May/June 2011 Freelance by Admin Assist

Freelance May/June 2011

Volume 40 Number 3

Members of the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild remember Gary Hyland.

Volume 40 Number 3 May/June 2011 SWG STAFF Executive Director: Judith Silverthorne Finance Officer: Lois Salter Program Manager: Tracy Hamon (Regina) Program Coordinator: Christina Shah (Saskatoon) Communications Coordinator and Freelance Managing Editor: Jan Morier Administrative Assistant: Milena Dzordeski Cover photo credit: Government of Saskatchewan

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 standard submission format (see web site. Viewpoints expressed in contributed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the SWG. Copyright remains with the writer and cannot be reprinted without permission. Services advertised are not necessarily endorsed by the SWG. We do not accept poetry or prose at this time. Payment for reports and articles is 10¢ per word. Deadline for Freelance copy is the 1st of the month prior to the month of publication. Next deadline: 1st week in July.

Freelance ISSN 0705-1379 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Cathy Fenwick, President, Regina Jerry Haigh, Past President, Saskatoon Lisa Wilson, Vice President, Saskatoon George Khng, Treasurer, Saskatoon Martine Noël-Maw, Secretary, Regina Danica Lorer, Maidstone R. P. MacIntyre, La Ronge Scott Miller, Estevan Marilyn Poitras, Saskatoon Kelly-Anne Riess, Regina Ex-Officio: Judith Silverthorne

C ONTENTS President's Report ��3

Cathy Fenwick

Executive Director's Report ��5

Judith Silverthorne

Saskatoon Shenanigans ��7

Christina Shah

Welcome New Staff ��8 SWG Employment Opps ��9 Eulogy to Gary Hyland (exerpt)...................10

Robert Currie

Members' Tributes to Gary Hyland..............12

Glen Sorestad................... Judith Krause Doris Bircham................... Anne Slade Anne Campbell................. gillian russell

Poetry Month Reading ��16 Windscript Launch ��17 Talking Fresh 9 - SK Poetry Summit............18

Cassidy McFadzean

SWG Short Manuscript Awards..................20 John V. Hicks Long Manuscript Awards.......21 Hyland Award Nominations ��.22 Kloppenburg Award - Literary Excellence........23 Culture Days ��24 Words in the Park ��25 SWG Conference Teaser ��26 Writers Group Grants Deadlines..................27 Flexible Loans SAB ��28 Perils of Forgetfulness, Rewards of Remembrance

David Carpenter

.............................................................30 The Space-Time Continuum ��32

Edward Willett

Books by Members ��34 Letter to the Editor ��36 Markets & Competitions ��37

Mailing Address: Saskatchewan Writers' Guild Box 3986, Regina, SK S4P 3R9

Contact: Phone: (306) 757-6310 Toll Free: 1-800-667-6788 Fax: (306) 565-8554 Email: info@skwriter.com or communications@skwriter.com Web site: www.skwriter.com

Regina Courier or Drop-off Address: 205–2314 11th Avenue Regina, SK S4P 0K1

Saskatoon Courier or Drop-off Address: 205A Pacific Avenue Saskatoon, SK S7K 1N9

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

P resident's Report Cathy Fenwick

y favourite philosophical writers in graduate school were the Existentialists – Heidegger, Kierkegaard, Camus, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and the Existential psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. Their philosophy fits with my worldview and with my experiences of living in Canada. I offer here the proviso that a philosophy of personal responsibility may be difficult or impossible to apply under conditions of famine, living in a war zone, or in a situation of extreme abuse – I have no direct experience of these conditions and readily accept that there are situations over which people have no control and often very little influence. I’m also in the privileged position of having the opportunity to acquire an education, whereby I am able to read and consider such august writings. Viktor Frankl says that even under the worst circumstances, we still have choice. In Man’s Search for Meaning (1963), Frankl writes about his experiences in the concentration camps of the Second World War. He wrote, “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a

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man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." I have read this book many times.

dramatic conclusion is, l'enfer c'est les autres (Hell is other people). On the other hand, our relationship with others makes life worthwhile. One might even say it can be empyrean. Whether people make of life a heaven or a hell is influenced by the way we interact with one another. I like living in Saskatchewan, not just for

Frankl writes, “Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary.” His writings were especially helpful to me when, several We are most years ago, I managed to survive a cancer diagnoeffective when sis and the very difficult we make the treatments that followed. He says, “When existential choice we are no longer able to to be responsible change a situation – just and compassionate think of an incurable disease such as inopercommunicators. able cancer – we are challenged to change ourselves.” the sunshine and long seasons of cross-country skiing, Every few years I reread but because of the people Sartre’s No Exit. In the play and our cooperative spirit. three deceased people are The Saskatchewan Writers’ forced to spend eternity Guild has a well-deserved together in a locked room reputation for cooperation with no windows and no door among our members. We – punishment for lives that don’t just say we’re writers were not well lived. The irony helping other writers, we acof this hell is that the torture tually put it into practice. Our is not famine, disease, nor writing community is known fire and brimstone, but the across Canada for being exburning humiliation of being ceptionally supportive of writstripped of all pretences. Sarers. We do this by our willingtre dramatizes his existential ness to learn and by being philosophy by showing three compassionate and genuinely characters continuously chalhelpful teachers. This quality lenged to come to grips with of human interaction builds their true selves. Sartre’s bridges instead of walls.

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We are most effective when we make the existential choice to be responsible and compassionate communicators. Occasionally there are times when we need to communicate more than we do, share information and meet each other half way. The destructive nature of incomplete information, and the pitfalls of jumping to a conclusion, is dramatically presented in the 1957 film, 12 Angry Men, a story about the dangers of rushing to judgement. The film is about a jury who must decide on the guilt or innocence of a defendant, a young man from a poor neighbourhood, accused of murder. The evidence is circumstantial and the only witnesses are an “old man” and “the lady across the street”. After closing arguments, the jury is instructed to consider the evidence and must come to a unanimous decision. If the defendant is found guilty, he will face the death penalty. The verdict after the first vote, results in eleven guilty and one not guilty. Jurors revisit the facts and explore the many difficulties of consensus building among the twelve, who represent a wide range of personality types. Two groups emerge in the beginning, those who take their responsibility seriously enough to weigh the evidence and those who want a quick decision so they can get on with their own lives. The vote goes back and forth several times around the concerns of “reasonable doubt”, until a unanimous agreement is reached. I won’t tell you

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the verdict so as not to spoil the ending. By the way, if you’re interested in foreign films, there is an excellent Russian film, двенадцать (12), based on the American version. Here the defendant is a Chechen youth accused of killing his Russian military officer stepfather. Though most of our discussions and choices don’t involve life or death consequences, thoughtful consideration of others helps to make life less hellish. I know as well as anyone how difficult it is to hear critiques of my work. I also know that constructive criticism helps me to become better at whatever it is I’m doing. For example, in my career development and job search skills class, I use the sandwich method when giving feedback (this is especially helpful for students going “on-camera” to role-play job interviews). When viewing the tapes with each student, I use the sandwich method – first say what was good, then mention things one could do to make it better, top it off with something positive and supportive. It’s always about the behaviour, never about the person. It takes more time than simply pointing out one’s errors, but it’s more compassionate and much more effective. In her writing classes, Judy McCrosky, SWG board president from 2004 to 2006, does excellent work with students on tips for critiquing each other’s work. She says, “Start with the strengths of the story. Here’s what I like.

Here’s what makes the story really good”. You may not like the content of the story, you don’t have to – your feedback should focus on structure, character, setting, grammar, clarity, facts, etc. Then give suggestions on how the writing could be improved. Be specific about what and how you think your suggestions might be helpful. Critiquing focuses on the writing, never on the person. For clarification it’s better if we can ask a question rather than make a statement. “I was unclear about _____. Could you describe the scene more clearly?” Good teachers and good writers, like good jurors, take their responsibilities seriously. Responsible and compassionate critiquing of our work, especially for beginning writers can make the difference between the decision to carry on with our writing, or to give up and do something else. If your story is being critiqued, be open to learning and don’t take it personally, stay open to well-meaning critique. Supportive and careful critiquing is of tremendous value in helping us build confidence and become better writers. When offering feedback, treat everyone’s work with utmost respect, read it as carefully as you would read your own work. We want to be supportive, while offering concrete suggestions. Respect for people and for their work helps to ease some of the distresses of life that we all must face. Best Regards, Cathy Fenwick May/June 2011

E xecutive Director's Report Blowing with the Winds of Change It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Charles Darwin, (18091882) English Naturalist

he ‘Winds of Change’ is not just the name of a Scorpion ballad, a British Prime Minister’s speech, a day spa or used in many other ways; it’s a reality in today’s world and a powerful force around and within the SWG. Besides having a history of being forerunners in many areas, the Guild seems to thrive best when generating its own airstreams of newness and growth. Rapid developments are inevitable given today’s globalization, precarious economic and environmental conditions, and wafting political and government adjustments. These all affect the Guild at some level, and closer to home change is ongoing, sometimes on a daily basis, which for the most part we are learning to embrace and roll out as quickly as possible. From the technological, business and financial fronts to the staffing and operational structure, we are thrust into responding in innovative ways to accommodate evolving membership needs, and adjust to the writing and publishing climate.

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As many of you know, the Guild receives the majority of our operating from the generosity of Saskatchewan Lotteries system, through SaskCulture and the Saskatchewan Arts Board. All of these bodies are regulated by government, which in turn is prone to prevailing currents. Changes may come through new legislation, different political party’s pressures, or outside forces from society, economics, environment, legal designations and other influences. Sometimes changes occur simply because of drifting towards new directions or trends. There is no doubt we see whirlwinds of change happening in the technological world on a regular basis and often faster than we can keep up. The Guild is now sailing forward with RSS feed capabilities, with social networking on Twitter and Facebook, and will soon have even more internet streamability with YouTube uploads and member interactivity on our web site. Watch for both of these sometime this summer. On the people front, Christina Shah wafted into her new position with the Guild team in the Saskatoon office. She’s bursting with energy and ideas for programming in Saskatoon and area, so give

Judith Silverthorne her a hearty welcome when you see her gliding about the community making things happen. Meanwhile, on another jet stream of excitement and enthusiasm, Jan Morier soared into the Regina office as the newly appointed Communications Coordinator. You may already have seen some of the results of her work in embracing a new communications strategy, which will be unfolded zephyr-like in the coming months. Send her your news and views: communications@skwriter.com One of our summer students is U of S English major Kelsey Gottfried, who is gaining additional experience on the administrative, research and business angles of writing. One of her main tasks is to assist in the generation of materials to complement the Arts Profession Act requirements and our Professional Development ventures, particularly in the business of writing areas. Basically, along with a myriad of other important aspects, she’s replicating the Literary Arts Handbook of some years back, albeit with the added twists of state-of-the-art resources, all of which will be available on our web site. continued

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move, old files and records We are also pleased that will be culled and saved for we’ve received funding from posterity within the SK ArService Canada to hire an chives Board complex where Aboriginal student for the a large number of our matesummer, who will be responrial is already stored; and unsible for networking and necessary establishing equipment, programetc. will be ming for Sometimes discarded, Aboriginal in the though writers, we’ve done and all that winds of change some major entails. we find our clearing You’ll meet over the this pertrue direction. past. We son in the Mac Anderson are excited next issue about beof Freeing able to lance. We further streamline operations, are already in the throes of while at the same time gainorganizing various Aboriginal ing some extra perks, such programs, including a later as more offices and free summer writing retreat for parking for all the staff memAboriginal writers, lining up bers. We will be able to hold a mentorship program and workshops once again at the we have one that Christina Guild office, and we will have will oversee in Saskatoon. easy accessibility and ample Find out more about “Buffalo (free) parking for everyone Chips” and other upcoming visiting us. programs and resources on the web site www.skwriter. On the programming scene, com / Programs and Services the Emma Lake retreat was / Aboriginal Programming. cancelled this year simply because there were too few In other related organizaapplicants (3); however, tions, Stacy Riggs is the new Anne Pennylegion is at the Executive Director of the helm of finding other suitable Saskatchewan Book Awards and more affordable accomreplacing Jackie Lay, who is modations for our future, moving into new directions. and we looking at offering a Patrick Close of CARFAC series of new writing retreats is retiring at the end of the for our members, with varycalendar year, and Caroline ing lengths. The St. Peter’s Selinger from the SK Library summer retreat is forging Association is also resigning ahead as planned at almost shortly to seek another path. full capacity. In office news, SWG is in The Guild Board undertook a the final negotiations for facilitated Strategic Planning establishing our new Regina meeting in mid-May to outspace, which we will be line goals for the next three moving into at the end of Auto five years. The results of gust. In preparation for the

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this will see some enhancements to the operations and additional opportunities for our members, including expanding and experimenting in new directions. “Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction.” (Mac Anderson) The board and staff are stimulated and ready for the challenges that come with change, which according to Charles Darwin is a good thing: “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Whether or not the Guild moves forward like a gentle summer breeze into new realms, the winds of change are definitely fluttering through.

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Saskatoon Shenanigans: Hot Time - Summer in the City of Bridges By Christina Shah

he warm winds of change have swept through SWG Saskatoon – and so far I’ve been enjoying my new role in helping shape Saskatoon’s red-hot writing scene! Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone – and thanks, Pam, for your sense of humour and your patience during the transition. I wish you the best. We’re sad to see you go, but it’s all in service of good writing! Speaking of good writing, we wrapped up our Apprenticeship 2011 program with a springtime reading and reception hosted by George Khng on Thursday, April 28th at the Refinery. Five New Voices: The Apprentice Readings featured Caitlin Ward, dee Hobsbawn-Smith, Jess Boyachek, Moira McKinnon, and Gary Chappell, who were mentored by Dave Margoshes, Elizabeth Phillips, Ted Dyck, Harriet Richards, and Don Kerr. The reading was a smash – and the calibre of the apprentices’ work

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was exceptional. It was wonderful to have the mentors introduce their apprentices and share their insights on the process, and to celebrate Pam’s time as Saskatoon Program Coordinator. Those lazy days of summer are prime time to get cracking on our writing! We have some exciting workshops and readings happening this summer. The SWG, in partnership with the Global Gathering Place, is presenting Weaving Words – a workshop for new immigrants, with a focus on memoir writing. There will be a celebration and a public reading the evening of August 18th at the GGP (#307-506 25th Street East). Also in August – Buffalo Chips, the SWG’s new pilot project, will be kicking up some serious dust. Buffalo Chips is a week-long writing workshop focusing on Aboriginal youth between 15-19 in the urban core, and also provides a unique mentorship/teaching opportunity for an emerging Aboriginal writer. The SWG is partnering with the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op to encourage at-risk youth to tell their

stories. Award-winning Cree playwright Kenneth T. Williams and emerging Métis poet and established journalist Andréa Ledding will be leading the workshop. The young writers will have fun challenging themselves through writing exercises for scriptwriting, poetry and prose; discussions, peer critiquing, voice work and individual consultations. The workshop ends with a trip to Wanuskewin Heritage Park, where they will take in the “Step Back in Time” and Exhibit tours (with writing challenges), and then participate in a sharing circle with an Elder, with a public reading to top it all off! Have a great summer– and come out and enjoy fresh work from some of this city’s emerging talent!

vox audita perit, littera scripta manet (the spoken word perishes, but the written word remains)

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W ELCOME NEW Staff

Kelsey Gottfried Literary Arts Professional Development Coordinator

Christina Shah Program Coordinator for Saskatoon Office Christina is a poet with several years’ experience as a journalist, editor and communications director for the mining exploration industry. She does freelance writing (screenwriting, copywriting and web content development) and editing for a variety of corporate and non-profit clients, as well as manuscript editing. She enjoys reading, cooking, knitting and doing research in the field of integrative medicine. She’s married to the Muse, and has a Border Collie/Rottweiler cross who manages to coax her away from her desk regularly.

Jan Morier Communications Coordinator Kelsey is a full-time student at the University of Saskatchewan, majoring in Honours English with a minor in History. She joins the SWG for the summer as the Literary Arts Professional Development Coordinator. Kelsey will be researching and gathering professional development resources to assist writers in the business of writing.

Jan joins the SWG from the museum community where she enjoyed years of interpreting and promoting Regina and Saskatchewan history. Besides gardening, Jan’s very favourite thing to do is design the written word for publication. She looks forward to creating SWG material to showcase your works in Windscript, Freelance, and Spring and news you can use through Ebriefs. A lover of language, her personal mantra is "People think proofreading's all fun and games, 'til somebody loses an 'i'". Jan and her menagerie live in the vibrant Regina community of North Central. She also manages North Central Community Connection newspaper, a bi-monthly publication.

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saskatchewan writers' guild employment opportunities

W riter in Residence Wanted for Facilitated Retreat

The Saskatchewan Writers' Guild is organizing a retreat at St. Peter’s Abbey. As Writer in Residence at the Facilitated Retreat you will give a talk on an aspect of writing as reflected by the needs of the participants. You will also meet one-on-one with each of a maximum of twelve participants for a total of one hour to give them specific feedback on their writing and/or answers to their writing-related questions. You will be expected to be available for informal discussion with participants during meals and at other times for a minimum of seven hours over the course of the retreat. The object of the facilitated retreat is to encourage and offer advice to participants. Preference will be given to Saskatchewan residents. The Facilitated Retreat will take place at St. Peter’s Abbey, Muenster, from November 10 to 13 2011, with arrival the evening of Thursday, November 10 and departure after lunch on Sunday, November 13. Payment is $1300 (plus GST if required). Private room and meals are provided, but you are responsible for your own transportation. If the retreat does not go ahead as planned because of lack of registration or other reasons no fee will be paid. A complete job description is available upon request. Previous Writers in Residence should allow five years before re-applying for this position. Qualifications: • Experience in a teaching or mentoring situation with beginning writers in different genres • An extensive publication history, including at least one book To apply, please submit your CV, the names and phone numbers of two people familiar with your teaching/mentoring ability, and one or two paragraphs describing your approach to teaching/mentoring writers. Please contact Anne Pennylegion, Retreat Coordinator, at skretreats@skwriter.com with any questions about the contract position. Send your application to the SWG office made to the attention of the Retreat Coordinator, Box 3986, Regina, SK, S4P 3R9. Deadline for receipt of applications for this contract position is 4:30 p.m. Friday July 29.

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C all for

instructors The SWG is seeking two instructors (or one instructor who is interested in leading TWO workshops) for Weaving Words: Stories of the World. Weaving Words is a SWG program for new immigrants, offered in partnership with the Global Gathering Place (GGP). There will be a maximum of 15 participants per session. The summer session will take place in Saskatoon August 8, 9, 11, and 18th from 6 - 9 p.m. Winter 2012 dates TBA. Ideal applicants are established professional writers with experience leading creative writing workshops. Weaving Words gives people from other cultures the chance to work with professional Canadian writers in a relaxed setting, to get some tips and hands-on experience telling their own stories and to meet others who are interested in learning the craft of creative writing. This year’s focus is on the creation of memoirs in either prose or poetry. Participants will explore ways to write their stories in English, while still keeping their distinctive voice and building on their writing, story structure and editing skills. The participants will also have the opportunity to experience live performance as they present their work to an audience upon completion of the program. They will also create a chapbook anthology during the workshop. Deadline for applications: June 17th Please indicate whether you are interested in both sessions – or one session specifically. For details, please contact Christina Shah at saskatoon@skwriter.com phone: 306-955-5513.

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E ulogy to gary hyland delivered April 8th 2011 by Robert Currie (excerpts)

oday we celebrate the remarkable life of Gary Hyland. Since his death on Tuesday the emails have been pouring in to honour his legacy. Poet Bruce Hunter wrote from Ontario: “His influence on my life was very profound and positive. I can only imagine the sense of loss felt in Moose Jaw... He was a great human being.” Former student Heather Hodgson noted, “He left a lot of good in his wake and inspired so many of us to write.” The CBC’s Shelagh Rogers described him as “a massive intelligence, but all heart.” She told me her interview with Gary was one of her favourite radio moments of her entire career. Gary spent his own career teaching at Riverview Collegiate, where he was a master teacher, sharing his love of literature with his students, earning a Hilroy Fellowship, the Joe Duffy Memorial Award and the Marshall McLuhan Distinguished Teacher Award for his excellence in teaching and his devotion to his students. I’ve met some of those students, and they still rave about what a great teacher he was. A few of them even turned up to read

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Old friends Robert Currie and Gary Hyland at AGM & Fall Conference, October 14-16, 2005, Regina

to him in the hospital. Gary and I were friends for over 40 years, but in some ways I too was a student of his. I used to teach a creative writing class at Central, and year after year the highlight of that class occurred when Gary Hyland gave a reading to my students, and every year I learned something from what he had to say. Today we remember Gary in many ways, but I think of him first and foremost as a friend, someone who cared about others, someone with whom I travelled to many conferences and meetings, the two of us joyously singing along to the car stereo, though neither of us could carry a tune in bushel basket. I loved his sense of fun, his ability to make others

laugh with Monty Python skits - or his take on Stan Freberg’s Abominable Snowman routine. I can almost hear it now - Gary putting on that deep nutty voice and saying, “I used to jump centre for Abominable High.” Throughout his life, Gary was the kind of guy who dreamed big dreams, and then worked his butt off to make those dreams come true. When there were no small presses on the prairies, he worked hard to help found Coteau Books. When the Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts closed down, Gary helped found the Sage Hill Writing Experience. When Moose Jaw was without a cultural centre, he worked countless hours until we had

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one of the best ones in the country. Back in 1996, while flying home from a meeting of Canadian Poets, Gary got to thinking that there really ought to be a literary festival in Saskatchewan, and Moose Jaw was the place for it. A year later, he had the Festival of Words up and running - and in its 15th year it remains a symbol of his leadership. He also helped Moose Jaw become a Cultural Capital of Canada. Elsewhere, this involves complex grant applications which are a big job for large city administrations, but here it was the work of one citizen, with Gary spending a full six weeks on the application. It’s no surprise that many people consider him the

most active arts activist imaginable. He’s served on more Boards than most of us can imagine, often putting in eighty hours of volunteer work per week. For eleven years, in fact, until he came down with ALS, he was the unpaid artistic coordinator who made the Festival of Words fly. Lori Dean, who worked with him, once said, “He does the job of about ten people.” No wonder honours have been heaped upon him. He received four volunteer awards on the provincial level--and even had one named after him. In recent years he was invested in the Order of Canada by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, he was named one of the One Hundred Alumni of Influence by the University of Saskatchewan, and he received an honorary degree from the University of Regina.

Here at home, Gary is the only one in the city’s history to be twice named Citizen of the Year. He always said that Moose Jaw was a great place to live. Hence, it meant a great deal to him when he received a third hometown award, the Moose Jaw Honours Award. When we think of Gary Hyland today - whether we think of him as husband, relative or friend; as teacher, volunteer, or poet - I think we all should have, ringing in our ears, some words voiced by Lorna Crozier at a ceremony when Gary was honoured with the title of “Poets’ Poet”: “Of course Gary is the poets’ poet. And the meadowlark’s poet, and the crow’s and the burrowing owl’s, and the gopher’s. His voice is the land’s voice and the sky’s. And will forever be.”

Audience Moose Jaw Festival of Words, 2006

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It seems fitting then to conclude with that voice, through a few lines of Gary’s poetry that suggest his vision of the future:

T ributes from SWG members

Hyland Luncheon at the Fall Conference October 13, 2007 Photo: Marie Powell Mendenhall

The first sounds will be the bottle rattle of the milkman and the chattering sparrows. You don’t get up right away. You listen to your mother clatter in the kitchen, your father shaking out the paper. The endless sun spills through the window. You think of school. All your homework is ready and all correct. New clothes beckon in the closet. A playground of friends awaits. Your father’s voice, low and casual, spreads warmth and your mother’s voice responds. One of them turns on the radio. A voice declares eternal peace and welcomes you to heaven. Stretching, you decide to rise. ******* Farewell, old friend. May your spirit soar. Bob Currie FREELANCE

hen I began teaching high school in Saskatoon in 1969, it didn’t take very long before I became very much aware of Gary Hyland and his lifelong pal, Bob Currie, who were high school teachers of English in Moose Jaw at the same time. Through the organization of Saskatchewan’s English teachers, I soon met them both and took in more than one of their famous “Bob & Gary” sessions about teaching poetry to teenagers and not only surviving, but making them want to write their own poems. We soon became friends and encouraged one another in our own writing of poems. Gary was possessed of a degree of enthusiasm, the likes of which come along rarely. There was no measuring up to his level of verve and fire, but neither was there any escaping it. He influenced me greatly and in the most positive of ways, both as a teacher, as a poet, and as a friend. We won’t see the likes of Gary Hyland in a long, long time. Glen Sorestad

Established for Windscript - the SWG Magazine of High School Writing, as a tribute to Robert Currie and Gary Hyland. The prize is awarded for excellence in poetry to a high school writer living outside Regina or Saskatoon. The 2011 recipient is Zane Adam of Swift Current.

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Man from Moose Jaw If I could see you again I would tell you how I couldn’t find you at your funeral, where all of Moose Jaw gathered each one of us lost in our own memory, mine of the first time I met you at SaskARTchewan, a conference of the arts in Saskatoon, at least thirty-five years ago & there you are: the writer from Moose Jaw in red Pierre Cardin jacket at a downtown disco & how we show them how it’s done, me jiving all night with the first Moose Jaw Dreamboat, the other two – Currie & MacLean – yet to turn us into the Moose Jaw Movement. You, the town’s poet laureate, the most honoured literary artist in our history, not there in coffin or grave, and lost without your defining presence we gather outside the church, the literati of Saskatchewan lost on a plain of grief, bereft without you, yet still together moving strong in lines that circle each other, leap & torque like a Hyland poem full of new light, of love of place, of words I would tell you about leaving the city, knowing I have not left you there behind me. I hear the explosive crack and boom and crash of ice breaking up on a fast-flowing river, its heave and heft of chunks rising and bashing against a bridge that takes me to my youth racing on my balloon-tired CCM to the steep banks of the Saskatchewan river when the ice moves so swiftly out, & looking back I know why you absented your funeral, not just because there can be no last word from you, now I find you, oh such a fair boy on the bridge, straddling your own CCM & watching the swirl and spin of great wedges of ice, edges sharp as giant glass shards. All poetry, that eternal present held there, in you, & wheeling away from the river, leaving your town, I erect a signpost for all who love this land, this poet: MOOSE JAW, The Home of Gary Hyland. Byrna Barclay composed for the launch of the Moose Jaw Festival April 21, 2011

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Gary Hyland, at left. Fort San in the 1970s Pat Krause Collection

******

was lucky enough to have known Gary Hyland for more than thirty-five years. He was a mentor and a critic and a wonderful friend. Gary was famous for his sharp eye for detail both on, and off, the page. The son of a hairdresser, he never failed, for example, to notice and comment on a new hairstyle, cut or colour! His powers of observation, combined with his wit, heart, intelligence and craft, and the drive to be the best poet he could be, resulted in an astonishing body of work. Gary’s imagination was huge and as varied as the topography of this country. Through the years, he explored all kinds of poetic terrain - from the adventures of adolescence growing up in a small prairie city to the ups and downs of romantic life to the angst of human existence - all from the vantage point

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of his home in Moose Jaw. Gary’s world was local and universal. His poems challenge us, sometimes in witty smart ways, sometimes in dark unsettling ways. His poems may be primarily lyrical or narrative, or a combination of the two, but they are always, always musical. Gary was an inspired craftsman. Read any Hyland poem out loud to experience his mastery of vowels and consonants. If you were ever fortunate enough to listen to Gary perform his own work, you marveled at his ability to make words sing.

Tribute to Gary Hyland He is a poet’s poet, his words call us back to the page, his poems a patchwork quilt, white crane has wings, white crane flying where? To a street of dreams just off main to the work of snow or perhaps towards hands reaching in water searching with intensity, with elegance always finding the poem with music and message perfectly balanced.

Gary Hyland

t is 1977 at the Fort San Writers' School. It is late, very late at night; everything is quiet. This is my first time with a group of "real" writers and I am nervous. Not sleeping I walk the hall in Residence 36, see a light in one of the rooms; the door is ajar. I glance in as Gary Hyland glances up from a desk where he is working. We talk.

As poet, teacher, publisher, editor, mentor, writing friend, cultural and community activist, Gary shared his extra-ordinary skills and talents. Poetry mattered to Gary. Thank you, Gary, for everything you’ve given us. You are missed.

I barely remember what we spoke of, but his words were kind. Or they had the effect of kindness; or they put me at ease. Whatever we spoke of made a kind of loose bond that was just there in the following years, from Fort San, to shared rides to SWG Board meetings with wild replications of Monty Python skits, to the last days in Regina at the Wascana Hospital where Gary listened as I and others read to him. I remember most clearly the look in Gary's eyes one day when I stopped reading, whatever I was reading at the time, picked up another book and read Gary Hyland poems to Gary. What an man; what a really amazing man.

Judith Krause

Anne Campbell

He is a poet’s poet, a people’s poet, creative beyond the muse, his themes crafted carefully with a frosting of humour, his wisdom inspiring us to be more than we are.

Poets in this part of the world owe a great deal to Gary. He was extremely generous with his time and went out of his way to help writers in need. Even during those times in his own long Doris Bircham writing life when the muse and Anne Slade temporarily abandoned him, Gary remained keenly interested in the work of LAFS - Literary Arts Festival Saskatchewan others. Saskatoon, July 20-23, 1989

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May/June 2011

Random quantum memories Gary Hyland

remember Gary from when I first arrived in Regina twenty years ago. Always actively involved in the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, Gary struck me as an upbeat personality, frequently cracking a joke. And his name, ”Gary Hyland” so light-hearted and jolly, reminded me a of Scottish highlander’s jig. I remember how Gary sent me a signed copy of White Crane Spreads Wings after I mentioned some poems that I liked. He was that kind of person, remembering to send someone who appreciated his poems something to be shared: a man of most generous details. I remember Gary wore a red Mickey Mouse necktie when he was master of ceremonies at a Government House Christmas poetry and fiction reading on the theme of snow. On that fun occasion university drama students read our poems and, with the Right Honourable Linda Haverstock present, he added just the right comic flash to a formal occasion. I remember seeing Gary at a meeting in a large dingy meeting place when the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild was in crisis, and he mentioned that he was on meds (something I thought nothing about at the time, high-blood pressure pills perhaps?) and he didn’t need such foolishness going on in the Guild. The voice of balance and reason plus human irritation.

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I remember when Gary and Bob Currie, Gerry Hill and I had twenty-minute plays produced at the Globe’s Sandbox series. Poets write unexpected types of plays, it turns out. While Bob’s was a more serious piece on racism, Gerry’s and Gary’s

to understand. His created persona, “Hammel” – which name reminds me of the conqueror’s name, Hannibal, but in an ironically truncated form – suggested to me a sinister foreshadowing of his blunted self and will soldiering on.

Gary Hyland and Students, Canora Lieutenant-Governor Centennial Libraries and Authors Tour, 2005

plays were situation comedies. I remember Gary at the Moose Jaw Festival of Words, summer after summer (for awhile). His strong generous presence as the founder of that uniquely inspiring festival that has invited great writers ranging from Atwood to Zieroth (A to Z, get it? but not quite all those between yet) not to mention the hundreds of writers in attendance from around Saskatchewan and Canada, year after year. I remember Gary bravely in attendance at the Hagios launch of Hands Reaching In Water when he stood up, and with difficulty read his own words. He spoke with a muffling I had to train my ear

I remember Gary at a Luther reading of his Hands Reaching in Water when he arrived totally hip and debonair wearing a leather jacket though he was confined to his wheelchair. We shook hands briefly and I remember the trapped look in his eye, so human and beseeching and kind, reaching out to me while treading water in a deep and lonely place. I remember I missed the luncheon at the AGM in his favour, and couldn’t bear to attend the many Love of Mirrors events though I have read all his books. Like funerals, such events are necessary celebrations of lifetime achievements but I have always been a coward. gillian russell

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Saskatchewan Poetry Month Reading In celebration of National Poetry month, the Lieutenant Governor and Government House hosted the third annual Poetry Month Reading on April 13.

Five new voices were introduced on April 28 at The Refinery in Saskatoon. Over 70 people came out on a fresh spring evening to hear Caitlin Ward, dee Hobsbawn-Smith, Jess Boyachek, Moira McKinnon and Gary Chappell read from their work.

The reading featured Saskatchewan’s newest Poet Laureate Don Kerr (Saskatoon), along with guest poet Judith Krause (Regina). The host for the evening, poet Katherine Lawrence (Regina) introduced the poets and their readings to a full house of nearly 175 people. The authors were lively and engaging and gave the audience plenty of thoughtful poems. The reception was well attended and provided the audience with the chance to mingle and talk to the poets about poetry. April is National Poetry Month, a time dedicated to reading, writing, speaking and promoting poetry in Canada. To ensure that the word of National Poetry Month is heard across the country, the League of Canadian Poets sponsors readings and performances across Canada and produces a blog that features the works of LCP members.

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SWG Apprentice Reading: Five New Voices

photo: Tracy Hamon left to right: Katherine Lawrence, Don Kerr, Judith Krause

This year’s apprentices in the four-month SWG Mentorship program kept the audience in their seats with a dazzling array of stories and poems. At the end of the program, we bid a fond farewell to Pam Bustin, Saskatoon Coordinator for the SWG and introduced Christina Shah, the incoming Coordinator. The reception after the reading provided the audience and readers with tasty appetizers from Saskatoon’s Caffe Sola and a chance for scandalous conversation.

Workshop: Buffalo Chips - Stories from the Core (Saskatoon) Listen to your inner Trickster! Buffalo Chips, one of the SWG’s newest programs (in partnership with the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op), is a creative writing workshop led by professional Aboriginal writers, with a focus on Aboriginal youth from 15-19 who are living in Saskatoon’s core neighbourhood. Preregistration is required (limit of 15). There is no cost to attend. The workshop will be held at the CNYC from August 22-26, concluding with a public reading and celebration. For more information, email Christina Shah at saskatoon@ skwriter.com

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photo: Jan Morier

Windscript The Magazine of Saskatchewan High School Writing Volume 27 2011 AVAILABLE NOW!

Windscript has been publishing the best of writing by Saskatchewan students in grades nine to twelve since 1983. We welcome students to submit creative writing in any and all forms - poetry, prose, and creative non-fiction - for Volume 28 of WindScript. In 2011, Windscript returned to its original printed format and will also be available on the Saskatchewan Writersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Guildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s web site at www. skwriter.com . Printed copies are available for $6. a copy.

Congratulations to this year's recipients of the Jerrett Enns Awards for Poetry - Alyssa Prudat, and for Prose - Kenton De Jong, both from Regina. The recipient of the Currie-Hyland Prize is Zane Adam of Swift Current. A launch and reading was held at the Connaught Library in Regina, as part of the Cathedral Village Arts Festival on May 25.

Students learn that as in all writing competitions, Windscript guidelines are very important and must be followed in order for submissions to be accepted.

photos: Milena Dzordeski

Windscript Editor Lynda Monahan

May/June 2011

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Talking Fresh 9 By Cassidy McFadzean

alking Fresh 9, “Saskatchewan Poetry Summit,” was held March 4-5 at Luther College, and organized by Gerry Hill in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. This year’s writers were Brenda Schmidt, a writer and painter from Creighton, Saskatchewan; Michael Trussler, a teacher, writer, and poet originally from Southern Ontario who currently lives in Regina; Daniel Scott Tysdal, who grew up in Saskatchewan and currently teaches in Toronto; and Karen Solie, a poet from Saskatchewan, who now lives in Toronto. The weekend culminated with readings by Holly Luhning and Jennifer Still, who were celebrating the launch of their new books, Quiver and Girlwood, respectively. The weekend started off with a panel discussion on Saskatchewan Poetry moderated by Katherine Lawrence. Kathleen Wall summarized the panel beautifully on blueduets.blogspot.com. The panel was a great warm-up for Saturday’s discussions. Afterwards, the poets took to the stage to read their work. Schmidt read a haunting nine-part poem, “Mystic Lake Road Corridor Game Preserve,” published in the spring 2010 issue of Grain; Trussler read new work and poems from his chapbook A Homemade Life, which responds to his photography; Solie read work from her

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Griffin-award winning book, Pigeon as well as new poems; Tysdal read from The Mourner’s Book of Albums. Sessions started early Saturday morning. Brenda Schmidt’s seminar, “Lyric Trap-Lines: Thoughts on the Northbound poem,” was informed by her personal experiences living in Northern Saskatchewan. Schmidt drew a map on the blackboard, detailing her home in Creighton, the tailing pond next to her home, the mine where her husband works, and other

In his seminar, “The Cosmopolitan Mountain on the Prairie,” Michael Trussler spoke of the poet’s ability to perceive human temporality, that the poem is in dialogue with the dead, speaks to future writers, and is in many ways autonomous from the social constructions of time. Unlike narratives, which tell a story to a reader, Trussler suggested that poems might not choose to acknowledge that narratives even exist. He suggested a poem is like praying, except you don’t

Gerry Hill and participants of Talking Fresh 9

photo: Tracy Hamon

landmarks. These spaces in one sense represented the natural environment that inspires much of her poetry and at the same time, provided a metaphor for the writing process; she spoke at some length on how the poem is a type of “home.” Schmidt also commented that the poet stands on the fringes of a community. This spurred much discussion among audience members and perhaps hinted at the strength of the writing community in Saskatchewan.

know the words or who you’re talking to; a poem, he suggested, is terribly agnostic in that it accentuates how little we truly know about experience. Trussler also talked candidly about the influence Eli Mandel has had on his work, and hinted that the prairies may represent a poet’s contemporaries that he writes to, perhaps echoing a sense of community. Karen Solie’s talk centred around nostalgia and mourning. She suggested that she

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Powerpoint presentation. an image of a tractor, or the wanted to discover why she future of Cyborg poetry in Tysdal discussed the state kept returning to the details of Saskatchewan poetry 2030. Tysdal also read from of her childhood in Southhybrid poetry that integrated as depicted by fictional Dr. west Saskatchewan, both in the work of the other three person, and in her writing. Albert Potemkim, future Chief Chancellor of the Unipresenters and many SasShe suggested that it was katchewan poets of the past versity of Moose Jaw, who not nostalgia, or the past imhad travelled through time and present. These poems agined and idealized through made light of many stereoto deliver his findings. The memory, that kept her comtypes of prairie poets yet ing back. She said that nossheer absurdity, and in some at the same time revealed cases, accuracy of Tysdal’s talgia has the capacity to exTysdal’s own creativity and ile us from the present, while comments brought tears of laughter (and perhaps pain) refusal to be defined. In this mourning, which lives inside sense, Talking Fresh 9 proof nostalgia, is more outward to much of the audience. vided a unique avenue of and creative. Solie described One of the funniest moments discussion that reflected the was when Tysdal shared a how mourning actively seeks photoshopped image of “I, diversity of Saskatchewan that which cannot be found poetry. Tractor,” depicting Gerry and is a type of longing for and distancing at the same Hill’s face superimposed over time; mourning, in this Poetry Summit Panel - Michael Trussler, Karen regard, is the work Solie, Katherine Lawrence (moderator), Daniel of poetry and of art. Scott Tysdal, Brenda Schmidt Solie also talked about collecting details and viewing images in juxtaposition, which made her talk simultaneously wide-reaching yet also focused and specific. Dan Tysdal ended the panels with a hilarious

The

Gary Hyland Endowment Fund

photo: Tracy Hamon

A joint project of the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild and the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation, has been developed with Gary and has two purposes.

We hope that you will consider giving generously to the Gary Hyland Endowment Fund, just as Gary has given so generously of himself to so many others.

First, it will provide funding for the Gary Hyland Literary Endowment, which will annually award a grant to a Saskatchewan writer over the age of nineteen who shows promise but has not yet published a book.

Honorary Directors of the Gary Hyland Endowment Fund

The second purpose of the Fund is to provide assistance to others afflicted with ALS by providing expensive respiratory and other equipment which will help those with ALS to remain active and productive for a much longer time than many now do.

Margaret Atwood Sharon Butala Lorna Crozier Robert Currie Patrick Lane Yann Martel Ken Mitchell Shelagh Rogers Jane Urquhart Guy Vanderhaeghe

For information: The South Saskatchewan Community Foundation 306-751-4756 sscf@sasktel.net

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SWG

S hort Manuscript Awards

The SWG Short Manuscript Awards competition recognizes literary excellence in works of creative writing by Saskatchewan authors. Entries are judged by out-ofprovince judges who will be named when the winners of the awards are announced in October 2011. Copyright for all works remains with the author. Winning submissions will be published in Freelance and winners will receive a cash prize. The first place winners will read from their work at the Short Manuscript Awards Lunch at the SWG's Annual Fall Conference on Saturday, October 15 in Regina. Rules: • Entrants must be Saskatchewan residents as of December 31, 2010. • Entrants must be 19 years of age or older. • This competition is open to both SWG members and non-members. • Entrants may not have published a book (or have had a book manuscript accepted for publication) in the category or categories in which they are entering. • Entrants may submit one piece for each category for which they are eligible. • There is no entry fee for members of the SWG; non-members will pay a fee of $10 per entry (regardless of its length). Your fee must accompany your entry. • Make cheques and money orders payable to the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild • The word limits for the categories are as follows: • poetry: maximum 100 lines • short fiction: maximum 5,000 words • literary non-fiction: maximum 5,000 words • children's/young adult literature (prose or poetry): maximum 5,000 words for prose or 200 lines for poetry Please format manuscripts using standard submission (see above). For complete guidelines, please visit our website at www.skwriter.com Submissions must be received in the SWG office by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30, 2011. We will accept email submissions as a Word attachment to info@skwriter.com For more information, contact Tracy Hamon, Program Officer at (306) 791-7743 or programs@skwriter.com

Standard Submission Guidelines for Short Manuscript and Hicks Awards: The following submission criteria must be followed or the entries will not be accepted: • entries must be in English • use plain text fonts (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Courier) and not in display fonts such as Algerian • 12 point font • use black ink on 8 ½ x 11-inch white copy bond paper • entries must be single-sided • at least a one inch margin on all sides • the title and page number must appear on each page • entries must be double-spaced • the paper must be clean (no smudges, drawings, hand-written corrections, or stamped words) • to fasten submissions, use paper clips (including fold-back clips) - avoid staples or any other fas- tener which goes through the paper (including binders, presentation covers, or coil binding) • avoid hole punched paper • good-quality photocopies are acceptable

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May/June 2011

2011 John V. Hicks Long Manuscript Awards The John V. Hicks Manuscript Awards recognizes three unpublished book-length manuscripts annually. The awards rotate between the genres of poetry, fiction, plays, and literary non-fiction. In 2011 the SWG will honour three unpublished, full-length manuscripts of literary nonfiction. Prizes will be as follows: 1st place: $1,000; 2nd place: $650; 3rd place: $350. The winners will read from their work at the John V. Hicks Luncheon on Saturday, October 15, 2011 at the SWG's annual Fall Conference in Regina (expenses paid). 1. Entries must be submitted by or postmarked by Thursday, June 30, 2011. If you are send- ing material close to this date, please consider Xpress Post, Priority Post, courier, or special delivery. Late submissions will not be accepted. 2. When mailing or dropping off your entry, please submit three hard copies of your manuscript. Please keep a copy of your manuscript, as manuscripts will not be returned. 3. A $25 entry fee must accompany the entry. Make cheques and money orders payable to the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild. 4. Due to the length of the manuscripts we will not accept email, fax or digital memory stick submissions. Rules: 1. Entrants must be Saskatchewan residents as of December 31, 2010. 2. Only one entry per person is allowed in the manuscript awards. 3. All entries must be original work. 4. Copyright for the entry remains with the author. 5. No more than 50% of the manuscript may have been published in magazines and anthologies or by broadcast media. 6. The manuscript must be for a full-length work (minimum 35,000 words). 7. The writer’s name and contact information should appear in the cover letter only. All entries will be numbered upon receipt so that they may be judged anonymously. If the writer’s name appears on any page of the manuscript, it will not be accepted for the competition. The name of the manuscript may appear on both the cover page and subsequent pages. 8. There is no application form; instead, please send the entry plus a cover letter that includes the following: • your name and all contact information (including address, home and work numbers, and email address) • the name of your work • confirmation of the following: • that you were a resident of Saskatchewan as of December 31, 2010 • that the work is original to you • that the work will not have been published before the announcement of the awards (although it may have been accepted for publication) • that no more than 50% of the manuscript will have been published or broadcast before the announcement of the awards in October 10. The jury may decide not to award a particular prize if they believe no submission merits it. 11. The decisions of the jury will be final. 12. Winners agree to permit the use of their name and title of their work in promotion by the SWG. 13. Winners agree to acknowledge the SWG in any publication or production program of the winning scripts. Mailing Address: Saskatchewan Writers' Guild, Box 3986 Regina SK S4P 3R9 Courier or Drop-Off Address: Saskatchewan Writers' Guild, 205-2314 11th Ave. Regina SK S4P 0K1 For more information: Contact Tracy Hamon, Program Officer at 791-7743 (phone); 565-8554 (fax); or programs@skwriter.com

May/June 2011

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2011 HYLAND AWARD NOMINATIONs This award has been established to recognize the many achievements of Saskatchewan Writers' Guild members through their volunteer support of the Saskatchewan literary community. criteria • The recipient must be an SWG member and a resident of the province. • Recognition is for volunteer contributions made within the writing community on a local, provincial, or national level. • The recipient must be a volunteer in the writing community for a minimum period of five years. • The Hyland Award recipient must have provided outstanding service to the growth and development of the Writers' Guild and the writing community. In a letter (maximum three pages), the nominating Guild member should provide the following information: • the particular role played by the recipient in the SWG • the impact of the contribution on the growth and development of the Guild and the writing community. • A maximum of two awards will be presented in any year. No award will be presented should the Board decide that a recipient cannot be selected from the nominations put forth. • Awards will not be made posthumously. • Selections should be popular in the sense that they reflect the membership’s aims and ideals and elicit its input and support. They should also be prestigious, recognizing excellence, achievement, and outstanding contributions to the organization. Nomination Letter Nominators are asked to submit a letter as well as the prepared nomination form. This letter should include a description of the nominee's involvement in the Writers Guild or the writing community. The description should be as complete as possible, since it will used as the basis for the nomination. The letter should include the following: • the particular role played by the recipient in the SWG. • the impact of the contribution on the growth and development of the Guild and the writing community. Applications should be typed. Deadline Please note that applications must be received in the SWG office no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, September 2, 2011. Submit nominations to the following address: Box 3986, Regina SK, S4P 3R9. The Award The Hyland Award will consist of a pen and a certificate. The Hyland Award will be presented at the Annual General Meeting of the SWG (held in October each year). Selection Criteria: Volunteer Leadership Award The SWG Board will consider the following areas/topics when selecting the Hyland Award recipient. 1. Personal Background • years in the writing community in Saskatchewan • evidence or examples of a general commitment to writers and the writing community. 2. Growth of Interest • specific groups/committees in the writing community that he/she is involved with • examples of how his/her influence and leadership made the "difference" needed to expand or begin new activities • length of time as a volunteer • special skills or qualities that make him/her effective • special achievements or projects that are of particular note.

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2011 CHERYL AND HENRY KLOPPENBURG Award FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE CALL FOR NOMINATIONS The Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence recognizes Saskatchewan writers who have written a substantial body of literary work. The prize consists of an award of $10,000 donated by Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg and a framed print of a work of art by Saskatchewan artist Dorothy Knowles. The presentation will be made annually in Saskatoon in the fall hosted by the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg will present the award. Submissions for this award must be in the SWG office annually by 4:30 p.m. on June 30. Nominations Forms may be found on the SWG Web site at: www.skwriter.com/docs/23_kloppenburgaward/KLOPPENBURG_Award_ Nomination_Form.pdf CRITERIA The award winner must have written a substantial a body of literary work. ELIGIBILITY 1. Writers must be Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents whose principal place of residence has been Saskatchewan for the last 5 full years or who have spent at least 10 years of their writing careers in Saskatchewan. 2. Writers who have written books in the following genres will be considered: • Fiction • Poetry • Drama • Non-fiction 3. Books may have been published anywhere in the world. 4. Deadline for submissions is annually on June 30th at 4:00 p.m. CST. 5. The prize will be a cash award of $10,000, and a commemorative print of a painting by Saskatchewan artist Dorothy Knowles. 6. There shall only be one award given each year, although an award will not necessarily be given each year. 7. The award shall not be made posthumously unless the writer was alive at the time of selection. NOMINATIONS Nominations will be accepted from the general public, publishers, and writing organizations. Nominations consist of a completed Nomination Form and a maximum of 10 pages of supporting material. There is no limit to the number of nominations an organization can submit. All nominations and their supporting material are considered confidential. • Note 1: If the nominee is not selected for an award in a given year, the nomination will be kept on file for consideration for future awards for 3 years. • Note 2: The nominators will be asked to keep the nomination confidential. JURY The jury shall consist of three prominent Canadian literary figures, one of whom may be from Saskatchewan. The others must be from out-of-province. The jury will remain anonymous and its selection of a recipient will be final. PRESENTATION The presentation will be made annually in Saskatoon in the fall by the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg will present the award. This year’s award will be presented on September 7th, at 2:00 p.m. at the Saskatoon Club.

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Preparation for Culture Days 2011 in Saskatchewan Plans for Culture Days were launched in Saskatchewan and three other provinces as part of a nation-wide media announcement. This will be the second year Saskatchewan has participated in this pan-Canadian event held in late September to increase the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of Canadians in cultural activities in their communities. As part of the Culture Days Launch, Honourable Bill Hutchinson, Saskatchewan Minister of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport, announced that the Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed the week of September 26 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; October 2, 2011 as Culture Days in Saskatchewan. "Culture Days is a great way to celebrate Saskatchewan culture here at home and share it with the rest of

Canada," Minister Hutchinson said. "Culture is central to our creativity and identity, essential to our individual and community quality of life and a valued and integral component of a vibrant and growing economy." SaskCulture, along with its partners Saskatchewan Arts Board and Saskatchewan Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport, has been helping to support community activity organizers in preparing and registering for Culture Days 2011. According to Rose Gilks, SaskCulture General Manager, "There are already several organizations registered in Saskatchewan, and over 300 across the country." "This year, SaskCulture is pleased to announce a new Culture Days Animateur program," Gilks said. "Four

professional artists will be hired to work with communities throughout the province for the next six months on Culture Days initiatives." The program runs until November. According to David Kyle, executive director of the Saskatchewan Arts Board, "Culture Days is an exciting partnership ... and a great opportunity to be involved in a national initiative. The success of the arts and culture sector is built on this kind of collaboration. In Saskatchewan, we recognize that art is for everyone, and it makes a real difference in our quality of life, both socially and economically." Culture Days, as a Canadawide celebration, represents the largest-ever collective public participation campaign undertaken by the arts and cultural community in this country.

Welcome Stacy Riggs, Executive Director Saskatchewan Book Awards The Board of Saskatchewan Book Awards is pleased to announce the appointment of Stacy Riggs as Executive Director effective June 1, 2011. Stacy has a strong management background in not-for-profit organizations, as well as working in the corporate/private and government sectors. Stacy brings to SBA a broad experience in marketing, revenue development, project management and communications. Stacy takes over from Jackie Lay, Executive Director since 2009, who is leaving to pursue other interests. We wish her the best. Saskatchewan Book Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in Saskatchewan writers and publishers at an annual Awards Gala. The next Gala will be held in April 2012.

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May/June 2011

AUGUST

JULY

Authors and publishers will be participating in Words in the Park, a program of reading performances in Regina`s Victoria Park this summer! 6 13 20 27

Marie Powell, Carol Morin Anne McDonald, Dave Sealy, Steve Miller Deana Driver, Judith Silverthorne Bob Friedrich, Lori Saigeon

10 Larry Warwaruk, Jillian Bell, Brenda Niskala 17 Annette Bower, Tara Dawn Solheim 24 Marion Mutala confirmed, so far

David Sealy has published work in magazines, literary journals, and anthologies. His plays, produced in Saskatchewan and Alberta, include Life's Like That, Runaway Barbies, and The Bob Shivery Show. He is currently writing the book for a musical set in medieval Europe. M E Powell is a professional writer with work in print, broadcast, and online markets across Canada and internationally. Her award-winning short fiction and poetry appear in literary magazines and anthologies, including Room Magazine, Transition, Pandora’s Collective, Close to Quitting Time, WindFire, and even the Winnipeg Free Press. Scholastic Canada recently published her book, Dragonflies Are Amazing! Deana Driver is a journalist, author, editor and book publisher based in Regina. Since 2001, she has written four books – true stories of fascinating Prairie people and unsung Canadian heroes. Her latest book is Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner’s Story of Hope, about an inspiring seven-time cancer survivor and her humour-filled husband

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who face her weekly chemo treatments with courage and costumes, bringing laughter and hope to everyone they meet.

Readings in Victoria Park July 6, 13, 20, 27 August 10, 17, 24

Marion Mutala is a Saskatoon author. She recently received the Anna Pidruchney Award for New Writers for her book Baba's Babushka: A Ukrainian Christmas. The award is given annually by Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton. Annette Bower writes in a high rise overlooking the city of Regina. She writes short stories and novels about women in the community, as members of a family, women in love and women searching for love. Her short stories are published in anthologies, journals and magazines in Canada, US and UK. Lori Saigeon is an elementary school teacher, living and working in Regina. Her interest in children’s literature stems from reading first to her students and then to her own children. It was while teaching in inner-city Regina that Lori noticed a lack of fiction geared for urban children, particularly

those growing up in a small prairie city and most especially those with a First Nations/Métis background. Children in Regina's North Central community have benefitted from the zeal that Carol Morin brings - in her storytelling and drumming - highlighting cultural pride along with Aboriginal Teachings, which any child can adapt to their own situation. Her stories are original - but the teachings are age-old with a new twist. Anne McDonald’s first novel To the Edge of the Sea, released by Thistledown Press Spring 2011, explores the formation of Canada during the Confederation Conferences of 1864. Anne values the evocation of time and place and loves researching and finding the story behind the story – the reading between the lines of fact, of history.

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SWG

Un/Controlled Experiments Conference: October 14-16 2011 Ramada Hotel, 1818 Victoria Ave. REGINA SK (306-569-1666)

Friday October 14

Saturday October 15

Sunday October 16

Afternoon:

Morning:

Into the Great Un/Known Emerging vs Established

Stakeholders Session

9:00 a.m.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;12:00 p.m. AGM

Guy Gavriel Kay, Sandra Birdsell, Brenda Niskala, and Lisa Wilson

Research Lab Allan Casey

Living Phenomena: Literary processes and adaptations

Transforming Principles: Literary Translation and Transformation.

Allan Casey and Mari-Lou Rowley

Rita Bouvier & Anne-Marie Wheeler

Active Transport: The Chemistry of a Dramatic Scene

Short MS Awards Lunch

Daniel McDonald & Kelley Jo Burke

Afternoon: Genre-soluble: Insights, Reactions and Possible Solutions.

Con/Structions: The Pros and Cons of Self-publishing

Guy Gavriel Kay & Jon Paul Fiorentino

James Anderson & Mark Sebanc

The Science Within You: Biographical Methods

Alexandra Popoff & Cindy McKenzie

Independent Variables: The Innovative Process Jon Paul Fiorentino and Bruce Rice Controlled Substances: Writers Groups/SWG Program Session

OR Formal Hypotheses: Observations on the Oral/ Written Relationship Jesse Archibald-Barber, Thomas Roussin

Alison Lohans & SWG Staff

Readings by Guy Gavriel Kay, Jon Paul Fiorentino

Evening: Social/New Member Reception

Cocktail Conversations: TWUC with Rep Anita Daher

Caroline Heath Lecture: Guy Gavriel Kay Post-Heath Reception

Evening: John V. Hicks Dinner Open Mic

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The true method of

knowledge is experiment. William Blake

Members in good standing who live more than 100 kilometres from Regina may apply for a travel subsidy of 20 cents per kilometre to help defray their costs. To qualify for this subsidy, members must attend the Annual General Meeting on Sunday. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Ramada Hotel, 1818 Victoria Ave. Regina, SK 306-569-1666 Carpooling and billeting options will be presented. FULL REGISTRATION PACKAGE will be published in the July/August issue of Freelance.

May/June 2011

Deadline For Grants to Writing Groups Applications must be postmarked by Thursday June 30, 2011. Please note that applications and follow up reports must be submitted by mail. We do not accept applications submitted electronically. Each writers group may apply for $500 for this upcoming fiscal year (August 1, 2011– July 31, 2012). A local writing group is eligible for funding if it meets the following criteria: • it has a minimum of five members • two-thirds of the group are members of the SWG • it meets a minimum of six times per year to discuss writing by members • members meet in order to develop their craft • it has provided a follow-up report (with all the requested documentation) for the previous grant If the group is approved for funding, cheques will be issued in September 2011. Groups who receive grants have the following responsibilities: • include mention of SWG sponsorship on all appropriate publicity issued by the group • provide follow-up reports with the next year’s grant application • provide copies of receipts or cheques as part of the follow-up report This grant is intended to help the members of the writers groups develop their craft, so allowable expenses may include, but are not limited to, the following: • fees to an author to offer a workshop • member travel expenses to allow them to attend meetings and craft-development sessions • member participation fees in conferences, workshops, and other craft-development sessions The following restrictions apply: • the grants may not be used for self-publication • the grants may not be used to buy books for the group • the grants may not be used for the costs of a website • the grants may not be used to promote the group or individual members • grants may not be used for social events, food, alcohol, or party favours • writing groups receiving a grant through this program are not eligible for funding through the Author Readings Program within the same grant period • unspent grant money in excess of $50 must be returned to the SWG by June 30, 2012 For more information contact Tracy Hamon at (306)791-7743; programs@skwriter.com www.skwriter.com

May/June 2011

FREELANCE

Flexible Loans You are Not Alone By Jan Morier

or Judith Silverthorne, publishing Ghosts of Government House was not so scary after all, especially with the assistance of the SAB Flexible Loan Program.

“Pretty snazzy place for a book launch!” Jan exclaimed, gazing at the splendid mansion.

His Honour urged the school children in attendance to “let your imagination go.”

“Do you really think there are ghosts here?” gulped Milena.

While the audience was assembled to celebrate the finished book, His Honour reminded us all of the work of authors, researchers, proofreaders, and publishers – the real people behind print and digital books. This is a celebration of authors, but it’s also ‘recognition of all who contribute to a book’.

nippets of conversation and polite laughter emanated from over 120 dignified guests as they strolled into Regina’s Government House Historic Property that day in mid-May.

Judith Silverthorne is an award-winning author who has published nine chilOnce the dren’s novels and two "The SAB home of non-fiction books for Flexible Loan the Lieuadults. Ghosts of Govt e n a n t ernment House was Program is G ove r published by Reginaa wonderful nor of based Your Nickel’s the North initiative Worth Publishing. SilWest Terriverthorne maintains it to benefit tories, the wouldn’t have been the cultural building is possible to consider the earliest community." self-publishing without re p re s e n the help of the FlexJudith Silverthorne tation of ible Loan Program from influence the Saskatchewan Arts Board. and affluence in what is now Regina, Saskatchewan. Now The Flexible Loan Program, is an interpretive centre housa $1.15 million initiative of ing the offices of the Lieutenthe Saskatchewan Arts Board ant Governor, the magnificent and the Ministry of Tourism, 1891 structure and grounds Parks, Culture and Sport. are the perfect setting for ghost stories! “I am grateful to the Saskatchewan Arts Board for proInspired by a real-life pair of viding this loan” Judith says. youngsters and a ‘real “I wouldn’t have been able live’ ghost, Judith Silverthorne has spent, off to publish this book with just and on over a span of six my own resources and I felt years, researching and strongly that this book need‘haunting’ the staff of ed to be done, and in a timely Government House. Judith manner, given that Governloves history, this history. ment House is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. As the Lieutenant GoverThe experience with the SAB nor, the Honourable Dr. has been gratifying.” Gordon L. Barnhart said in Silverthorne was also thrilled to have Lieutenant Governor Gordon Barnhart host the launch of her new book at Government House.

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As an author himself, His Honour quipped “They are called ‘free’ lance writers... It seems like it’s free, with what they get paid.” Judith graciously presented the Lieutenant Governor with a personally autographed copy, in thanks for penning the introduction. “I was delighted to provide the foreword for Silverthorne’s latest children’s novel,” said the Lieutenant Governor. “Silverthorne interwove historical facts with a wonderfully imaginative story to create an educational and adventurous tale.” Silverthorne says the entire experience in writing and producing this book has been miraculous.

his greeting, “Government House stood alone on the prairies.” ...As alone as a writer and an idea.

Photo: Linda Aksomitis

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Background The Flexible Loan Program was formally launched and the program Guidelines and Procedures went on-line March 2, 2010. The Flexible Loan Program is a Saskatchewan Arts Board (Arts Board) and Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport initiative to provide new financial support to increase the entrepreneurial capacity and economic well-being of artists, businesses and nonprofit organizations within the sectors of craft, music and sound recording, publishing and visual arts. Low-interest, short-term, repayable loans are awarded on the basis of a business plan/proposal which demonstrates the revenue that will result from activities undertaken with the loan that will allow for repayment of the loan.

In conversation with Karen Henders, Saskatchewan Arts Board What kinds of success stories by creative people can you share? Ideation Entertainment was able to publish and successfully promote Reaching the Impossible: Dr. Krishna Kumarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Story. Through a Small Business Loan to Theta Lab PostProduction Audio Inc. the program helped launch the Recording Arts Institute of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan's first audio engineering school. The Loan Program also supports creative people through the consultation process. By providing artists with a tool kit of cash flow templates, business planning resources, networking options and the like, we are building entrepreneurial capacity. We anticipate that intake to the loan program will increase in the next year. The Arts Board is currently undertaking an evaluation of the responsiveness and relevance of the loan program in its first year. How did Judith Silverthorne's application stand out?

For loan Guidelines & Procedures go to: www.artsboard.sk.ca click on: Grants & Funding / Creative Industries / Flexible Loan Program

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Judith submitted a very strong application. Not only did she have a proven track record as a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s author but she had done her research and identified a clear market and a realistic plan to reach that market. I have asked Judith if she will allow the Arts Board to use her application as a template

for a successful Micro-loan application. Who are you getting enquiries from for the loan program? Interest is split fairly evenly between Craft, Music and Sound Recording and Visual Arts. There were fewer inquiries in the first year of the program from participants of the Publishing sector. The guidelines and checklists you provide (very handy tools!) - were they developed with financial managers and artists? The Flexible Loan Program Guidelines and Procedures were developed through leading practice and sector research and with advice from the Creative Industries Advisory Committee and loan program managers. The checklists are intended to provide, at a glance, the loan application requirements for the Micro-loan and the Small Business Loan. If you are interested in the loan program, call or e-mail Karen Henders to start the conversation. She can walk you through the loan process and application requirements and discuss the specifics of your circumstances. Even if a loan is not the right fit at this time, there may be other resources that you can be directed to. Karen Henders Creative Industries Consultant kphenders@artsboard.sk.ca 306-787-9634 1-800-667-7526

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The Perils of Forgetfulness, the Rewards of Remembrance This is the second in a series of articles based on a new work-in-progress, The Literary History of Saskatchewan, by David Carpenter

utting together a literary history of Saskatchewan is a task from which I have fled for three or four decades. Years ago I did research on Saskatchewan fiction, and I realized that such a study could be very rich indeed. Instead of writing a book about it, I became a writer. In the early 1970s, however, before my conversion to creative writing, I had been reading prairie history, and I noted that during the Great Depression and beyond, some Albertans forged the Social Credit Party out of the remnants of the United Farmers Movement. This process was fuelled by the arcane economic theories and antiestablishment pronouncements of William Aberhart and his right-hand man, Ernest Manning, a rural preacher as well as a crack politician. At exactly the same time, besieged by the same depression, Saskatchewan voters coalesced around the newly-formed CCF Party (later, of course, the NDP). This movement was fuelled by the speeches of another man of the cloth, Tommy Douglas, who discarded his Protestant gospel in favour of the social gospel.

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I got a great kick out of comparing the speeches of Aberhart and Manning with the speeches of Tommy Douglas and his cohorts in Saskatchewan. It was rural evangelical zeal and Biblical prophesies versus dull, hardedged practicalities; prosperity myths and parables versus plainspeaking realism. In Alberta, the prophesies of sudden wealth came true. In Saskatchewan, we managed Our to balance our have budgets.

ern satire - anything but realism.

The last time I checked it, the line dividing Alberta from Saskatchewan was pretty straight. But when you read your way from west to east, and you cross that line, you have entered a different way, historically speaking, of seeing things. These obvious distinctions have broken down somewhat since poets the 1970s, as led the more and more Saskatchewan way into As my research writers have decidedly moved from pocome under new forms of the spell of litical to literary history, I began postmodern expression. to notice differand postcoloences between nial theory and the fiction set in Alberta and writing. Our poets have led the fiction set in Saskatchthe way into decidedly new ewan. The most notable forms of expression. But at classics of Saskatchewan the core of Saskatchewan fiction are almost invariably writing, there is still evidence realistic in tone: Who Has of that plainspeaking adherSeen the Wind, As for Me ance to realism. A fine brace and My House, The Lamp at of recent novels from Connie Noon & Other Stories, the Gault and Dianne Warren are fictional sections of Wolf good examples. Willow, the early stories of Dianne Warren, Guy VanderThis makes me wonder if haeghe and Bonnie Burnard. Saskatchewan writers (poets But if we take a close look at not so much) aren’t somethe monuments of Albertawhat insulated from the literbased fiction of the same ary fashions and trends of era, we get something rather the contemporary world. This different in tone and concepquestion has been raised tion. I’m thinking of Howard before by other people, and I O’Hagan’s Tay John, Robert don’t have an answer. Kroetsch’s Badlands and The Studhorse Man, Rudy In the midst of this thought Wiebe’s aboriginal fiction, the other day, while going W.O. Mitchell’s Jake stories, through the latest New Yorsome of Van Herk’s narraker, I came across a story by tives. We get myth, epic, tall Alice Munro entitled “Axis.” tales, broad comedy in the It’s a delightful story about hyperbolic tradition, various two friends, farm girls, who takes on romance, postmodhead into the big city to at-

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tend university. One of the finest moments in the story is a scene in which one of the main characters, assisted by her family and her big city boyfriend, prepares a huge batch of strawberries for preserves. I was reminded while reading “Axis” that many stories like this one, read avidly by New Yorkers over the past four decades, are very much in demand by sophisticated book-loving readers throughout the English-speaking world. So if some of our most gifted authors are still writing realistically about the impact of their landscape, their rural origins, their unique history, well, as long as they do it brilliantly, I’ll be among the first to line up and buy their books. Imagine telling Alice Munro that she seems somewhat insulated from the literary fashions and trends of the contemporary world. Shape up, Alice. Get with the program.

As I confessed, above, I’ve been fleeing from the task of dealing with this rich and complex history for three or four decades, but it’s managed to seduce me once again. I suppose I could have attempted to write the entire literary history of Saskatchewan myself, like George Melnyk did in his two-volume Literary History of Alberta, a monumentally tall order. But instead I hired twenty-three luminaries with solid track records as literary essayists to do the job for me. When you stack their essays all together and put your ear close to the pile, you can here a multiplicity of points of view, whispers of allegiance, discord, solidarity and outright disagreement. They begin to sound like a meeting of the Writers’ Guild, and occasionally like the Knessit. Anyway, let them mull over these questions for a while. I have other challenges to meet. Like these damn bluebirds fluttering around my

Freelance invites you to share your expertise in the craft of writing.

short fiction Poetry Children's Historical Young Adult

uHumour

i Science Fiction MYSTERY

Romance

May/June 2011

study. They just appeared the day my last Freelance arrived in the mail. (See the March/April issue, page 30.) And all around my feet, these damn adoring forest animals, squirrels and rabbits and such. I think they’ve all imprinted on me or something and I can’t get them the hell out of the room. Some prankster, I guess, I don’t know. Anyway, where are the exterminators when you need one? David Carpenter, Saskatoon

David Carpenter is taking a break from writing books this year in order to edit The Literary History of Saskatchewan. His recent work includes the novel Niceman Cometh (2008), the collection of novellas Welcome to Canada (2009), and the memoir A Hunter`s Confession (2010).

What do publishers look for? • How much research is too much? • What do you consider when switching from writing short fiction to novels? Submit your articles for consideration. Next Freelance deadline is 1 st week of July. Contact communications@skwriter.com

FREELANCE

The Space-Time Continuum By Edward Willett

n his novel Time Enough for Love, science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein included a number of aphorisms supposedly taken from the notebooks of his centuries-old central character, Lazarus Long. One of these I have ever since taken a kind of mischievous pleasure in sharing with poets of my acquaintance: “A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits.” You might think, Heinlein occupying such an exalted place in the science fiction pantheon, that his proclamation would be enough to keep poetry far, far away from science fiction, and science fiction writers far, far away from poetry, separated by a vast gulf like that between the stars...but in fact, science fiction poetry is a thriving literary field in its own right. Just what is and is not science fiction poetry, however, is a matter for some debate (but then, so is just what is and is not science fiction). Some people spread the umbrella of science fiction poetry so wide that it stretches all the way back to ancient Greece to encompass The Odyssey. Others consider science fiction poetry to be, simply, poetry with “recognizable science fiction themes” (space travel, time travel, etc.).

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At the other extreme, there is The first is poetry concerned a theoretical argument that with science and its influence science fiction poetry cannot on our world. Collings’s exeven exist, because (if I’ve ample is “Relative Distances: got the argument right), our Nantucket, 12.29.85” by sense of the fantastic when Robert Frazier, which he we read prose arises from says uses “the imagery and the narrative’s description of language of astronomy to a reality different than our explore not only the distances own. Poetry, this argument of outer space but also the goes, does not describe any equally frustrating distances kind of reality, but is entirely of inner space, of relationself-reflexive: it’s about itself ships between father and and its own images. This child in a world altering means, says theorist Tzvetan faster than each can underTodorov, that stand and in “poetry cannot which father be fantastic.” and child may, Science some critical fiction poetry in But the trousense, be faris a thriving ble with that ther apart than theoretical the stars they literary field argument is watch.” in its own that it is quite easy in the real A second right. world to point stream conto poems and sists of poems say, “that’s a science fiction that attempt to bridge the poem.” How do you know gap between science fiction it’s a science fiction poem? stories and science fiction Because it was conceived, poetry, presenting science written and published as one. fictional narratives in poetic (It’s like Damon Knight’s form, so that the poetry endefinition of science fiction: hances the effect of the nar“Science fiction is what we rative and vice versa. point to when we say it.”) A third stream, Collings sugCertainly there is a thriving gests, is concerned with the community of poets who relationship between SF popractice what they consider etry and poetry at large, and to be science fiction poetry. works “away from traditional So...what kind of poems do forms, language, and/or conthey point at when they say, tent, to assert the genre’s “that’s science fiction poetry?” ‘alien-ness,’ its other-ness within the community of Poet Michael Collings, in poets.” his essay “Dialogues by Starlight,” online at www. His primary example is “Shipstarshineandshadows.com/ wrecked on Destiny Five,” essays/2004-03-29.html, a 1986 poem by Andrew identifies three main streams Joron that, he says, “lacking of science fiction poetry. consistent rhyme, patterns,

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traditional meter, even conventional typography, and characterized by a constant use of traditionally non-poet (i.e., ‘scientific’) diction... recreates through texture and imagery the alienation, frustration and despair of its speaker...His work creates contexts that incorporate science, fiction, and poetry, all contributing to the final effect.” So supposing you’re a poet, intrigued by the possibilities inherent in SF poetry. Where do you go for more information? The Science Fiction Poetry Association, of course. You’ll find it at www.sfpoetry.com

where you’ll also find a paying market listing, a listing of upcoming SF poetry events and readings, news and more. The SFPA also presents the annual Rhysling Award for best SF poetry of the previous year. Works nominated by SFPA members for the award also appear in the annual Rhysling Anthology, a good place to start if you want to see the best SF poetry on offer.

com/2005/20050502/ poetry-symposium1-a.shtml Inspired by my own column, let me take a stab at my own science fiction poetry:

For a fascinating discussion of SF poetry, also be sure to check out “Speculative Poetry: A Symposium,” an in-depth discussion by three poets and editors active in the field, online at www.strangehorizons.

Hmm. Maybe Heinlein really did have a point.

G DANCE! SPRING FLING FUNDRAISIN

An unpublished writer of rhyme Travelled three hundred years back in time. He stole from a poet Who, unborn, didn’t know it. Plagiarizing the future’s no crime!

edwardwillett.com My new young adult novel: Song of the Sword (Book 1 of The Shards of Excalibur) (Lobster Press)

held at Regina's Austrian Club April 9 as a chance to mix and mingle with fellow Guild members and the general public

Funds raised were in support of SWG youth programs

The Canadian Drifters played their 'old time' roots tunes with a mix of country, tangos and swing - not to mention good old Rock 'n Roll.

May/June 2011

FREELANCE

BOOKS by MEMBERS A Girl Called Tennyson by Joan Givner thistledown press

The Books by Members feature is a promotional service for individual Guild members. To let others know about your latest book, send a copy and a description along with a brief autobiographical note. The book will also be displayed in the SWG library.

Bethan, who understands the enemy's weaknesses and offers Tenn resources and information that can help her on her mission. Tenn is eventually successful in finding Una but soon discovers that there are many more children who must be saved and that her quest has just begun.

This classic fantasy quest from established YA author Joan Givner takes readers on an adventure where her hero's love of poetry, story and rhyme will give her the edge to succeed. Anne Tennyson Miller's adventure begins during an ordinary west coast ferry trip, but reality soon melts away as she is transported to the fantasy land of Greensward. Once in Greensward, Tenn is elected by the distraught citizens to rescue her new friend, Una, who has been spirited away to a nearby country occupied by evil forces determined to destroy the harmony of Greensward. Before she sets out on her dangerous mission she is trained by the wise woman,

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Joan Givner is a former English professor at the University of Regina. She is the author of the Ellen Fremedon series (Groundwood), and has published biographies of Katherine Anne Porter and Mazo de la Roche, as well as an autobiography. She is the winner of the 1992 CBC fiction competition.

An Englishman's Daughter by William Wardill Benchmark Press

The book begins with a paleo-Indian hunter, proceeds through two world wars, the prelude to the settlement period, the creation of a hybrid society by people who came from other places, and finally, to a community in danger of losing the railway tracks which have been the reason for its presence on the map of Saskatchewan. Wardill, an 82-year-old historian, columnist, and Athabasca University alumni, is no stranger to writing. He has written over 20 self-published books which include creative non-fiction, fiction, and poetry

May/June 2011

Ghosts of Government House by Judith Silverthorne Your Nickel's Worth Publishing

Extensions by Myrna Dey NeWest Press

That Summer in Franklin by Linda Hutsell-Manning Second Story Press

The lights suddenly go out one night while best friends Sam and J.J. are touring Government House in Regina. What's worse, mysterious footsteps head straight toward them! Is it the legendary ghost "Howie"? And is he responsible for all the strange things happening in the historic mansion?

A chance discovery of a sepia photograph of her grandmother and her twin sister leads RCMP constable Arabella Dryvynsydes on an investigation: how did a picture taken in 1914 in the mining town of Extension, B.C. end up at a garage sale in rural Saskatchewan almost one hundred years later?

The two girls, along with Grandma Louise, find out more than they'd bargained for when they set out on their ghost-detecting adventures - and try to convince Sam's older brother Gabe that there really are ghosts in the former vice-regal residence.

As Arabella sifts through long-forgotten letters and buried memories, she unearths heartbreaking truths of her family history - and in the process also resolves a century-old murder.

What began as short story called "Miss Purity Flour" - a finalist in Glimmer Train Magazine's Very Short Fiction Contest - has become seventy-year-old Linda Hutsell-Manning's first novel. The accomplished author of a dozen books for children, Hutsell-Manning has written a very personal first novel for an adult audience.

Are there really ghosts in Government House?

Who are the ghosts ... and why are they there? Judith Silverthorne, a multiple-award winning author, has published eight childrens' novels as well as two non-fiction books for adults.

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Myrna Dey has made her home in Kamsack since 1976 after living in Guyana, Berlin, Berkeley, California, and several Canadian cities. This is her debut novel.

That Summer in Franklin finds both Hannah Norcroft and Colleen Pinser struggling to deal with elderly parents affected by dementia and alcoholism. Hutsell-Manning captures the grief in caring for an elderly parent, and the regrets of middle-age and past mistakes. But her characters also find hope as they rediscover joy in relationships they'd come to take for granted, and that new beginnings can happen at any time of life.

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LETTER to the EDITOR Letters to the Editor are welcome. Please send to Editor, Freelance, P.O. Box 3986, Regina, SK SRP 3R9

TO THE EDITOR I had to write my first letter to the editor in a very long time, when I read Ted Dyck’s missive to this page, “Methinks the Professor Doth Protest Too Much”. I was so moved by this little essay in the guise of letter that I had to respond, if for no other reason than to keep this debate on language going. It was so much more interesting than the reports of conferences, workshops, and publications that Freelance usually describes that I was absolutely elevated. I have to say that I was equally enchanted by Robert Calder’s preceding article, “And Another Thing”, a brilliant commentary on the religion of writing. Although these two writers clearly disagree on some aspects of literary craft, their rhetoric is both brilliant and instructive. To have two fine writers (and professors) sharing their views on the power of language – in the same issue – has inspired me to work harder and to appreciate more the craft we share. Thanks, Freelance, for your continuing dedication to the advance of literacy and ideas. Sincerely Ken Mitchell

FREELANCE

Eric Nicol: An Appreciation By Gerald Hill

see Eric Nicol died Feb. 2 in Vancouver, age 91. For a while, decades ago, he was the funniest writer I knew.

Someone at the Saskatchewan Arts Board must have felt the same way. Eric Nicol was the first guest writer at an SWG conference, the founding conference at Fort San in August of 1969, which the Arts Board organized. Both Ken Mitchell and Jean Freeman, two of the SWG founders, were Nicol fans at the time. “I always enjoyed reading his columns,” Mitchell says.

I think it was the essaying in his books and columns that thrilled me. I took them as points of entry into how I might observe my own world and, eventually, find language In the very first issue of for it. That’s what Nicol had the SWG newsletter, dated done in October ’69, Jean his collecFreeman offered Eric Nicol tions of this observation: humourwas the first ous esguest writer at Perhaps one of says The the main disap...the founding Roving I pointments of the (1951), conference was conference at Shall We the minimal formal Fort San in Join the participation of August of 1969. guest-writer, Eric Ladies? (1956) Nicol. However, and Girdle me a Globe it was never Mr. Nicol’s (1958), his three Leacock intention to give any sort Medal for Humour winof stand-up address, and ners. All the uncool stuff his observations and my parents and their subcomments in the discusurban neighbours were into sion periods and in private seemed to show up fully conversation were of revealed in one Nicol piece great interest and value to or other. I haven’t read these any writers who cared to books for decades and, as join in . . . and many did. the Globe obituary gently The fact that Mr. Nicol noted, “a sense of humour is a novelist, humourist, that earned a wide audience dramatist, columnist, and in the 1950s could become sometime lecturer, as well to seem dated as the decas a man who lives by the ades passed”. But back then, fruits of his craft, made when I’d seen Mrs. Spector, him a multiple-plus as a from next door, reach for guest. the peanuts during a bridge Writing humour was “a low game, with her heavy-laccalling,” Nicol said. Never quered nails and silver bracemind. With his books, I was lets, I thought Nicol had such an adult reader for the first a scene just right. Better time. Thank you, Eric Nicol. than just right, funny as hell.

May/June 2011

Markets & Competitions l Deadline: June 30 The Bridport Prize is accepting short stories and poetry for its annual contest. More details are available at www.bridportprize.org.uk/ rules.htm

l Deadline: June 30 SoundXchange is again calling for short prose and creative non-fiction (800 words or less), and suites of poems that can be read in under 5 minutes, by Saskatchewan writers only, for broadcast on our regional arts program (Saturdays at 5 pm on CBC Radio 1). The literature producer, Kelley Jo Burke will be reading submissions from May 30-June 30, 2011. The next call will be in December 2011. Send to Kelley Jo Burke Spoken Word producer, SoundXchange CBC Radio Box 540 Regina SK S4P 4A1 or e-mail: kelley.jo.burke@cbc.ca

l Deadline: July 1 The 2012 Ken Klonsky Novella Contest: Quattro Books will publish the two best novella manuscripts (15,000 to 42,000 words). Details at www.quattrobooks.ca

l Deadline: July 31 In addition to their usual continuous submissions, Transition is calling for submissions to a special issue on humour for fall 2011. What's so funny about

May/June 2011

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.

crazy? The usual guidelines apply (see www.cmhask.com). Include the word "humour" in the subject line of your electronic submission. Electronic submissions are preferred (with full contact information and a brief bio). Submit manuscripts in Word or WordPerfect format (12-point Times New Roman, doublespaced, 2.5 cm margins) as e-mail attachment to: contactus@cmhask.com or directly to the editor at tdyck@sasktel. net. Or send hardcopy manuscripts (typed, one-sided, 12point, double-spaced, 2.5 cm margins), together with full contact information, a brief bio, and self-addressed, stamped return envelope with sufficient postage, to: Transition, 2702 12th Ave. Regina, SK S4T 1J2

Freelance Advertising Rates Freelance accepts classified and display ads at the following rates: Display ads: Full page: $150 1/2 Page: $100 1/4 page: $50 business card: $35 (add gst to above rates; 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).

l Deadline: August 1 The Malahat Review Creative Non-Fiction Prize 2011 Prize: $1000 Entry fee: $35 CAD for Canadians $40 USD for US entries $45 USD for entries from elsewhere (entry fee includes a one-year subscription) Enter one piece of creative nonfiction between 2000 and 3000 words in length. It could be memoir, personal essay, cultural criticism, nature writing, literary journalism, etc. For complete guidelines go to www.malahatreview.ca l Deadline: August 1 The John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award's Short Story Competition. Details can be found at www.johnkennethgalbraith literaryaward.ca

EVENTS The “Prairie Horizons” conference provides an opportunity for children's writers, illustrators and performers from the prairies to gather for an inspiring weekend of business, learning and networking. CANSCAIP PRAIRIE HORIZONS CONFERENCE: “Beyond the Horizon: Imagine the Possibilities”, Sept 16-18, 2011. Held at St. Michael’s Retreat in Lumsden, this inspirational weekend for children’s writers and illustrators is sure to recharge your creative batteries. Keynote speaker SHANE PEACOCK, plus 3 other presenters. Registration forms will be available June 15!

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W ELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Glen Baxter, Saskatoon Vanessa Bonk, Regina

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SWG Programs Writers' Assistance Fund Grain Magazine Writers/Artist Retreats Gary Hyland Endowment Fund Pat Armstrong Fund SWG Foundation q Endowment Fund q Facilitated Retreats q Judy McCrosky Bursary

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

Iv C. Kane, Nokomis Christin Krienke, Regina Glen Larson, Outlook Aileen Mani, Saskatoon Gloria Morin, Moose Jaw Jordan Nicurity, Regina Karen Northover, Regina Laurie Rasmussen, Moose Jaw Darla Read, Saskatoon Carol Rempel, Moose Jaw Madelin Sheridan, Regina Lee Ward, Nipawin Colette Wheler, Saskatoon Shannon Wright, Vanscoy

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May/June 2011

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SUPPORTERS ($100 - $199)

PATRON (over $500)

Aksomitis, Linda Archibald-Barber, Jesse Armstrong, William Biasotto, Linda Bircham, Doris Dean, Jeanette Edlund, Merill Episkenew, Jo-Ann Fahlman, Jean Givner, Joan Goertzen, Glenda Gossner, Carol Grandel, Loaine Hamilton, Sharon Husband, Carol & John Leech, Robert MacFarlane, Sharon Muirhead, Laurie Olesen, Joyce Rice, Bruce SR Roussin, Thomas St George, Marie Elsie Tesar, Erica Traquair, Morgan Trussler, Michael Unrau, John Wagner, Bernadette Zacharias, Marlace

Birnie, Howard Brassard, Francois Clarke, Helen Epp, George Duke, Scott Durant, Margaret Hertes, David Jordan, Terry Lohans, Alison Lorer, Danica Malcolm, David McArthur, Wenda Merle, Charles Monahan, Lynda Moore, Jacqueline Mulholland, Valerie Nilson, John & Linda Noël-Maw, Martine Robertson, William Schmon, Karen Sorestad, Glen Stoicheff, Peter Terschuur, Betty Toews, Terry Ulrich, Maureen Warwaruk, Larry Wilson, Garrett Young, Dianne

Balogh, Mary Calder, Robert South Saskatchewan Community Foundation

FRIENDS ($50 - $99) Bouvier, Rita Bowen, Gail Carpenter, David Charrett, Doug Cunningham, Donna Epp, Joanne Fisher, Chris Guymer, Myrna Khng, George Kostash, Myrna Lorer, Danica Patton, Anne Rice, Bruce Witham, Janice

May/June 2011

BENEFACTORS ($200 - $499) Currie, Robert Goldman, Lyn Lorer, Danica Schmidt, Brenda

WAF Mikolayenko, Linda Ursell, Geoffrey RETREATS Galbraith, William Kostash, Myrna Lawrence, Katherine Lorer, Danica McCaig, Joann Semotuk, Verna Smith, Tammy GRAIN Kloppenburg, Cheryl FOUNDATION Adam, Sharon Bidulka, Anthony Boerma, Gloria Brewster, Elizabeth Calder, Robert Carpenter, David Conacher, Myrtle Dutt, Monica Glaze, David Hertes, David Kerr, Don Martel, Yann Noël-Maw, Martine FACILITATED RETREAT Hogarth, Susan JUDY McCROSKY BURSARY McCrosky, Judy

FREELANCE

Freelance May/June 2011 Volume 40 Number 3

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