Christmas Cheer: Art Show and Poetry Reading

Please join members of Writers Beyond Borders as they read poetry in English and in another language of their choosing. Readers are: Melissa Lacroix, Therezihna Kennedy, Monika Igali, Ella Zeltserman, Leo Campos, Pierette Requier, Anna Mioduchowska, Ahmui Cheong, A.K. Rashid, and Jalal Barzanji.

Oxana Babkina, winner of Art Trends' artist of the year 2015 will be awarded $1,000.00 cash and the cover of the winter issue will be unveiled. Come by and have a glass of wine while mingling with Alberta's elite artists. Free to attend. You may even find the perfect gift for a loved one or friend.

Wine and Cheese reception
Saturday, November 292:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Art Trends Gallery | 6537 111 Street
Doors open at 2:00 pm, presentations start at 2:15 pm

More information on facebook.

How I’m Coming to Terms with Rejection

Many of us can identify with what's written by Zoran Vidić of Toronto. "How I'm Coming to Terms with Rejection", published on the "New Canadian Media" website, is a well-written account of the unending search for a job in our chosen field that many immigrants face in Canada. 

WBB page in Art Trends Magazine

Pardee is a constant supporter of Writers Beyond Borders. We have a page in Art Trends, the magazine she publishes. In the current issue, the WBB page features seven new books by our members. There is poetry, there is translation, travel writing, stories and even a study of music and identity. Flip to page 38 to read about them.

New Executive Director of the Metro Cinema

Warmest congratulations go out to Julio Munoz, the new Executive Director of the Metro Cinema. Julio is a Brazilian film maker and founding member of Writers Beyond Borders. Read more about his new position here. 

Painting a book of Edmonton

Please join the opening reception of the "Paining a book of Edmonton" project. 

The multicultural art project, “Painting a book of Edmonton”, is organized by the Multicultural Artists group in cooperation with the Writers Beyond Borders writers' group and the Borderlines Writing Circle program. Having come from different countries and cultural backgrounds, the creative people of these groups met in Edmonton, and despite their diverse origins, have found a common passion for artistic creation. See attached poster.  Opening Reception: January 24, 6:00 to 8:00 The Art Habitat, 10217 - 106 Street Exhibition is open Monday to Friday 12-5 pm For more information contact Nataliya @ bukhanova@yahoo.com Hope to see you there!

Glass Door Coffeehouse Series

Maitham Salman, WBB member will be reading on September 26 at Koffee Cafe. See attached poster for more details.

Community Reporters Wanted

Culture Days is looking for community reporters to cover the festival! Check out their website and if you hurry, you can still apply to be one of those lucky reporters.

Send them a one-page proposal and a writing sample by September 12 to stories@cultureday.ca. But before you do, read the entire ad for more information at http://culturedays.ca/assets/mediacentre/CD2013_CultureDays_CommunityReporters_Call.pdf.

Good luck!

Living Libraries Canada

Living Libraries Canada collects first person narratives from recent immigrants, temporary foreign workers, and First Nations, Métis, or Inuit people living in Canada.

We’re trying to build a network with different communities that might have people who are interested in contributing to the story collecting (as writers, facilitators, etc). The hope is that eventually it can be used as an educational resource.

Please contact Faun @ faun.rice@shaw.ca if you are interested in participating. The website is: http://livinglibrariescanada.com/  The ‘About’ page has a bit of a mission statement with some more information.

WORDS IN 3 DIMENSIONS CONFERENCE

Words in 3 Dimensions is a 3-day conference co-hosted by the Get Publishing Communications Society, the Writers' Guild of Alberta and the Editors’ Association of Canada – Prairie Provinces Branch. They are bringing together agents, publishers, editors and more for learning, networking and idea exchange.

Dates are May 24-26, 2013.

For conference schedule and other information: www.wordsin3d.com/

To register: http://wordsin3d-eac2.eventbrite.ca/

Membership Questionnaire

How to spend a cold and dark winter evening? By filling out a short questionnaire! 

Dear Members, we've been working on a questionnaire to find out more about you, our members. We'll be sending it out soon via email and hope that all of you will respond. By taking the time to answer a few questions, you will help us all. One of the mandate of WBB is to provide networking opportunities to its members and after receiving a bit more information from you we would be able to do just that. This could also serve as a membership form. 

Thank you for your help!

Poetry in Art Trends Magazine

Pardee of "Art Trends" magazine has been a big supporter of Writers Beyond Borders from the inception of the organization. She has been including poetry and prose pieces of our members in her magazine in quite a few issues. The Winter 2012 issue includes 9 poems by 8 WBB members on pages 6 and 7 of "Art Trends" magazine.

To read the work of WBB members and to check out the newest edition of the magazine, go to: www.arttrends.ca/issue/current/flipbook/.

Music at the Kaleido Family Arts Festival

Marco Katz, one of the founding members of WBB, will play with Robert Clinton at the 2012 Kaleido Family Arts Festival. Please come and enjoy an hour of music. Selections will include "Obsesión" by Pedro Flores; "Rhythm Change," "Working for the Union," and other songs by Robert Clinton; "Casey Dog Blues," "Soñando la verdad," "Amor imborrable," and other songs by Marco Katz. 

Sunday, 9 September from 1-2pm
The Carrot
9351 118 Ave, Edmonton T5G 0N3

Robert Clinton, voice and guitar
Marco Katz, voice and trombone

Invitation to WBB Anthology Launch

Please join the book launch party for Writing in the Margins, an anthology containing poetry and prose by Edmonton writers from Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Hungary, Kosovo, Russia, and French Canada, all participants of the Creative Writing Workshop project.

March 08 – Thursday – 7 pm

In the City Room of City Hall

Mistress of Ceremonies: Anna Marie Sewell, Edmonton’s Poet Laureate

Free, fabulous, and fun— invite your friends!

Anthology Launch - Writing in the Margins

Members of the "Writing in the Margins" creative writing workshop has compiled poems and short stories to create a WBB first: an anthology that was published by Writers Beyond Borders. 


The manuscript is going to the printers very soon and there will be a book launch early in March - details to follow!

Two New Books to Check Out!

World on a Maple Leaf: A Treasury of Canadian Multicultural Folktales

Edited by Asma Sayed and Nayanika Kumar

ISBN: 978-1-55378-134-9  

For orders, contact ucca@shaw.ca

Includes stories by WBB members: Melissa Morelli Lacroix, Henry Victor, Natalyia Bukhanova and Dave Schultz.

Spring Over Ashes * Primavera Sobre Cinzas includes poems by Mario Fletcha in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. The poems were written between 2006 and 2011. Mario now dedicates his time to poetry, literature, inspiring freedom and justice, and collaborating for the development and growth of Writers Beyond Borders, in which he has been involved with since the beginning. Order here!

2011-2012 EDMONTON WRITER-IN-EXILE APPLICATION

The Edmonton Writer-in-Exile Committee invites applications for its PEN Canada Writer in Exile residency in 2011-2012. The deadline has been extended to November 15, 2011.

The successful applicant will have the opportunity to write full-time for a year in equipped offices at the Edmonton Public Library and University of Alberta. Some public speaking and community work is expected. The residency will run from 15 October 2011 to 14 October 2012, during which time a financial stipend is provided, paid monthly, totaling $30,000; no additional funds are provided for travel or other expenses. 

Qualifications:  

• The writer has immigrated to Canada from another country as a refugee or as an immigrant seeking freedom of expression;  

• The writer has a significant volume of work (published or unpublished), which may include books in any literary genre, plays, screenplays or published journalism;   

• The writer is aware of the challenges to freedom of expression around the world, and willing to engage Edmontonians in a public discussion about them.  

• The writer has a working knowledge of English. 

For more information, check PEN Canada's website or email Anna-Marie Klassen at the Edmonton Public Library.

New Project - Classical Literature of the World

World literature is not well known in Canada and people have no idea how rich and valuable it is. WBB members come from different cultural backgrounds and as participants of this project, they would talk about the literature of their homeland in short presentations (15-20 minutes). For details, please contact Nataliya @ bukhanova@yahoo.com.

Book Launch - The Man in Blue Pyjamas

Jalal Barzanji will launch his new book, The Man in Blue Pyjamas, with two events as part of the 2011 LitFest, Edmonton's Nonfiction Festival.

Monday, October 17 @ noon

CBC Centre Stage, City Centre Mall

Discuss the challenges in reshaping a story for a new language, new culture and new context. Meet Jalal Barzanji, Sabah Salih (translator) and Peter Midgley (editor). This is a free event.

Monday, October 17 @ 7:00 pm - Book launch

Milner Library Theatre, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square

Tickets are available @ www.tixonthesquare.ca. Ticket revenues will go to support PEN Canada. 

Jalal Barzanji's First Book in English

Kurdish poet  and Writers Beyond Borders member, Jalal Barzanji, has his first book in English published by the University of Alberta Press. 

"The style of my book must be in small pieces, as my life has been in pieces", says Jalal, who completed The Man in Blue Pyjamas: A Prison Memoir while he was Edmonton's first Writer-in-Exile in 2007-2008. This is a story of assimilated people who have been forgotten. It has no political agenda and true to humanity in general.

Please join me in congratulating Jalal!

Poetry Beyond Borders Event

"Words of the Wind" is the first poetry reading by nine poets of Writers Beyond Borders, to be held at The Haven Social Club (15120 Stony Plain Road) on September 20, 2011 starting at 7:00 pm. The evening will include poetry readings and a musical act. There will be books and CDs for sale from the performing artists. 

This is a great opportunity to showcase the works by members of Writers Beyond Borders, so come out and support your fellow members in celebration of poetry!