from the National Magazine Awards for work by Don Domanski and Warren Heiti found in Conversation, Grain’s Fall 2009 issue—our first NMA recognition since 2004; we've had poems by three writers selected for Best Canadian Poetry 2010; Conversation, our Fall 2009 issue, was featured at last year's Vancouver International Writers' Festival, and this same issue was carried this summer by Naropa University's prestigious Summer Writing Program. While the glitz and glamour of award nominations and prizes makes us feel all tingly inside, it is perhaps the more critical and poignant feedback from our funders that sets the benchmark for analyzing the response to our publication. Our recent Canada Council report was glowing with praise. They liked the deft balance of regional, national and international themes and voices, and the jury singled out Grain for its dramatically improved design. They appreciated our strong sense of connection to our contributing writers, and saw our initiative to attend Magazine Canada’s Circulation School in order to bolster subscriptions as prudent and timely. The result was a modest and unexpected increase to our annual funding from the Council. As we approach the end of 2010, award season is right around the corner; more writing to select for entry, more copies to send to juries. While we hope for the glitz and glamour, the thrill of victory—in the end, that’s not the real prize. Having too much excellent writing to send to a jury ... now that's a goal all juries can get behind.
The Word On The Street Festival Preview by Charles Hamilton Two hundred fifty people gathered at the Farmer’s Market on a beautiful fall afternoon in Saskatoon for a preview event of Word On The Street, a national celebration of literacy and the written word. “We thought it was very successful. We didn’t know how many people were going to show up, but we were very glad at the turnout we had,” said Colleen McKay, The Word On The Street Festival Coordinator. The event was a celebration of Saskatchewan literary talent—showcasing everything from poetry to hip-hop to novel and play writing. The lineup included such literary heavyweights as Guy Vanderhaeghe, Louise Halfe, Jennifer Webber, Deborah Ellis, and Arthur Slade. The audience was also impressed by some of the younger talent, including local hip-hop artist Eekwol and spoken word artist Charles Hamilton. Although next year’s full blown The Word On The Street Festival will likely showcase some out-of-province talent, the spotlight will remain on Saskatchewan. “We are going to focus on featuring a lot of Saskatchewan poets, authors and singers and various forms of the written word,” said McKay. This was the pre-curser to what organizers are promising will be the must-see literary event of 2011. The Word On The Street is a national book and magazine festival that takes place the last Sunday of every September in cities all across Canada. More than 250,000 Canadians attended The Word On The Street book and magazine festivals in Vancouver, Toronto, Kitchener and Halifax on September 26, 2010. More than 450 authors, illustrators, performers participatated in 400 programmed events along with 500 exhibits from publishers from across Canada.
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SWG Freelance
November/December 2010