Victoria Writers' Society

Island Writer Launch Volume 11 Issue 1

michael — Thu, 02 May 2013 05:27:56 +0000

Come celebrate the launch of the latest Island Writer with readings and goodies! Contributing authors will read from their works of fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry.
Family, friends, and the general public are welcome.
The readings begin at 7 o’clock promptly.

Maleea Acker: Lyric Sensibility

michael — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:36:52 +0000

Maleea Acker addresses the need for greater unity between the arts and the sciences. She discussed her recent non-fiction book “Gardens Aflame: Garry Oak Meadows on BC’s South Coast” (New Star, 2012) and the ways in which poetry informed her practice when working in non-fiction. She will emphasize the need to employ the work and research of the humanities— including metaphor and lyric in writing—even when writing on scientific topics.

“Acker’s wonderful little book is both a lyrical examination of this contested landscape and an ethical parable about how we should learn to live with the world as well as in it.” – Stephen Hume, “Books about BC make unique gifts,” Vancouver Sun, Dec. 14, 2012.

maleeaacker.com

Maleea Acker’s first poetry collection “The Reflecting Pool” was published by Pedlar Press in 2009. Her current poetry work “The Almond in the Earth” will be released in the Fall of 2013, also by Pedlar Press.

Munro’s Books & “The Perilous Trade” – an overview of publishing and book selling over the last 50 years

michael — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:28:12 +0000

Jim Munro opened Munro’s Books FIFTY years ago in September of this year. In 1963, Jim and Alice Munro opened their novel (pun intended) paperbacks-only bookstore beside the Dominion Hotel at Yates and Blanshard, back when movie theatres crowded the other three corners. That narrow space has expanded twice since (1979 & 1984) and now occupies the neo-classical ex-Royal Bank on Government Street near Fort.

Mr. Munro has seen the rise and fall of the book business. His talk will range through such topics as:
· The paperback revolution,
· The rise of the mega bookstore
· Amazon- the scourge of the industry
· The cyberspace challenge
· Colourful characters encountered
· Mistakes publishers have made
· Friendly advice for authors and would-be authors

Copyright & Plagiarism

michael — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:14:19 +0000

Inba Kehoe, Copyright Officer of the University of Victoria, will speak on copyright and plagiarism.

The Copyright Office (CO) is responsible for overseeing and advising the university community on copyright issues.

The UVIC copyright website www.uvic.ca/copyright/home/primer
provides best practice guidelines and answers a wide range of questions.

Exclusive rights
Moral rights
Types of works protected by copyright
What is not protected
Length of copyright term
Automatic protection
Fair dealing
Exceptions to the Copyright Act
Public domain

New Year Open Mic at Oaklands & A.G.M.

michael — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:03:33 +0000

Why not start the year with a reading at the Open Mic Night at Oaklands? Listeners supplied. Arrive early to sign up to read your fiction, creative non-fiction or poetry.

January is also our Annual General Meeting (AGM). Members will (quickly) elect the 2013 executive. Why not nominate your friend? Why not join the executive yourself? Renew your membership – or join up – and have your say.

All members are encouraged to display their published works or related services around the room. Tables will be supplied.

Please arrive a little early so we can all settle in comfortably. The evening includes refreshments. Family, friends, and the general public are welcome.

Launch of Island Writer 10/2

michael — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:19:56 +0000

Launch of Island Writer 10/2

Come celebrate the launch of the latest Island Writer with readings and goodies! Contributing authors will read from their works of fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry.

Family, friends, and the general public are welcome.

The readings begin at 7 o’clock promptly. Please arrive a little early so we can all settle in comfortably.
The evening includes refreshments, mingling and distribution of Island Writer magazine volume 10 issue 2.

Merna Forster: Promotion and Marketing Tips for Writers

michael — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:34:41 +0000

Writer Merna Forster will share tips for book promotion and marketing, drawing from her own background of book launches, radio and TV appearances, newspaper coverage, and speaking engagements.

Merna is a historian who has worked with the Department of Canadian Heritage and Parks Canada across the country. Merna holds an M.A. from Laval University and is now at UVIC as the Executive Director of the Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History.

Ms. Forster is the author of two non-fiction books published by Toronto’s Dundurn Press: 100 Canadian Heroines and 100 More Canadian Heroines. She is also co-author of the picture book Children of the Prairie. Merna also created and maintains the popular website: A Guide to Women in Canadian History www.heroines.ca

Getting Your Fiction Published

michael — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 18:06:06 +0000

Four published fiction writers (all present or former members of VWS) will talk about their unique experiences of being published. They will discuss how VWS can contribute to writers getting published for the first time. Come prepared to ask questions.

Jack Stewart has been an active member of the Victoria Writers Society since 2007. His first novel, Odd Ball, was published by Thistledownpress and nominated for the Bolen Books Children’s Book Prize this past October.

Robin Stevenson is the author of thirteen novels for teens and children. Her books include A Thousand Shades of Blue, Liars and Fools, Escape Velocity, and most recently, Hummingbird Heart.

Monique Domovitch embarked on the writing life at the age of fifty six. Four years later she has two self-published books and two separate contracts for books series, one with Obsidian/Penguin, and one with Carina Press/Harlequin.

Edeana Malcolm is the author of four novels based on the life of her ancestors. The fourth one, A Garden in the Wilderness, is published by Borealis Press. A prequel to this novel, The Serpentine Path, is available at Smashwords.

Island Writer Launch

Eileen — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:06:01 +0000

Island Writer Launch

Issue 10.1 was launched, with readings and refreshments, and we said thank you and farewell to exiting Editor In Chief, Eileen Young.

Madeline Sonik: Kindling the Fire: methods of accessing creativity

Eileen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:39:43 +0000

Madeline Sonik is an eclectic, award-winning writer and anthologist whose fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared in literary journals internationally. Her published book-length works include a novel, Arms, a collection of short fiction, Drying the Bones, a children’s novel, Belinda and the Dustbunnys, a poetry collection, Stone Sightings, and a book of personal essays, Afflictions & Departures, which has recently been nominated for the BC National Award for Canadian Nonfiction and the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Nonfiction. A new poetry collection, The Book of Changes, is forthcoming in 2012.
Sonik holds an MA in Journalism, an MFA in Creative Writing, and a PhD in Education, and currently teaches in the Department of Writing at the University of Victoria. She won a fellowship in 2008 to study, among other things, creative processes in writing and in 2009 helped design and teach a first-year creativity course for Fine Arts students at UVic.