F R ID AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 7 , 2 0 1 0 T H E VAN C O U V E R C O U R I E R
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15th Annual Vancouver Courier Fiction Contest up and running
Two-time contest winner ‘blown way’ by cash prize Cheryl Rossi Staff writer
His innate sense of rhythm is likely a key part of what makes his writing shine, says Brian Hilton. “I am also the best dancer in the Fairview Pub on Thursday nights,” he said. “I have to have rhythm in my sentence structure so I’m constantly flipping the nouns and the verbs back and forth… Once I know all the nuts and bolts are in place, I then just play around with the sentences until I get a nice flow.” Last year and in 2006, Hilton won first place in the Courier’s annual fiction contest, and in 2004, he placed second. He won last year with “Lost Lagoon.” When he finished school
in Prince George, the now 66-year-old skipped college and followed his heart to beat on the drums. Hilton played in the band Skylark, alongside then keyboardist David Foster, scoring a hit with “Wildflower” in 1973. Then disco struck, live gigs dried up and Hilton turned 30. “In those days we thought when you turned 30 you seize up physically and younger people don’t trust you anymore so I thought I gotta get out of the biz,” he said. Hilton stopped drinking and smoking pot and entered customer service with Delta Airlines for 25 years. But after three marriages, five kids and a lack of creative outlet, Hilton yearned for a career in the arts. He figured he should become
“I AM ALSO THE BEST DANCER IN THE FAIRVIEW PUB.” Brian Hilton
an actor, writer or musician. The lyrics he wrote sucked, he said, and acting was harder than he thought, but with the support of local jazz singer and former English teacher June Katz, whom he once dated, Hilton studied writing and pushed himself by exploring different styles and genres. He was short listed for a CBC Literary Award in 2007. With his 2006 winnings from the Courier, Hilton bought a computer and printer.
Brian Hilton’s “Lost Lagoon” took first place in last year’s photo Dan Toulgoet Vancouver Courier Fiction Contest. “I couldn’t believe you guys were giving away a thousand bucks for a short story,” he said. “I was just blown away that anybody would have a fiction contest because, apparently, of all of the readers today, only
about 30 per cent of people are reading fiction. They’re buying nonfiction… So fiction writers have a real uphill battle.” This year’s top prize has been bumped up to $1,250, with the three top stories se-
lected for publication. The required sentence for the 15th Annual Vancouver Courier Fiction Contest is: “They thought the beef jerky would sink.” Entries must be submitted to the Courier office at 1574 West 6th Ave. on Nov. 3 and 4 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. An entry form and entry fee of $15 must accompany each submission. Entry forms are available at the Courier, People’s Coop Bookstore or any Book Warehouse location in Vancouver. Full rules are available at the Courier office or at vancourier.com. The winning entries will appear online and in the Courier on successive Fridays from Nov. 26 to Dec. 10. crossi@vancourier.com
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