in 1976 originally as the Periodical Writers Association of Canada, changing the periodical to professional a decade ago, PWAC continues to play a leading role in the Canadian writing industry. A point system qualification for membership ensures a strong working professional membership of currently more than 700 of Canada’s top non-fiction writers who represent the highest standard of professional writing in the country. The benefits are many according to Sandy Crawley, PWAC Executive Director: "Before I took on the senior staff position I was a member of PWAC and sat on its board as treasurer. This organization is unique in the sense that it straddles the Arts and Cultural Industries sector. Our members write in every genre imaginable including some that may not even have a name yet.” PWAC professionals offer industry services covering many areas from traditional journalism, reporting, article writing to offering marketing materials, white papers, company profiles, newsletters and brochures, technical writing, social media and content strategist, grant writing, technical writing, publishing, editing, and more. The industry is ever changing and the organization is a leader of that change. So much so that PWAC was the first national association to officially recognize a selfpublishing qualification category now considered in their membership application. The PWAC mandate is to develop and maintain professional standards in editor-writer and client-writer relationships, encourage higher industry standards for fees of all types of freelance writing, assist members in finding new business opportunities and provide professional development workshops and materials for members across the country. A large personal benefit of membership is the colleague support benefits with many industry connections offsetting the isolation many freelance writers endure by providing networking opportunities, local chapter meetings, and an opportunity to attend the annual industry conference. PWAC also plays a strong role in the alignment of many industry partnerships taking a strong stance in a coalition striving for industry standards, fair contracts with fair

rates as well as co-lobbying for freedom of the Press and rights of professional writers in Canada. Crawley sees the association from many sides, “As a lifelong freelancer working in live performance and recorded media I have found the same generosity that exists among apparent competitors to be a remarkable force that engages the community of writers and drives the creative impulse in a field that can otherwise lead to a sense of isolation." As a long-standing member of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC), and the current standing National President, it has made good business sense for me to align my freelance writing with PWAC for the last decade. PWAC membership has offered me a cross country network of colleagues and contacts vital to establishing a freelance business career. The $240 yearly rate is not considered lightly in any writer’s budgets but for me the referral to well paying markets and connections as a direct result of my membership each year more than pays for

Freelance Advertising Rates We accept classified and display ads at the following rates:

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

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

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supporting PWAC while it in turn supports my writing business. Many SWG members, like me, also hold memberships in other organizations, including PWAC. SWG member Marie Powell, PWAC-Sask chapter founder, is also serving on PWAC’s National Board as Regional Director for the Prairies and the North region. "PWAC is a way to connect with professional writers across Canada," she says. "I've learned a lot about the business of writing from other PWAC members, who share ideas and insights very generously." For more information on the Professional Writers Association of Canada visit www.PWAC.ca and also view the many writers’ profiles and industry information on the PWAC industry site in development at www.Writers. ca While browsing the benefits of PWAC be sure to also consider the health and insurance benefits available to membership as a result of the organization’s participating partnership in the Writers Coalition http://www. writerscoalition.ca/.

Michelle Greysen is a professional freelance writer, the PWAC National President, and a SWG member who’s many freelance feature and cover articles can be read in a variety of publications across the country. Michelle has a published poetry book, is shopping her first fiction novel, Shunned, developed at Sage Hill a few summers back and worked on further in residence at Wallace Stegner House. She is currently completing a short story anthology Come From, with the lead story from the series, Motherless Daughters, publishing currently in The Prairie Journal. www.MichelleGreysen.com

Get the Word Out! Advertise in Freelance, and receive a 25% discount with your SWG membership! To learn more, visit our website. www.skwriter.com

Naming Fiction’s Children By Shirley Byers

Renowned author, Phyllis Whitney (1903- 2008), kept a notebook just for names. People's names she might someday use in her fiction. Why? I once wondered. Then I became a writer of kiddy lit. And now I know. Naming is hard work. Naming needs preparation.

nd it's only fair. After all, names work hard for us. Perhaps no word or pair of words can give an impression that is as immediate and lasting. Consider these variations: Patricia Gallant Patsy Craven. Leonard Lake - Lenny Leech. Constance LaPlante - Connie Weed. Francis Link - Frank Fink The name must fit with the time of the story. If your story is set in the present calling your characters Valerie, Marilyn, Ned and Teddy, yanks it back into the fifties. If your fiction is historical, do your homework; find out what names were used at that time, in that place. Currently favoured Olivia, Sophia, or Emma would fit nicely into the early nineteen hundreds. Names now trending, Aurora and Luna — maybe not so much. If you're aiming for a classic, stay far away from the very sticky-out and trendy names. As speedily as Valerie, Marilyn, Ned and Teddy, they will date your story.

On the other hand, names such as Jason, Jack, and Sean for boys and Patricia, Susan, and Heather for girls seem to hold their popularity. Many biblical names also fall into this category. Adam, John, Joseph, Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah. It's probably never a good idea to try to be clever with names or combinations of names such as Robin Tweet, or Hy Gene. I've learned to be careful not to give my characters names similar in spelling, sound, or initial letter. Three friends named Casey, Lacey and Macey may be just so cute but they will also be very difficult to individuate — both for the reader and the writer. Certain names are verboten simply by association. Of course you would never call a boy Adolf or Judas, Nero or Cain. Nor would you tag a child with same name as a

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

notorious criminal. Less obvious to most North American writers are the names that would be taboo in the Jewish or Islamic communities. Haman, for example, was responsible for an Old Testament plan (fortunately thwarted) to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. Make sure you do your homework in this area. Also, be careful of unintended racial slurs ingrained in otherwise perfectly good names. You can’t call a Black girl Jemima, a Black boy Tom. Likewise, don’t christen an Irish youngster Mick. Remember that not all North American children carry an Anglo-Saxon surname. Every classroom has its Inga Stephansons, its Suzanne Lalondes, its Jason Squirrels, and its Merlin Syroskis. Your fiction should reflect this diversity. If you are setting your story in an actual town or city and particularly if your story is based on historical facts — always, always, always check the phone books and directories of that area and be sure you are not giving a character the name of a real person. Writing is fun. Litigation is not fun. And finally, the cardinal rule for all children’s writers who are also parents of teenagers is: You must never, never, never use your teen’s name anywhere for any character

in any story. I know, I know; that practice was perfectly acceptable and indeed clamoured for when this same child was six-years-old. But you can’t do it any more. Get a notebook. Start collecting names. Or...if you want to speed up the process, there are scads of sites on the web devoted to supplying expectant parents, students of history and genealogy and writers such as thee and me with a plethora of names, name origins, favourite names, least favourite names etc. etc. A couple to get you started: http://www.babycenter.ca/baby-names-finder and http://nameberry.com/ For a decade, Shirley Byers was a contributing editor for WITH, a U.S. based teen magazine. She also practised naming fiction’s children in her book, Cat and Mom Story and publications such as Brio, Clubhouse, Listen and Discovery Trails. As a freelance writer and editor, Shirley Byers, has written fiction for children and adults but these days much of what she sells would fall under the heading of nonfiction and creative nonfiction. She’s been published in Prairies North, Prairie Books Now, Small Farm Canada, and other magazines and newspapers. Her book, Never Sell Your Hen on a Rainy Day is available in bookstores.

Writers/Artists Retreats Program Adjudicators Needed The Guild is seeking four adjudicators to serve on the new SWG Writers/Artists Retreats Adjudication Committee. The role of this committee is to review applications and make recommendations for those to be accepted for attendance at the winter, spring and summer retreats. One artist and three authors will be selected and serve a one-year term which may be renewed once for a total of two years. Those chosen for the Adjudication Committee must have substantial publication history (artists to have similar exhibition history) and have attended retreats of some kind previously or have some experience with retreat philosophy. Adjudication Committee members may not apply for or attend retreats while they serve their terms, which begin in November. A total honorarium of $200 per year to adjudicate all three main retreats will be given to each Adjudicator. Please send a cover letter and brief résumé outlining your experiences with writers/artist retreats. Deadline for Adjudicators applications is 4:30 pm, November 8, 2013. For more information on the SWG Writers/Artists Retreats Program, please visit the Guild website: http://www.skwriter.com/sk-writersartists-retreats.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

The Space-Time Continuum By Edward Willett

The seven-sentence story

occasionally conduct writing workshops and I always find it a bit challenging to come up with something productive that will fit into the short time I am sometimes given. It’s one thing to conduct a writing class (which I’ve also done), spread out over several weeks, which obviously provides plenty of time for writers to, well, write; quite another to conduct a workshop within the one-hour time limit that’s typical of a single session at a writing convention. Which is why, for When Words Collide in Calgary this August (a fabulous cross-genre literary convention about which I cannot speak highly enough and which several other Saskatchewan writers also attended; check it out at www.whenwordscollide.org), I decided to go with the seven-sentence short story.

I can’t take credit for it: I got it from Jim van Pelt (jimvanpelt.livejournal.com), a science fiction author who is also a high-school teacher and who created the exercise for his own classroom use. Best of all, although created by a science fiction writer, there’s nothing about the seven-sentence short story that requires it to be science fiction or fantasy, and indeed at When Words Collide there were writers from other genres who took part in the session.

It’s really quite simple, it doesn’t take long, and at the end of it you have a complete short-short story—and maybe a better grasp on how to craft a strong plot. Below, I’m going to give you each a rule in turn, followed by the example I created when I went through the exercise for the first time. First sentence: Introduce what the main character wants and the first action he/she takes to accomplish that goal.

Anethor, strapped to the belly of the great dragon, stared down at the pointed tops of the spindly towers of the great city of Karrnikk, saw the wizard on his balcony right where the bribed servant had told him he would, drew his sword, and pulled the quick-release buckle on the straps… Second sentence: The results of the action the character takes in sentence #1 has to make the situation worse. The character should be farther from the goal now. …or what was supposed to be the quick-release buckle: the mechanism only released the strap holding his upper body to the beast, not the one holding his legs, so that instead of falling free, ready to spread his mechanical wings and glide down to the attack, his torso fell with a jerk that threatened to snap his spine—and he dropped his sword. Third sentence: Based on the new situation, the character takes a second action to accomplish the goal. The blade fell, twisting and spinning, the red light of the setting sun flashing off of it with every turn, while Anethor, swearing, hanging like a cased ham from the oblivious dragon’s stomach, drew his dagger, jackknifed himself up, and slashed through the remaining strap. Fourth sentence: The results of the second action the character takes from sentence #3 is to make the situation worse. The character should be even farther from the goal now. Now at last he fell free—but that suddenly seemed far from a blessing, as he pulled the cord to release his wings, only to have the cord come loose in his hand while the wings remained neatly tucked away in their leather backpack. Fifth sentence: Based on the new situation, the character takes a third and final action to accomplish the goal.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013 Undone by what could only have been sabotage, he looked down at the pointed towers hurtling toward him and had no other choice but scream his teacher’s name: “Taaaaaannnnniiiiissssss!” Sixth sentence: The third action either accomplishes the character’s goal, fails to accomplish the goal, or there is an unusual but oddly satisfying different result of the last action. Instantly his plunge toward destruction halted and, light as a feather on the breeze, caught by his teacher’s magic, he wafted down to the wizard’s balcony, landing upright with no more impact than if he had stepped off the curb, finding himself face to face with the Wizard Tanis, who smiled slightly and inclined his head. Seventh sentence. The denouement. This sentence wraps up the story. It could tell the reader how the character felt about the results, or provide a moral, or tell how the

character’s life continued on. “A valiant attempt,” said the old man (which, Anethor thought, was some consolation, since as Master of the Apprentices to the Assassin’s Guild, Tanis had survived a thousand attempts on his life by his students), “but you forgot one very important rule” (and here Tanis’s smile widened, as he looked up at the winged beast circling overhead, showing its fangs in a toothy grin): “Never trust a dragon with a secret.” See how easy that was? (With a little, ahem, creative punctuation in that last bit to keep it to one sentence, I admit.) Now it’s your turn! Edward Willett is a freelance writer and performer in Regina. He is the author of 50 books of some sort or another.

The Perfect Word By Glen Sorestad

find I’ve used good as an adjective in my initial draft and now, as I cock my editorial eye to read critically what I have written, I recognize this word is not focused sharply, it’s trite, it’s blah. So, what is the best choice for a replacement? Roget’s Thesaurus will give me over forty possibilities under five slightly different shades of the meaning of good. Soule’s Dictionary of English Synonyms offers at least seventy options I might use. (By the way, the two aforementioned sources are permanent companions at my work desk.) The point is the English language is so amazingly rich a language that there are boundless choices and part of every writer’s task and responsibility is to find the right word for every instance. Good isn’t good enough. For the poet, finding precisely the right word for the occasion is perhaps more important than for writers of other genres, though I am sure many non-poets will adamantly dispute this. Because apart from the denotation(s) a word has, there are often connotations that may or may not be desirable in the poem. But the poet is also very much concerned with sound – rhyme, assonance, consonance, syllabic or rhythmic structure of the word, juxtapositions or sound clashes with neighbouring words, alliteration, metric possibilities -- qualities of sound that are very much at the heart and core of poetry. So, when I am honing the language of the poem after the first draft,

15 I am attuned to not only what my word choices may mean, or the connotative nuances they may elicit, but I am acutely attuned to the sound of each possible choice of words, how each fits, in a sound sense, with the words that surround it, how it either falls into the rhythmic flow of the line or jars and disrupts it. Words that may convey the meaning very well may offend my musical ear. I am looking for the marriage of meaning and sound when I’m upgrading a word into the overall language of the poem. The right word choice could make the whole poem. It is said that Joseph Conrad, who came to English later in his life having mastered several other languages along the way, chose to write in English because he found the vocabulary so infinitely rich and varied that he was constantly amazed at the many choices he had to express himself. As English language poets, we have this wonderful language treasure at our disposal and it is up to us to use this resource to its fullest. I keep reminding myself of Conrad whenever I am reworking my poem drafts, trying to make certain that the word choices I make are the best ones I can make to satisfy that two-fold purpose of meaning and sound in its broadest sense. Though Conrad was a writer of prose, he was, I think we could safely say, as enamored with the English language as any poet and I learned from reading his prose that a certain

SWG Freelance October / November 2013 well handled, purposeful repetition of words and phrases that have similar meaning can have wonderful rhythmic appeal to the ear while driving home a point emphatically. Many prose writers – and Alistair Macleod comes quickly to mind – have a wonderful ear for the sound of their prose, every bit as acute as that of most poets, which tells me that they, too, spend a good deal of time considering the options of one word over another, the meanings being relatively the same. The choice might come down to which word fits the rhythm or flow of the sentence or the phrase of which it is an integral part. With which words am I most concerned about finding the perfect choice? Verbs and nouns are the strength of writing, the meat and potatoes, of language. So I focus upon them through successive drafts. Most images and most imaginative turns of language involve one or the other or both. I have discovered that just making one special verb change can make the whole poem suddenly more intense. Verbs are the muscle and power of poetic movement, so it follows that the stronger the choices the stronger the power generated in the lines. In most instances the simpler and more immediate the verb form, like the simple present or past tense, the more effective. The longer and more awkward the verb construction, the

less effective it tends to be because the energy of the verb is dissipated or lost in the bulky verb structure. There is always a best word and I want to find and use it. Glen Sorestad is a Saskatoon writer of poetry and prose. He served as Saskatchewan’s first Poet Laureate (20002004), becoming Canada’s first provincially appointed poet laureate. Sorestad is the author of nearly twenty books of poetry and has written and published many short stories.

Stay connected Stay connected with Saskatchewan’s writers and enjoy member discounts! Renew your Guild membership online at www.skwriter.com

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

EDNA JAQUES -- LIVE Edna Jaques -- “The Poet of the Prairies” – comes back to Saskatchewan this fall in Ken Mitchell’s dramatic revival, EDNA JAQUES – LIVE! It opens at the Artesian on 13th, Regina’s avant-garde performance space, from Nov. 30-Dec.1. Hailed as Canada’s premier poet in the 1930s and 40s, this bard of Saskatchewan, the tough little farmer from Briercrest astonished the world with her colorful poetic commentary on the life and glory of pioneer culture on the prairies. She published over ten books of poetry, as well as an autobiography in her later years, Uphill All the Way. Born into a set of twins in Collingwood, Ontario, where her father was a lakeship captain, Edna had a tough life from the beginning. She weighed 3 ¼ pounds at birth and barely grew much larger. Her twin sister Erie died at the age of six weeks. Edna wrote, “After that it was up to me to carry the banner for us both, although now and then I’ve envied her, her quiet grave and sinless death.” The Jaques family homesteaded in the North West Territories in 1902, 20 miles from Moose Jaw, and her life began in earnest. She loved the horses and the open range, thrived on it, even to the point of quitting the local school (which her father had built) in Grade 8 so she could work on the family farm. But she also loved reading books and poetry, and was astonished when the editor of the Moose Jaw Times – on her brother’s insistence – published several of her poems. Her lifelong career as a poet was launched. Edna came to international recognition in 1918 when she wrote a response to John McCrae’s famous WW1 poem “In Flanders Fields”. It was titled, “In Flanders Now” and when it was published in the Calgary Herald, immediately went into international syndication, appearing in hundreds of newspapers around the globe. The copyright was purchased by the American Everywoman’s Club in Washington, who began selling it in a classy folder to raise funds for the newly established League of Nations. The first verse goes: We have kept faith, ye Flanders dead, Sleep well beneath the poppies red that mark your place. The torch your dying hands did throw, we held it high before the foe and answered bitter blow for blow in Flanders’ fields. A flood of new poems by Edna’s began appearing in newspapers and magazines across the continent. Her first books were published, first by the Moose Jaw Times, then by publishing houses such as Thomas Allen and Western Producer’s Prairie Books. Edna Jaques’“uphill story” is an astonishing account of her tough life in the Dirty Thirties, and her celebrated years in the 1940s, when she became a truly international poet , met the Queen, travelled to Europe and the pyramids of Egypt. She passed away in 1978, still writing. The Jaques’ one-room homestead shack was restored by the village of Briercrest, and designated a Saskatchewan heritage property there in 2008. The new Brier Rose Cultural Centre commissioned an early version of the Edna Jaques drama in 2010, and there Michele Sereda, one of Saskatchewan’s most dynamic performers, first became Edna Jaques – and the star was born again. So come and have tea with Edna at the Artesian on 13th, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1. Tickets are on sale at the Artesian, the Mysteria+Gallery and Cathedral Village Free House. Michele Sereda is an awarding-winning artistic director (Curtain Razors) who now works internationally as a dancer, actor, singer and multi-media performance artist. The director Kelly Handerek is a professor of theatre the University of Regina, whose own drama recently opened at the Shumiatcher Theatre. Playwright Ken Mitchell is a native Moose Javian, and the author of many novels (The Stones of the Dalai Lama), plays (including the musical Cruel Tears, with Humphrey and the Dumptrucks), and films (The Hounds of Notre Dame). Mitchell is also executive producer of Burning Sun Productions, whose recent projects have included The Medicine Line (a “real west show” on horses), Spirits of the Trail (at the RCMP Heritage Centre) Service with a Smile (set in the Yukon), and Cowboy Chorale, a musical extravaganza from the Dirt Hills of Saskatchewan, which premiered two years ago in Ontario and Michigan. For further information, contact Ken Mitchell at 306-757-3820, or go to the Burning Sun website: www.burningsun.ca

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Wascana Writers Group Celebrates 40th Year By Jeanne Alexander

The Wascana Writers Group celebrates 40th year with the launch of their new book. Photo Credit: Jeanne Alexander.

book launch for Words on the Wing was held on Sunday June 23, 2013 at Muchmore Lodge Auditorium. Published in commemoration of the Wascana Writers Group’s fortieth anniversary, Words on the Wing is an anthology of poetry and prose including monologues, short stories, creative non-fiction, plays and essays which are accompanied by art works mainly by members of the Prairie Artists Guild. Authors presented readings to the eighty-five guests. Greetings were brought in person from Judith Silverthorne, Executive Director of the SWG, who noted it was amazing that Wascana Writers has remained intact as a continuous group for forty years. Wascana Writers is one of the oldest groups that remains as an entity and publishes both prose and poetry approximately every three years. Wascana Writers also carries the distinction of being the first Writing Group to join the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild since its inception in 1969. Joan Olsen, former president of the Wascana Writers Group and winner of the John V. Hicks Manuscript Award in 2002, congratulated Wascana Writers on its development over the past twelve years since she has been president. She stated that the caliber and production of publications has been on the rise. She credited the group for its increased involvement in T.V. and radio programs mainly on Access 7 and on CJTR 91.3 f.m. Regina Community Radio.

Emcee and past president, Jeanne Alexander read congratulatory messages from Mayor Fougere and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Trent Wotherspoon. The readings were followed by a special gathering, cake cutting ceremony and sale of books. Wascana Writers looks forward to a bright future.

What’s the best way to reach Saskatchewan’s literary community? Advertise in Freelance! E-mail communications@skwriter.com or call (306)791-7746 for more information.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Member News Vesta Pickel In Memoriam Correction SWG incorrectly spelled Vesta Pickel’s last name in the last issue of Freelance under In Memoriam. Our sincere apologies for this error. For obituary information on Ms Pickel, please see: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/leaderpost/obituary. aspx?n=vesta-pickel&pid=165692006&fhid=5679#fbLogg edOut

New Members Nicole Brodner Timothy Jones Shannon Landels Angel McDowell Robynn Smith

The Writing Gift That Inspires SWG Gift Cards Have a special friend or family member who’s always wanted to be a member of the Guild or participate in a writing workshop? The SWG now offers gift cards that can be purchased in any amount for that special someone. SWG Gift cards can be used towards any Guild program, or directed specifically for such items as a membership, subscription to Grain, professional development workshops, or conference registration. Make someone happy. Give the gift that lets the imagination soar and opens the doors to a lifetime of creativity. Contact the Guild office today at info@skwriter.com or 306-791-7740

Step Out of the Shadows and into the Spotlight! Calling All Members to Register on the Guild’s Website SWG Members, if you have not already done so, please consider posting your profiles on the Guild’s Find Saskatchewan Writers & Services webpage. We have numerous calls to the office each week asking about members who do not appear on the website. We know you’re out there and we want you to add your profile to make it easier for reading hosts and other folks to find you. It’s quick and easy to do: simply click on the Members Area button on the left hand sidebar, login with your password,* and click on Member Profile. On this page you will find a form. Enter your information and Save Updates. Then click on Find Saskatchewan Writers & Services to register your page. Under Currently Editing at the top of the Find Saskatchewan Writers & Services Listing page, there are several dropdown menus. Choose each one in turn to add your information. Make sure tosave your updates after each section. *If you do not have login and password information, please contact Stefanie at info@skwriter.com. Thank you for helping us help you! We want to help you shine!

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Books by Members

Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Wedding By Marion Mutala Illustrated by Amber Rees Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing ISBN: 978-1-927756-07-2

It is only fitting that the third book in the trilogy should be a wedding book. Ukrainians love to have three day weddings. Marion’s third book, Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Wedding is here. Wedding bells are ringing in the past! The wind brings Natalia a Babushka just like the ones her Baba used to wear, taking the young girl on a magical journey to an autumn long ago to discover the Wedding traditions of her Ukrainian heritage. So to recap, in the first historical fiction, children’s book, Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Chirstmas, Natalia, a little girl goes back in time to Ukraine at the turn of the 20th century and meets another little girl, who turns out to be her baba. Natalia learns the very precious traditions of Ukrainian Christmas. Book two, Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Easter, Natalia learns the Ukrainian Easter traditions. With book three, Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Wedding, the trilogy is complete. Marion Mutala has a master’s degree in educational administration and taught for 30 years. With a mad passion for the arts, she loves to write, folkdance, sing, play guitar, garden, travel, and read.

Word Families Series By Marie Powell Publisher: Amicus Publishing ISBN: That Cat 9781607535126 Grow, Crow 9781607535157 Nab the Crab 9781607535133 Out for Trout 9781607535140 Dig, Pig 9781607535164 Sleep, Sheep 9781607535171 This fall, Marie Powell is launching her new six-book children’s series, Word Families (Amicus Publishing). These short humorous narratives will appeal to children in the K-Grade 1 range who are just beginning to read. The series includes the following books: That Cat; Grow, Crow; Nab the Crab; Out for Trout; Dig, Pig; Sleep, Sheep. Marie Powell is a Regina-based author and journalist, with published fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, including her previous children’s book, Dragonflies are Amazing (Scholastic). For more information, see: http://mepowell.com/. For more information on Amicus Publishing: http://w w w.amic uspublishing. us/books/amicus-readers/wordfamilies

Leaving Mr. Humphries By Alison Lohans Illustrated by Gretchen Ehrsam Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing ISBN: 978-1-927756-07-2 Josh’s mom thinks Josh is too old for Mr. Humphries, his teddy bear, but when Josh has to stay at the summer cottage with his Grandpa, it’s Mr. Humphries who keeps him company – at night in the attic room, on long dark walks to the outhouse, and even for boat rides on the lake. When Mr. Humphries has an adventure of his own, Josh isn’t sure he’s ready to let him go. Alison Lohans and Gretchen Ehrsam are cousins. Alison’s Dad and Gretchen’s mom spent many summers at the family cottage in Dorset, Ontario when they were children, and Gretchen and Alison have enjoyed visiting there too. Alison Lohans has published 26 books for children and young adults and lives in Regina. Gretchen Ehrsam is a lifelong artist originally from Wallace, Idaho, now living in West Seattle, Washington State.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

City of Regina Writing Award The Saskatchewan Writers' Guild is seeking applications for the 2014 City of Regina Writing Award, funded by the City of Regina. This competition is an award for literary merit in creative writing; it is open to writers in all genres. The $4,000 award is designed to enable one local writer to work on a specific solo writing project for a three-month period. The award competition is juried by professional writers from outside Saskatchewan. You are eligible to apply for this award if you are 19 years and older and if you were a Regina resident as of January 1, 2013. Applicants may submit one entry to this competition per year. The recipient of the award must complete the three-month grant period by the end of February 2015. The decision of the jury will be final. Jurors may choose to not award the prize if they believe no submission merits it. Applications - There is no application form for this program. Instead, send the following material: • • • • • • • •

a cover letter which includes the following information: all your contact information (including mailing address and work and home phone numbers) a statement confirming that you are 19 years or older a statement confirming that you were a resident of Regina as of January 1, 2013 a statement of intent indicating how you propose to use the funds for your writing, if you should win—this is to be separate from the cover letter a description and brief outline of your writing project (no longer than two pages total) a sample of your writing - this sample must be a portion of the project to be worked on. This sample should be ten pages long; do not send extra pages as they will be discarded an outline or synopsis of the project is not considered to be part of your writing sample

Note: the judging for this competition is blind; therefore your name and/or previous work titles cannot appear on the statement of intent, sample of writing, and cannot be referred to on any part of the outline or synopsis—your entry will be returned if your name/previous work does appear. Do not submit literary resumes, letters of support, reviews of previous work, or evaluations; these will be discarded. Submission Guidelines - To ensure that your application is processed, please follow the submission guidelines below: • • • • • • • • • • •

all material must be on 8.5 x 11-inch white paper entries must be typed in black ink all material must be typed in plain text fonts (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Courier) and not in display fonts such as Monotype Corsiva please keep font size to 11 or 12 point entries must be single-sided at least a one inch margin on all sides avoid hole-punched paper writing sample, the sample should be double-spaced for prose, single or double-spaced for poetry, and pages should be numbered sequentially do not send illustrations or photos to fasten submissions, use paper clips (including fold-back clips)—avoid staples or any other fastener which goes through the paper (including binders and presentation covers) good-quality photocopies are acceptable Keep a copy of your submission; material will not be returned.

Applications can be emailed to programs@skwriter.com by midnight Friday, January 31, 2014. If sent by regular mail, they must be postmarked by Friday, January 31, 2014 (see address below). If sending by courier, send to the courier address listed below, not the box number. Mailing Address City of Regina Writing Award Saskatchewan Writers' Guild Box 3986 Regina, SK S4P 3R9

Courier or Drop-Off Address Must arrive by 4:30 pm, Friday, Jan. 31,2014 City of Regina Writing Award Saskatchewan Writers' Guild #100-1150 8th Avenue Regina, SK S4R 1C9

For More Information Tracy Hamon, Program Manager Saskatchewan Writers' Guild Phone: (306) 791-7743 Fax: (306) 565-8554 E-mail: programs@skwriter.com

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

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

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Help us continue to serve Saskatchewan’s writing community swg General Donations for pressing or imminent needs in administrative, equipment and programming Writers/Artists Retreats to help provide a quiet refuge for uninterrupted writing uninterrupted writing time and thought-provoking exchange of ideas after working hours. Grain Magazine to assist in publishing SWG’s nationally and internationally recognized literary quarterly. Andrew Suknaski Writers Assistant Fund (WAF) to assist members in an urgent and immediate need Patricia Armstrong Fund to support educational programming for rural writers. Make cheque or money order payable to: Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, Box 3986, Regina SK S4P 3R9 You can also donate via Paypal at: www.skwriter.com/payments-and-donations

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SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Calls of Interest Saskatchewan Book Awards Call for Entries This is a notification of the 2014 Saskatchewan Book Awards Call for Entries. Submissions will be received from September 3, 2013 to November 1, 2013. The Saskatchewan Book Awards were established by the Saskatchewan Library Association, the Saskatchewan Publishers’ Group and the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild to celebrate excellence in Saskatchewan writing and publishing. Since 1993, the Saskatchewan Book Awards have been recognizing excellence in writing and publishing. For more information on submission guidelines and how to submit visit: http://www.bookawards.sk.ca.

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—book-length 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, sophisticated literary writing, graphic narrative and short film, from the very subtle to the brash and unrelenting. We are not interested in genre writing, political essays, or rants. We are only interested in literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic narrative and short film at this time. If you are interested in writing political essays, or other analyses, please contact us about contributing to our blog- we would love to hear from you. For submission requirements and further information visit plenitudemagazine.ca.

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Professional Development How to Write a Poem: A Poetry Workshop with Ariel Gordon Saturday, Dec. 7 | 10 a.m.—1 p.m. Reading: Sunday, Dec. 8; time TBA SWG Regina Office | 1150-8th Avenue Cost: $45 for SWG members; $55 for non-members Have you ever wondered how to rip a phone book in half? Or how to survive in the woods? Or, even, how to seduce a woman…in poetry? By the end of this workshop with Winnipeg poet Ariel Gordon, designed to open up your writing process via a variety of writing exercises, you’ll have tried your hand at all them.

Ariel Gordon is a Winnipeg writer. Her first book of poetry, Hump (Palimpsest Press), was published in 2010, and her second is slated for publication in 2014. Most recently, she won Kalamalka Press’ inaugural John Lent Poetry-Prose Award, which resulted into the letterpress chapbook, How to Make a Collage. When not being bookish, Ariel likes tromping through the woods and taking macro photographs of mushrooms. For more information about the workshop or to register, please contact Milena at (306) 791-7746 or swgevents@skwriter.com.

Need a Nudge to Get Writing? Join Kelly Jo Burke at SWG’s Facilitated Retreat! The SWG is holding a Facilitated Retreat, November 7-10, 2013, at St. Peter’s Abbey in Muenster, Saskatchewan. At the Retreat, WriterIn-Residence Kelly Jo Burke will give an introductory talk on writing, meet with each participant to discuss their

writing and related questions, and join informal meal-time discussions about writing.

Payment may be made by cheque, via PayPal, or by credit card by phoning the SWG office at 306 791-7740.

The Facilitated Retreat will also provide undisturbed time for you to focus on your writing.

Please submit all applications to swgevents@skwriter.com or through the online form, at http://www. skwriter.com/sk-writers-artistsretreats/facilitated-retreat-app-form.

Kelley Jo Burke is an award-winning playwright, director, storyteller, CBC documentarian and broadcaster, and mother of three. Her plays include 2013’s Somewhere, Sk., Ducks on the Moon, The Selkie Wife, Jane’s Thumb and Charming and Rose: True Love. She was the 2009 winner of the Saskatchewan Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Leadership in the Arts, a three time winner of the City of Regina Writing Award, and the 2008 Saskatoon and Area Theatre Award for Playwriting. To apply, submit the following: •

A sample of the writing you will be working on at the retreat ( no more than 10 pages);

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a paragraph or two describing your writing experience;

•

a paragraph about why you want to attend the SWG Facilitated Retreat; and

•

a completed application form (http://www.skwriter.com/ sk-writers-artists-retreats/swgfacilitated-retreat)

•

Plus your payment*

Deadline for receipt of applications is 4:30 p.m. October 15, 2013. Applicants must be 19 years and older. Preference will be given to SWG members who have not published a book and who have never attended any of the SWG retreats. A maximum of twelve participants will be accepted. *The cost is $255 per person, which includes a private room and all meals, as well as access to the WriterIn-Residence as described above..

Feel free to contact Shelley Banks, Retreat Coordinator, at skretreats@ skwriter.com if you have any questions about the SWG Facilitated Retreat.

Northern Writers Retreat November 14-17, 2013 La Ronge, SK NORTEP-NORPAC is pleased to announce our very first NORTHERN WRITERS RETREAT which is designed to bring together northerners for four days of practical hands-on mentoring with award winning author, Richard Wagamese. The retreat will begin with an Thursday evening session, a Friday afternoon and evening session and will then move to a full weekend from November 14-17 in La Ronge. The retreat will include a meditative outdoors experience as well as several days of writing exercises which will advance participants to a new level of writing proficiency. Explore this website for more information how to participate in this event. Free registration. http://northernwritersretreat. wordpress.com/

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Call for Submissions The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild invites all high school students to submit creative writing in any and all forms - poetry, prose, and creative non-fiction - for Volume 30 of Windscript. Windscript was created in 1983 by Victor Jerrett Enns (a former Executive Director of the SWG). Over the years more than 1000 young writers have been featured in Windscript’s illustrious pages and a considerable number have gone on to become published authors and professional writers. Windscript magazine is available in print and online at the SWG website and is widely distributed to schools and libraries throughout Saskatchewan.

Deadline: February 14, 2014, 4:30 pm

Submission Guidelines are available at: http://www.skwriter.com/publications/windscript Send submissions to Windscript by email to events@skwriter.com

Photo Credits: SWG Staff 1. Cassie Stocks reading at Words in the Park on Aug21 in Victoria Park in Regina. 2. Courtney Bates reading at Words in the Park on Aug14 in Victoria Park, Regina. 3. Danica Lorer enjoys the festivities at the Word on the Street. Photo Credit: Kole Philips. 4. Garry Thomas Morse reading at Aug21 Words in the Park in Regina. 5. Ruth Chorney at Readings in the Market on Augx at Saskatoon Farmers Market. 6. Retreatants in residence the first week of Summer Retreat at St. Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. (Back, L-R): Anne McCaig, Anne McDonald, David Sealy, (middle) Rodney Dickinson, Ilonka Halsband, Myrna Garanis, (front) Jana Kutarna. 7. Barbara Sapergia reading on September 7, 2013 in Readings in the Market in Saskatoon. 8. Dianne Warren, winner of the 2013 Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence. 9. Annette Bower reading at Words in the Park on Aug14 in Victoria Park, Regina 10. Caption: Participants at St. Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s during the second week of the Summer Retreats.(back) Rodney Dickinson, Anne McDonald, David Sealy, (front) Elizabeth Greene, Lloyd Ratzlaff

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

SWG Event Highlights

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SWG Freelance June/July 2013

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SWG Freelance October / November 2013

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)

SWG Freelance October / November 2013

Backbone SWG Thanks Our Donors Andrew Suknaski WAF Sandra Birdsell Rod MacIntyre Barbara Sapergia Glen Sorestad Grain Mona Bacon Cheryl Kloppenburg Rea Tarvydas Patricia Armstrong Fund Shirley Byers Alison Lohan Sharon MacFarlane Retreats David Carpenter Frances Greenslade Verna Semotuk

SWG General Donation Cathy Bendle Rita Bouvier Sharon Butala Brian Cobbledick Myrtle Conacher Felicia Daunt Jeanette Dean Todd Devonshire Margaret Durant Ted Dyck Joanne Epp Jean Fahlman Wesley Funk Lyn Goldman Carol Gossner Jerry Haigh Gillian Harding-Russell Mary Harelkin Bishop Susan Harris Betty Hegerat Charles Hersberger Doris Hillis

Karen Klassen Robert Leech Bonnie Logan Alison Lohans Alex MacDonald Marilyn Matice Lynda Monahan Kathleen Morrell Helen Mourre Vincent Murphy Anne Patton David Poulsen Evelyn Rogers Edda Ryan Barbara Sapergia Anne Slade Rea Tarvydas Terry Toews Larry Warwaruk Dianne Young

Thanks To Our SWG Foundation Donors SWGF General Individual Donation: Sharon Adam George Jeerakathil Facilitated Retreat Susan Hogarth

Judy McCrosky Bursary Fund: Judy McCrosky Allison Kydd Legacy Project: Gloria Boerma Robert Currie

Rodney Dickinson George Jeerakathil Alison Lohans Judith Silverthorne

Freelance

October / November 2013 Volume 43 Number 6

Publication Mail Agreement #40063014 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Administration Centre Printing Services 111â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2001 Cornwall Street Regina, SK S4P 3X9 Email: adminprint@sasktel.net

We gratefully acknowledge the support of SaskCulture, Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund and the Saskatchewan Arts Board