Suffering from writer’s block? Editing got you in a rut?
The Federation of BC Writers’s third annual online BC Writers Summit, running May 8-13, provides discussion to help authors and poets develop ideas, and move through the writing and editing process smoothly.
“One of the areas we get the most questions about are from people who have reached a certain stage in their writing and they’re uncertain about how to go forward,” said the federation’s executive director Bryan Mortensen.
“Some folks have finished a manuscript and now they need to know how to start editing. Maybe they’ve done editing and they need to know how to start pitching. Maybe they’ve been super successful in one genre and they’re ready to tackle a new one … Those are intersections that we’re trying to look at and we’re trying to make sure there’s something for everyone, from beginner writers, all the way up to people who are pros in the field.”
The event features presentations from keynote speakers Monique Gray Smith and Angela Ackerman. Gray Smith is an award-winning bestselling author known for weaving her Indigenous culture, worldview and history into her storytelling. Ackerman is a writing coach and international speaker, and she is the co-author of bestselling book The Emotion Thesaurus, a guide that helps writers develop characters with authentic emotions.
Nine additional presenters will make an appearance at the event, including award-winning audio drama writer Paul Bae, and author Thea Lim, whose book An Ocean of Minutes was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
There will be three online events each day of the six-day summit, presented live through Zoom. They will be recorded and made available to participants for one month following the event.
“We do try and bring in people from communities across B.C and beyond. We make certain that the event is appealing to individuals living outside the major urban areas. We don’t want people to feel like it’s a Vancouver event or a Victoria event,” said Mortensen.
“Our survey results from folks said that they really like it being digital because you get more people in from remote communities, without them having to travel.”
The event is $99 for federation members and $129 for non-members, but Mortensen said they will offer discounted rates for individuals who face financial barriers and they will be giving away several free tickets to BIPOC writers (black, Indigenous & persons of colour).
“We really want to make the event as accessible as possible.”
Tickets can be purchased online through Eventbrite at BC Writers Summit.
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