After eight years, Powell River Writers Conference is taking a one year hiatus. When the executive met at the AGM May 11, the future of this valuable event seemed dim but thanks to a group of creative thinkers, it is simply taking a break to re-invent itself.

I retired as president,and head organizer, as did my husband Dave from being treasurer. The new board consists of: President Jennifer Salisbury, VP Donna Koleszar, Treasurer Heidi Sullivan, Secretary Gwen Enquist, Memberhip Barb Rees,Member at large for writing grants,  Bud Gilham, Member at large  looking for creative means to continue the conference in 2013, Hannah Main Van-der Kamp.

Although the conference email will remain active, please direct further correspondence  to Jennifer: jennifer@platinumbusinessdevelopment.com

In the interim, the new board are actively seeking a partner organization or festival to work with or be under their umbrella. More hands make lighter work and make for bigger exposure and contacts. PRWC will apply for grants to hire an event organizer.  Possibly the whole layout of the conference needs to be restructured.

It was agreed that bigger isn’t necessarily better. Many comments have been made over the years from writers saying how much they’d enjoyed the intimacy of a small event where they have ample opportunity to talk with the presenters and others. Jennifer called it “The Biggest Little Writers Conference.” Maybe we’ve been stressing out too much about it getting bigger, but as a small conference it still has the same costs so if it stays small we need to cut down on expenses.

 Change is good. Together Powell River Writers Conference will resurface in 2013 an even more vibrant event. Please send us your ideas and feedback. Thank you for all your support over the years. THank you to our patrons Sylvia Taylor and Anthony Dalton for believing in us.

It was my pleasure to found it, and serve for these eight years. I know my writing has  benefited greatly from all the professionals who’ve attended , plus I’ve made a ton of writer friends.

” Freshed washed air follows a storm and  the promise of a rainbow lights our hearts.” A Barbism

Barb Rees/past president

With only six days until the 8th annual Powell River Writers Conference they’ve done it again. A surprise guest speaker has been added to the Saturday workshops. Melody Poirier, from Island Blue Print and Printorium Bookworks will bring attendees tips for simplifying the process on the way to the printer. See her bio and info on the presenter page.

The other exciting news is an adjustment in Sylvia Taylor’s Master Class. Previously focused on working with editors and agents, ” A-Z of Self-editing”  now shifts to focus on learning self-editing tricks. What writer doesn’t need to self-edit?  Space is limited so book now using the Master Class form found on the presenters page.  A  hands-on workshop, bring at least three pages of work.

It’s not too late to register for the weekend,  learn from the best, and be inspired to keep writing. Can’t attend the whole weekend? For only $10 you can enjoy a full evening of entertainment at the April 15 opening ceremonies. Program online . Tickets at Breakwater Books or call Barb: 604-485-2732. Email:  prwriters@shaw.ca

March 28, 2011

Calling All Scribes! Contest Date Fast Approaching

 The contest deadline for the annual writers’ conference is fast approaching. Entries need to be in by April 1^st. All it takes is a 300 word piece of prose or 20 lines of poetry using the words travel, rainbow, inspiration, great,and exercise in the text. You could win a cash prize for either 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd place. Okay, all you scribes! Time to sharpen your pencils (or maybe boot up the computer). A cover sheet with your name, address and phone number must accompany your submission.

  Conference Master Classes with Patrons Sylvia Taylor and Anthony Dalton 

On Friday April 15, 9:30- 11:30, Sylvia Taylor teaches “The A to Z of Working with an Editor/Literary Coach”. What a great way to improve the effectiveness of this important aspect of the writing process.

In the afternoon of Friday April 15, 1:30-3:30, Tony Dalton talks on “Freelance for Profit”. This is the way writers actually get paid for their writing or even make a living wage!

You can sign up for either or both of these exceptional classes on our conference website www.prwriters.org. Classes are sold separtely from conference registration. These patrons of the Powell River Writers Conference will answer any and all you questions. Don’t miss this great opportunity!

Book Launch for Barb Rees- Come Out and Celebrate with Barb

April 5: 7:00 p.m. at Breakwater Books, Barb Rees will launch “RV Canada’s Far North on a Dream”, her 3rd book in her and husband Dave’s Canadian adventures. Thrill with a ‘north of 60? travel show as Barb and Dave take you to the land of grizzlies, gravel roads and vast expanses.

Preorders for the book now available. Go to: www.write2dream.com for details or contact Barb: dreambg1@shaw.ca . See you there!

Author Susan Juby Reading at Breakwater Books

Tuesday April 12^th – 7:00 p.m. hosted by Malaspina Writers Association and Powell River City Library

Susan Juby is a Nanaimo author who will be do a reading from her books. Susan is a bestselling author of seven books. 

• Alice, I think (2000)
• Miss Smithers (2004)
• Alice Macleod: Realist at Last (2005)

• Another Kind of Cowboy (2007)
• Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance and Cookery (2008)
• Nice Recovery(2010). Juby’s first non-fiction book, Nice Recoveryrecounts the story of her struggle with alcoholism as a youth.
• Home to Woefield / The Woefield Poultry Collection (2011)

Juby began writing her first novel during her daily public transit commute The resulting novel, Alice, I Think, was published in 2000 by Thistledown, a small Canadian press. Juby recounts that she “wrote the book for [her] 50-year-old godfather” and felt taken aback to discover that her work was identified by her publisher as a young adult novel. Alice, I Think was nominated for the Books in Canada First Novel Award in its year of publication. Shortly thereafter, Juby left Hartley & Marks to study at Simon Fraser University where she entered the Master of Publishing program.

Juby now writes full time, and lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia with her husband James, her horse Tango, and dog Frank.

Thanks to newsletter editor Gwen Enquist for composing an extra newsletter this month.

Collegue’s of the Conference Sponsorship Levels:

Gold: Donations $1000 and over

Gold sponsors have their names and logos on the program, posters, the web site, and displayed at the venue. Sponsor receives 2 tickets to the Writer’s Banquet April 16. Reservations requested.

Tourism Powell River

School District #47

Silver: Donations $500 – $999

Silver sponsors have their names and logos on the program, the web site, and displayed at the venue. Sponsor will receive 2 tickets to the opening ceremonies April 1

Powell River Council for Arts, Culture and Heritage

Bronze: Donations $50- $499

Bronze sponsors have their names on the programs, the web site and displayed at the venue.

Powell River Peak

Words of Worth

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Donations to the Silent Auction, a fundraiser for Henderson School Breakfast Program:

www.prwriters.org

March, 2011

 Membership Time

Our membership drive is in full swing and Donna Koleszar of the membership committee reports that 28 people have sent in their membership dues. The $10 dues help support the writers’ conference, gives voting rights to the member at the annual general meeting and garner perks from the society when you launch a new book. The membership form can be downloaded from the website. Let’s reach that wonderful 50 mark this year.

Book Launch for Barb Rees

 April 5: 7:00 at Breakwater Books, Barb Rees will launch “RV Canada’s Far North on a Dream”, her 3rd book in her and husband Dave’s Canadian adventures. Thrill with a ‘north of 60′ travel show as Barb and Dave take you to the land of grizzlies, gravel roads and vast expanses.

Preorders for the book now available. Go to: www.write2dream.com for details or contact Barb: dreambg1@shaw.ca . See you there!

 Writing Contest Offers Cash Prizes

 Everyone likes cash, right? Earn cash prizes by entering the Powell River Writers’ Conference writing contest. Just write 300 words of prose or 20 lines of poetry and use the following fives words in the text: rainbow, exercise, inspiration, great, travel. No problem, right? Submit by April 1^st. Submission details at the website www.prwriters.org. Good luck!

 Save On Early Bird Registration for 2011 Conference

 The Powell River Writers’ Conference on April 15, 16 is approaching fast. Early bird registrations are still available with great savings if you register by March 31^st. Download registration forms from the website www.prwriters.org. Nothing easier! 

 Sponsorships Available for Conference

 It’s well known that writers can be a financially needy bunch, composing away in their garrets (really?). Anyway, if you are a writer who would like your attendance at the conference to be sponsored by local generosity, drop a note to prwriters@shaw.ca telling a bit about your writing self and say what it would mean to you to attend the conference. You could have your attendance paid for. Hope to see you there.

If you would like to sponsor a writer contact Barb: prwriters@shaw.ca or call: 604-485-2732

 Wilderness Writing Retreats: May 27?–?31, 2011, June 17?–?21, 2011,
Sept. 16?–?20, 2011

May & June Workshop

Escape the dis­trac­tions of day to day life and con­cen­trate on your writ­ing. In 2011 award-?winning author, Paula Wild, will offer intens­ive writ­ing work­shops at Sea Watch Cabin. The wil­der­ness sanc­tu­ary is loc­ated on a privately owned island in Nutchatlitz Provincial Park adja­cent to Nootka Island on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Among other things, par­ti­cipants will learn valu­able skills regarding:

• Focus: find­ing and stick­ing to the theme of their story?–?one of the biggest prob­lem areas for strug­gling writers.
• Point of view: who’s telling your story and why.
• The per­fect para­graph: when it’s essen­tial and when it should be the last thing on your mind.
• The edit­ing pro­cess: why it’s vital and how to make it work for you.
• The pros and cons of work­ing with a tra­di­tional pub­lisher or self-?publishing.
• How to cre­ate a motiv­at­ing and prac­tical plan for com­plet­ing your manuscript.

To book a space or find out more about Sea Watch Cabin visit www.nuchatlitz.ca or con­tact Shannon. Or phone 250 332 5958 from early February on.

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    Newsletter February, 2011

“Barb the Bard” Gets Inspirational

As I watched Oprah interview the wealthiest billionaire author in the world, I learned a few things about JK Rowling which might inspire other writers:

~~12 publishers rejected her before lucky 13 signed with her. If you’ve been sending articles or queries for your book with no response, take heart from Jo. Never, never give up; you might have the next Harry Potter. Impossible you say? That’s what her agent said about writing children’s books. Jo has written 7 books in 17 years.

~~Jo was 25 when her mom died of MS, and Jo followed that with depression, a bad marriage, living on welfare a single mom. What did she learn? She has a strong survival instinct which I’m sure we all have but don’t tap into it often enough.  She wrote the first book by hand with her baby lying beside her. Finally she met the right man (not a writer), married him in 2001 and they’re happily raising three children.  The next time someone says they can’t write because they’re too busy with their family, remember Jo.

~~She said the benefits of failure are that it strips away what we don’t need. “It’s impossible to live without failing at something. If you don’t fail you’re living too cautiously. Use failure, don’t fear it.  Rock bottom became the foundation to build success on.” Did you write something you’re now embarrassed years later to admit to because it was written so poorly? I have. That’s called growth. If our writing stayed the same and never improved we’d be like a stagnant pond, not much good for anything. So take a chance on failure, keep trying and never stop learning.

~~Some things she knows for sure: 1) Love is the most powerful thing of all. 2) Happiness is to see yourself exactly as you are. 3) Jo has to write for her mental state. Something you may not know about her is she doesn’t drive.

JK Rowling we aren’t, but we can be the best darned writer with what we’ve got. We can keep trying, keep learning, and keep supporting other writers.

Barb the Bard, happily editing her manuscript.

Opportunity for Book Sellers & Writers

 Between May 5 and 7, 2011, the Powell River Historical Museum and Archives will host the annual conference of the BC Historical Federation (BCHF). With its membership of avid readers and history buffs, the BCHF conference offers local booksellers a chance to market their wares to people from all across the province. The event will be held in Dwight Hall, with the Book Fair taking place during the following times:

• Thursday, May 5, 6:30 to 9 p.m.
• Friday, May 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Saturday, May 7, 12 to 3 p.m.

Tables are free! To register for the book fair, please contact Susan Biagi at susanbiagi@gmail.com or call 604-483-4551. For a full schedule of conference events, or to register for the full conference, please consult  http://www.powellrivermuseum.ca/BCHF/Agenda.html

 Powell River Writers Conference writer’s contest with cash prizes anyone in the world can enter.  

Powell RiverWriter, Linda Wegner, Hard at Work on Many Projects:

• A commissioned book outlining the history of the youth movement within her church’s denomination.

“In 2006 I wrote a 350 page book outlining our denomination’s history from 1921 until that year; now I have been asked to write another, shorter, book outlining the history of our youth movement, (1960-present). I will be traveling to Calgary to re-visit the archives and I’ve already contacted former youth leaders with questionnaires. As I begin writing I’m sure I also will be contacting all those involved for interviews that will flesh out the material.”

Also on Linda’s work list:

• A workshop to present in Saskatoon (sadly, at the same time as our Powell River event)
• A new assignment to blog bi-weekly for Food Safety Systems Implementation (Processor) Program
• Regular monthly feature articles for a couple of magazines plus on-going research work
• Updating her website
• Waiting to hear back re a couple of bids and proposals

High fives all around for Linda!

Membership Time

Our membership drive is in full swing and Donna Koleszar of the membership committee reports that 27 people have filled out the form and sent in their membership dues. The $10 dues help support the writers’ conference, gives voting rights to the member at the annual general meeting and garner perks from the society when you launch a new book. The membership form can be downloaded from the website. Let’s reach that wonderful 50 mark this year!

 ”Meet the Authors”  March 7: 7:00 at Breakwater Books. Enjoy stories from local published authors Gwen Enquist, Eva van Loon, Heidi Sullivan, and Barb Rees. From fishing to fiction to far-flung adventures, they’ve covered it all. Come along for a fun evening of stories.

 April 5: 7:00 at Breakwater Books, Barb Rees will launch “RV Canada’s Far North on a Dream”, the 3rd book in her  Canadian adventures. Thrill with their ‘north of 60′ travel show as Barb and Dave take you to the land of grizzlies, gravel roads and vast expanses.

Pre Orders for the book now available. Go to: www.write2dream.com for details or contact Barb: dreambg1@shaw.ca

        Happy New Year from the President’s Office!

Barb Rees

 Yes, you can! Is this the year you take your writing to the next level? Is it time to get back to a piece of writing you put away long ago? Is 2011 the year you publish your first book, first paid article, or hold your first author signing?

 Whatever the goals, we need them or life gets in the way of us doing the things we really love. This is especially true of writing because much of the world doesn’t consider writing a “real job” and if we’re not careful pretty soon we don’t either. We may hold a paying job besides the one we get minimal wage for but its our writing which brings pure joy and satisfaction.

2011 recommendations IF you want to be happy with your writing and  maybe even earn an income from it:

1)      If you haven’t already done so, as soon as you finish reading this write down your writing goals for 2011. It can be as simple as learning a new tool, or reading an instructional book. If you wrote 4 stories last year, up the ante to 8 this year.

 2)    Post your goals where you see them regularly and share them with fellow writers. Make a mock up of what your book cover will look like and put it on the wall. I don’t care if you are just starting to put stories together, think positive and make your babies beautiful cover with its catchy title. If deadlines are needed as when publishing a book, then mark them in your agenda and on a time line sheet.

I always make a time line at least 6 months in advance and work the dates backwards from when I want the book in hand. This year the next book has to be in hand by the end of April so that meant the manuscript’s first draft had to be done by Jan.1/11. So far I’m on track.

 3)    Research the craft, check out markets, and join social networks or associations for tips and motivation. Register for the spring writers conference and “t ake your writing to the next level.” Caution with social networks: They can easily gobble up many hours in a day so get strict with yourself and put your writing first.

 4)    Join a supportive writer’s group. Just as not all books are created equal, neither are writer’s groups so check several out until you find the one that suits your needs. Never, never put up with harsh criticism or put downs; instead look for positive critiquing to help you grow.

 5)    Last but most important: Have fun! Enjoy writing for the sheer pleasure of it; money is the whipped cream on top not the ultimate goal.

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  Welcome to a New Year

Membership dues are now being collected for the year 2011.  We already have 17  members paid up until 2012.  This year is shaping up to be our biggest ever with the Conference in April and the support with our new book launches for members in good standing. Please send in your $10 dues as quickly as possible. We appreciate it. You can easily download the membership form from the website.

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 Heidi Loves the Conference!  

Why would I want to attend the Powell River Writers Conference this April and what would I benefit from it?  Well let me tell you that the sky is the limit because after writing and publishing my first “how-to” fishing book, Hooked on River Fishing in 2004, I knew that to become successful , I needed to be exposed to what the conference had to offer.  The next one – Here Fishy Fishy – Fabulous Fishing in Powell River Waters was launched in the 2008 conference when Barb Rees invited me to be one of the speakers.  Learning about self-publishing, printing, grammar, the value of a proper cover letter to promote my book, the pros and cons of having an agent, which publisher to chose, and the one-on-one workshops with well established authors just blew my mind.  Mostly pointing out my many mistakes I had made with the first book and now with a mystery novel and salmon cookbook in the works, there will be no slowing down now. 

Then there was the camaraderie amongst the budding and some established local writers discussing one’s experiences and ideas around the extravagant dinner on the last evening.  Meeting such accomplished and well travelled writers accelerated my writing juices and keeping in touch by visiting their websites assisted in solving problems that I still keep running into.

 Bottom line, the conference is something that I can let my writing skill grow with and it is a lot of fun – especially winning a few writing contests and I am still aiming for the first cash prize which I hope to land this time.

Heidi H. Sullivan

Lady Angler, Artist & Storyteller: www.freewebs.com/ladyangler

Phone: 604-414-8885

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 Want your Writing to Earn Money?

Cash Prizes with our Writing Contest

Each year the Powell River Writers’ Conference sponsors a writing contest. Now you can win cash prizes! Just compose a piece 300 words or less or a 20 line piece of poetry using these five words: great, exercise, inspiration, rainbow, travel. Check our website www.prwriters.org for submission details. It’s a great way to feel good about your writing. Good luck!

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 A COUNTRY FOR OLD WRITERS?Novelist, playwright, and poet Kaimana Wolff packed up an ancient laptop and disappeared for a month–to the poorest country in Central America. There she climbed El Cerro Negro, a live, black-lava volcano, explored the colonial city of Leon, suvived two bouts of amoebic dysentery (“new weight-loss program!”), visited a shade-grown, organic coffee plantation in the cloud forest atop the spine of the Americas (“Brr! Mountain-top nights!”), and spent enchanted evenings on the tropical sands of Las Penitas with, among others, a member of Nicaragua’s national academy of writers.

Having landed in a small slew of Canadian and other ex-pats in the little-frequented northwestern corner of the country, Wolff was soon enjoying a vigorous social life (translation: “The new book isn’t done yet.”). These new connections may create new sharings between Powell River and Nicaragua. Her new friend, playwright, novelist and poet Jorge Arguello, has charged her with finding a good translator (Spanish to English) for his sixth novel, The Flight of the Falcon. An old friend from Wolff’s Yukon days, magical arts administrator Chris Dray, now a rancher just above Las Penitas, is lending his arts expertise to the Community Heritage Publishing Project Powell River (CHPPPR). A New York muralist has expressed interest in working with kids in PR. And a group is forming to buy a small hotel in Las Penitas (also “Cheep cheep!”) which could serve as an artists’ retreat and “Center of Excellence” for art and literacy projects.

And no, Nicaragua is not in Africa, nor even across the Darien Gap. Just as the world knows little about Nicaragua, so Nicaragua knows little about the world. “I’ve never taken heavier suitcases anywhere,” says Wolff. “When I asked my friend what to bring him, he promptly answered, ‘Books!’ There’s an insatiable thirst for books here; every book I brought will be passed around until it’s in tatters. And we wouldn’t recognise Nicaragua’s librerias as bookstores.”

Wolff plans on an early return to Nicaragua and even hopes to snag a permanent alternative berth there. “It’s ideal for writers: safe, slow, beautiful, friendly–and so cheap even a writer can afford it! Seriously, you can afford all you need here for $700 a month. Nobody’s discovered this corner of the country yet.”

If you’re interested in translating, publishing, art, or just retiring on the avails of your art in a tropical place, The Powell River Writers’ Conference has got the scoop. Join us!

CHPPPR Lives!

The Community Heritage Publishing Project Powell River is alive and well with an office in Oceanview School and a Project Manager, Eva van Loon.

The purpose of the project is to turn Powtown into Booktown, and to develop, within five years, a cadre of people versed in permutations and combinations of writing, editing, publishing, and manufacturing trade paperbacks right here in Powell River. The gree n quality of the project will be enhanced by the acquisition of an Espresso Book Machine and the use of–we hope–locally made and recycled papers.

CHPPPR is currently pulling together a focus group to envision the first and second phases of the project. If you have a interest in the arts in Powell River and wish to be part of the focus group or to be kept in the loop, please contact the Project Manager by email: mettalaw@gmail.com.

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Powell River Public Library Presents: Whoop-di-doo! Story telling for grown ups

Featuring Ivan E Coyote

Max Cameron Theatre, Feb.12, 7:00 p.m, by donation.

PRWC will be there with a story board featuring the eight year history and evolution of Powell River Festival of Writers. Registration, and  membership forms available. Check out local authors’ books for sale. Stop by and add to our “never ending story” started two years ago.

 Are you up for a writing challenge? The website  http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano is promoting November as national novel writing month. That is… you write a 50,000 word novel between November 1st and November 30^th! Sound impossible? They don’t expect quality, just quantity. Get the words, unedited and unpolished, on a page, 50,000 of them and submit.  In 2009 165,000 people worldwide joined the challenge and 30,000 officially finished.

    Check out the website. It’s not for everyone, but maybe this is the motivation you need to get started. Think about it for next year.

 Congratulations to Robert Butkus and Gwen Enquist on the launch of their new books!

Robert  Butkus’ book  titled Godless Religion:Finding the Profound rests on experiences that we all have had, experiences that are profound and full of wonder and awe. Think of a stunningly beautiful sunset, hundreds of stars spread across endless space, the Big Bang beginning of the universe, a Beethoven symphony, facing the inevitability of one’s own death. Part 1 of the book Godless Religion maintains that profound experiences like these are holy enough to form the basis of a religion without a belief in god. Part 2 considers various ideas of an impersonal god, and argues that they too should be left aside while retaining this religion of the profound. It ends by pointing out that Richard Dawkins’ rejection of the word religion in his The God Delusion is flawed and that a godless religion is in fact possible. Part 3 offers a godless justification for morality based on the tendency of humans to cooperate and care for each other. The book ends with consoling thoughts about our dying in a godless universe.

 Robert Butkus has a Ph. D. in philosophy and has taught at institutions across Canada from St. John’s in the east to Victoria in the west, Waterloo in the south and Prince George in the north, as well as in Beijing and Tokyo. After 20 years as a college administrator including brief assignments in Thailand, India and the Caribbean, he retired to the West Coast of Canada where he contemplates the ocean, snow-capped mountains, philosophy and religion. He also creates haiga. Godless Religion will be launched at the Powell River Public Library on November 25 at 7 pm, an evening of readings and refreshments. It is available at Breakwater Books.

 Gwen Enquist’s new release, Beginnings, is a sequel in what is becoming the Bonnard family series. All the characters from Phone Calls After are back and caught up in the drama of contemporary life.  Beginnings picks up the family’s life one year after the accident that killed Mathew. Beginnings looks at the challenges of a homeless family, tackles transformative issues and explores what it is that makes a family whole.

Gwen Enquist is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia. She has retired from a 35 year career in nursing.

  All titles are available at Breakwater Books and at egwen@shaw.ca. .

 Party Season is Here!

 The Powell River Writers’ Conference invites all members and would-be writers to their Christmas party on Wednesday December 15 at the Blue Mountain club house at 6 pm. This is a pot-luck dinner with fun to follow. Each member is encouraged to bring a non-member guest who is, or might be, a budding writer. All members who pay their $10 2011 dues and sign up their guest  have their name in a draw for an exciting prize.

The theme for games, food, prizes or dress-up if you  want to is “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Confirm you’re attending then get in on the trivia for more great prizes. Call either Barb: 604-485-2732 or Donna: 604-487-9591 or email: prwriters@shaw.ca

 Do you have a writer in your family who’s hard to buy for?

Then consider purchasing a spring 2011 conference package for a Christmas or birthday present. You will be giving the gift that keeps on giving for years to come. With his book Adventures in Solitude on the BC #1 list in the its first month out, Grant Lawrence has one of our presenters has much to share with us. Sylvia Taylor, will be teaching “The A-Z of Working With Agents and Editors” in one of the Master Classes. Anthony Dalton will also be part of the Master Class workshops, title TBA. A BC poet/TBA will complete the roster of outstanding teachers. The 8th annual conference promises to be bigger and better as it takes it to the next level.

Registration details online or call Barb for details: 604-485-2732

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Fall 2010 Writing Contest Winners!

 The annual fall writing contest with the theme “Centennial” ended Nov.5/10. We are proud to announce first prize went to Gwen Thompson from Saanichton. Second prize was won by Heidi Sullivan of Powell River. Honourable mentions: Joan Mahaffy and Christa de Beaupre. Congratulations to the winners and all who participated. The winning entry is listed online under fall writing contest.

Stay tuned for a fun contest for the spring 2011 conference. You could win registration valued at $130.

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The CHPPPR Cometh

     The Community Heritage Publishing Project Powell River will center  around the acquisition of an Espresso Book Machine (EBM), also known as “an ATM for books.”  CHPPPR plans to raise $150,000 to purchase the machine by the end of the school year.

    The EBM manufactures quality trade paperbacks in a few minutes each, just  like those in bookstores. The EBM makes two kinds: up to three million books from its own catalogue, or any book plugged into it in PDF, provided it has a b/w interior and does not exceed certain sizes.

   When a book is bought from the EBM catalogue, the royalty and profit due the publisher and author is automatically tracked back to them by the EBM. When a book is published locally through the EBM, the EBM owner can give the publisher a wholesale price on a flat fee per book, eliminating—for the first time in history—the economics of scale for the publisher.

     Local publishers can “permission” books through the EBM, connected to Ingram’s, the world’s biggest book distributor, thus achieving instant distribution wherever EBMs are located.

   As the EBM proliferates around the world, both the need to warehouse and ship books, and the habit of printing more books than actually needed, will dwindle—the EBM takes a giant step towards a green publishing industry.

     The difference between the cost of making a book on the EBM and the SRP (Suggested Retail Price) leaves enough room for a wholesale cost structure with levels to benefit non-profits, institutions, small presses and self-published entities.

    For the first time, local writers, families and organisations will have access to publishing real books for just a few hundred dollars, rather than the thousands now required by other publishing and manufacturing methods.

   Best of all? The EBM system protects writers’ and publishers’ rights and gives them better profits.

 What does the EBM mean for Powell River?

• Powell River organizations will be able to record our history in the form of books that are never out of print.

Some out-of-print books of community importance can easily be re-published

Sliammon can capture its language and culture in print in a permanent form

Employment in writing, editing, and publishing will increase.

Institutions can publish their own journals and theses.

Organisations may be able to obtain more grants as they will be in a position to publish results in book form.

• Work will come in from a network of independent bookstores and publishers and institutions, as our EBM will be the only one within reasonable distance for some time—in this interval we will seize the opportunity to become a book town.

Shipping costs will shrink.

• People who now use Amazon and other online sources for books will search our EBM first.

Research materials will become more available and economical.

• Our Writers Conference, Youth Peace-Poetry Competition, Whoop Dee-Do and similar initiatives may become destination events.

Local bookstores will expand their inventory by 3 million books without spending a cent or wasting a tree.

Students will find new meaning in learning how to write, edit and publish. Establishing a book culture will engage the public with literature in new ways. Training in writing, publishing, and book manufacture can develop into programs at school and university.

 What can CHPPPR do for Powell River?

• Bolster Powell River’s status as a cultural capital of Canada.
• Enhance Powell River’s attractiveness to families.
• Arouse interest in the local manufacture of specialty papers and cover stock.
• Strengthen the presence and voices of groups like Sliammon, our elders, francophones, and many others.

 CHPPPR is already hard at work on Karen Southern’s massive three-volume history of heritage housing in Townsite. The Pack Press has produced one poetry book, glasstown, using an EBM and is about to publish a memoir, Ponderings, and a poetry collection, Parallel: forty-nine poets speak to Obama, by the same method, using an out-of-town EBM. Motley Crew House of Nanaimo has published several books on the EBM, generation of thistles, Bitters, and How to Keep a Human, on the machine. You can see the published books at Powell River’s local bookstores, and get an idea of how the EBM might work for your project.

 Project Manager Eva van Loon will be seeking in earnest to raise the needed funds for our very own EBM beginning in January. At least initially, CHPPPR, hosted by the PR Educational Services Society, will be housed at Oceanview School. Many hands make light work: contact the Manager with your ideas, queries, or requests at mettalaw@gmail.com. Volunteers welcome to this exciting project!

                                                            September, 2010 Newsletter

 Free For Members

Would you like more exposure for FREE at your next book reading or book launch? Read online about this new benefit just for being a PRWC member. Membership is $10.

Writing Contest

 Are you itching to enter a contest and win cash? For the second year in a row we are holding a fall writing contest. Guidelines on the site.

For all this and more go to: www.prwriters.org

Please pass this on to all your writer friends where ever they live in the world. They all can benefit from belonging to Powell River Writers Conference.

Thank You PRCACH

We are very pleased to announce that after applying to Powell River Council for Arts, Culture and Heritage to cover the cost of Dwight Hall for the 2011 conference, we were accepted. Sept.12 Barb and Dave Rees attended the AGM and were presented with the letter saying: ” We wish to inform you that your application for in-kind assistance in producing the next Writers Conference at Dwight Hall in April 2011, has been approved in the amount of $600.” Thank you PRCACH.

Writer Looking for Cranberry Tales

What on earth are Tales of the Cranberryites? My home town of Powell River just celebrated its 100^th anniversary. Powell River has had several books written about it and boasts many home grown artists that are renowned for their works. What was missing? There were many well written narratives about Powell River, as well as heritage tours and buildings. Therefore I decided to dive into a smaller, often hidden area of both time and space.

Growing up in a coastal village that became a municipality, and then a city was unique for several reasons. We grew up in a bubble of isolation both physical and emotional. The people I speak of are the baby boomers, those of us born shortly after world war two. Why are we unique? The world had just gone through a massive depression of the 30’s followed by a horrific world war that brought to us genocide on an organized scale. In addition to this, we were raised in a coastal one industry community accessible only by boat or air. These stories are about the average teenagers of our time. That is, the late 1950’s to the early 70’s.

Teenagers nowadays live in an environment that is symbiotically attached to high technology. This includes the prevalent access to the Internet, the use of special gadgets such as the cell phone, palm top computers, electrical organizers, and the like. We lived in a world that had the peacefulness and simplistic reality which is a bygone era. Some from the here and now would like to think we were naïve, simplistic and led boring life styles. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those I write about in this book were the real Jimmy Dean’s. Stories from the generation that broke with social conventions marched against war and protested the growing globalization of ethics and jobs. These stories are well documented, sometimes by those that never saw a protest march in their life. My book does not challenge or contest this; rather I fill the pages with real stories from real people.

Come with me back to an era that not only is gone, but should never be forgotten. Read about the honest self-assured independence of youth, which existed within a code of social ethics which to some is outdated. I am not Mark Twain, but in some ways I travel back to the Huckleberry Finns and Tom Sawyers of Powell River’s past.

If you have any stories to share about growing up in the Powell River area, please feel free to contact me. The names of the people in my stories are not revealed. 

                                                                                                            Bud Gilham

Buddy’s World of Books: Telephone or Fax 604-487-4172

E-Mail:Tyco_pen@hotmail.com.

Rules for Writers  -  Just for chuckles
1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren’t necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
12. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
13. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
14. Profanity stinks.
15. Be more or less specific.
16. Understatement is always best.
17. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
20. The passive voice is to be avoided.
21. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
22. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
23. Who needs rhetorical questions?

http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/2010/09/travel_discounts.php

The Right Way to Travel newsletter Sept.3/10

 TRWTT: What was your article about?

GINNY: I started on the island finale of the trip because it looked
more manageable. I thought I could finish it faster and get my byline.
The safari part of the trip was so mind-blowing and overwhelming that
I told myself I would “save it for later.”

Word to the wise: keep up with your writing, because before you know
it, you’re off on another trip and the commitments and deadlines start
to pile up.

TRWTT: How and where did you get it published?

GINNY: I got published in Travellady.com. It was unpaid, but it was my
first thrilling byline. And I’ve been hooked ever since.

TRWTT: Besides building credibility and getting published, did you get
any expenses paid, or were you able to get special rates and deals as
a travel writer?

GINNY: Not on that trip. But I have on others I’ve written about. I
usually travel everywhere for at least half-price, with many side
trips and excursions tossed in for free.

TRWTT: How do you go about securing discounted travel and perks?

GINNY: I often start the barter process with an e-mail to a manager,
telling him or her about an upcoming “Travel Writer Visit.” I am quite
direct in asking whether they offer special rates for travel
journalists, and I mention an interest in a place/event/excursion of
theirs. Sometimes that’s enough to do the trick, but only if you try
not to travel during peak seasons.

I have to say, another “perk” of all of this is that my husband has
become a very good photographer, and we work in great partnership to
get the travel writing done. It’s terrific to have someone fun to
share these adventures with.

 TRWTT: Do you have any tips for someone who’d like to get started
writing travel articles?

GINNY: Sure. My number one tip is the best tip I’ve received — to
start locally and write about something you know, in your own
backyard. One article I wrote was about New Glarus, Wisconsin,
“America’s Little Switzerland,” where I have been going for 20 years.

It got published in German Life — a very beautiful, glossy magazine
– and was distributed in nine countries.

My second tip is: don’t over-direct your writing. When you’re getting
started on a new article, it’s important to just start writing, let it
flow, then go back and finesse.

Tip 3: Skip the flowery adjectives and power your story through the use
of verbs with muscle. I believe that’s one of Jennifer Stevens’
tricks.

Tip 4: Just ask. You won’t get a discount or an article
published if you don’t put yourself out there and ask for what you
want.

TRWTT: Where are you off to next?

GINNY: I plan on going to Ecuador — into the Amazon Rainforest and
then to the Galapagos Islands. I really love wildlife and nature and
this looks to be a dream trip.

We all start small,  writing for free but eventually we must get to the point when we believe our work is worth getting paid for and we start asking. Anyone can do this IF they are ready to take a chance, and put the hours into research and writing. Take advantage of events like the Writer’s Conference or other workshops  to keep you motivated and  hone your craft. Be a lifelong student.

Barb Rees

LoveToGo Writing