4 Things Conference Faculty Wish You Knew

Write Canada is around the corner! As the Assistant Director, I had a hand in helping to plan the workshops and approach faculty. What I wanted to create was a really great teaching conference with streams for beginning, intermediate (an often overlooked group at conferences) and the career writers.

Like any other career, you have to keep pushing yourself to try new things and become better to be successful. Conferences are about connecting, learning, and keeping ourselves humble.

Conferences are overwhelming, exhausting, intimidating -- and one of the best things you can do for your career.

I pulled this post out of the vault. Marcy Kennedy is teaching the fiction intensive this year, and I'm teaching a career class on Facebook marketing -- but this is not the first time we've been faculty at a conference and there may be some things as attendees that you're not aware of. We're here to dish.

(1) We can tell a lot about you from a 15 minute appointment.

Marcy: We can make a pretty good educated guess about who is going to be successful and who isn't from just 15 minutes. Some of the factors signaling success:

• a willingness to learn and work hard
• questions showing an understanding of the market
• the ability to tell me what you need my help with (or the acknowledgment you’re just starting out and aren’t even sure what your first step should be)
• evidence you did your research ahead of time (if you booked an appointment with me randomly, that’s not a good sign)

Lisa: The most enjoyable appointments are with writers who have specific questions or are looking for specific feedback on a piece. When someone slides a manuscript under your nose and says, "What advice can you give me?" That's a big question and it's difficult to be helpful. Instead know your weaknesses, or what market you're writing for -- something we can read for and give helpful feedback on in a short time.

• Do you understand the market? 
• Do you know who you're writing for (everyone is not the right answer)
• Are you willing to accept constructive criticism?

Marcy: Hard work and teachability trump talent every day. If you know what you need my help with, you know your weaknesses. Recognizing them is the first step in fixing them. Know what I write and edit - do a little research. It's hard when people sit down and ask a question about something I don't write -- like poetry.

Lisa: And both of us are very accessible online - and so are most writing conference faculty. Having someone sit down with me and say - 'So, what do you write?' tells me they didn't even take five minutes to look us up on Facebook or our blogs.

I'm not good at remembering faces or names, but I remember conversations. Jog my memory after the conference. If I have time, I'm happy to help those who impressed me.

(2) We don't make money going to conferences.

Marcy: Monetarily, going to conferences is a loss for me. It's time away from work and there are always costs outside of what we're paid for.

Lisa: We know exactly what it feels like to attend your first conference or even your tenth conference. We're there to help and offer advice -- just like at one point someone further ahead on this career path did for us. Professionally, we have little to gain from being faculty so know that any advice we give is sincere and meant to help and not hinder.

(3) Don't take it personally.

Marcy: Faculty members put in long hours preparing for and attending conferences. We take appointments, do working lunches and suppers, informal meetings . . . you get the picture. It's exhausting.

Lisa: Our intention is not to crush your dreams, but help you understand the market and make you a better writer. Be polite even if you disagree.

(4) Conferences are about making connections.

Lisa: Writing can be such a lonely occupation and you need a few people alongside you on the journey or else it can quickly feel, as Stephen King put it, like trying to cross the Atlantic in a bathtub. 

Bring some business cards and swap cards with the people you meet. Look them up on social media, stay in touch. Some of the best connections we've ever made were at conferences and we've maintained many of those connections (which I'm now able to use to help get great faculty to come to Write Canada). These people want to see you succeed and there are many stories of promotional help and writing advice taking place long after a conference meet up is over.

This year's Write Canada is June 11-13 in Toronto (the publishing centre of Canada). You can find out more info at www.thewordguild.com/events/writecanada

You can connect with Marcy Kennedy on Twitter or her blog here.
You can connect with Lisa Hall-Wilson on Facebook or her blog here.

From Losing to Finding My Voice - HIRD

By Rev. Dr. Ed Hird

I remember when I lost my voice for 18 months back in 1980.  I will never forget resigning my position at St. Philip’s Dunbar, going on sick leave, driving to the Employment Insurance office only to find out that our diocese did not have any long-term disability insurance.

 The condition is called ‘spasmodic dysphonia’  .  It was caused by a rare viral throat infection which happens statistically to one in five million people, something like winning the lottery in reverse. Spasmodic Dysphonia causes the vocal chords to overadduct (overshut) on a spasmodic or intermittent basis, cutting off words or parts of sentences. Spasmodic Dysphonia is not caused by stress, but sometimes is more noticeable under stress.

During those eighteen months, I read sixty books on public speaking and writing.  It taught me so much about clarity and focus, giving me a passion to communicate, making the most of what I had.

On May 25^th 1982, I had surgery at VGH by Dr. Murray Morrison in a successful operation that allowed me to speak again and go back preaching after being off for a year. My GP thought that I would never preach again, and he would have been correct, except for having had this surgery. They cut the left laryngeal nerve of the left vocal chord, which stopped the adducting/shutting of that chord. As the right chord still overadducted/overshut, it balanced out. After my surgery, my voice was free of the spasms, but was initially much quieter and more breathy.

From 1982 to 1987, I served as the assistant priest at St. Matthew’s Abbotsford. As Abbotsford was a bible belt, they had a spiritual column in the local newspaper which I began to write in.  Around 80,000 people read my columns, giving me significant feedback, mostly positive.  People have said to me for years that I should write books. They also encouraged me to get my doctorate.

In 1987, I became the Rector of St. Simon’s North Vancouver.  The local Deep Cove Crier newspaper asked me in 1988 if I would start up a spiritual column.  Little did I know that I would still be writing for this monthly newspaper twenty-six years later.  I was also privileged to co-ordinate a weekly ‘Spiritually Speaking’ column for the North Shore News from the years 2,000 to 2010.  With well over 300 articles published, God helped me develop my passion for writing.  People kept encouraging me to write another book.  In 2006, Battle for the Soul of Canada was written, receiving an award from The Word Guild.  I was privileged to be interviewed about my book and the Anglican situation on most major Canadian TV, radio and newspaper stations.

I have been working for the past number of years writing the sequel book on Titus ‘Restoring Health: Body, Mind and Spirit’.  During that time, I finished my Doctor of Divinity on the area of Strengthening Marriage: Bridging Emotional Cutoff.  With what I have learned about writing from the Write! Canada conferences and The Word Guild, it enabled me to finish my part-time doctorate in just four years.  A huge part of finishing a doctorate is writing numerous essays, including a final 300-page Doctoral Thesis.

With the growth of social media and the internet, over 635,000 people have read my four hundred articles online.  Writing and communication is continually to be radically impacted by the hi-tech revolution.  Nothing is remaining static.

Through extensive coaching with Dr. Terry Walling, I have mapped my potential next six books, using the umbrella concept “Strengthening a new generation of healthy leaders’.   Losing my voice helped me find my writing voice.  Everything that is against us can be turned by Jesus to our advantage.  While God did not give me spasmodic dysphonia, I am grateful that God has brought much good from this trauma over the years.

The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector

St. Simon’s North Vancouver

Anglican Mission in Canada

http://edhird.com

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘ED HIRD’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPALusing the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.

-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide :  Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada

You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide

Standing Alone - Meyer

When you lead a charge into battle

Don’t be surprised

When you find yourself

Manitoba Launch of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider

Standing alone

There’s times they’ll be with you

And times when they won’t

It’s not really a betrayal

But just the way things are

It was your idea in the first place

You who rallied the troops

You who convinced them

The cause was worthwhile

They seemed to be with you

Eager to help

Eager to join in the fight

But when the chips are down…

And you lead the charge into battle

Don’t be surprised

When you find yourself

Standing alone

I wrote this poem a while ago, and although there are times when this is very true, I want to share with you today some cases where I have not stood alone.

The Word Guild recently celebrated their 10^th year as an organization that gives support to Canadian Christian authors.  I have been a part of this wonderful organization for the past eight years. I recently returned from Write!Canada, a conference that unites writers from all across Canada. I plan my year around this conference. I have had travel grants from the Manitoba Arts Council which have enabled me to attend in previous years.

The Manitoba Writers Guild recently celebrated their 30^th year. I’ve been a member of that organization for the past eight or so years as well. There is a bookstore in Winnipeg, McNally Robinson Booksellers, that is VERY supportive of Manitoba (and other) authors hosting book events almost every night of the year.

As the owner of Goldrock Press, I have had the privilege of being the editor to various anthologies. Each time, there is a bond of friendship that grows between the writers. On July 1^st, I will be doing a joint book signing at “The Forks” in Winnipeg with a writer from my Prairie Writers anthologies, volumes 1 and 3. Recently, this writer, Barbara Becker went on to be the editor of her own anthologies and I was privileged to be part of one of these: Measured Words, volume 2. On July 1^st, Barbara and I will have a table with both of our anthologies on it. Also on that table will be some copies of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider, another collaborative effort between authors from across Canada.

And yes, there are still moments when we will feel alone. The picture above is a case in point. A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider has sold over 5,000 copies across Canada but I had only ONE person show up for the “Manitoba launch of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider.” Some days are like that. And I wasn’t truly alone even then. That one person and I had a very good, long overdue, visit. And the carrot cake and hot apple cider were quite yummy.

And although there will be times when we FEEL alone, we are never truly alone. Jesus promised “I will be with you always.” Anytime… anywhere… in our good days and in our bad, He is always with us.

Dorene Meyer

Editor of Northern Writers volume 3

www.dorenemeyer.com

www.goldrockpress.com  

I Love "Go To Meeting" - Meyer

It’s hard for me to believe that I am still continuing my technology series of blogs. Hard for me to believe, not because there is a dearth of new technology but because I, Dorene Meyer, am embracing it!

Those of you who know me well, know that I cherish the simple life and have an ongoing love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with technology of any kind.

But I gotta say, I do like (maybe love is too strong of a word) “go to meeting.”

Last evening, I participated in the first ever online “Open Mic” session put on by The Word Guild. All I needed was an inexpensive headset and my old desk-top computer, and I was “in” (or should I say “on”?)

One of the exciting things for me, living as I do in a remote northern community, is my annual trek down to Write! Canada www.writecanada.org . There I can renew acquaintances with authors from all over the country and participate in writing events such as workshops, classes, readings and such. Throughout the year, the connection wanes and a feeling of isolation sets in again, especially as I hear of events happening in Winnipeg, Toronto, Halifax, Vancouver…  But for that one hour last evening, it was almost as if I was at Write! Canada again!

The session began with an introduction by the organizers, Les Lindquist (chair of Christian Info Canada) and Paul Oleniuk (2006 winner in the teen category of “God Uses Ink”). This was followed by readings and Q&A by Sara Davison and by Jayne E. Self, two authors shortlisted for the best mystery book award at the Canadian ChristianWriting Awards. I had known ahead of time that these two authors were going to be reading but was in for a surprise when first Marcia Laycock and then Linda Hall gave a reading and had a Q&A.

What was amazing for me was the way that we could all, for that one hour, be communicating and connecting from such diverse parts of the country. Even though I was way up north, I could connect with Jayne and Sara in the south, Marcia in the west, and Linda in the east. For that one hour, technology shrunk our huge country down to a manageable size!

I think The Word Guild is hoping to have more online sessions connecting writers from coast to coast. And for all of you technophobes out there, trust me on this, if I can do it, you can!  And just to prove how inept I am, I’ll confess something I was planning to keep a secret. I was on a “go to meeting” conference with N.J. Lindquist earlier that day. The meeting started okay when I responded to the link she sent me, but for some unfathomable reason, I couldn’t get my microphone or speaker to work, and we finally resorted to conversing over the phone. I was surprised because I had experienced no problems the last time we connected. Well, last evening, I discovered my mistake. In the tangle of wires I have on my desk, I have TWO little green connecting thingamabobs that I plug into my computer: one is for my infrequently used set of speakers and one is for my new set of headphones.  Yeah, you guessed it: I had the wrong little green thingamajig plugged in. Sigh… They really do look the same.

And soon - just thirteen more days! – the real Write! Canada will begin – hope to see you all there!

Dorene Meyer

Award-winning Author of:

Jasmine,  

Lewis, 

Joshua.

The Theme of My Life - Meyer

Recently, I was listening to a series of CDs recorded at last year’s Write! Canada. They were of a continuing class by Sheila Wray Gregoire. On one of the CDs, she asked the question of her audience: “What is the theme of your life?”

I really puzzled over that one. I know that the books, stories, articles or poems that I write need to have a theme. Even this blog post must have a theme. But my life…? How could an entire lifetime be summed up in one theme?

But as I gaze backwards now and think about my life’s journey, it can indeed be summed up in one theme.
As a young child, I dreamed of love. I had a crush on my grade 2 teacher. As a ten-year-old, I wrote an eight-chapter book about a nurse during WWII who travels overseas to find her brother and ends up falling in love with a soldier. I loved watching Roy Rogers movies where the hero would rescue the beautiful young lady from the men who were trying to steal the deed to the ranch owned by her recently deceased father. They would ride off together into the sunset with sweet music playing in the background. I dreamed even of a time when my father would return to be reunited with my mother. I dreamed of love.

But I never believed in it. Not really. The fairy tales of happily-ever-after were places I traveled to and places I inevitably returned from. They only lasted as long as the movie or book or the day dream in my mind.

I had given my heart to Jesus at a young age. I longed to serve Him. Every day, I worked hard to please Him. I worked hard so that He would be pleased with me.
Looking back, there are specific people whom I remember who began the breakthrough in my disbelief of love. I began to think that perhaps it might truly exist – for other people. It wasn’t until I met my husband and he said, “I can’t prove that I love you; you’ll just have to trust me,” that I came to understand what love was. I experienced it for myself and KNEW I was loved.

Still, I strove hard to win my Father’s love. I was constantly vigilant, fearfully aware of every little area where I might need to improve.

Then one evening, walking out under the stars, arm in arm with my husband, the Lord spoke to me and told me that the way that I trusted John’s love was the way that I could trust God’s love. I could rest in His unconditional love. I didn’t need to strive or live in constant fear and doubt. I could rest. As the Bible says, I was “accepted in the beloved.”

That should have been the end of my story but it isn’t. I still struggle with accepting the love of my husband, my family and friends. And I still struggle with accepting God’s love.

Coincidentally, I have just finished the sixth book in a series of novels that depict a seven-step journey of healing. The sixth step is: “God loves me.”

It’s true. God loves me. God loves you. “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

We just need to “believe in Him.” We just need to trust that He loves us. Walk into His arms and let Him hold you close. God loves you.

God loves me. The theme of my life. The theme of my song for all eternity.

Dorene Meyer
www.dorenemeyer.com

Contributor to Hot Apple Cider and A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider
www.hotapplecider.ca
Author of Lewis, Jasmine, The Little Ones and Deep Waters
Now in book stores across Canada
Distributed by Word Alive Press www.wordalivepress.ca.
Available online and as ebook on Amazon www.amazon.com (key in title of book and publisher: Word Alive Press).

Fan of You Tube - Meyer

As a recent reluctant convert to social media, I am still navigating my way slowly around the Internet, discovering hitherto unknown (to me) and unexplored vistas.

In the last few weeks, I have discovered You Tube. Of course, I knew it existed. Perhaps, I should back up and explain that I only recently acquired high-speed Internet service. Living as I do 850+ km north of the nearest large city (Winnipeg), I limped along for quite some time with dial-up (through telephone lines) and then 3G (a modem using cell phone service). Both were very slow and often unreliable. Watching a You Tube video was not possible.

Being able to watch a You Tube video at my leisure has opened up a whole new world for me. I recently watched some life stage performances of popular musicians and thought, oh, that’s what the fuss is all about! Many performers have incredible stage presence that cannot be realized unless you have the good fortune of being able to see them live – or watch them on You Tube.

In addition to learning about (and enjoying) music, You Tube can also be an educational tool in other areas. In a college class that I am teaching, one of my students recently used a You Tube video in his presentation about Nonverbal Learning Disorder.

You can look up any topic you like, topics such as: Canadian Christian Author. When I did this, I got an excellent video produced by 100 Huntley St about Write! Canada. The title for this You Tube video is: Christian Writers – The Word Guild.

With Write! Canada just around the corner, I would encourage you to take a gander at this little clip and perhaps send it along to others.
Write! Canada is a great opportunity to learn and grow as a writer. The website for Write! Canada is http://www.writecanada.org/.
This year, the dates are June 16-18 and the location is Guelph, Ontario.
I’ll be there. Will you?

Dorene Meyer
http://www.dorenemeyer.com/

Author of The Little Ones and Jasmine
Now in book stores across Canada
Distributed by Word Alive Press http://www.wordalivepress.ca/.
Available online and as ebook on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/ (key in title of book and publisher: Word Alive Press).

Also author of Lewis, due to be released in March!

Discover the Poet in you at Write! Canada 2010 — Martin

I hope you’re planning to come to Write! Canada — June 17 to 19th. There will lots of wonderful opportunities for you to learn and grow, and to connect with like-minded people who can help you develop your writing career.

For the first time, anywhere, I will be taking my popular workshop — The Essentials of Writing Poetry — and expanding it significantly into a real hands-on opportunity for you to write poetry, and to have it discussed by other participants. The following blurb comes directly from the Write! Canada website:

Principles of Writing Poetry…Well — D. S. Martin

Beauty is not merely in the eye of the beholder; quality in poetry is not merely a matter of taste. In this workshop you’ll learn to discern what is needed for well-written poetry, and how to apply these principles to significantly improve the quality of your own writing — both poetry and prose! You’ll be enabled to write your own poetry as part of the workshop, and be able to give and receive feedback with the class.

Together we will go through the principles of what makes poetry good, and you’ll be given plenty of opportunities to put these principles into practice. You are encouraged to bring a laptop computer (if you have one) in order to better facilitate the sharing of work as a group. You may want to write rough drafts for several poems ahead of time; do not, however, bring poems (for this purpose) which you would be unwilling to significantly revise because you consider them to be complete.

This class will be an interactive format. The instructor will lead the discussion of poems-in-progress, but all will be encouraged to share feedback.

Participants are encouraged to bring as many of the following items as possible along with them, as inspiration for potential poems:
1) A photo of a friend or family member in a place that has special memories
--------((bring several)
2) A picture of a painting that speaks to you
3) A selected scripture passage that resonates for you
--------(an entire Bible would help)
4) A favourite poem from a famous poet
5) A favourite non-fiction book
--------(preferably well marked up!)
6) A list of your favourite places
7) The name of someone you love, and a list of things he/she does well
8) Other items that would be of unique inspiration to you.
--------(All but #5 might be able to be saved to your laptop)

I hope to see you at Write! Canada, and have the opportunity to help you grow as a writer!

Check out my blog about Christian poetry: Kingdom Poets Become a follower, or leave a comment.

D.S. Martin is Music Critic for Christian Week. He is the award-winning author of the poetry collections Poiema (Wipf & Stock) and So The Moon Would Not Be Swallowed (Rubicon Press). They are both available at: www.dsmartin.ca

Write & publish shorts for kids - Nesdoly

Three weeks from today (June 19th), I'll be at Write! Canada. By now I will have reunited with friends I met when I came to the Write! Canada conference in 2004. Hopefully I'll also have come face to face with other friends whom up to now I've only chatted with online. I'll be in the thick of stimulating classes and workshops. And on that Friday, I'll be anticipating then looking back on the workshop I'm scheduled to teach.

If you're also coming to Write! Canada, you have doubtless pored over all the goodies offered in classes and workshops. If you're a children's writer, this is my personal invitation to attend "Writing for the Children's and Young Adult Christian Market."

Here's how it's described on the Write! Canada website:

A3: Writing for children consists of more than dreaming up the next Veggie Tale picture book, Faithgirlz™ series or Narnia-style fantasy. In this workshop we’ll discuss six types of short writing for children: devotions, articles, puzzles, stories, activities, and poems. Children’s magazines, Sunday School papers, and Web sites have lots of little spaces to fill. Learn to write a variety of short pieces in a lively, interesting, and fun-filled way to improve your chances of getting published. Lots of examples and marketing suggestions will be provided.

"Oh," you say, "but I don't want to write short stories, articles and fillers. I want to write books."

Sure you do. But you also want to get published, don't you? It's way easier to get a short story or article published in a magazine than in an expensive-to-produce picture book. And do you realize that credits for publications in periodicals can be a step toward your goal? Not only do they look good on your resumé, but such writing gives you experience and credibility with editors, a portfolio of clips, not to speak of a little cash to splurge on the newest latte at Tim's.

Even Jon Bard, editor of Children's Book Insider, agrees with me!

Navigating the Conference - Payne

The Write! Canada conference is coming up again soon (June 18, 19, 20). This will be my 6th year attending. In light of this, I’d like to repost an article I wrote some years ago (First printed in Exchange Newsletter April 2005) that I feel is still relevant today:

As I left the conference, I got lost and was sinking into a panic. “I’m on Bloor Street, heading east, in a traffic jam. The DVP is closed. Help!” The calm voice on the other end of the line guided me in the right direction. From his comfortable chair at home, my husband knew the roads of Toronto like his own shoe size.

I recognized that same panic at home when I looked at my pile collected from the conference.

By taking simple steps, you will be able to navigate yourself without getting lost.

Before
· Pray. Earnestly pray for yourself and all others involved in the conference.
· Prepare ahead of time. Give thought to what you want to get out of the conference. I pore over the brochure.

Would you like to learn about a specific writing technique? Choose workshops to meet this goal; have backup choices.

Want to meet with an editor? Review the faculty biographies for those who fit your area of interest, and plan to make an appointment with at least one.

Hope to network with other writers? Develop a list of questions to discuss, and psych yourself up talk to everyone you can, not just to those you know.

During
· Pray. Be in fervent prayer throughout the conference, and pray for a teachable spirit.
· Collect freebies. Carry a bag to gather sample publications, writer’s guidelines, handouts and books.
· Mark business cards. On the back of the card, jot what you discussed with the cardholder, the date, and the conference.
· Sit by yourself. This allows you to focus on the presenter and not miss important information while chatting with a friend.
· Highlight main points. The pile of notes can grow heavy, and important points can be easily lost. Take a highlighter to underline the significant points for easy reference.
· Asterisk actions. Put an asterisk beside each idea that you must take action on later. Once home, label a blank piece of paper with, “To do – Conference Title – Date” and filter through all conference material, seeking out the asterisks.
· Colour Website addresses. Use a coloured pen to write important Website addresses. At home, add them to your “favourites.”
· Ask questions. Now is not the time to be shy. Participate in discussions and ask questions. Chances are, someone else will be grateful that you had the courage to ask.


After
· Pray. Pray for guidance, because the real work begins when the conference is over.
· Write an encouraging note to all who blessed you at the conference.
· Organize your pile of conference goodies soon, while everything is still fresh in your mind.
Business cards: File alphabetically.
Flyers and promotional materials: Put into a file labeled with the name of the conference and date.
Workshop notes: Punch and place into a large binder under suitable headings, e.g., Inspiration, Non-fiction, Technique, Business, Marketing, Legal.
Writer’s guidelines: Staple onto the front cover of the periodical, and file.
· Get cracking on your “to do” list. Review the asterisk list, prioritize, and follow up immediately. It’s too easy to fall back into routine and lose the steam of enthusiasm from a conference.

Don’t get lost in a wave of panic after a conference. Follow these simple tips and you can navigate a conference with enthusiasm and confidence.

Learn To Write Poetry at Write! Canada - Martin

If you haven’t yet registered for Write! Canada (June 18-20, 2009) let me encourage you to wait no longer. Held annually in Guelph, Ontario, Write! Canada is Canada’s largest Christian Writers Conference.

If you’re already coming, I want you to take my workshop “The Essentials of Writing Poetry” on the Saturday morning. This workshop will be valuable for all of your writing ventures — and especially helpful when you’re writing poetry. Since poetry is the most concentrated form of writing, the skills you fine-tune here will quickly transfer to your fiction, and non-fiction too.

I guarantee you’ll come away with plenty to think about, and a lot you’ll be able to apply immediately to your current writing. I’ll share with you the principles of good poetry, and share examples from many of the best Christian poets of our time. For those who have had little exposure to contemporary poetry, this will broaden your conference experience.

On the Friday, I’ll also be hosting the Night Owl Poetry Reading. Bring your favourite poems to share with other like-minded people.

D.S. Martin is Music Critic for Christian Week; his new poetry book, Poiema (Wipf & Stock), and his chapbook So The Moon Would Not Be Swallowed are available at www.dsmartin.ca

Drive-by Book Signing - Grove

I accidentally invented something.

I think it could catch on. I could get rich from this invention! It's perfect for today's 'go-go-go' society.

Publishers are always looking for ways they can 'brand' an author - ways of getting the author before as many people as possible in order to maximize sales and increase the 'buzz' about the book, the author, and the message.

Well, I've gone and invented the Mother of all opportunities.

It all happened late Saturday evening. I was in Guelph visiting with my sister-in-law and her family. I was tired and somewhat giddy (having just spent the previous three days at the Granddaddy of all writer's shin-digs right there in that very city), and I didn't have my head screwed on right.

I got into the car to go to Brampton (my hubby's parents live there and were driving me to their house for the night, then taking me to the airport in the morning), settled in the back seat and was waving goodbye. Then, my sister-in-law (who did have her head screwed on right) remembered she hadn't paid me for the copies of Hot Apple Cider she had bought. As she ran for the cash, I called out, "I forgot to sign them too!"

Moments later she and her hubby returned to the car, cash and books in hand. I stayed in the car as my brother-in-law handed me book after book to autograph (6 of them). As we did this, it hit us! This is perfect! Drive through book signings! We have drive thru banks, dry cleaners, fast food joints, and coffee bars. Why not book signings? Legions of fans can line the streets while authors, tucked into the back seats of cars can inch along, grabbing books, signing them, and tossing them back into the crowds.

Great, eh?

Of course there could be the problem of an author tossing a book out and it not connecting to the owner of the book. Or, they could, sometimes sign a book they didn't write - I mean they would be moving at a fair clip, right? To accommodate the great numbers of people who want an autograph. Then there would be the issue of innocent bystanders getting smacked upside the head with a wayward flying book (there's insurance for that right?). Hmm...

What's that?

You say that the 'old fashioned' way of holding events safely indoors in books stores is the best way to do book signings? Well, I see your point. Probably a lot less people will end up injured. But it's not very progressive!

Say what?

You think I'm still over tired from the big writer's brew-ha-ha? Maybe I should go lay down until the feeling passes?

Sigh.

Maybe you're right.

Bonnie Grove

Including Everyone - Meyer

I’ve been thinking recently about how we are all so different and yet really very much the same in many ways.
I think it’s all too easy for us as human beings to want to be around people who are the same as us. I’m not really referring to cliques and racial prejudice. I think I’m talking more about just sticking with what is comfortable, versus stepping out and enlarging our circle of friends and acquaintances.
I’m a naturally shy person, as many writers are, and it’s always a bit difficult for me to meet new people. It is easier if I know ahead of time that I have things in common with them. For example, it’s not as hard to think about meeting new people at Write!Canada because I know that I will have a lot in common with the other “writers who are Christian” gathered there. When I attend a secular writer’s conference, then I might be a bit less comfortable because our commonality is narrowed down to just “writers.”
Again, there would be a certain variance in comfort levels if I were to visit a day program for developmentally challenged adults… or if I were to go to a hospice… or a half-way house for former inmates...
But all of us have found, at one time or another, that our lives have been enriched by our encounters with people who are different from us in some way, people who are going through things that we can’t imagine ever happening to us.
Recently, I was able to offer support to my brother, who is developmentally challenged, as he prepared for his wedding to another developmentally challenged adult. It was an awesome privilege and a real blessing to me to see their joy and their love for each other.
In the books that I write, I try to include a diversity of people. I have characters such as Bobby, who has Down’s syndrome and Missy, who was blind from birth. I have rich tourist camp owners, and homeless people who are chronic alcoholics. I believe that when we include a variety of people in our books, then we are enriching the lives of our readers in the same way that our lives are enriched when we get out and meet people who are different from us in a variety of ways.