WestWord - January-March 2023

We support and advocate for all writers and provide opportunities to grow and connect while enriching Alberta’ s culture and economy.

WestWord is published four times a year.

ISSN: 0821-4203 © Writers’ Guild of Alberta, 2023

WGA Membership Rates

$80/year; $50/seniors; $40/low income; free to post-secondary students until graduation. Membership is open to all writers resident or formerly resident in Alberta.

WGA Executive

President: Blaine Newton

Vice President: Colin Martin

Treasurer: Nicolas Brown

Secretary: Moorea Gray

Members at Large: Dr. Kimberly Fraser Nicole Hill

Dorothy Bentley Moni Brar

Member at Large (Youth Rep): Vacant Past President: Carol Parchewsky

WGA Staff

Executive Director: Giorgia Severini Program and Events Coordinator: Jason Lee Norman Program and Operations Coordinator: Ashley Mann Program Coordinator, Southern Alberta Office: Ashley Frerichs

Communications and Partnerships Coordinator: Ellen Kartz

Member Services Coordinator: Mike Maguire Project Assistant: Sadie MacGillvray

WGA Contractor

WordsWorth Director: Colin Matty Horizons Writers Circle Coordinator: Luciana Erregue-Sacchi

WGA WestWord Editor: Raymond Gariépy

Assistant Editor: Ellen Kartz

Layout & Design: Jason Scheibelhofer Printing: nexGen Grafix Inc.

Please notify the WGA office immediately of any address change.

Writers’ Guild of Alberta

Percy Page Centre, 11759 Groat Road Edmonton, AB T5M 3K6 Ph: (780) 422-8174, Fax: (780) 422-2663 Toll-free: 1-800-665-5354 Email: mail@writersguild.ca Website: writersguild.ca

Southern Alberta Office, Calgary c/o CommunityWise Resource Centre #204, 223 12th Avenue SW Calgary Alberta T2R 0G9 Ph: (403) 261-9660 Email: ashley.frerichs@writersguild.ab.ca

Submission queries can be sent to: editor@writersguild.ab.ca

WINTERIZE YOUR WRITING

RAYMOND GARIÉPY

The winters of my childhood and youth were filled with tobogganing, snowshoeing, skating, and one teeth-gritting incident crashing the neighbour’s snowmobile. Ah, those were the days, but not today. Over the past many years, I’ve spent December to March indoors and hunkered down (C-19 didn’t help matters).

Escaping winter to spend a week or two in the southern sun is a welcome interruption for many Albertans. Those of us left behind have no choice but to endure the snow and the cold, put on a brave (and frozen) face, and freeze our behinds off.

You can shovel and sweep aside the dark days by powering up your creativity in creative ways. How? To the rescue is Ali Bryan with her sure-fire suggestions to “Winterize Your Writing,” warm the cockles of your heart, and get you through to April.

Bryan’s advice (Tip #1) to wear an “adult onesie or a favourite toque” sounds like a potential money-maker for the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. Onesies and toques embroidered with the WGA logo and the slogan “Winterize Your Writing” would sell out faster than you can say, “Block heater.”

I’ll embrace a writerly winter by burning countless drafts of my manuscript on the first full moon of 2023 (Full Wolf Moon), which coincides with Epiphany (January 6). Howling by the fire in the moon's glow, I’ll await the celestial blessing of the writing god. On boredom days, I’ll hone my axe-throwing technique, using publishers’ rejection emails as the target.

As you cuddle up with your favourite hot drink and this issue of WestWord, engage those brain cells: come up with ideas for articles to pitch us or respond to the question to members: “What literary pilgrimages have you taken?” (Heck, just go on a winter literary pilgrimage.)

• • •

The University of Alberta Writer-in-Residence Bänoo Zan, in “Cannons, Tanks, Machine Guns,” weighs in on Islamophobia and freedom of speech.

Katherine Koller’s “Jane Austen and Me—My Ongoing Education,” inspired the literary pilgrimage question to members. Koller writes of her relationship with Jane Austen, and her experience attending the Jane Austen Society of North America conference in 2022.

The word “queer” is the focus of “The Radical Copyeditor’s Approach to Queer,” by Alex Kapitan. “This quirky, mighty word carries so much meaning. Self-identity, umbrella term, academic discipline, political orientation, verb, and—yes—slur,” he writes.

Southern Alberta history, views of sunrises and sunsets, and a retreat for writers and artists, make for the perfect combo, according to Sharon Stevens, The Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage community outreach coordinator.

“Selling Books, One Step and Book at a Time” by Lorna Stuber is a story of perseverance and hope. Flogging books is a task not for the impatient or the reclusive.

Congratulations to Calgary writer Suzette Mayr, winner of the 2022 Giller Prize for her novel, The Sleeping Car Porter, and to the recipients of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medals to Albertans who have demonstrated a significant contribution to Alberta’s literary community.

I welcome your comments about this issue of WestWord magazine. You can reach me by email at editor@writersguild.ab.ca.

CANNONS, TANKS, MACHINE GUNS 1

Islamophobia and freedom of speech

BÄNOO ZAN

“In this crooked dead end of a bitter cold they keep their fire alive by burning our songs and poems;

Do not place your life in peril by your thoughts!

Such a strange time it is, my dear!”

– Ahmad Shamlou2

At Shab-e She’r,3 whenever I announced we respect freedom of speech, the faces of immigrants and refugees lit up. They were disappointed in the North American literati that branded any critique of Islam as Islamophobia! They had no patience for those who so readily disposed of their most prized possession: freedom.

Many writers in the West are more afraid of being branded as Islamophobes than as accomplices of dictators. They look away when the criminals shoot peaceful protestors in the head and heart, beat them to death with batons, and torture and rape them in detention. Some claim they don’t understand our “culture,” and so cannot take a stand. Their silence allows dictators to win.

The word “Islamophobia” literally means “fear or hatred of Islam.” Remember that Islam is an ideology, not a person. Everyone has the right to detest or criticize ideologies that do not measure up to their values. There is a difference between critique of Islam and Islamophobia. Islam, like any other belief system, must be criticized openly and debated.

What is wrong is hatred directed at individual Muslims. People confuse the unacceptable ethnic and racial hatred with the justifiable critique or even dislike of a religious system. Depending on the user, the term Islamophobia has come to mean either criticism of the religion of Islam or hatred directed at individual Muslims. These are, in fact, opposites. One is a human right, and the other is a human weakness—a prejudice.

Eight out of 10 countries with the lowest human freedom index are Muslimmajority countries.4 Although in theory, Islamic jurisprudence has the potential to respond to new times and changing norms, in practice, governance and rights in Muslim-majority countries lag far behind acceptable standards.

Censors

This is a war.

As I write this piece, the world is witnessing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s brutal enforcement of hijab on women against their will. Who benefits from NOT talking about this state of affairs? Certainly not ordinary Muslims. They are the prey of politicians, community and religious leaders, and ruling elites who benefit sexually, financially, and politically from their

2 Translated by Mahvash Shahegh and Dan Newsome (iranchamber.com/literature/ashamlou/ahmad_shamlou.php) 3 Canada’s most diverse and brave poetry and open mic series founded by Bänoo Zan in 2012. 4 worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/freedom-index-by-country

Freedom is the only religion to respect as a writer.

The enemies of freedom are the enemies of writers.

Writers may compromise with censors, but censors don’t reciprocate the favour once in power.

do not only censor writers. They censor life.

PHOTO CREDIT: RAHMA SHERE

subjugation. These exploiters enjoy impunity for their crimes partly thanks to the word “Islamophobia.” Muslim apologists in the West exploit the ambiguity in the term to justify atrocities and demand censorship of any critique of Islam.

The Western literary community has imposed a ban on Islamophobia, conflated with critique of Islam. This censorship is a tacit agreement among publishers, editors, and literary influencers.

Human rights, women’s rights, and civil rights are universal. Iranian culture no longer accepts compulsory hijab, if it ever did. What the Islamic regime is doing is stunting the growth of culture. Culture is not imposed on a nation via guns and bullets. Culture is adopted by consensus.

The conspiracy against truth in the form of censorship damages literature and its position in society. Instead of telling the truth, literature now bestows uncritical compliments upon minority cultures.

Among all this mayhem, the artistic integrity of minority writers has been compromised. They have been reduced to apologists for

their religions and cultures. The writing that many of them produce has a short expiry date. It says nothing subversive, outrageous, profane, or challenging. Nothing honest or self-critical. Nothing life-changing. It is entertainment.

As entertainment, books pale in comparison with other attractions. Writing is dying, and the censors, liars, and people-pleasers are responsible for its death.

In view of the confusion in the term “Islamophobia” and its manipulation, I propose we remove “Islamophobia” from the list of unforgivable crimes and instead consider the following crimes as unacceptable: The crime of complicity. The crime of silence. The crime of dishonesty. The crime of censorship.

Freedom is the only religion to respect as a writer.

The enemies of freedom are the enemies of writers.

Censors do not only censor writers. They censor life. This is a war.

“If I rise, if you arise, everyone will be roused. If I sit, if you take a seat, who will take a stand? Who will fight the foe, grapple the foul enemy hand to hand?”5

Bänoo Zan has over 250 published poems and other pieces as well as three books, including Songs of Exile and Letters to My Father. She founded Shab-e She’r (Poetry Night), Canada’s most diverse and brave reading series. Bänoo is writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta, September 2022–May 2023.

Writers may compromise with censors, but censors don’t reciprocate the favour once in power.

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta (WGA) increasingly relies on the generosity of individual members and sponsors to accomplish our mission. Donating to the WGA directly supports the development of Alberta writers from all backgrounds through the variety of programs and resources we offer.

Twitter: @BanooZan & @ShabeSherTO Instagram: @banoo.zan Facebook & LinkedIn: Bänoo Zan Make

5 From: “Blue, Grey, Black” by Hamid Mosadiq (1969), translated from the Persian by Sholeh Wolpé and Tony Barnstone, quoted in: Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East, W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., edited by Reza Alsan.

A NEW YEAR IS A GOOD TIME TO SET GOALS

GIORGIA SEVERINI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Happy new year! I love the ritual of welcoming the new year, since it brings a sense of rejuvenation and excitement to set new writing goals. Of course, I understand as well as anyone how difficult it is to stick to resolutions after the momentum of the new year fades. But it could be possible to keep writing milestones going by planning what programs or events you want to take part in during the year. Maybe you will take three months to get your manuscript ready to submit to the Manuscript Reading Service, or you can choose at least one literary event (online or off) in WriteClick to attend every month to keep up the inspiration and connection, or this could be the year you get ready to apply for the Mentorship Program in the fall. Or you might be at a stage where you have published work and want to support the larger community, so it could be the year where you apply to be a mentor, or you let the WGA know you’re interested in speaking at our events.

Our conference this year is scheduled for June 2–4. That’s a potential motivator to make progress on your writing project during the early part of the year, so you can come to the conference with an answer to the most effective networking question: “What are you writing?” Building off the experiments we did with our last conference, we are having one central in-person hub in Calgary this year, but still offering livestreamed sessions to keep the conference accessible.

In November, we had the first session of Poems Aligned: Shaping Your Work, an online poetry intensive with Alice Major, with the second session in January. Aimed at writers with experience writing poetry but who have not yet put out a chapbook or full-length poetry collection, this intensive includes group instruction, one-on-one consultations with Alice, and direction to take with you in between sessions. The intensive sold out, and if it’s well received, it will be a model for other intensives this year for different writing forms and genres. Further intensives will be aimed at writers in an intermediate stage, as a bridge between the Manuscript Reading Service and Mentorship Program. If this is where you are at this year, please keep an eye on the intensives.

We received the wonderful news in November that Suzette Mayr won the Giller Prize for The Sleeping Car Porter. Suzette is a long-time WGA member who has been a presenter at many of our programs and events. It’s thrilling to see an Alberta author receive this prestigious prize, but it’s even better when it’s one of our members. If you haven’t already, maybe your goal this year is to read the book and take inspiration from it as an Alberta success story. Congratulations, Suzette!

This winter has been hard on many of us with the multitude of illnesses circulating. The continuing illnesses and strain on our health care system make many of us reluctant to venture out. The advantage of writing is that it can be done at home, but the isolation is an ongoing challenge. We are continuing to offer both in-person and online programs to keep them as accessible as possible, and I hope the WGA can help you with staying motivated with your writing this year.

PHOTO BY MONIQUE DE ST-CROIX

WELCOME NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

At the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s annual general meeting, held in person in Calgary and streamed online, September 24, 2022, a new board of directors was elected.

President BLAINE NEWTON

Blaine Newton is a playwright, sketch and fiction writer, improviser and sometime engineer. His recent theatre productions include The Kyleness of Kyle and The Thin Grey Line, Cursive Writing Productions; Bravo, Shadow Theatre; Five Stages of Death, Cursive Writing Productions; and Oral Fixations (co-written with author Leslie Greentree), Ignition Theatre. His recent publications include the stories “By the Numbers,” Freefall Magazine, and “Life in a Bottle,” University of Bristol 2021 Anthology.

He’s a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, a distant past-president of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, and served two terms as president of Alberta Playwrights’ Network.

When not bragging about himself in the third person, he has written sketches for shows you’ve never seen, short stories for magazines and anthologies you’ve never read, and plays for an audience of well under a million people. This, combined with his engineering training, allows him to alter current reality by day while creating alternate realities at night.

Vice President

COLIN MARTIN

A long-time member of Calgary’s creative writing community, Colin Martin has previously served as the president of the board for the Alexandra Writers’

Centre Society, filling Station Magazine, and as the founding editor of NōD Magazine. He currently teaches academic, technical, and creative writing for Mount Royal University and the Alberta University of the Arts, and employs Primrose the CanLit Sort of Husky Dog as his partner in various crimes against good taste and behaviour.

Treasurer NICOLAS BROWN

Nicolas Brown is a Chartered Professional Accountant, military reservist, and experienced non-profit director. Brown has over six years of accounting and payroll experience, and over 10 years of experience in volunteer and governance roles. As an aspiring author, his current projects include sci-fi, fantasy, and short story collections.

An enthusiastic community volunteer, Brown enjoys supporting community, sport, and art organizations in Alberta and in the Edmonton area. Besides serving as treasurer for the WGA, he currently serves as chair of the Town of Legal Library Board, treasurer on the board for the Alberta Equestrian Federation, and as a director of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. His board experience includes both committee and board chair roles, and he previously served as a student member on the Northern Alberta Institute of Alberta (NAIT) Board of Governors and as president and chair for both the Canadian University Press and the former Canadian Authors Association–Alberta Branch.

A Bachelor of Business Administration honours graduate from NAIT, he is currently attending Cape Breton University’s MBA in community economic development program, and plans to pursue further graduate studies in business and public policy in the near future.

Secretary

MOORÉA GRAY

Mooréa Gray has been an active member of the WGA since 2004. She has participated in workshops, attended Alberta Literary Awards events, and written for WestWord. Gray has a great interest in and involvement in Alberta literature— past and present. In 2019, she published an anthology on the works of IcelandicCanadian writer Stephan G. Stephansson. She is the president of the Calgary Women’s Literary Club and sits on a committee for the Leif Eriksson Iceland Club. In 2021, she completed a two-year term as a committee member with the Calgary Distinguished Writers Program at the University of Calgary. Gray holds a BEd and an MA in English Literature. Her writing focuses primarily on children’s stories. Substitute teaching for children in Kindergarten to Grade Six is a highlight of her year. Teaching offers the opportunity to read and share her love of literature with a captive audience.

Member at Large

DR. KIMBERLY FRASER

Dr. Kimberly Fraser, an author with an MFA in creative nonfiction, has extensive clinical practice and leadership in nursing and health care. A nurse entrepreneur, Fraser owned a successful home care company and vocational school with her husband for 25 years.

Her research program and her writing focus on family caregiving and home care using innovative and arts-based approaches. She recently retired from her full-time role as a professor (University of Alberta) and clinician scientist (Alberta Health Services). Fraser uses applied research to incite public conversations and inform policy for better outcomes for home care clients and family caregivers. She has embarked on a second career as an author. Her nonfiction book, The Accidental Caregiver, was published in 2022 by Sutherland House. She does contract teaching with Athabasca University.

Fraser has been active on several community boards in the past and is currently vice president of Caregivers Alberta. She is looking forward to the second year of her term on the board with WGA.

Member at Large

NICOLE HILL

Nicole Hill is a new member of the WGA Board. She is the author and co-author of an array of academic and public-facing nonfiction works. Most recently, she co-edited Obstetric Violence: Realities and Resistance from Around the World, published by Demeter Press, 2022, in which she is also a chapter author. Hill has a BA in sociology, an MA in integrated studies from Athabasca University and a PhD (ABD) in sociology from the University of Alberta. She served as co-editor and board member of the Journal of Integrated Studies and vice president academic of the Athabasca University Graduate Students’ Association. Hill has a passion for storytelling and progressive works that enrich and challenge our ways of thinking and doing.

Member at Large

DOROTHY BENTLEY

Dorothy Bentley was raised in Southern Ontario and has made Alberta home for many years. Previously a freelance writer, her articles, columns, poetry and short stories have been published in many periodicals. Her current publications include Summer North Coming, a poetry picture book published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside in 2019, two poems in the M(othering) Anthology, published by Inanna Publications & Education Inc., released spring 2022, and Escape from the Wildfire, a YA novel published by James Lorimer & Company Ltd., released fall 2022.

She has served several non-profit organizations in public relations and worked in programming and administrative roles, most recently as program coordinator for the WGA based in Calgary. She comes to the board as a member at large with the desire to encourage staff and members throughout the province, and to explore funding avenues. She resides in the country south of Calgary with her family, a cat named Whitney Mewston, and a Sheltie named Clay.

Member at Large MONI BRAR

Moni Brar was born in rural India, raised in northern British Columbia, and now gratefully divides her time between the unceded territories of Treaty 7 and Métis Nation Region 3 (Calgary) and the Syilx Okanagan Nation (Oliver). She has multiple nominations for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize, and was the winner of the 2022 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award. She has received writing awards and honours from PRISM

international, Room, Arc, Blood Orange Review, and Subnivean. Her writing appears in Best Canadian Poetry, The Literary Review of Canada, Passages North, and Hobart. She is alumni of Tin House, The Banff Centre, and The Humber School for Writers.

Past President CAROL PARCHEWSKY

Carol Parchewsky has been an active member of the WGA for several years. She received her MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina, her BSc in mechanical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan, and postgraduate certificates in professional management— PEG, e-Learning, and creative writing from the University of Calgary. She is a knowledgeable senior leader with experience in government organizations, civic organizations, and the private sector. Parchewsky teaches writing, editing, and ESL classes. Her fiction is published in Burningword Literary, On the Run, Flash Boulevard, Drunk Monkeys, Stanchion, The Drabble Advent Calendar, and This Will Only Take A Minute (Guernica Editions). She has been shortlisted for The Bath Flash Fiction Award, and The New Flash Fiction Prize. When she isn’t storifying the engineering world or teaching, she can be found writing novellas-in-flash, novels, and compiling short story collections.

COPYRIGHT

PRIMER PART 4:

Questions

JEANANNE KIRWIN, Q.C.

This information is of a general nature only. It does not constitute legal advice or create a solicitor-client relationship. The reader should seek advice from a lawyer pertaining to any particular fact situation.

As part of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s website update, I revisited the Intellectual Property Frequently Asked Questions page. In this primer, the last in a series of four, I provide updated answers to the FAQ page questions that touch on copyright infringement, how using a pseudonym affects copyright, and copyright ownership in works in which more than one person may have a copyright interest.

Here are the FAQ page questions and responses:

MY WRITING IS BEING USED/ REPRODUCED/DISTRIBUTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. WHAT CAN I DO?

Section 3 of the federal Copyright Act states copyright is the sole right to produce or reproduce the work, or any substantial part of the work, in any material form. Section 27(1) defines copyright infringement: to do anything, without the owner’s consent, that only the copyright owner has the right to do. Section 27(2) adds that to distribute a work to such an extent as to affect prejudicially the owner of the copyright owner is also infringement. Putting these concepts

together, assuming a substantial part of your work is being used/reproduced/distributed, then your work is infringed and you have the basis to take action. The usual first step is to send a cease-and-desist demand letter. Such letters often work because many infringers are ignorant of copyright law and will cease when informed. If not, then you may elect to commence a lawsuit for copyright infringement. If you have registered copyright in your work before the infringement, the legal action will be simpler. To prove infringement, the plaintiff must show both similarity between the infringed work and the infringing work, and access (for example, the infringer had access to the infringed work).

DOES AN AUTHOR WHO USES A PSEUDONYM RETAIN COPYRIGHT IN THE WORK THEY CREATE?

Using an alternate name, often called a pen name with literary endeavours, is desirable for many reasons, and legally recognized. The moral rights provisions of the Copyright Act state the author of a work has the right to be associated with the work as its author by name, or under a pseudonym, and the right to remain anonymous. The term of copyright protection is shortened where

the author cannot be determined, but otherwise, copyright principles apply equally to anonymous and pseudonymous works. Therefore, the author who uses a pseudonym retains copyright in the work. In registering or entering into a contract regarding the work, the author should use their legal name.

WHO HOLDS THE COPYRIGHT IN A TRANSLATION OF A WORK—THE AUTHOR OR THE TRANSLATOR?

The Copyright Act section 3(1)(a) states copyright includes the sole right to produce, reproduce, or publish any translation of the work. Therefore, the author’s consent must be first obtained to produce or publish a translation of their work.

Assuming permission is granted, the translation is considered an original literary work. This is because the translator uses their independent labour, knowledge, skill and judgment to create the translation, and is therefore the author and copyright owner of their translation.

To avoid confusion or disagreement, permission to make and publish the translation and the division of copyright ownership in the translation should be addressed in a written agreement.

on copyright infringement, pseudonyms and copyright, and copyright ownership

WHO HOLDS THE COPYRIGHT IN A WORK WRITTEN BY A GHOSTWRITER?

Ghostwriting is understood to mean writing for someone else who is named as the author; for example, that person’s memoirs. The Copyright Act section 13(1) provides that “the author” of a work is the first owner of the work. Assuming no exceptions to the rule apply (such as work produced in the course of employment, in which case the employer often owns the work), the next question is who is “the author”? Is the author the creator (the ghostwriter) or the person whose story is being told, for example, the person who “owns” the story? No definition of “author” appears in the Act. Furthermore, in the context of ghostwriting, Canadian courts have been silent (except where a written agreement is being interpreted). This legal grey area highlights the importance of a written agreement among the ghostwriter, the individual whose story is being told, and the publisher.

WHO HOLDS THE COPYRIGHT IN A WORK TO WHICH MORE THAN ONE AUTHOR CONTRIBUTE?

The Copyright Act refers to works of joint authorship, collective works, and compilations:

• A work of joint authorship is produced by the collaboration of two or more

authors in which the contribution of one author is not distinct from the contribution of the other author.

• A collective work is one written in distinct parts by different authors, or in which works or parts of works of different authors are incorporated.

• A compilation is a work resulting from the selection or arrangement of literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works, or results from the selection or arrangement of data.

The Act does not specifically state how copyright is held in each case. It does provide that if a work is included in a compilation, that does not affect the protection conferred by the Act regarding the copyright. In other words, by contributing a work to a compilation, you do not lose your copyright in that work. That outcome likely applies as well to collective works. Again, it’s best for the two or more authors to sign a written agreement setting out how their copyright ownership is to be shared.

A common theme emerges from this discussion of literary works in which more than one person may have a copyright interest: agree to it in writing!

Jeananne Kirwin, Q.C., a lawyer in Edmonton, practices in the areas of intellectual property and corporate/commercial law with an emphasis on trademark and copyright registration and enforcement (kirwinllp.com).

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Jeananne K. Kirwin, K.C.’s four-part primer answering questions about intellectual property, appears in the following issues of WestWord magazine.

PART 1: Protecting your copyright, April-June 2022

PART 2: Publishing agreements, July-September 2022

PART 3: Using the work of others, and copyright relating to digital works, October-December 2022

PART 4: Copyright infringement, pseudonyms and copyright, and copyright ownership, January-March 2023

Visit the Intellectual Property Frequently Asked Questions page on the website of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta—writersguild.ca/resources/ intellectual-property-faq/

ALI BRYAN

WINTERIZE YOUR WRITING

Eleven ways to create and maintain a robust winter writing practice

ONE

HYGGE THE SHIT OUT OF YOUR WRITING SPACE.

I’m not talking snow tires, plastic sheeting and space heaters, but tea lights, wearable blankets, and wassail. Write in an adult onesie or a favourite toque. Wear slippers with rubber and chains on the bottom. Bake hygge muffins. Light a candle and touch the flame every time you misplace a modifier, double space after a period, or read any article or photo essay that starts with, “You’ll never believe what happens next!”

TWO

ADOPT A POSITIVE WINTER MINDSET.

Polar vortices, dark days, and isolation are good reasons to loathe winter, but embracing—maybe even appreciating—the season can go a long way in creating and maintaining a robust winter writing practice. Take a polar bear dip. Star gaze, snowshoe, or go tubing. Swap your hygge muffin for an icicle or top your coffee with snow. When safe and possible, take a winter walk. Leaning into winter might be uncomfortable, but it will prepare you for other uncomfortable things like promoting your book on social media or opening your box of freshly delivered books on Instagram Live.

PHOTO CREDIT: PHIL CROZIER

THREE TAKE ON A WINTER JOB.

Snowplough operator, chairlift attendant, gift wrapper, caretaker at an off-season hotel. Okay, maybe not the latter. We know how well that worked for Jack Torrance, the protagonist in Stephen King’s gothic horror novel, The Shining, but a seasonal side hustle can add discipline to your winter writing practice. While it’s true that many writers complain of not having enough time to write, there exists an opposite problem for those who have too much time. It seems the more unscheduled time a writer has, the less they write. Besides, your seasonal side hustle might give you your big break. That’s what happened to David Sedaris. His story, “Santaland Diaries,” based on his experience working as a Macy’s department store elf, landed him his first book deal.

FOUR BECOME A STORY HOARDER.

For some, a winter writing practice might mean no writing, especially if your creativity is attuned naturally to another season. So instead of a daily writing practice, adopt a daily reading, viewing and listening one. Story comes in all forms. Bingewatch a TV series. Check out a film. See a play. Listen to an audiobook, a podcast, an album, a sermon, or a tree. View convocation speeches and TED Talks, photo essays, documentaries, and obituaries. Read tombstones, the fine print, body language, underpasses, and music. Consume as much story in as many forms as you can and see how your story hoard informs your work when you return to the page.

FIVE WRITE WINTER.

If you’re stuck on a project, between manuscripts or can’t think of anything to write, use winter as a prompt. How can an unusually mild or unusually frigid winter be used as an inciting incident in a short story? What winter-related event (beyond the cliché snowstorm) might prevent your protagonist from getting what they want? What happened in the winter of 1916, 1957 or 2061 that knocked your protagonist’s worldview off-kilter and thus spawned their inner issue? White a poem called February, design a character named Parka, compose a picture book from your childhood winter memories. Write about wet socks, frostbite, hibernation, seasonal depression, yetis, carnivals, croup and whatever the hell crockicurl is.

SIX LEVEL UP YOUR CRAFT.

Winter is a great time to upgrade your writing skills. Take an in-person workshop or multi-week class. If you fear winter driving and are not “zoomed-out,” many creative writing organizations are still offering online courses. Try a new teacher, a new method, a new institution, a new genre. Go to a conference. Take a master class. Choose one area of your writing that needs the most improvement and find a focused, solution-oriented program to get it done. Classes cost-prohibitive? Buy or borrow craft books or read mentor texts and deconstruct how the author successfully executed that element of craft.

SEVEN

RETREAT.

Without the distraction of patio drinks and beach weather, winter can be a great time to book a writer’s retreat. Go alone or with a group, a professionally organized package or create your own. Go abroad, upstairs or down the street. Set a budget and stick to it. It doesn’t have to be fancy (though it can be if you like) to be productive. Usain Bolt honed his running skills on a simple grass track. Who says you can’t write a Giller Prize-winning novel at a Motel Six or an airport hotel?

EIGHT

GENRE-BEND.

Exploring a new genre can do wonders for your creative practice and can be achieved in a myriad of ways. You can switch styles/forms within a genre, such as swapping your usual free verse poetry for a sestina or a personal essay for an object one. Another option is to switch genres. Exchange short fiction for creative non, playwriting for picture books, screenplays for sonnets. Or think outside the page. What can a pottery wheel teach you about shaping a story? Or street photography about creating compelling characters? Dabbling in another art form may not only inform your writing practice, but it may also ignite the child-like joy and playfulness that comes from beginnerhood—a joy that can diminish after years in the writing game.

NINE

WORK ON YOUR SOCIAL (MEDIA) GAME.

Refresh your website, update your profile pic, create a social media calendar, or delete your accounts. Contrary to popular opinion, you do not need a strong social media presence to be a writer, or a successful one. Sure, you might get a book deal (if you have 100k followers), or an agent might heart your tweet, but if it feels nauseating or inauthentic, don’t. If you still want to maintain an online presence, keep it simple. Choose one platform this winter and find your footing. Like structure? Create a social media calendar and stick to it for a month. Prefer a more organic approach? Post as you feel inspired. But consider your platform as an invitation for potential readers, editors and agents to get to know you better. However you choose to engage online, do it with intention

TEN SHARE YOUR WORK.

Legendary filmmaker Agnès Varda describes the three pillars of her process: inspiration, création, partage (inspiration, creation and sharing). One of the complicating realities of being a literary artist (as opposed to other art forms) is the partage part, and without it, the cycle of creation can’t be completed. Traditional publishing is not always accessible and the inability to share your work can be demoralizing. A shortterm fix while you work on your writing long game? Perform at an open mic. Join a poetry circle. Host a literary salon. Read to seniors. Create a digital performance. Start a reading series. Gift your work to friends and family. The act of sharing can complete the circle even if formal publishing remains the broader goal.

ELEVEN

WORK ON YOUR HEALTH.

Yeah, yeah. What does that have to do with writing? Even tiny health improvements, whether mental, physical, social or spiritual, can increase our well-being, enlighten our inner selves and reinvigorate our artistic practice. Make that doctor’s appointment you’ve put off, whiten your teeth, meditate, move, mourn. Nurture your relationships. De-clutter, decolonize, detox and delete. Clean out your fridge, get that mole on your leg checked, eat a vegetable, join a gym, go on a date. There’s no shame in wanting to improve your health and well-being in ways that are concrete, tangible and sometimes hard. Positive action begets further action in the same way a few words become many, become a story.

Ali Bryan is the author of three novels, with three more coming out in 2023. Bryan was awarded The Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022.

Images created using open source, text-to-image software (Stability AI).

THE RADICAL COPYEDITOR’S APPROACH TO QUEER

What’s in a word? “Queer”

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY THE AUTHOR

This quirky, mighty word carries so much meaning. Self-identity, umbrella term, academic discipline, political orientation, verb, and—yes— slur. Yet more than three decades after a fundamental shift in what this word communicates, the mainstream still resists acknowledging the fullness of what queer means.

The word queer was first used in reference to same-sex desire in the late 1800s, and before long it was in widespread use, both as a self-identity term and as disparaging

slang in mainstream contexts. According to sociologist Jeffrey Weeks, the word queer “signaled the general perception of same-sex desire as something eccentric, strange, abnormal, and perverse.” By the mid-twentieth century, the word gay began supplanting both homosexual and queer as a self-identity term, and with the Stonewall Uprising in 1969, gay embodied for many people a sense of pride and resistance to oppression. The explosion of activism after Stonewall focused on fighting police brutality and claiming sexual public space, led by anti-assimilationists (those who seek to challenge fundamental inequalities and remake society). However, over the ensuing decades, this activism moved into funded organizations focused on access and equality via the criminal-legal system, government, military, and so forth, led by assimilationists (those who seek to blend in with the mainstream).

When the AIDS crisis hit, the dominant gay rhetoric of tolerance was meaningless to those who were dying and being alternately ignored, blamed, and damned by mainstream culture. It was time for radical goals, radical action, and radical language. So AIDS activists reclaimed the word queer, defiantly reforging its meanings of abnormality and perversion into pride in being different and rejection of the status quo. The new use of queer simultaneously spoke to (a) the need for a word that transcended binary, essentialist beliefs about sexuality and gender and embraced fluidity, (b) coalition across lines of difference, particularly race, class, and gender, and (c) a revolutionary rather than reformist approach to the status quo. This new definition was an instant hit, but as time went on, the forces of the status quo began using the word to mean “not straight (but it’s okay to say it now)!” This, in turn, led to backlash from people who objected

First of all, it’s time to dispel the myth that only queer people can use the word queer. Queer is not primarily about who says it but about what it’s used to communicate. It is essential that non-queer people understand what this word means today and use it to communicate those meanings.

to being called queer—whether because the word felt permanently violent to them or because they disliked the politics that queer represented. Yet more and more people were using queer to describe themselves. This proved too confusing a terrain for many well-meaning straight, cisgender people to navigate. If some LGBT people hate queer and ban its use, and other LGBT people love queer and demand its use, what’s an ally to do? How should queer be used by those who seek to use language consciously and caringly?

First of all, it’s time to dispel the myth that only queer people can use the word queer Queer is not primarily about who says it but about what it’s used to communicate. It is essential that nonqueer people understand what this word means today and use it to communicate those meanings.

Second, if you don’t want to use the word queer to describe yourself, by all means, don’t. But when people categorically avoid the word queer in any context, even if their intention is to respect those who hate the word, the impact is rejection of everything that queer stands for (that is, challenging the status quo, upending dominant norms of sexuality and gender, and solidarity among all those who are oppressed). Ignoring queer also buys into the mythology that there are no meaningful differences among people who aren’t straight.

This doesn’t mean queer shouldn’t be used with care. It should—but not for the reasons people usually name. Here are the radical copyeditor’s dos and don’ts.

DO use queer in reference to people who describe themselves as queer. Recognize queer as a valid identity. My sexual orientation is queer. To me, this means I’m attracted to people of many genders, but more importantly, it means that my sexuality actively challenges norms and consciously informs my radical politics. My gender identity is genderqueer. To me, this means that who I am actively queers gender: my experience and expression of gender actively subvert gender norms. There are no other words

that fully communicate who I am. And I’m not alone: more U.S. trans people identify as queer than any other sexual orientation, according to the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey (ustranssurvey.org/reports).

My partner, who is also queer, has had well-meaning strangers tell him, “Oh, don’t call yourself that!” and has had editors attempt to neutralize his bio by changing “queer activist” to “LGBT activist.” An older white lesbian colleague once described me as “an LGBT person who identifies as queer.” It is never okay to “correct” the language that people use to describe themselves. I’m not a gay or lesbian or bi person who calls myself queer; I’m a queer person. Queer needs to be respected as a legitimate identity, included as an option on surveys that ask about sexual orientation, and rightly defined as the Q in LGBTQ

DO use queer in reference to people and things that are aligned with the politics of queerness.

In its simplest form, queer means upending mainstream norms about sexuality and gender (particularly the ones that say that being straight is the human default and that gender and sexuality are hardwired, binary, and fixed rather than socially constructed, infinite, and fluid). It also usually speaks to solidarity across lines of race, class, dis/ability, gender, sexuality, and other identities as part of a radical politics of transforming the status quo and working toward collective liberation.

So scholarly fields like queer theory, queer studies, and queer theology are designed to queer their topic of focus, be it philosophy, literature, film, religion, history, or any number of other things— meaning they interpret things in a way that upends norms of gender and sexuality and engage with how race, class, dis/ability, gender, sexuality, and other identities intersect with and affect each other. Queer activism, queer politics, and queer organizations do the same. It’s important to acknowledge and honor queer politics and queer as a verb by using it in this manner.

DO use queer to describe groups, communities, and movements who resist gender/sexual norms in diverse and mutually supportive ways.

One of the key ways that queer has been used since its shift in meaning has been as a label that stands for difference rather than sameness. For instance, at a 1991 conference, “queer community” was described as “the oxymoronic community of difference” of people of all sexualities, genders, races, disabilities, classes, and political persuasions, where “difference from the norm is about all that many people … have in common with each other.”

In its simplest form, queer means upending mainstream norms about sexuality and gender (particularly the ones that say that being straight is the human default and that gender and sexuality are hardwired, binary, and fixed rather than socially constructed, infinite, and fluid).

This use of queer has continued to this day, as a way of speaking not only to the incredible diversity of people who defy or deviate from sexual and gender norms but also to solidarity between these folks— celebrating our differences and supporting and fighting for each other. In the words of Shiloh Morrison, “Queer isn’t about who you f**k, it’s about who you are accountable to.”

The concept of queer as an umbrella term refers to this use. But it’s not an umbrella for everyone who isn’t cis and straight; rather, it’s an umbrella for everyone whose resistance to gender/sexual norms leads them to align themselves with other gender/sexual outlaws and outsiders.

Queer is deeply complex and beautifully multifaceted. It’s not an inherently violent word, even if it has been used in harmful ways. In today’s world, queer is used to communicate liberation far, far more often than it is used to communicate hate.

DON’T use queer as a synonym for gay or to refer to non-queer LGBT people.

Queer and gay are not interchangeable. Queer isn’t shorthand or a hip way to avoid a long list of identities; it has a unique meaning, one that’s about subverting norms and challenging the status quo. So don’t use queer as a shortcut, don’t use it to refer to people who actively don’t identify with it, and don’t use it to refer to LGBT people who don’t believe in what queer stands for, such as affluent assimilationist gay men, anti-trans lesbian separatists, and trans Trump-lovers.

DON’T use queer pejoratively.

Queer is still sometimes used as a violent slur. Definitely don’t do this. That said, it’s important to remember that what makes a word a slur is its usage and context. No word means the same thing to all people in all contexts. Respecting self-identity language is essential; this means not calling people queer if they don’t want to be referred to that way and calling people queer if that’s how they describe themselves. Both are equally important.

In conclusion

Queer is deeply complex and beautifully multifaceted. It’s not an inherently violent word, even if it has been used in harmful ways. In today’s world, queer is used to communicate liberation far, far more often than it is used to communicate hate. In fact, baked into the DNA of

queer is a refusal to let the forces of hate and oppression have the upper hand or the last word.

Ultimately, if you unilaterally reject the word queer, refuse to use it, warn others to avoid it, you erase me (who am I to you, if you can’t say this word?), you side with those who think everyone who isn’t straight and cisgender should strive to blend in with those who are, and you reject the idea that in order for all people to survive and thrive we need transformation (not just superficial change).

So don’t treat queer as off-limits. Use this word to mean what queers ourselves have used it to mean for 30 years now.

Glorious nonconformity and defiant deviance. Resistance to the status quo. Fabulous multiplicity and fierce solidarity. A world where all of us can be free.

Alex Kapitan is a queer and trans trainer, speaker, consultant, editor, and activist who left the world of nonfiction book publishing to start Radical Copyeditor (radicalcopyeditor.com), an anti-oppressive language project. Kapitan lives in Massachusetts and works with many organizations and groups, helping people use words for good. Kapitan presented the webinar “Conscious Language and the Power of Words” to the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association in 2022. This article is excerpted and adapted from the piece “What’s in a Word: Queer,” which appears on Kapitan’s site, Radical Copyeditor. Adapted and reprinted with permission.

KATHERINE KOLLER

JANE AUSTEN AND ME

My ongoing education

From time to time at my writing desk, I look up at a gift from one of my daughters, a framed drawing of Jane Austen facing the mint U.K. stamps of each of her six novels. Jane has been with me since my writing life began, first as a reader, a student, then as a teacher, mother, and author. I believe Austen contributes to my sense and sensibility, the balance of which makes up a species of mental wellness. She keeps me learning. She helps me teach my students and guide my daughters. Her books unite writers and readers across time and space and provide me with infinite lessons in writing.

I first read Jane Austen as a university student and recognized her as a particular voice for young women, necessary to be studied but also enjoyed. I recall “saving” two of the novels I had not yet read—Mansfield Park and Persuasion for when I might need their steadying power and complete immersion; one became my best friend when I moved away from Edmonton to Toronto to work in publishing, and the other I read while suffering through a long-haul romantic breakup. But I needn’t have “preserved” those two books: Austen has since revealed that on every rereading, I find new relevancies to myself at any

age, to the world now, and to the lives of girls and women.

When I began teaching at the University of Alberta, one of the first texts I taught was Pride and Prejudice, the most dramatic of Austen’s six, and the one that for me attempts to define romantic love. Because I have no sisters, the generative relationships of Elizabeth and Jane in Pride and Prejudice and Marianne and Elinor in Sense and Sensibility later helped me understand my daughters’ ups and downs. I recommended that my girls read Austen before they began dating and, although I was not entirely successful, one has a Most ardently tattoo.

As a writer, I continue to be engaged by Austen’s life and other writings, and

PHOTO BY ALYSSA LAU

the beauty, precision, and energy of her novels. I’ve reread her books in published order to track how her fiction matures and I’m a fan of a blog, Jane Austen Writing Lessons. I discovered an online bookstore, Jane Austen Books, devoted to works by and about Austen. To recall a few lines daily, for years I’ve followed Jane Austen on Twitter.

After interviewing Natalie Jenner about her novel The Jane Austen Society at the 2021 Writers’ Guild of Alberta conference, I treated myself to the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) meetings in Victoria in 2022. The sheer scale of the event—about 700 attendees and another 200 online—astonished me. I expected to find a load of academics, but those I met were mostly loyal readers.

AUTHOR

Austen believes in the human spirit, the possibility of contentment, the value of watching, listening, thinking, feeling and, above all,the consideration of others.

As readers, we are cowriters with Austen, adding in our perceptions, experiences, and modern views. Many writers I know mimic her use of free indirect discourse, later termed (in How Fiction Works by James Wood) close third person, which reveals a character’s inner thoughts and feelings in the narrator’s voice. It delivers delicious dramatic irony when the reader understands more than the character. We appreciate Austen’s wit on the page. Under her authorship, we sense we are in capable hands; although there are many paths to her intentions and meaning, she is unfailingly specific. We understand that in her world, the universe unfolds as it should, that all has been examined with the utmost care, and balance is, or will eventually, be restored.

Austen’s female point of view focuses on responsible and regenerative relationships with family, friends, and in the community. Because actions always affect others, one must discern between performance and sincerity. By contributing to the general good while remaining true to the self, Austen suggests it is possible to live in both reality and joy. Despite a central theme of human ability, Austen’s novels offer a social agenda of poverty, prostitution, and slavery along with associated disruptions of loss, displacement, concealment, discrimination, and misinformation. Thoughtful discussion and debate, reading and rereading, wise advice, reflection, and keen observation are navigation tools in the female kit during a time when how a woman afforded to live, never mind write, depended on men.

Jane Austen posits that home is a “real comfort,” walking and being “under the trees” is restorative, and words, especially written words, have radiating power. Just as her characters learn about themselves, especially when they are in love or think they are, so do we. Austen believes in the human spirit, the possibility of contentment, the value of watching, listening, thinking, feeling and, above all, the consideration of others. We study how to close read those around us and examine ourselves, how to be open and honest, stand up for what we know is true, and respond to unacceptable behaviour.

Austen shows that to laugh is essential and to always look for humour.

A sticky note on my computer monitor proffers Austen’s self-encouragement: “I am not at all in humour for writing; I must write on till I am.” Austen was not treated favourably by publishers; her first novel, Pride and Prejudice, was turned down. But she kept on. She read her work aloud to her family and friends, one of the best methods I know for refining text. She wrote the first draft of Emma in three months. She revised her work for years. And 200 years later, without her knowledge or benefit, Jane Austen reaches far beyond her “little square of ivory” with spinoffs, fanfiction, film adaptations, and reinterpretations of her novels, including the lavish Sanditon television series.

As a first-timer at the JASNA meetings, knowing no one, I stood in a hall or gathering place for no more than 60 seconds before someone approached me. And every time, we talked about Jane Austen. It was a wonder to be with so many others who know and love the books like me. I met an Australian scholar who was born in Edmonton and gave a scintillating keynote on the various duels

in Sense and Sensibility. Later, an elegant woman in Regency costume and hair, with her husband also outfitted and pushing a clothing rack filled with period ensembles for the weekend, said, “Jane taught me how to read, but also to sew.” At dinner, a marriage therapist, there with her librarian sister, confided that she joined the group after her female clients told her that when they feel low, they turn to Jane Austen. The sisters had presented on Austen bibliotherapy at a previous conference, and encouraged me to submit my proposal to JASNA 2023. At the closing reception, I met attendees from Calgary, who invited me to try out my talk for their chapter of the Jane Austen Society.

Austen has more in store for me, as I reflect on my notes for her definition of love, think about adapting one of her novels for the stage, and go back to her books for company, consolation, guidance, lessons in writing, and inspiration.

Katherine Koller writes for stage, screen, and page. Her books include Voices of the Land (plays), Art Lessons (novel), and Winning Chance (stories). Koller’s stories were published in Grain, Room, Epiphany, Alberta Views, and EDify, and poems in Prairie Journal, NorthWord and online at Poetry Pause

LORNA STUBER

SELLING BOOKS

One step and book at a time

one. My book is Living My Golden Dream: A Small-Town Canadian Girl’s Awakening in Japan, a memoir of the three years I spent living and teaching English in a small city, a 45-minute train ride west of Tokyo, when I was in my early twenties. It was released in February 2022.

I’ve shifted my perspective in the past few months.

“How many books did you sell this time?”

I remember this young man. I remember his name and what he looked like. If I see him again, I can continue the conversation we started when he bought my book.

“How many books did you sell this time?”

“Six! One couple who bought a copy sat down and chatted with me for fortyfive minutes. I had such an enjoyable conversation with them. I told the gentleman he looked like he would fit in easily in Japan. He had a kind and gentle demeanour and resembled any of the elderly gentlemen I saw on the streets over my three years in Japan. He chuckled and told me he was sure I know a lot more about Japan than he does because he’s never been there.”

PHOTO CREDIT: CHAR KRAUSNICK

“How many books did you sell?” is the first question a friend asks me after every book signing I do.

“Only a few, but oh well. Better luck next time,” was my response after the first several events.

As an emerging author who is new to presenting at in-person events (now that we can do them again), I entered that realm with dreams of having 50 to 100 people show up to hear me read, and I anticipated selling a few stacks of books at each appearance.

Nope. Of course, that hasn’t happened because I’m not a famous author with star-struck fans. But also because I’m learning the reality of being an author. Especially an unknown, self-published

“I only sold one, but I had a great chat with the couple who bought it. Turns out, a few years ago, their daughter lived on the closest military base to where I lived, only thirty minutes away by train. They know all the places I talk about in the book and they’ve been to them! They told me they would read it and pass it on to their daughter. This is my audience.”

I’m realizing that selling a book is about quality, not quantity. I need to find the right people.

I walked away from that event with a grin, anticipating the images that would flash through this couple’s minds as they and their daughter read my stories.

“How many books did you sell this time?”

“Five. A young man who bought one is now following my business page on Facebook and posted this message a few days after I met him: ‘Thank you for signing my book. It was my first time meeting an author.’ I’m a real author! At least in his eyes.”

1 Nisei: a person born in Canada or the U.S. whose parents are Japanese immigrants.

2 Shamisen: a traditional, three-stringed Japanese musical instrument, similar in size to a banjo.

He was a nisei 1 living in south-central Alberta. A walking, talking reminder of what the Canadian government did to Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. He told me he had been born in Vancouver and explained, with a soft smile on his face, a bit of his family’s history of being relocated to Alberta. He and his wife are now retired and “living the good life.”

“How many books did you sell this time?”

“I didn’t sell any, but two young women came with copies they bought before the event. One had read it, and the other woman told me how excited she was to read it right away. Both want to teach English in Japan and asked me some really thoughtful questions.”

“I especially enjoyed the part about you taking shamisen 2 lessons,” one woman told me. Her comment launched a discussion about the particular aspect of Japanese culture I was trying to emphasize with that anecdote.

These two young women saw me as an author they could look up to and learn from; they viewed me as someone in possession of knowledge they were eager to acquire. And they were a little nervous

and giggly when talking to me. They made me feel like meeting me was a significant stepping stone for them as they moved toward fulfilling their dreams of living and teaching in Japan.

“None. I gave one copy away to a magazine publisher. She said she would love to publish a book review in her magazine and asked if I would be willing to give her a copy in exchange. I thought that was completely fair.”

“Absolutely!” my friend replied.

Any writer knows selling books is a challenge. It would be great to walk into a venue, talk for 20 minutes, sign 100 copies of a book, and walk away with a nice wad of cash in your wallet. But in-person events don’t necessarily go that way. And even if they do, what’s required to get there? Travel: gas money or perhaps a plane ticket and hotel. The time spent preparing for the event. The time it takes for the event itself. And leg work. Hours on the phone cold calling, which I dread. Lots of networking, which I love. But it’s all part of the process. I know that as a new author, I need to build a following. I know that every book I sell in person is one more that I’m not carting around in the back of my vehicle. But each sale also means that one more person is reading my writing and, if they like it, there’s one more person who may tell others about me. Baby steps.

I’m trying to be deliberate and thoughtful about the time and effort I put into promoting my book. I have to be my own publicist, so I need to be strategic about approaching “the big booksellers,” but I also love connecting with the owners of the smaller indie stores. I was chatting with one such owner recently who told me she was also seeing a low turnout for signing events.

She is also new to this process, having opened her store in August 2021. She thought perhaps she was doing something wrong when hosting or promoting author signings. She also wondered if

the problem was unique to her town. I relayed to her examples of conversations I’ve had with other indie bookstore owners who have told me they find turnout for author readings and signings is low in their towns.

She told me she was sad to hear that, because of course she wants me and other authors to be successful, but she was glad she wasn’t the only one noticing that people don’t come out to book signings.

I’m not discouraged. My main goal right now is to get my book on shelves so that people can see it. If they see it, they can pick it up and decide whether they want to buy it. And every book I sell is one more step forward, especially when the people I’ve been connecting with are eager to read my book.

I’d rather sell one copy to someone excited about my book than sell 10 copies to people who are ambivalent about it. It’s gratifying to sell a book to someone who has a strong personal connection to the topic, like the two young women who want to teach English in Japan. Hopefully, my story will inspire them.

Selling a couple of boxes of books at an event and walking away with some cash in hand, of course, helps the financial cause. But being a drop of water in someone’s life bucket? Priceless.

Lorna Stuber is a freelance editor, writer, and ghostwriter living in Okotoks, Alberta. She specializes in nonfiction and enjoys travel writing and memoir. For more information about the author, visit lornastuber.com.

“How many books did you sell this time?”

BORROWING THE VIEW

Southern Alberta writer’s retreat a prairie oasis

HISTORY OF THE COUTTS CENTRE FOR WESTERN CANADIAN HERITAGE

“Borrowing the View*” was Jim Coutts’s greeting the numerous times he hosted events and parties at his homestead property situated 10 minutes east of Nanton.

Coutts was a lawyer, businessman and former advisor to Prime Ministers Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Elliott Trudeau. It was, and still is, a rarity to be a Liberal on the province’s political rural landscape.

He made significant contributions to Canada through his public service, conservation efforts and philanthropy. Coutts embodied the settler spirit of his ancestors while bringing contemporary music, arts, and culture to the prairie oasis of his family homestead while keeping true to his political philosophies.

His pride and joy was the Coutts family homestead, which he bought and began restoring in 1988. He spent years and a small fortune on it, creating awardwinning gardens featuring long-lost grass varieties that would have covered the plains when his ancestors arrived in 1904. He was trying to restore the land to its original state to honour the hardship his folks had endured.

“The renovated homestead is very much an expression of Coutts himself. Set on the vast, flat canvas of the Prairies, buildings are scattered across the land—the original homestead; a chicken house, a barn; and an old ice

house and granary, moved from Coutts’s mother’s neighbouring property. Each structure provides a seemingly effortless organization to the landscape where gardens flourish, and the plots and paths are carefully carved in such a way to welcome visitors and encourage exploration.” (Kali McKay, SAM Magazine, 2011 edition, University of Lethbridge)

Two years before his death in 2013, Coutts gifted the property to the University of Lethbridge as the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage.

The centre is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the diverse heritage that is central to the spirit of the west, honouring both its namesake and the land he so admired.

Since 2011, the property has been maintained beautifully and evolved under the guidance and expertise of Coutts Centre Director, John Stoll. Repurposed buildings and newly built structures have been added to the property with the guiding principle that every building has a story. Horticulturist Kara Matthews has tended the gardens into a living legacy of Coutts’s vision. Both Stoll and Matthews worked with Jim Coutts, and their passion for his vision and commitment to his legacy is tangible and inspiring.

So, with that historical context and introduction, I will share the delight of the Coutts Homestead Artist Residency.

RESIDENCY

I sit gazing at the prairie vista through the windows at the massive oak desk built specially for the west-facing alcove. Hollyhocks dance and wave in the wind and, beyond that, a splendid garden of red poppies punctuates the landscape. The view is a wonderful cleanse of my visual palate to feed my efforts of having time and space to work on art projects. Truth be told, a whole morning can pass by quickly, and then it’s time for a walk through the gardens and around the property. As a working centre, staff are onsite to have a quick chat and marvel together at our good fortune of being embedded into this incredible place.

PHOTO CREDIT: KENNETH LOCKE

The

The residency is as much a reader’s haven as a writer’s. Many books line the bookshelves, covering settler history, Indigenous language (dictionaries), bird watching, fly-fishing, contemporary art, photography and political textbooks, to name but a few. Consider devoting a full day to reviewing titles that could enthuse your writing plans during your stay.

The moonrise and sunset are captivating and I encourage visitors to catch the sunrise, too. The Homestead has two bedrooms, a small kitchen with all the mod cons, and a bathroom with a large clawfoot tub and a walk-in shower. A comfortable stay surrounded by history and beauty.

My first encounter with the Coutts Centre was in June 2019, when I produced and curated a provincial media art conference for Alberta Media Arts Alliance at the centre. Falling in love with everything about the property, I have conducted a few artist residencies since then. I have also added my event management and marketing skills as the community outreach coordinator for the centre since 2020.

The Coutts Centre is still a little-known entity around the province and even in

nearby towns. I encourage the writing community to apply for a residency to visit and “borrow the view” for your projects and for the good of your prairie soul.

Applications to the Coutts Centre Artist Residency program are accepted through the website, couttscentre.ca/ artist-residencies. The review process is quick and available year-round. Winter months may pose weather and road challenges. Spring, summer and fall are busy on weekends with weddings. Artists are welcome to book then, too, knowing the property will be shared with other guests. The Homestead is off-limits to the public and will be your own sanctuary.

*The “borrowed view” is a design technique that maximizes the sense of space in the garden by bringing glimpses of the landscape beyond into view.

Source: Wikipedia

Sharon Stevens was born in High River, baptized three days later in Black Diamond and then travelled to over 60 small towns around the prairies until she started school in Calgary. The prairie vista is part of her psyche and the essence that inspires her long-time art practice as a media artist, curator and celebrationist.

TERRITORY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage is situated on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot; Siksika, Piikuni, Kainai, Tsuu T’ina and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations and the peoples of Métis Region 3.

We are living and benefiting from the Blackfoot Confederacy and acknowledge the peoples who have cared for this land since time immemorial. Together we are all treaty people and recognize that there is much to repair toward reconciliation.

We, at Coutts Centre, work to respect Indigenous traditions of land protection along with showcasing the settler history who homesteaded on these prairies.

Source: Coutts Centre website (couttscentre.ca)

COUTTS CENTRE BY SHARON STEVENS

COUTTS HOMESTEAD INTERIOR BY SHARON STEVENS

Coutts Centre is still a little-known entity around the province and even in nearby towns. I encourage the writing community to apply for a residency to visit and ‘borrow the view’ for your projects and for the good of your prairie soul.

HONOURING ACHIEVEMENTS OF WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS AND CONTRIBUTORS TO ALBERTA LITERATURE

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II’S PLATINUM JUBILEE MEDAL RECIPIENTS

The Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal in honour of the 70th anniversary of Her late Majesty’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. The medal is being awarded to 7,000 Albertans throughout 2022 in recognition of significant contributions to the province.

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta has selected the following nominees from the Alberta literary community to receive the medal, in recognition of their exceptional impact and service in advancing Alberta writing:

Derek Beaulieu

Derek Beaulieu not only constitutes one of the most innovative of all authors in Canada, but he has committed himself to service on behalf of others, providing leadership in the arts throughout his career and promoting the poetic merits of Canada to audiences around the world.

Ali Bryan

Ali Bryan has experienced meteoric growth in her writing career while demonstrating untiring advocacy for emerging writers. Not only does she push other writers to produce their best possible work, Ali goes the extra mile, sharing her marketing smarts with those who need help to promote their work.

Marilyn Dumont

As a poet articulating the Métis experience, as a mentor and teacher, Marilyn Dumont has played a pivotal role in the flowering of Indigenous literature in Alberta and Canada as a whole, laying the foundation for new generations of Indigenous authors who are now being recognized across Canada.

Hazel Hutchins

Hazel Hutchins has long been a pillar of the Albertan children's literature community. She has crafted dozens of enthralling stories for children, has been generous with her feedback and support

to her fellow scribes, and has encouraged many children to read and write.

Carol Holmes

Carol Holmes became Executive Director of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta in a time of turmoil. Her dedication over the next 14 years ensured writers thrived in Alberta even during pandemic times. Carol advocated for and enabled hundreds if not thousands of writers to reach success in their endeavours.

Heather Inglis

Heather Inglis works with writers and playwrights of all ages and stages of their career. Her unwavering desire to see writers tell new stories that reflect the landscape of our times is unparalleled. She has contributed to the writing, production, and publication of diverse new Albertan plays.

Micheline Maylor-Kovitz

Dr. Micheline Maylor-Kovitz is an extraordinary writer, educator, mentor, editor, and publisher. She is one of Canada’s preeminent poetry editors and publishers, offering and cultivating ground to give diverse voices expression and prominence.

JoAnn McCaig

JoAnn McCaig was instrumental in founding Freehand Books, and has built many other creative and innovative

ways to support the literary community— as an English instructor and academic, a writer, a publisher, a book reviewer, a bookstore owner, and overall champion of the literary community.

Lisa Murphy Lamb

Lisa Murphy Lamb is a writer, arts champion, and educator who has built space and community for artists to have their voices heard. She is also an extraordinary mentor to young writers, giving them space and encouragement to find their creative voices.

Nisha Patel

Nisha Patel is a nationally celebrated poet dedicated to her community. As a disabled queer woman of colour, a key part of her practice is centering voices outside of her own, pushing for the idea that marginalized authors like herself were not sole authorities, but part of complicated communities.

Pierrette Requier

Pierrette Requier is a bilingual FrancoAlbertan poet, mentor, and literary community builder who has worked to create spaces for poets to share their work and to promote French language writing in Alberta’s literary scene.

Sharanpal Ruprai

Sharanpal Ruprai is a dynamic poet, educator, and community leader who shares her unique creative voice, and who has mentored other writers to do the same, especially young BIPOC voices. She has proactively raised awareness of programs to help writers and encouraged writers to access them.

Matthew Stepanic

Matthew Stepanic is a queer writer and literary community leader who has made

an incredible contribution to the scene in a short amount of time, manifested most clearly in his co-founding of Glass Bookshop. His ongoing work diversifies Canadian literary communities as he brings up those around him.

Matthew Weigel

Matthew Weigel is a Denesuline and Métis poet and storyteller who regularly contributes as a young voice in the Indigenous arts community. His writing focuses on the oldest stories of this place, but he works to innovate how these stories are shared with future generations to shape the community.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal Presentation ceremonies were held in Calgary and Edmonton, December 7, 2022.

ALBERTA MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION AWARDS

The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association announced in April its Showcase Award finalists for 2021–22. WestWord’s six entries were named finalists in four categories. Winners were announced in September 2022. Congratulations to Curtis Gillespie for receiving silver in Feature Writing, Long. Silver Feature Writing, Long Jan-Mar 2021 “Fighting The Unenlightenment: Longform Nonfiction In The Age Of The Shortform Lie,” Curtis Gillespie

SUZETTE MAYR AWARDED SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE

Congratulations to Suzette Mayr, winner of the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel, The Sleeping Car Porter, published by Coach House Books. Mayr, a Calgary writer, received $100,000 courtesy of Scotiabank.

ALBERTA BOOK PUBLISHING AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) announced the winners of the 2022 Alberta Book Publishing Awards on September 16. The awards celebrate the essential role Alberta book publishers play in supporting authors and telling Alberta’s Story. As the critical middle piece of the storytelling process, Alberta book publishers bring stories by Alberta authors to life.

The awards gala was hosted at the Hotel Arts in Calgary. At this year’s gala, Carol Holmes, former executive director of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement in Publishing Award for her longstanding contributions to Alberta’s literary and publishing community. The BPAA recognized Laberinto Press and publisher Luciana Erregue-Sacchi with the Emerging Publisher of the Year Award.

Learning Book of the Year

Introduction to Early Childhood Education and Care Carole Massing and Mary Lynne Matheson

Douglas Barbour Award for Speculative Fiction Water Edited by Rhonda Parrish

Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry The Bad Wife Micheline Maylor

Graphic Novel of the Year Electric Vice Kat Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen

Children’s & Young Adult Book of the Year

Alberta Blue Pat Hatherly Illustrated by Jesse Horne

Trade Fiction Book of the Year

The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour Dawn Dumont

Trade Non-Fiction Book of the Year Impact

Edited by E.D. Morin and Jane Cawthorne

Scholarly & Academic Book of the Year Regime of Obstruction Edited by William K. Carroll

Regional Book of the Year

Bucking Conservatism Edited by Leon Crane Bear, Larry Hannant, and Karissa Robyn Patton

Book Illustration

The River Troll Written and illustrated by Rich Théroux

Book Cover Design

The Party Is Here Georgina Beaty Cover design by Natalie Olsen, Kisscut Design

Book Design

Coconut Nisha Patel Designed by Natalie Olsen, Kisscut Design

Book Design

On Foot To Canterbury Ken Haigh Designed by Alan Brownoff

Emerging Publisher of the Year

Laberinto Press Publisher Luciana Erregue-Sacchi

Lifetime

Achievement in Publishing

Carol Holmes

Former Executive Director of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta

WESTWORD SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Guidelines for Writers

HOW TO SUBMIT AN ARTICLE

• Send your article by email to editor@writersguild.ab.ca with the subject: “WestWord Article.”

• Please use Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double-space and paginate your document.

• Name your file as “[Surname]—[Title]” (for example: “Smith—Untitled”).

• Attach your submission as .doc or .docx files.

• We suggest your article be between 500 and 1,500 words in length.

HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

In addition to commissioned articles, WestWord welcomes unsolicited submissions.

• Your proposal should express concisely and coherently the article’s essential elements; how you intend to approach the article; the section of the magazine best suited to the idea; and a summary of your credentials (no CVs please).

• Email enquiries to editor@writersguild.ab.ca with the subject: “WestWord Article Proposal.”

• The body of your email should contain your name, contact information, brief biography and outline of your proposal.

• WestWord has a small staff. The response time to all proposals will vary.

COPYRIGHT AND PAYMENT FOR ARTICLES PUBLISHED

• We buy first Canadian serial print rights and limited, non-exclusive digital rights; copyright reverts to the author after publication.

• Publication occurs within a year of acceptance.

• WestWord believes writers should be compensated fairly for their work and pays industry rates for articles.

HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the editor are welcomed to encourage an exchange of ideas and opinions among members.

• Email enquiries to editor@writersguild.ab.ca with the subject: “WestWord Letter to the Editor.”

• The body of your email should contain your name and contact information.

MEMBER NEWS SUBMISSIONS

Writers’ Guild of Alberta members in good standing may submit announcements about book publications, awards won, or other news about their writing life to the Member News section of WestWord. Submit news via email to mail@writersguild.ca.

Questions? Email editor@writersguild.ab.ca

Welcome to Our NEW WGA MEMBERS

Dallas Anderson, Calgary

Amy Bacon, St. Albert

Solange Begin, Edmonton

Gayle Belsher, Calgary

Kendall Bistretzan, Calgary

Karen Bohn, Edmonton

Catherine Burrell, Calgary

Janelle Burritt, Athabasca

Natasha Chiam, Edmonton

Gregory Clay, Calgary

Andrea Cole, Calgary

Lecia Cornwall, Heritage Pointe

Kathleen Crowe, Edmonton

Steven Curson, Calgary

Jo Dawyd, Edmonton

Paul Deleske, Calgary

Pamela Donison, Calgary

Katie Donohue, Calgary

Steve Dunn, Chestermere

Warren Elofson, Calgary

Jen England, Beaverlodge

Kelli Fry, Calgary

Karan Gill, Edmonton

Pauline Grabia, Leduc

Jacquiline Hannes-Moyo, Edmonton

Seth Hanson, Calgary

Christy Hemmingway, Calgary

NIall Howell, Calgary

Anvesh Jain, Calgary

Roberta Kehler, Calgary

Laina Kelly, Edmonton

Abdihakin Kheire, Edmonton

Kai Kieferle, Calgary

Adrienne King, Edmonton

Alanna Knobben, Olds

Aaron Kurmey, Edmonton

Anusha Lalani, Edmonton

Isaac Lamoureux, Edmonton

Bob Layton, Edmonton

Danielle Letailleur, Edmonton

Amanda Lou, Edmonton

Dorothy Lowrie, St. Albert

Matthew Luttrell, Calgary

K’alii Luuyaltkw, Edmonton

Grace Meikle, Sherwood Park

Bazibuhe Muhabwa, Edmonton

Lisa Murphy-Lamb, Airdrie

Janice Patterson, Edmonton

Scott Paul, Lethbridge

Jon Pedersen, Calgary

Laura Polasek, Edmonton

Ali Qadri, Edmonton

Daly Quintal, Edmonton

Devipriya Raju, Edmonton

Lanne Rice, Calgary

Christine Richardson, Edmonton

Myrna Richter, Blackfoot

Carolina Roemmich, Edmonton

Gord Sawchuk, Clairmont

Janelle Schmidt, Edmonton

Chris Schneider, Edmonton

Elisabeth Shenher, Sherwood Park

Jacob Shustack, Calgary

Jennifer Skolney, Spruce Grove

Daniel Speers, Edmonton

William Turner, Edmonton

Britta Vandenberg, Calgary

Lucy Vandenberg, Bluesky

Amanda Wakaruk, Edmonton

Jennifer Walker, Edmonton

Katharine Weinmann, Sherwood Park

Toni Whitaker, Spruce Grove

Kelly Wilson, Calgary

JJ Zarate, Calgary

Writers’ Guild of Alberta members are encouraged to submit news about their recent publications. Please keep your submission brief—up to 150 words. Content may be edited to conform to WestWord style.

Lukas and the Ghost Train, by Stuart Adams, is Book 1 of the threebook Young Adult series, The Lukas Encounters (Rock’s Mills Press). June begins as a trying month of endless waiting for Lukas Johnson—once school was done for the year, he would join his cousin KC on “The Farm” where their fathers had grown up. With a new horse, KC and Lukas would each have a horse to ride. Summer adventures beckoned. But then KC tells Lukas something new. A “ghost train” has been sighted on the branch line close to The Farm. And not just any ghost train—a train with ties to their family, a train long-absent but now mysteriously reappearing when the moon was full. The youths embark on a quest for the mysterious spectral locomotive—and their encounter lands them right in the path of the onrushing Ghost Train, with their lives hanging in the balance! Visit rocksmillspress.com for more information.

L.G. Anderson announces the release of her new YA novel, The Lost Spirit. Late Halloween night, 10-year-old Cam Bailey discovers a young spirit that’s lost in his backyard and frantically searching for its parents. As the morning sun approaches, Cam senses the spirit is in danger from the light. Cam hides it in his dark bedroom closet, and keeps it a secret from his family and best friends while he’s at school. After school, he plots a mission for that night—sneak into the forest and search for the spirit’s parents. News of a blizzard, and his fear of the dark, make him uncertain.

MEMBER NEWS

Can he rescue the little spirit on his own? Will he be able to find its family before the storm comes? What if he fails? Or is it just his imagination? An adventure for young readers about friendship, bravery, trust, faith and more. For more information, visit thelostspirit.ca.

Jane Cawthorne’s debut novel, Patterson House, is out with Inanna. The novel tells the story of Alden, the last surviving member of the oncewealthy Toronto family, who lives in the decaying Patterson House with a foundling, Constance, and an injured war veteran, John Hunt. Alden survives by taking in boarders until the crash of 1929 leaves her desperate and a new and mysterious boarder arrives who threatens everything she thinks she wants. Alden and Constance fight against the constraints placed on women as they struggle to retain their independence in an era that will not allow for it. Contact Jane at janecawthorne.com.

Joan Marie Galat announces the release of Mortimer: Rat Race to Space. A spot on the International Space Station (ISS) has opened up, and Mortimer, the journal-keeping lab rat, is not about to miss his chance to become an intergalactic space rat. And that’s just the first step in his master scheme to prove that rats are much better suited than humans when it comes to colonizing Mars. Mortimer sets out to expose the impracticality of human astronauts by conducting experiments and recording the evidence for YouTube. As far as he’s concerned, pellet-eating rats are much easier to feed than fussy humans, and just think of all the unwashed underthings floating around the galaxy—especially when compared to the versatile rat tail! When Mortimer’s schemes go awry, he is forced

to face new truths about dreams, friendship, and choosing the right thing to do. Maybe not everything is a rat race.

Mary Graham’s

A Stunning Backdrop: Alberta in the Movies, 1917–1920, was published in October by Big Horn Books (University of Calgary Press). A Stunning Backdrop is the unconventional, untold story of Alberta’s film history, defined by the terrible beauty of its pristine landscape, surprisingly important to Hollywood, and recaptured in lost or ignored Indigenous perspectives and stories. Graham draws on 12 years of research to reveal a film history like no other. She explores the often-friendly partnerships between American filmmakers and Indigenous communities, particularly the Stoney Nakoda, that provided economic opportunities and, in many cases, allowed them to retain religious and cultural practices banned by the Canadian government. Beautifully illustrated with archival photography and featuring centuryold set stills alongside photographs of the locations as they appear today, A Stunning Backdrop is the fascinating, often surprising, always unconventional story of film in a province whose rugged landscape continues to inspire filmmakers and audiences around the world.

Anvesh Jain is pleased to announce the release of his debut book of poetry, Pilgrim to No Country (Frontenac House). Pilgrim to No Country is a skillful, highenergy, visionary debut poetry collection. Jain, reliving his childhood immigration from Delhi to Calgary over and over, reimagines home with humour and wisdom. From the primordial to the present, from alienation to acceptance, Jain enacts a mythic clashing of worlds: “Self-immolation at Banff–/

Burn me, burn it all. Spread my ashes / From Peace Bridge… // Bring me back to New Delhi, / Where air cremates my tongue, / Where it is brown and dirty / And unblinded by white snow.” Balancing critique of empire, love for his new homeland, and longing for the old world, Jain’s Pilgrim to No Country makes you laugh out loud and then leaves you haunted. An outstanding debut.

Éditions de la nouvelle plume offer an incursion into the narrative poetry of Franco-Albertan author Pierrette Requier Poems, portraits and stories follow one another to tell us about this mythical Last Best West where the author grew up. Using a language that has its roots in the history of French-speaking settlers who came to northern Alberta at the beginning of the 20th century, Requier takes us into a universe that is both grandiose and simple. Throughout the 90 short stories that make up the collection, we laugh, we are touched, we vibrate to the rhythm of passing time, children growing up, and parents aging. Mom, dad, grandmothers, grandfathers... As if we were there. To read Petites nouvelles du Last Best Ouest is to discover the poetic and real universe of the author who grew up in the bilingual universe that was northern Alberta in the 60s–80s, the spoken word world of Pierrette Requier.

Barbara Joan Scott’s debut novel, The Taste of Hunger (Freehand Books), was released in September 2022. In Saskatchewan in the late 1920s, a 15-year-old Ukrainian immigrant named Olena is forced into marriage with Taras, a man twice her age, who wants her even though she has refused him. Stuck in a hardscrabble life and with a husband she despises, starved for a life

of her choosing, at every turn, Olena rebels against her husband and her fate. As Olena and Taras drag everyone around them into the maelstrom that is their marriage, they set off a chain of turbulent events whose aftershocks reverberate through generations. Scott’s first book, The Quick (since reissued as an e-book by Freehand), won the WGA’s Howard O’Hagan Award for Best Collection, and The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, 1999. In 2021, her essay “Black Diamond” won the WGA Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Award.

Prey For the Aliens by Don Vodka, the fifth book in the Dazzle Shelton, Alien Invasion Series, was released in April 2022. The aliens are back... to finish what they started decades earlier. This time they brought robots. And they are targeting Dazzle, whom they believe is both the key to their future and the weapon of their destruction. The 17-year-old phenom is primed and ready to ignite, as she and her Girl Army face off against the alien invaders. Everything you ever heard or read about aliens and UFOs is true. Their plot has been evolving ever since they arrived in Roswell, New Mexico, in the 1940s. Join the fun as aliens invade the sleepy little town of Sunrise, Nevada. For more information, visit donvodka.com.

Nikki Vogel is pleased to announce the release of her debut novel, Silencing Rebecca (Thistledown Press). Ordinary teenage angst is complicated by Rebecca’s lack of experience of wearing cool clothes, swearing, and talking back to teachers. Things take a darker turn when Rebecca encounters antisemitism and discovers a secret about the death of her mother that her father has been hiding from her. Rebecca doesn’t just defy the strictures of her ultraorthodox

religion by wearing tight jeans and flirting with a non-Jewish boy. She discovers she’s been transformed into a golem! When this mythical creature from Jewish folklore takes over her body and soul, she’s helpless to resist. In her new back-and-forth existence, Rebecca fights off the attention of a predatory schoolmate and her father’s determination to force her into an arranged marriage. She struggles to name her desires and speak her truths, and still be true to her beliefs. But it’s hard to know your beliefs when you’re in a battle for your existence as a human.

Vivian Zenari launched her debut novel, Deuce (Inanna Publications), in September 2022, in Edmonton. Gilda Peterborough has always worried about her twin, but when Pete deletes his Facebook page, she is doubly concerned. Pete, A.K.A. Philippa, A.K.A. Phil, is intersex, and Gilda credits all of Pete’s social problems with this biological fact. As far as Pete is concerned, the problems lie with Gilda, who is on his case for reasons that are unclear to him. Meanwhile, Beth, the twins’ mother, tries to be a patient and laid-back parent, but when Pete decides to move away from Edmonton to Montreal, both Gilda and Beth are compelled to find him and somehow reconcile the family’s unresolved past, a family history haunted by the influence of Ralph Peterborough, a father who has never accepted his child for who they are.

Tell us about your recent publications. Send your notice to Ellen Kartz at the Writers’ Guild of Alberta–ellen.kartz@writersguild.ab.ca

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