From the desk of the executive director Well, hi there! As many of you know, Ursula Vaira, our Managing Editor extraordinaire, retired after our last issue. We at the Federation of BC Writers are so happy for her but miss her dearly. We are so excited that her protégé, Jessica Cole, has taken on the role and has put her own spin on the amazing work our team has accomplished in past issues.
support than a quick tip. That is why I joined the Federation of BC Writers, and I suspect the same is true for many of you. It is the reason the Federation of BC Writers and this magazine exist. Our organization has surpassed 1,000 members in our 45th year, and we all have unique needs that centre on our backgrounds and preferred writing genres.
The Federation of BC Writers made a hard pivot during the With COVID-19 continuing to early months of the pandemic linger, our new editor had to Zoom-based the amazing idea of programming. Despite focusing this issue it coming about as on mental health We want a direct result of for writers. In to make certain the pandemic, it preparing my brought forward letter for this that people who a significant volume of realization that could not attend in WordWorks, we now have I spent a great the past stay tools to support deal of time people across the connected. thinking about province in more what methods have meaningful, predictable helped me maintain ways. As such, I want you all a creative practice during to know that, for the Federation, these difficult times and why I digital gatherings are here to stay am a part of this organization. even as we work toward in-person When I am struggling with my events. We want to make certain own writing, I often think of what that people who could not attend my fitness instructor friend tells in the past stay connected. me about exercise: just putting on gym clothes eliminates one barrier to success. Exercise is that much easier to do after you take that first small step. The same is true for writing. If I just open my Word file, I inevitably will get something written, even if it is just one sentence. As much as the gym clothes approach has helped me, as a writer I sometimes need more
To that end, we have several initiatives in the works. One of these is our new members-only Writing Circles initiative. All artists have their own methods and approaches. Some prefer to work solo like Stephen King describes in On Writing. (Spoiler: he’s not a big fan of writing groups.) Others thrive in the presence of others. For those who
work best with a circle around, these new groups are for you. Each group will be unique with its own norms and approaches, and each one will have a specific area of focus driven by participants. We want to support a diverse set of circles to meet the needs of groups around BC and Yukon that might not as easily gather because of geographical concerns. As such, you will see groups starting right away for LGBTQ2S+ Writers, Travel Writers, Grant Writers, Neurodiverse Writers, and more. If you have a group in mind, give us a shout, and we’ll see if we can form a circle. On behalf of our team at the Federation of BC Writers, thank you for being members and readers of this magazine. Bryan Mortensen, Executive Director
2021 Volume III September | wordworks
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