2015

The Malahat Review’s Literary Symposiumat the University of Victoria

WordsThaw

March 20–22, 2015

A literary icebreaker at the cusp of spring

malahatreview.ca/wordsthaw

SPONSORED BY

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“...try to follow a bird, try to glimpse it, and you’ll find yourself captive, com-pelled to follow—deep into the woods, into language, into story and myth. Ra-ven unmuzzles the sky that surrounds bird’s flight, shows you “heart ring/ heart beat/the finger-picked song/of the body letting go, leaping.” Lyrical and intelli-gent, Blomer articulates what Seamus Heaney hopes for in poetry, namely, “the moment when the bird sings very close to the music of what happens.” —Cornelia Hoogland, author of Woods Wolf Girl

“...a gorgeous blend of religiosity and ornithology that through the stillness of observation evokes the airborne world as if gravity itself were speaking. There is great richness of expression in these poems... Blomer¹s voice both towers and glides.” —Barry Dempster, author of Invisible Dogs

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Yvonne Blomer is thePoet Laureate for the City

of Victoria, and Artistic Director of Planet Earth Poetry

As If A Raven is a series of complex portraits drawing on myth, history and ornithological lore. Yvonne Blomer offers readers a fresh way of seeing the natural world.

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Friday, March 20Human & Social Development Building, room A240, University of Victoria

7:30 p.m. (Doors at 7:00 p.m.)

Words on Ice: An Evening of Readings

An evening of readings of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama by eight Canadian writers: Yvonne Blomer, Eve Joseph, Kevin Kerr, Fiona Tinwei Lam, Peter Midgley, Arleen Paré, Matt Rader, and D. W. Wilson. Co‑hosted by John Barton and Daniel Scott.

Co-organized with

WordsThaw Pass or evening ticket required. Regular evening ticket price (at door): $10, Student evening ticket price (at door): $5

10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Words on the Rocks (after party)All are welcome to join us at Hillside Coffee and Tea, 1633 Hillside Avenue #103 (across from Hillside Mall)

Hosted by

WordsThaw 2015 Opening Event

Guest-edited by Lynne Van Luven

In the winter of 2015 The Malahat Review will celebrate creative nonfiction as practised in Canada today

Submit your most thought-provoking CNF and help us chart this border-disrespecting reality-compliant genre

Call for Submissions

COMPLETE GUIDELINES:

malahatreview.ca

INQUIRIES:

malahat@uvic.ca

@malahatreview

Defining excellent writing since 1967

Submission Deadline: July 1, 2015

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10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Rm. A240

Young Adult Fiction: All Grown Up?Is the genre moving too far from its roots as more and more adults embrace books written and marketed for teens? Are publishers looking for subject over substance? Can good writing about real issues still engage teen readers when the bestseller popularity contest seems to rule the day? With flash reviews of YA titles by the GVPL teen council.

Panelists: Kirsten Andersen, Sarah Harvey, Robin Stevenson Moderator: Christine Walde

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Rm. A250

Natural Divide or Shape-Shifting Chic: Negotiating Creative Nonfiction’s Extremes Creative nonfiction (CNF) is an elastic genre that embraces everything from the prose poem, the journalistic exposé, to the travelogue. Panelists will define their writing styles and discuss the shifting terrain between literary CNF and journalistic CNF.

Panelists: Fiona Tinwei Lam, Mark Leiren‑Young, Jane Silcott Moderator: Lynne Van Luven

Co-organized with

Saturday, March 21 MorningHuman & Social Development Building, University of Victoria

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Saturday, March 21 Noon

12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Brief Encounters: One-on-One Critiques of Your WorkGet your work critiqued by local writers during 15‑minute blue‑pencil sessions!

Brief Encounters is included in the cost of a WordsThaw 2015 pass, but anyone interested must have signed up for a consultation by March 19th.

If you have signed up for Brief Encounters, please check with the registration desk to confirm where your session will take place.

Writers include Ross Crockford (journalism), Lorne Daniel (CNF / poetry), Julie Paul (fiction), Missie Peters (spoken word), Pam Porter (poetry / children’s lit), and Matt Rader (fiction / poetry). First‑come, first‑served to WordsThaw pass holders.

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Saturday, March 21 Afternoon

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Rm. A240

Vanity or in the Vanguard: Self-Publishing’s Makeover Once considered a last resort for authors unable to place manuscripts with traditional publishing houses, the practice of self‑publishing has mushroomed in recent years. Even experienced authors are joining the ranks of those who prefer to take control of their “product.” But are self‑published books really given the same respect? Can they compete?

Panelists: Mary Hughes, Patrick O’Connor, Sid Tafler Moderator: David Leach

3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m., Rm. A240

Has It Got Better: Minority Voices or Major Talents Do authors writing from “minority” points of view—whether queer, First Nations, or “not‑white”—confront barriers, behind which their candor is thought to compel the interest of a coterie only? Or, do such writers feel that the authenticity informing their work is now embraced by the “national literature”? Tapping the richness of Canada’s diversity, the panel’s speakers will place “marginality” and “inclusiveness” on the scales to see which way they tip.

Panelists: Hanna Leavitt, Janet Rogers, Daniel Zomparelli Moderator: Aaron Devor

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Sunday, March 22 AfternoonGreater Victoria Public Library, Downtown Branch

1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Master Class with Phil Hall

This poetry lab, led by Governor General’s Literary Award winner Phil Hall, will investigate relations between parts and fragments of writing, and aim toward a theory of proximity and juxtaposition, beginning with Jack Spicer’s and Robin Blaser’s notion of “sequence,” and going backward and forward from there.

Phil Hall’s books include Killdeer (BookThug, 2011), The Small Nouns Crying Faith (BookThug, 2013), Notes from Gethsemani (Nomados, 2014), and Essay on Legend (Beautiful Outlaw Press, 2014). A Mentor at the Wired Writing Program at the Banff Centre, he lives near Perth, Ontario.

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Contest Calender

It’s Closer Than You ThinkEnter the

Far Horizons Awardfor Short FictionMay 1, 2015Writers yet to publish in book form may submit a story not longer than 3500 words

Commit these deadlines to memory

August 1, 2015Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize $1000

November 1, 2015Open Season Awards $4500 in prizes

February 1, 2016Novella Prize $1500

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rE S S E N T I A L P O E T R Y • F I C T I O N • C R E A T I V E N O N F I C T I O N

One prize of $1000Final judge: Elyse Friedman

All deadlines are postmark dates

COMPLETE GUIDELINES: malahatreview.caINQUIRIES: malahat@uvic.ca

Defining excellent writing since 1967

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Where To Eat

On CampusBean There (Student Union Building): 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.BiblioCafé (MacPherson Library): 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Caps Bistro (Cadboro Commons): 11 a.m to 11 p.m.Finnerty Express (Bookstore Building): 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Munchie Bar (Student Union Building): 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.Village Market (Cadboro Commons): 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.Mystic Market (University Centre): 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Off CampusOlive Olio’s (Cadboro Bay Village)Smugglers Cove (Cadboro Bay Village)Starbucks (Cadboro Bay Village and Shelbourne Plaza)Thai Lemon Grass (Cadboro Bay Village)

Don’t know what a postage stamp is?

Malahat’s on

We’re now accepting poetry and CNFsubmissions—and fiction submissions very soon!

COMPLETE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES ON OUR SUBMITTABLE SITE:malahatreview.submittable.com/submit

Sub

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sion

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E S S E N T I A L P O E T R Y • F I C T I O N • C R E A T I V E N O N F I C T I O N

Defining excellent writing since 1967

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The Malahat Review gratefully acknowledges the support of Canadian publishers, friends, partners, and volunteers:

PublishersAnvil PressCaitlin PressCoach HouseBrick BooksBrindle & GlassDancing Cat BooksDouglas & McIntyreDundurn PressECW PressFreehand BooksHarbour Publishing Innana PublicationsMcGill‑Queen’s PressPalimpsest PressPorcupine’s QuillRonsdale PressRoseway PublishingSignature EditionsTalonbooksThistledown PressTSAR PublicationsWilfrid Laurier PressWolsak & Wynn

FriendsLeslie CampbellMarc ChristensenAlison GordaneerVanessa Herman Clint HutzulakBonnie LightCathy OstlereJennifer RowanTara SharpeJohn Threlfall

PartnersCFUVCoastal SpectatorCreative Nonfiction Coalition SocietyFaculty of Fine ArtsFaculty of HumanitiesFocusGreater Victoria Public LibraryHillside Coffee and Tea Planet Earth PoetryRussell BooksUVic Bookstore

UVic Communications

GVPL Teen CouncilDelphina KejoGloria LeeShani Pichette‑VuongViolet Reid‑Sharp

VolunteersMadeline BarberGillian CornwallKally GroatKelsey LauderRobin RenieroDaniel ScottBrianna Wright

Ticket InformationWords on Ice: March 20 only$10 regular/$5 students

WordsThaw 2015 Full Pass*March 20–21: $50 regular/$25 students

WordsThaw 2015 Saturday Only Pass* March 21: $35 regular/$20 students

Tickets to Individual Panels (New this year)$18 each regular/$12 each students

Each panel ticket includes the Winter 2014 issue of The Malahat Review

*A WordsThaw 2015 pass includes a Winter 2014 issue, plus one-year subscription to The Malahat Review.

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Government and Institutional Sponsors

The Malahat ReviewUniversity of VictoriaP.O. Box 1700, Station CSCVictoria, B.C., V8W 2Y2

Partners

WordsThaw Committee

John BartonRhonda BatchelorYvonne BlomerPatrick GraceStephen E. LeckieEllen RooneyMatthew ThibeaultClaire Macdonald

P: 250‑721‑8524F: 250‑472‑5051malahat@uvic.ca@malahatreview