Write on Bowen festival pix (1)

Bernice Lever (left), Elee Kraljii Gardiner (right) with another participant (centre)

David Stephens (right) asks the audience to spot the difference between self-published and commercially published books, watched by other panellists,E.R. Brown (far left) and Susanne Martin (middle)

Annabel Lyon and Timothy Taylor delight audience at Bowen Island festival

Annabel Lyon and Timothy Taylor at the Gallery on Bowen Island (photo: Alison Bate)

By Alison Bate

Two very thoughtful, imaginative minds kept the audience rapt on opening night at the Write on Bowen festival.

Annabel Lyon, author of The Golden Mean, started her readings discussing Ten Uses for a Philosophy Degree, one of which – naturally – led to getting an MFA in Creative Writing.

Author Annabel Lyon signs copies of her book "The Golden Mean" at Write on Bowen Festival 2011 (Photo by Julie Ferguson)

“Which is more useless, do you think, philosophy or creative writing? Hmmm?” she asked.

And, of course, her No.10 was: “Write a novel about Aristotle.”

In her award-winning book, Lyon presents Aristotle as bipolar, and one of the highlights was her reading of Aristotle’s own words about the link between melancholy and creativity.

What we now call bipolar disease, the Greek philosopher called too much “cold black bile” and “hot black bile”.

He wrote that too much cold black bile rendered a person “dull and stupid” whereas people with much hot black bile were “elated and brilliant or erotic or easily moved to anger and desire, while some become more loquacious. Many too are subject to fits of exaltation and ecstasy…”

Lyon also read from her children’s book about Edie, a teenage protagonist with a cousin with Down’s Syndrome. Lyon grew up with an elder brother with Down’s, and it’s a theme close to her heart. In The Golden Mean, Alexander’s half-brother is also mentally challenged.

Timothy Taylor read from his latest novel, The Blue Light Project, and showed how to write a gripping inner monologue when your dinner table colleague goes for a pee.

”He knew his nickname in the L:MN art department, the one they used behind his back,” muses Thom Pegg, a disgraced former journalist in the novel.

“They’d say: Pebialta. Like the name of a Mediterranean resort or an Italian scooter. He wondered about it for quite a while before learning it was an acronym. P-B-I-A-L-T-A. Pegg Briefly Important A Long Time Ago. “

As Pegg tries to flirt with his dinner companion, Chastity: “Oh my, blossom. I just went entirely screensaver there,”

And his ex-wife Jennifer “… not weeks before she went slack-tide on him and disappeared over the lip of the shining mudflats that had suddenly formed all around his person.”

Taylor is now busy on a new novel , which he started about a month ago. “I’m planning to write it fast. It’s a kind of mystery,” he said.

Compelling literary voices (Lyon and Taylor) kick off Write on Bowen

By Richard Labonté

Giller, Commonwealth, Rogers Writers Trust, Ethel Wilson, Libris, Journey, Impac Dublin, Canada Reads – and half a dozen more: the two Canadian literary luminaries kicking off Write on Bowen on Friday, July 8 have amassed a legion of honors for their writing.

That’s no surprise. Work by Annabel Lyon (Oxygen, Best Thing for You) and Timothy Taylor (Stanley Park, Story House) has garnered both critical praise and – what a writer appreciates most – loyal fan followings and great sales.

They’ll each be reading from their most recent novels, from the past and from the future. For Lyon, that’s The Golden Mean, a brilliant historical re-imagination of the teacher/student relationship between philosopher Aristotle and the boy who would grow up to be Alexander the Great—a book about ideas that encompasses earthy concerns.

Individual workshops at Write on Bowen 2011

Here’s a quick summary of the workshops available this year. Individual workshops are $45 each. Visit our main website to register:

Workshop 1: Research: Get It! Write.
Time: Saturday, July 9 from 10:00 to Noon
Presenter: Anthony Dalton

Workshop 2: Incorporating Humor into Your Writing
Time: Saturday, July 9 from 10:00 to Noon
Presenter: Neil McKinnon

Workshop 4: Beginnings.
Time: Saturday, July 9 from 10:00 to Noon
Presenter: Timothy Taylor

Workshop 5: Writing Daily
Time: Saturday, July 9 from 2:15 to 4:15 pm
Presenter: Michael Turner

Workshop 6: Toolbox for Re-approaching Your Manuscript/Second Draft
Time: Saturday, July 9 from 2:15 to 4:15 pm
Presenter: David Stephens

Workshop 7: Creative Memoir
Time: Saturday, July 9 from 2:15 to 4:15 pm
Presenter: Madeline Sonik

Workshop 9: Unbuilding the Blocks: Strategies for Writing Without Restraint
Time: Sunday, July 10 from 10:00 to Noon
Presenter: Elee Kraljii Gardiner

Workshop 10: Growing the Poem
Time: Sunday, July 10 from 10:00 to Noon
Presenter: Betsy Warland

Workshop 11: Get Going with E-books, E-readers, and E-publishing
Time: Sunday, July 10 from 10:00 to Noon
Presenter: Julie Ferguson

Workshop 13: Nature Journal – A Resource for Descriptive and Metaphoric Writing
Time: Sunday, July 10 from 2:15 to 4:15 pm
Presenter: Jennifer Getsinger

Workshop 14: Voice and Performance Skills for Writers and Poets
Time: Sunday, July 10 from 2:15 to 4:15 pm
Presenter: Ben Nuttall-Smith

Workshop 15: Writing for Young People: How to Build Powerful Scenes
Time: Sunday, July 10 from 2:15 to 4:15 pm
Presenters: Ainslie Manson, Norma Charles, and Cynthia Nicolson

Workshop 16: Beyond the First Draft
Time: Sunday, July 10 from 2:15 to 4:15 pm
Presenter: April Bosshard

All About Publishing at Write on Bowen 2011

By April Bosshard

To publish or not to publish? That is the question. And sooner or later, all writers ask it.

Writers write first and foremost for themselves, but writers also write to be read by others so if you answered ‘yes, I want to publish,’ you won’t want to miss the 4th annual Write on Bowen Festival running this year from July 8 to 10.

Susan Safyan of Arsenal Pulp Press is hosting a workshop on Pitching Your Book to A Publisher

Susan Safyan, in-house editor at Arsenal Pulp Press, will offer a workshop called “Pitching Your Book to A Publisher” on Saturday, July 9th. She reminds all writers who want to get published: “Expect and aim to learn a lot, to experience both success and disappointment.”

Susan notes that editors look for submissions that are virtually publication ready. She advises writers to “get curious about publishing, to find out its complexities.”

The good news is that editors are always looking for writers who write well, who share an understanding that editing makes the book better, and who can show courtesy, consideration, and ideally a sense of humor during the publishing process.

“Believe it or not,” Susan says, “some writers see editors as adversaries they have to fight,” although she readily admits that “most of the time it’s a happy, productive process.”

New York agent, Noah Lukeman cautions: “When setting out to get published, writers should prepare themselves for a marathon, not a sprint. Quite often, what makes the difference between authors who get published and those who don’t is simply the number of years they are willing to hang in there. Perseverance is everything.”

Julie Ferguson, author of fourteen nonfiction books, is hosting a workshop on E-Publishing

Another option for aspiring writers is self-publishing—an increasingly viable option. At Write on Bowen, author and experienced workshop facilitator Julie Ferguson shares her wisdom about self-publishing in the electronic age in her workshop ”Get Going with E-books, E-readers, and E-publishing.”

Full festival passes and other ticket options are now available for purchase. The festival passes provide the best value.

A Full Festival Pass costs just $199 if purchased before June 1 and includes Opening Night with Annabel Lyon and Timothy Taylor, the Saturday Dinner Event & Gala, four workshops, two lunch sessions, blue-pencil editing, and refreshments. Each workshop is limited to just 15 seats so register early.

Call for facilitators, panelists etc. at Write on Bowen

If you are interested in taking part in Write on Bowen 2011 as a facilitator, panelist, or reader/performer or you know someone who may be interested, please note that the deadline for submissions is February 7.

For more details and to download the application form, go to our main website and email the form to: admin@biac.ca

Two Write on Bowen workshops already sold out

A quick update on the weekend workshops: The Book Magic:Turning Writers into Published Authors and Seven Tips for Publishing workshops are already sold out.

Two other workshops have been cancelled: Chipping Away at Writer’s Block and Making Your Blog More Popular

The A-Z of Bowen Island writers: a detailed list

Bowen Island has always attracted writers.

Malcolm Lowry, Earle Birney, Margaret Lawrence, Jane Rule and many other famous writers all came here to write and relax at Lieben – an unofficial writers’ colony hosted by the Neilsons off Eaglecliff Road. More recently, Nick Bantock, of Griffin and Sabine fame, lived on Bowen for a decade. Science fiction writer Spider Robinson currently lives here, as well as the multi-talented Michael Nicholl Yahgulanaas, author of the bestselling Flight of the Hummingbird.

Bowen Island is also home to an impressive number of other published writers. The list below demonstrates the breadth of talent here on The Rock:

Walk where Lowry, Laurence and Birney once wrote

By Bernice Lever

The Write on Bowen festival features several workshops and events designed to jump start your creativity.

You can take a walk in the Lieben Lands with poet Bernice Lever; join the Pandora’s Collective for the Chipping Away at Writer’s Block workshop; and tap in to your inner poet with Miranda Pearson in her poetry workshop.

Lieben

Bernice Lever

Just a couple of kilometres from the ferry are the 10 acres of natural rain forest along Eagle Cliff Road donated by Einar and Muriel Neilson. In the mid-1990s, the Neilsons hosted long visits by famous writers and artists: Earle Birney, Malcolm Lowry, Margaret Laurence, Lister Sinclair, etc. This ever-changing camp fellowship would swim, BBQ, sing, and create.

Bernice Lever is your guide for this free event from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, July 2. Bring your own picnic, water, and camera, and wear walking shoes. Drop in for a quick look or stay for the afternoon.