December 1985
tfw FederatLon of BrLtisfr Eotumbia Uritars News[etter
NEWS FROM THE EXECUTIVE November
20
The latest Council meeting was held for
the first time in our new offices in the Vancouver
Block
at 126 - 736 Granville StreeL The office hours vary and the phone number
is 683-2057. Our proper mailing ad-
dress remains the PO
Box number, however.
WORDFROMTTIECHAIR With the office rented, reasonably fumished and staffe4 it's time to look beyond our immediate needs. New member's applications arB ssming in at a steady rate, and there's still lots of work to be done in establishing the Federation as the voice of the province's writers. Several letten went out receutly with the intent to further that end. Perhaps the most importaDt was to the Cultural Services Branch in Vicloria to prcpose a Dew method of selecting book titles for provincial subsidy. We suggested that a new Board be established for this purpose, and that it be composed of two publishers, two writers (each with at least two books !o their credit), and a librarian. This body would then come to lhe ministry with a proposal as to who should receive a subsidy. Another letter went to James Chabot, the Minister of Government Smirices, tying the Federation's wagon to the aDnouncement that a new trade office is being opened by the province, iu West Germany. In it we propose that culture be an integral part of the new office and specifically, that books by B.C. authors, as well as B.C. magazinss ao6 B.C.- made books be readily available there. A copy of our letter to Victoria was sent !o the Association of Book Publishers of B.C., and we hope that they loo will take time to write trc Victoria on this subject. CHUM, the radio chain thatincludes CFUN in Vmcouver has applied !o the CRTC for a new channel, to be called a significant focus on the arts in B.C. Adopting the slogan "Make the Arts a Pafi of Your Life," will be a series entitled AfisFACT, devoting an annual $lfi),fiX) to "Canadian creative talent working in the Vancouver area" and, among other thiogs, 13 hours of original radio drama. We strongly concur that they should be favoured over a proposed country-music application, and will be telling the CRTC just that, this December.
AKTZr which will offer
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Oct.
18 A wildly
successful award night saw out-of-
towners squeezed in at the last minute after all the official tickets to the evening ofpresentations, buffet dinner and music were long sold out. More than 300 members of B.C.'s writing and publishing community etrjoyed Vicky Gabereau's delightful emceeing and rubbed elbows with each other in a seating arrangement that wisely broke up possible cliques and allowed some healthy networking to go on. According 0o Trevor Carolan, a giveu table might find a writer, a bookseller, a librarian, a publicisl and a poet thrown logether. Among the surprises of the evening was the presence of the great Haida artist Bitl Reid. James Chabot
and Tom Fielding rcpresented Culhral Services in Victori4 and Ald. Marguerite Ford of Vancouver.
However, the main eventresulted in ttre prizes being awarded as follows: - Roderick Haig-Browu Regional Prize: Hilary Stewart's Cedar - Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize: Audrey Thomas's Inteftidal Life - Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize:
David Ricardo Williams' Du.,ff - Bill Duthie Booksellet's Prize (a citation) Is/zn/s on thz Edoe Our proposed Sumner Wrilers' Retreat is now being viewed with considerable sympathy by Victoria for which money cm probably be found, and which the Fed. would certainly like to help organize. It's just the kind of thing for which we were established. (If you have the kind of skills/interests which are suited to such a project coniact the office, as it involves many aspects, aod even a li$le time/help can go a long way!) Keep your
-
eye on this newsletter for further developments.
But potentially the most far-reaching proposal is still in its planning srages. Even before Crawford Killian souded an alarm in the Vancouver Province of Nov. 10th, about disastrously falling English standards, we began working on a scheme to use writers (...p.2..)
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Saturday, December 14 is the Federation's Open Hlurse at the new office. Take some time out your Holiday shopping and drop in to see us. We'll be open from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm. #126 - 736 Gmnville, just south of Scyntour
of