Announcements
National Indigenous Writers Conference at SFU Vancouver October 19-20, 2013
Comprising a one-day participant-driven panel on the representation and recognition of Aboriginal writers in Canada, followed by a second day of professional development workshops on topics such as creating book proposals, developing an author platform, and getting published.
Recent discussions among Indigenous writers about the relative lack of representation in The Writers Union of Canada (TWUC) and why this was so, led to more conversations such as whether there should be an Ingigenous Writers Union, a branch of TWUC, or just the desirability of getting together to discuss specific issues facing Indigenous writers, arose.
Sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing, the conference will be held at the Harbour Centre Campus of SFU. The agenda will be set by those attending, and some of the ideas being talked about so far include:
- a national network – relationship with TWUC;
- a website as a communicative hub;
- international linkages;
- sharing resources and support across the country (workshops, training);
- theory and issues specific to Aboriginal writers.
Writer Paul Seesequasis, who has been compiling suggestions for the day notes, “Input has already come in from Winnipeg, Edmonton, Toronto, Saskatoon and Vancouver. Let us use this site and this link to shape the agenda for this conference. It will be amazing if we could have representation from across the country in Vancouver. As always, funding is an issue but there are provincial arts agencies in most provinces and there are other potential sources as well. Funding will likely be a separate stream in itself as we lead up to the conference.
“To date, individual writers have been contacted as well as the collectives in Vancouver, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Toronto. Let’s expand the web. Please forward contacts to me so they can be brought into the web and our discussions. This is only the beginning. I hope you share my enthusiasm for this conference. Let’s hear people’s ideas. Let’s start the talk. Let’s make it happen.”
Writers and others interested in participating, please contact:
Paul Seesequasis
Sponsored in part by:
To register, please click below
I’d like to attend any observations. Thank you
thank you.
would be grateful to be a part of this.
thank you kindly,
annie ross
SFU Department of First Nations Studies
This sounds like a great idea. I am very keen to attend. Thank you for organzing this.
Jonina Kirton