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Writing Matters
Here's what you missed in 2009:
Writing Matters looks at key trends and practices affecting writers and their work. It's an occasional conference that focuses on writing specialties, skills, and stories for professional writing diploma graduates, faculty, and current and past program participants. The event will also appeal to those considering a career as a professional writer -- those who want the inside story on writing that works.
Writing Matters 2009: Saturday, November 7
8:30 a.m. Morning coffee and check-in (outside Room 1614 on the first floor, South Building, New West campus)
9 to 10 a.m. OPENING PLENARY (Room 1614)
Welcoming remarks: Dr. Scott McAlpine, President, Douglas College
Keynote speaker: Dr. Claudia Cornwall
Writers as Opportunists
If you say someone is an opportunist, you probably think of him or her as lacking in principles or integrity. For the keynote address for this year's Writing Matters, Claudia Cornwall wants to rehabilitate the concept of opportunism, especially as it applies to writing. Claudia will talk about four aspects of opportunism: responding to the market, being "always on," acting quickly, and finding a topical angle.
SESSION SUMMARY by Dee Noble
"Look for opportunities in everything you see, hear, and read -- and in everyone you meet." That's the message Dr. Claudia Cornwall delivered in her keynote address to the audience attending Writing Matters 2009, a networking conference for writers. Cornwall, a successful freelance writer for more than 15 years, believes that if writers adopt an opportunistic mindset, making a conscious effort to be "always on," they will discover potential stories at every turn.
Claudia described how she has used this strategy to generate her own writing ideas. She turned her children's complaints about crowded buses, a hit-and-run investigation, and a chance discovery of a buried shipwreck -- to mention a few topics -- into published articles.
Opportunities exist in linking historical events to those of modern day as well. Claudia took advantage of the recurring theme of scarce affordable housing, for example, to pitch a story about Canadian war vets taking over the Vancouver Hotel back in 1946. And her story about an event in 1811, entitled "The Suicide Bomber of Clayoquot Sound," demonstrated how a little creativity can give historical pieces a topical, modern-day spin.
Claudia's engaging keynote address sparked enthusiasm in conference attendees who set forth for the day inspired to recognize and seize the opportunities in store for them.
10:15 to 11:15 a.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS I
Choose one of the following sessions:
Session A: Surviving Independently (Room 1630), with Alan Twigg
Join B.C. Bookworld publisher and writer Alan Twigg for an informal discussion of B.C. publishing, his work as a writer and publisher, and some current concerns on the local literary scene. Bring your questions.
SESSION SUMMARY by Janina Stajic
Alan Twigg founded BC BookWorld so "no one could tell him what to do." It was therefore fitting his Writing Matters seminar took us on a radical romp through the history and relevance of independent press in the "maverick" province of B.C., the "last to be colonized by the big box stores." He stated adamantly that it's possible to "live, write, and think independently," although you may not "make big bucks doing so." On the flip side, he believes if you're meant to be a writer, then "you can't not become a writer." How do you do it? According to Alan, with the following five qualities: perseverance, connections, timing, luck, and last and least, talent.
Session B: Branding Douglas (Room 1808), with Sean Kelly and Tracey Denofreo
Douglas College has a new look. Meet the marketing manager and senior marketing officer involved in establishing this better brand, one that reflects core values of the college and uses social networking and related digital technologies and channels.
SESSION SUMMARY by Kennedy Kierans
In the marketing office at Douglas College, Sean Kelly and Tracey Denofreo are key parts of the team leading the college's re-branding. They described that process for session participants. The team identified the college's target market and perception in the community, and then looked at how to tie these things together. They used bright, trendy, eye-catching colours as backdrops for simple, easily-grasped messages: "passion," "curiosity," "success." Advertising in transit, malls, and social networking sites is being used to meet prospective students "where they're at." Sean and Tracey then led the group through a quick focus group session.
Session C: Partnering for a Stronger Start-up (Room 1640), with Theresa Best
When Theresa Best launched her career, she partnered with colleague and SFU classmate Naomi Pauls to establish Paper Trails Publishing. Hear about how this initiative started and take away some lessons for beginning your own writing, editing, or communications company.
11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. PLENARY PANEL (Room 1614)
Finding the Right Professional Association brings together representatives from four major associations, including Theresa Best (B.C. branch representative to the national executive council, Editors' Association of Canada ), Adam Grossman (director and education chair, Vancouver chapter, Canadian Public Relations Society ), Angela Wilson (president, British Columbia chapter, International Association of Business Communicators ), and Eagranie Yuh (president, Canada West Coast chapter, Society for Technical Communication ). They'll talk about their association and its benefits, and why they choose to belong.
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Networking Lunch (Room 1812)
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS II
Choose one of the following sessions:
Session D: A Closer Look at Vancouver Review (Room 1640), with Gudrun Will and Mark Mushet
Join the editor-in-chief and creative director of this West Coast culture and arts quarterly for the inside story on sustaining the high editorial standards and fresh, inviting look of this independent magazine. Get the scoop on what VR looks for from contributors, and how its publishing team stays motivated in a print-challenged era.
SESSION SUMMARY by Karen Woodman
To introduce Vancouver Review, a quarterly publication of essays, photography and illustration, Gudrun Will described how she used to intently read the magazine at the library or at Mayfair News. Inspired by its distinct West Coast perspective, she applied for a position as an editorial intern. Today, as the magazine's editor-in-chief, she provides a forum for artists, often flying below the radar, to show the reality of living in British Columbia. Her vision is shared by VR's creative director, Mark Mushet, who approaches design and photography with a sense of both serendipity and continuity. Together they seek out content that might be rejected by mainstream publications.
Gudrun and Mark explained how the process of creating the quarterly involves closely engaging with contributors. They described their ongoing relationships with writers and artists such as Grant Buday, Rebecca Chaperon, Charlotte Gill, Terry Glavin, and John Moore. For Gudrun and Mark, the challenge is to produce a magazine that holds together cohesively, explores deep issues, takes artistic risks, and is of the moment -- sometimes right up until it goes to print.
Session E: You Are the Enterprise. Your Boss May Not Know This (Room 1630), with Judi Piggott
Worried about how to pay back that student loan? Certain you are not cut out for freelancing? Concerned about the loss of traditional jobs in our sector and how you are going to make it? In this session, we'll explore the real landscape you must navigate to find sources of income, develop as a writer, and thrive as a person. For a lifetime. Maintaining an "intra"preneurial mindset is key, to help you think like the employer, be the solution to problems, and generate unexpected opportunities.
SESSION SUMMARY by Dee Noble
Judi Piggott has extensive work experience in teaching creative people, including writers, how to use their skills to generate a sustainable income. The large turnout at her presentation indicated that many people are eager to learn more on this topic. Judi believes a recession is a great market for freelancer writers because employers need a flexible workforce. The key, she says, is to examine potential employment opportunities for gaps in coverage and then match your goals and aspirations to those gaps -- like weaving a tapestry. Judi used this "intra"-preneurial strategy herself to extend a six-month contract with the Alliance for Arts and Culture into 12 years of employment.
Other tips Judi passed along to her audience included start with warm calls -- family, friends, and acquaintances -- to build your initial network of connections; keep your business card information current and use matte-finish cards so you can write a follow-up reminder note for the recipient; evaluate your skills, building on your strengths and improving your weaknesses; learn how to deal with people and communicate; don't be desperate; and, above all, always be your authentic self.
Session F: Community Activism and Rhetorical Strategy (Room 1808), with Diana Wegner
This presentation explores and analyzes how an environmental group, through multiple activities of grassroots advocacy, strategizes to affect decisions made by its local government. These citizens are positioned as marginal speakers, whereas government officials can assume dominant speaking rights. In such struggles, conventional rhetorical strategies are less promising than more localized tactics deployed from the margins of the city where, sometimes, the group's voice is taken up and social change is accomplished. It seems such subaltern groups can exercise a "constrained" agency through these tactics and disturb the flow of power within dominant institutions like city governance.
SESSION SUMMARY by Kennedy Kierans
Dr. Wegner reported on a recent study she completed. Over several years, Diana followed a grassroots environmental action group and the city department with which the group had a semi-official relationship. She studied the group's rhetorical strategies and assessed them in influencing their city's environmental policies. She concluded that the rhetoric was generally ineffectual because it was not "packaged" to make it suitable for adoption by the media and politicians. As well, the scatter-shot, reactive approach the group used did not generate positive political will. Ultimately, however, she concluded that "rhetors can effect social change."
2:45 to 3:45 p.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS III
Choose one of the following sessions:
Session G: Social Media Marketing for Writers (Room 1808), with Briana Tomkinson
Learn how to use tools like Twitter, Facebook, and blogging to showcase your expertise and promote your services as a writer, editor, or communications professional.
Session H: The Dynamic Duo: Editor and Writer (Room 1630), with Ellen Niemer and Jenn Farrell
Come explore the sometimes glorious, sometimes strained relationship between the editor and writer. Editor Ellen and Writer Jenn offer insight into a real-life relationship that works. Understanding each other's roles, sharing a common goal, and using effective communication skills are what make this editor-writer relationship a beautiful thing. However, this isn't always the case! Ellen and Jenn will answer attendees' questions and shed some light on how to make the writer-editor relationship truly dynamic.
SESSION SUMMARY by Kennedy Kierans
In this extremely entertaining presentation, Ellen and Jenn discussed the challenges of the editor-writer relationship. They emphasized the importance of understanding roles, of having clear expectations, and of meeting those expectations. When those things are in place, a very productive relationship can exist for both parties. Even a productive relationship, however, can go through difficult periods, and they emphasized the importance of tact, facilitative language, and "sleeping on it" as ways to deal with those times, as well as being proactive and asking questions to prevent problems in the future. They also shared some horror stories.
Session I: Let's Talk Travel (Room 1640), with John Lee
Join travel writer John Lee for an informal discussion of getting started and sustaining a travel-writing career. Bring your questions.
SESSION SUMMARY by Kate Hunt
John Lee, a full-time travel writer for the past 10 years, held an informal, lively Q&A session, where he provided insights to those of us interested in his profession. A guidebook writer for Lonely Planet, he shed light on the inner workings of the business side of travel writing, as well as what it is like to write travel stories and columns for magazine and newspapers. John's stories about such trips as visiting Columbia and riding the Trans-Siberian Railway certainly inspired session participants to get into the travel writing business, and he imparted some insider tips on getting started. He also talked about his recently and soon-to-be published books, Walking Vancouver and Drinking Vancouver. John considers one characteristic to be essential for any aspiring travel writer: "insatiable curiosity."
3:45 p.m. Refreshments (outside Room 1614)
4 to 5 p.m. CLOSING PLENARY (Room 1614)
If I Knew Then What I Know Now
Life after grad? Hear from three successful graduates -- Jenn Farrell, Ellen Niemer, and John Vigna -- on useful lessons learned since graduation.
SESSION SUMMARY by Karen Woodman
At the start of the closing plenary, Ellen Neimer acknowledged that the months leading up to graduation are filled with uncertainty. She recommended students not undervalue themselves. "Do volunteer writing," she said. "It will be a step in the door and builds your confidence." Neimer also described how lucky she felt when her internship led to a job offer.
"Go to interviews because interviews are fun!" advised Jenn Farrell to an audience bursting with laughter. "I know that sounds crazy. Go to the interview with no stakes, because you're interviewing them too. You want to find out if it's a good job for you."
There were moments when the honesty conveyed by the panellists commanded the room to silence. Following Jenn Farrell's description of her writing life after graduation, she said, "The fear is really getting inside what you're good at. That these are your strengths, and this is who I am and this is what I'm going to do with my life, and it's not always going to be super fun or convenient or easy for other people." She made these observations after describing hard lessons she learned after envisioning and creating a worst-case scenario that was rooted in her own fear of success.
Prompted by Jenn's comments, John Vigna added,"The closer you get to succeeding at something, the freakier it gets and we don't like to admit it to ourselves because what often happens is that at that point we don't give it the 110% that we need to, to get over that last bit because that last bit is always the hardest. The closer you do get to something, the more you realize the risk that is involved and the more you realize that you can fail at this. In fact, if it's writing-related, you most likely will fail. Life is harsh. You don't always get the thing you put 110% into. When you're really going after something in this career, the key is that there's a risk involved. You're much more open to realizing you may not succeed. It can be trickier at that point to keep going and to keep going hard."
5 to 6 p.m. Closing Reception (Douglas Room, Room 1200)
Join your colleagues for an informal wrap-up to the day's events.
Presenter Biographies
THERESA BEST is the B.C. representative to the national executive council of the Editors' Association of Canada and has worked in publishing for 15 years as a writer, editor, and print and online publisher. After graduating from the inaugural year of SFU's Master of Publishing, Theresa set up Paper Trail Publishing, providing editorial services to British Columbia, Alberta, and Washington publishers. She recently returned to Vancouver after 10 years in London, England, where she worked in educational publishing at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (the U.K. government's education agency), as a commissioning editor at Routledge (on the "Books for Teachers" list), and as a project editor at Guardian News & Media (publisher of The Guardian ). (plenary session on associations; conference session)
CLAUDIA CORNWALL , a freelance writer for more than 15 years, has been published in many Canadian magazines and newspapers including The Globe & Mail , Reader's Digest (both the Canadian and the international editions), BC Business , and The Tyee . She is the author of two books, one of which, Letter from Vienna , won the BC Book Prize for best non-fiction. In addition to teaching at Douglas, she teaches two courses in SFU's Writing and Publishing Program, one on ethical and legal issues for writers and one on memoir writing. Claudia grew up in Vancouver, is married, and has a son and a daughter who are both at university. A member of the Canadian Science Writers' Association, she has written extensively on scientific and medical topics. She holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Calgary. In March 2009, Claudia received a $20,000 Journalism Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to write a series of stories about immunity. (keynote address) 
TRACEY DENOFREO (Print Futures Class of 1995) works as a senior marketing officer for Douglas College. She specializes in marketing post-secondary education, providing direction and advice on marketing and communication options and strategies. Tracey's current passion is learning how to build high-performance teams and fostering positive, productive working relationships with clients and colleagues. (conference session) 
JENN FARRELL (Print Futures Class of 2002) is a writer, editor, and creative writing instructor. She has worked as a freelancer for magazines, newspapers, and numerous corporate clients. In 2002, Jenn was a grand prizewinner, Maclean Hunter Endowment Fund for Creative Non-fiction. In 2006, she published her first book, Sugar Bush & Other Stories (Anvil), and her second book, The Devil You Know , is slated for publication in spring 2010. (conference session and closing plenary )
ADAM GROSSMAN is the director and education chair of CPRS Vancouver and senior media relations advisor for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. Before joining ICBC, Adam spent three and a half years as the media consultant with Reputations Corporation, a communications agency based in downtown Vancouver. He has a decade of experience in media relations, communications, and journalism in both Canada and the United Kingdom. On July 1, 2009, Adam became a Canadian citizen but kept his funny English accent. (panel presentation on professional associations)
SEAN KELLY writes, "My work expresses my passion for creating compelling communication that meets business objectives. As marketing manager at Douglas College, I've enjoyed extraordinary opportunities to work with amazing colleagues in an inspiring environment, and to drive changes in how the college communicates. I think branding starts with your core values: understanding them, communicating them, and living them in your actions. I'm especially interested in how social networking and related digital technologies and channels are creating powerful opportunities to engage with customers and express the brand." Before joining Douglas College in 2004, Sean spent five years in the field of socially responsible investment funds, first as communications officer with Ethical Funds and then as marketing director with Real Assets, a start-up fund company now owned by Vancity. (conference session) 
JOHN LEE is a British-born travel writer living in Vancouver. Since 1999, John has written on a diverse range of travel subjects, including beer, nightlife, food, museums, galleries, and train trips for newspapers and magazines around the world. In 2004, he became a Lonely Planet guidebook author and has now written 14 books for the company. He is the winner of numerous travel-writing awards, most recently first place winner in the 2009 NATJA Awards for his US Airways magazine feature story "Rail Ale Trail." His book Walking Vancouver (Wilderness Press) was published this year. John is also a member of the Print Futures Advisory Committee. (conference session)
SCOTT McALPINE was appointed president of Douglas College in August 2009. He is well known for his commitment to excellence in education, community engagement, and applied research. He holds a doctorate in political science from the University of Calgary. He comes to Douglas College from Grande Prairie Regional College, where he maintained an active applied research program and served for a time as managing editor for Lobstick -- an interdisciplinary journal published at the college. His current research interests include accessibility issues in post-secondary education, value change in western societies, and the role of colleges in social transformation. (welcoming remarks) 
MARK MUSHET is the creative director and co-publisher of Vancouver Review , an award-winning West Coast culture and arts quarterly. An editorial photographer for nearly 15 years, Mark also shoots corporate and music photography. He recently did a series of portraits for the Museum of Vancouver's Velo-City exhibit, and is part of a group show of science-inspired artwork at Gallery Atsui this November. (conference session) 
MAUREEN NICHOLSON has taught in Print Futures since 1994 and coordinated the program since 2000. She edits materials ranging from law books and online curriculum to websites and magazines. She received the 2002 award for faculty excellence from Douglas College, and is a past president of the Editors' Association of Canada. (plenary moderator) 
ELLEN NIEMER (Print Futures Class of 2008) interned with alive magazine and is now editor and creative services liaison at alive . Her next feature article will be an interview with Team Canada (and Vancouver Canucks) goalie Roberto Luongo for the February 2010 issue. (conference session and closing plenary) 
JUDI PIGGOTT has spent the past 12 years working with Canadian artists and cultural workers from all disciplines, rooting her knowledge of sectoral economic issues solidly in their working lives. Through the development of the "Business Admin Skills for Cultural Workers" program, and its subsequent evolution as the SEARCH (Self-Employed Arts-Related Contractors for Hire) Program from 1996 to 2007, nearly 2,000 participants shared their stories and built a new framework for managing a life in the arts while generating sustainable income. In March 2008, Judi presented a paper on the economic role of cultural workers in the creative economy at the International Forum on the Creative Economy, for the Conference Board of Canada. Judi is a member of the Print Futures Advisory Committee. (conference session) 
BRIANA TOMKINSON (Print Futures Class of 2001) is a social media strategist at Cossette Communication, with eight years' experience shaping strategy and creating interactive content on web and mobile for major brands including Ronald McDonald House Charities, UBC, VANOC, Future Shop, Tourism BC, Telus, and CanWest Global. Briana has worked in new media her whole career, championing emerging technologies such as blogging, social networking, RSS, media-sharing, Open ID, and microblogging. Briana devotes her spare time to publishing a hyperlocal multiauthor weblog devoted to New Westminster at tenthtothefraser.ca. (conference session) 
Author of 15 books on a wide range of subjects, ALAN TWIGG is a fifth-generation Vancouverite who has produced the cultural newspaper B.C. BookWorld since 1987. In 2007 he became the second recipient of the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Fellowship in the Humanities at Simon Fraser University "to recognize and support leaders in the humanities who are not necessarily part of the academy." In the same year he was also the first Writer in Residence at the George Price Centre for Peace in Belize. (conference session) 
JOHN VIGNA (Print Futures Class of 2001) works as an advertising copywriter with clients across North America in urban and resort real estate. He attended the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa and is a graduate of the MFA program at UBC. His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in Cabin Fever: The Best New Canadian Non-Fiction , Grain , Event , sub-Terrain , The Antigonish Review , and Exact Fare 2: Stories of Public Transportation . His copywriting has been recognized by the Applied Arts Design and Advertising Annual Awards, and he is the winner of the Dave Greber Award for Freelance Writers, the sub-Terrain Lush Triumphant fiction contest, and the 2002 Vancouver Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Business-to-Business category. In addition to teaching at Douglas in Print Futures, John is a sessional faculty member at the University of the Fraser Valley. (closing plenary) 
DIANA WEGNER teaches in Print Futures and Communications at Douglas College and pursues her interest in the analysis and theory of professional discourse and rhetoric. Her ongoing research projects include a series of projects at a municipal site and the study of transitional writers in Print Futures. She has been published in the Journal of Business and Technical Communication , Rhetor , and Technostyle and in edited collections on language and communication. (conference session) 
GUDRUN WILL is the editor-in-chief and co-publisher of Vancouver Review , an award-winning West Coast culture and arts quarterly. Gudrun has also worked in Vancouver as a staff reporter and freelance writer since 1995, and has been a finalist for the Gold Award for Best Feature -- BC/Yukon at the Western Magazine Awards. (conference session) 
ANGELA WILSON is the current president of IABC/BC. Angela first joined IABC/BC as a student member while completing her SFU BA in communications with a minor in business. In her day job. she works in Communications & Public Affairs at Fraser Health. Having worked in the communications industry for over nine years, Angela has a wide range of experience in strategic planning, change and issues management, marketing, branding, media relations, websites/intranets, event planning, and publication management. (plenary panel on professional associations) 
EAGRANIE YUH is a Vancouver-based technical writer who enjoys the challenge of taking a mess of information and delivering it in language and format that is appropriate for the target audience. She is a contractor who works with businesses, individuals, and government agencies. Eagranie is involved with several organizations in Vancouver and is the president of the Society for Technical Communication (Canada West Coast chapter). She's also the voice behind The Well-Tempered Chocolatier , the award-winning blog where she writes about chocolate and food science. (plenary panel on professional associations) Last updated April 2010