Kamloops Writers Fair

November 2nd & 3rd, 2012
The Old Courthouse Cultural Centre

Co-produced by the Kamloops Arts Council, the BC Federation of Writers, and BC Living Arts

Registration is now open - see details below!

OPEN MIC NIGHT - FRIDAY, NOV. 2

Wine and cheese event, hosted by BC Living Arts

Free to registered guests, $10 for the public

WORKSHOPS - SATURDAY, NOV. 3

BLUE PENCIL SESSIONS

Please register early to ensure a spot for feedback on your work from our accomplished authors, as only a limited number are available.

For this 15 minute session please bring a maximum of 3 typed, double-spaced pages in a standard font size, such as Bookman Old, size 12.

PITCH TO AN AGENT

If you have a completed manuscript you wish to pitch to Literary Agent Carolyn Swayze, please indicate on your registration form as it is on a first come first serve basis. Before you pitch your manuscript check out these helpful tips on Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner’s blog www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/secrets-of-a-great-pitch/

Registration fee: $100
(includes Friday wine & cheese / open mic, 2 workshops, keynote speaker, Blue Pencil session, and Saturday lunch)

How to Register:

• Online with your credit card or PayPal account

• Download the registration form and mail to the KAC office with a cheque

• In person at the Arts Council Office, 7 Seymour St. (Office hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 12noon and 1pm to 5pm; Saturday 10am to 12noon and 1pm to 4pm)

• Or by phone, 250-372-7323; payment by cash or cheque is due by October 13, 2012.

Keynote Speaker

Anthony Dalton is an author, adventurer and photographer. He has written twelve non-fiction books and collaborated on two others, plus his hundreds of illustrated non-fiction articles have been published in magazines and newspapers in twenty countries and nine languages. Anthony’s first novel, The Kingfisher’s Orchid, will be published by BookLand Press in 2013. Anthony Dalton is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of the Explorers Club, a Member of the Welsh Academy, and former National President of the Canadian Authors Association. Today, when he’s not writing, he spends much of his time at sea as a guest speaker for two cruise lines.

Keynote Address Topic: The Will to Succeed

WORKSHOPS

New this year! Introducing literary agent Carolyn Swayze, who will show you how to pitch your book and hook an agent.

Working with an Agent

Facilitated by Carolyn Swayze

Do you need an agent?  What can an agent do for you?  How to connect with the right agency?  A few tips to help authors present themselves and their work efficiently and professionally, while building a successful working relationship.  This is an opportunity to ask questions and learn about traditional print publishing, ebooks and digital rights, audio books, and performance rights. 

Carolyn Swayze attended Cariboo College and the University of Victoria Law School.  She subsequently studied intellectual property law and practised law until she established her literary agency in 1994.  She is the author of two published books--a mystery novel and a biography.  Her agency represents authors of literary and commercial fiction, fiction for younger readers, and works of non-fiction ranging from humour, memoir, travel and military history.

Playing with Point of View

Facilitated by Karen Hofmann

Who is speaking to whom, under what circumstances? The permutations are almost endless.   Learning to experiment with and control point of view adds a new level of professional tools to the writer’s repertoire. In this workshop, we’ll move beyond simple recognition of first and third person to try out some dramatic variations in distance, audience and voice. Through examples, exercises, and feedback, participants will create several distinct point of view models to use in their fiction, non-fiction, or poetry writing.

Karen Hofmann has a BA and an MA in English from the University of Victoria and is an Associate Professor of English at Thompson Rivers University, where she has taught literature, composition, and creative writing since 1990. She has published fiction and poetry in several national literary magazines, including Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, Event, Prairie Fire, Geist, ARC, Dandelion, Chatelaine, and A Room of One’s Own. A first collection of poetry, Water Strider, was published by Frontenac House in 2008 and shortlisted for the Dorothy Livesay prize. Other prizes include the Okanagan Short Fiction prize in 2007 and 2012, placing in the Arc Poetry Magazine Poem of the Year Contest, and shortlisting in the CBC Canada Writes Short Fiction contest in 2012. 

Character Development

Facilitated by Patricia Donahue

Character Joe must change & grow. 

Explore how dramatic story-telling hinges on characters who are complex. Their behaviours intertwine with plot advancement and thus they help to drive the narrative.

Characters are forced to develop whilst on their journey confronting unexpected challenges. Resolving these apparent overwhelming obstacles in some cases, brings pressure to bear, and forces personal change. The workshop will outline some mechanisms for shaping character evolvement.

Patricia Donahue was born in New Brunswick in a large bilingual family of storytellers. After studying to become a Registered Nurse at St. Mary's Hospital in Montreal, she traded one seacoast for another when she moved to Vancouver. There she took her bachelors and masters degrees at the University of British Columbia and raised her three children. Her first publications were in international academic journals in psychology. Later, when she turned to fiction writing, her short stories appeared in anthologies and magazines. She has taught psychology and writing at universities for over ten years while running a private practice as a psychotherapist for twice that stretch of time. Visiting seaports, maritime museums and the experience of being a trainee on the tall ship Bark Europa, crossing the North Atlantic for the Acadian Sail 2004, formed part of her research for her first novel, Mighty Orion: Fate. Patricia was the winner of the Okanagan Literary Award in 2012 and her second novel, Mighty Orion - Secrets was solicited by Borealis Press for publication in 2013. She is a member of the BC Federation of Writers and The North Shore Writers, an associate of The Canadian Authors Association, and a founding member of the Okanagan Writers League. Currently, Patricia lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, where she is a writing instructor at UBC Okanagan Continuing Studies Department and a newly licenced Pleasure Boat Operator.

Making Your Story Into A Page Turner

Facilitated by Lynne Stonier-Newman

The theme for Lynne Stonier-Newmanʼs workshop is “how does a writer generate and maintain a readerʼs interest?” Reader reaction to a story, whether itʼs fiction or creative non-fiction, is stimulated by evocative details. By weaving sounds, smells and visual snapshots into your words, immediacy and depth are added to the characters and atmosphere. Stonier-Newman will share examples from other writersʻ lyrical words and discuss the techniques she's utilized in her own books and as a communications consultant/writer. Her published creative writing includes three BC histories, one a definitive history book and two creative non-fiction biographies; an audiobook; fiction short stories, non-fiction articles and a poetry chapbook. She has also written extensively as a social marketing and communication consultant for agencies, not-for-profit societies and industry. In this interactive workshop, some of the building blocks necessary to create memorable characters and settings will be identified. Then participants will help analyze how to write a story by revealing it, page by page.

Lynne Stonier-Newman is a freelance writer, communications consultant and British Columbia historian. Her publications include Peter OʼReilly: The Rise Of A Reluctant Immigrant; The Lawman: Adventures Of A Frontier Diplomat; Policing A Pioneer Province: BC Provincial Police 1858-1950; an audiobook called The Whys of Women, a modern history about Canadian women; an illustrated poetry chapbook, Canadian-Eh? ; and various articles, short stories and poetry. She also has an unpublished radio play, Tangled Truths; about the Gustasfen Lake conflict. Born and educated in British Columbia, Stonier-Newman lives north of Kamloops, BC at Little Heffley Lake.

Venue

The Old Courthouse Cultural Centre is located at 7 Seymour Street West (corner of Seymour and 1^st Avenue) in Kamloops, BC.  This historic three-storey brick building is a Kamloops landmark. The Court House was built in 1909 and stands as a symbol of justice and authority.

Places to Stay

Best Western Plus (Conference Sponsor!)

660 Columbia Street West [map]
250-374-7878 / 1-877-302-7878

http://bestwesternkamloops.ca/

"Welcome to the all-new BEST WESTERN PLUS Hotel, one of the newest, most environmentally friendly hotels in Kamloops. Enjoy comfortable rooms complete with flat screen TVs, state-of-the-art technology including geothermal heating plus spectacular views of the downtown core and surrounding Thompson River valleys. Perfectly located in the centre of the city, every amenity and convenience is close at hand when you stay at the BEST WESTERN PLUS Kamloops Hotel. Our friendly staff is dedicated to providing an exceptional level of service assuring an always enjoyable stay. We are proud to announce that we have 3½ stars with Canadian Star Quality Accommodation."

Downtown Kamloops boasts many quality hotels which are in walking distance of the Old Courthouse Cultural Centre.

Plaza Heritage Hotel (4 blocks)

405 Victoria Street
250-377-8075

Hotel 540 (5 blocks)

540 Victoria Street

250-372-2281

The Thompson Hotel & Conference Centre (6 blocks)

650 Victoria Street
250-374-1999

 GENEROUS SPONSORS