Thus far 300 authors have become Supporter/Subscribers to B.C. BookWorld. If you’re one of those 300 authors who have thus far responded by becoming one of our Supporter/Subscribers, THANK YOU.

We need at least 300 more Supporter/Subscribers to counteract the provincial government’s sudden retraction of $31,000 in annual funding.

If you are one of the approximately 5,000 authors of British Columbia who has yet to become a Supporter/Subscriber for 2010, it’s pretty simple to join this grass roots movement. It’s not charity. As a subscriber, you get B.C. BookWorld delivered to your door, four times per year. Remarkably, lots of authors send more than $25. It’s not at all necessary to do so.

Either go to BC Bookworld and use PayPal; or send a cheque for $25 made out to Pacific BookWorld News Society, 3516 West 13th Ave., Vancouver, B.C. V6R 2S3.

Meanwhile planning goes forward for the presentation of Gordon Campbell’s $40,000 annual literary non-fiction prize for Canadian authors. Each year he presents this publicly-funded prize at a lavish, free luncheon for 250 people at the Pan Pacific. Total production costs for this event are likely twice the amount that was rescinded from Pacific BookWorld News Society. (This year, the winning author’s prize money for the premier’s book award has been lowered from $45,000 to $40,000.)

Thank you to everyone who has written letters to Premier Campbell, Culture Minister Kevin Krueger, local MLAs and their local newspapers. This week Gordon Campbell’s constituency office received copies of 100 letters, all written in October, to protest the withdrawal of all funding for B.C. BookWorld. More letters are welcome.

The Winter issue of BC BookWorld will be printed on Friday, 44 pages as usual. The Winter issue will be distributed via more than 900 outlets in B.C., as usual. With your participation, it will be ever thus.

Alan Twigg

Looking to escape the cold this season? Today ONLY, you can book one-way flights to the US starting from only $49! (plus tax). Whether you have friends or family to visit in the US, or you’re planning a winter vacation down south, this WestJet seat sale is your ticket to great savings. This is a one-day sale, so make sure you book by midnight (MST) tonight (November 10, 2009).

Vancouver to Los Angeles – - $49 ($114 with taxes) – - Regular $433 with taxes
Vancouver to Phoenix – - $49 ($114 with taxes) – - Regular $401 with taxes

Click here to visit WestJet.com to take advantage of this one-day offer

Book by November 10, 2009 ( 11:59 p.m. MST) for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between January 6- February 24, 2010. Taxes, fees and surcharges are extra where applicable. Seats at these fares are limited and may not be available on all flights. New bookings only. 100% non-refundable. All fares are shown one-way.

West jet

There’s a new coffee shop on fourth. It’s called Momento, and they really do make an amazing cup of coffee. I’m having a low-fat latte, (I know it’s an oxymoron), and maybe I’m a moron for thinking I won’t put on a kilo when I drink a 16 oz bowl of java.

They have wireless and power and not bad music. It’s much smaller than The Wired Monk, but seems to be open to a writerly crowd…over 90% of the patrons are on computers and it’s pretty much half PC half Mac…which is interesting since this cafe is owned by Rick Martin, owner of Mac Market next door.

Fair trade coffee in funky setting with pleasant servers and a talented barista. They smile too – something some of the Monk day servers neglect to do.

So, thumbs up to Momento!

Fabulous Evening in Vancouver!!

This evening I have been invited to observe the After the Quake rehearsal! I will be going to see this play in early December with a group of friends (after I return from Uk), so I am especially excited about seeing it in the development stage.

Since the rehearsal hall is near Commercial Street, it’s a perfect night to dine out on The Drive. This will be the first time that I have ever seen a rehearsal in progress, so I should have lots to report back!

Hi Everyone,
I’m supporting an idea in the Aviva Community Fund, a competition that could result in positive change in communities across Canada. If the idea I’m supporting receives enough votes, it will have a chance at sharing in $500,000 of funding. I would really appreciate your help in pushing this idea to the finals. I work with the Teen Suicide Prevention and Awareness Society and we really need the cash to educate people and save lives.

Please vote for our idea by clicking here.

You have to register at the site and it takes about ten seconds! Please take the time to do this for all the kids who need information and education about suicide prevention.

This year the OLA has partnered with Authors’ Booking Service to assist nominees with bookings. We are pleased to help coordinate school and library visits for all nominees who wish to take advantage of the OLA’s arrangement. There is, of course, absolutely no charge to the OLA, or to schools or libraries, for this service.

Visit this page on our site for links to information on the OLA Nominees we can help you with!

And the Nominees are:

White Pine

The Perfect Cut by Julie Burtinshaw

Book of Michael by Lesley Choyce

Cracked up to Be by Courtney Summers

Getting the Girl by Susan Juby

Half World by Hiromi Goto

The Landing by John Ibbitson

Mostly Happy by Pam Bustin

Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka

The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

I will always think of Yellow Knife as the city where I received the thrilling news that The Perfect Cut is one of ten books across Canada nominated by the Ontario Library Association for the White Pine Award.

“Ontario Library Association Teen Reading Program featuring Canada’s best in YA fiction!”

This is One Happy Writer

I am sitting in Javaroma Cafe in Yellow Knife – one of the few places – as far as I can tell with WiFi. We’ll be heading out to the galleries soon, but blogging and suite come first every day.

It’s cold and I’m going home tomorrow for bubbly with family and friends. Lots to celebrate: Besides the White Pine nomination, Jennifer is engaged to Nicky!!! Wow!

With public money, Premier Gordon Campbell has created his own
$40,000 national literary prize, B.C.’s National Award for Canadian
Non-Fiction, which he annually presents in person at a lavish
ceremony at the Pan Pacific—all financed by B.C. taxpayers. The
prize money for this award was recently raised to $40,000—from
$25,000—matching the Ontario-based Griffin Poetry Prize and
Scotiabank Giller Prize. Campbell’s own national literary award
receives far more public funding per year than /B.C. BookWorld/
which serves 100,000 readers per issue, via 900 outlets in the
province, and has been identified in a B.C. government report at
“the most important cog in the infrastructure” that supports writing
and publishing in the province.

It is the most-read independent
publication about books in Canada, even thought it is targeted to
B.C.’s 13% of the population. Now all of /B.C./ /BookWorld/’s
funding via Pacific BookWorld News Society has been suddenly
withdrawn, with three weeks’ notice. The Premier’s book award is
doing fine.

*If you feel inclined to express your opinion as to why /B.C. BookWorld/ deserves to exist, please send a few paragraphs in an email to bookworld@telus.net.

Or you can take a supporter/subscription by sending a cheque for $25 made out to Pacific BookWorld News Society, 3516 West 13th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6R 2S3. PayPal option at www.bcbookworld.com

Well, hopefully this is legal and Vanoc won’t hack into my computer and remove this post because it might seem to be “Anti-Olympic.”

First of all, I bus everywhere. I like the sky-train and I’ve used the RAV line to get around. So, I’m not a car-girl, although I do have access to a car when I need/want it.

That said, if John Furlong wants Vancouverites to “do our Olympic Duty and take a bus,” perhaps he should consider providing free transit for locals during the Games. And before you all protest that this is just too costly, keep in mind that Seattle does it every day.

Also, can we expect to see Mr. Furlong waiting for a bus while he sips a latte and chats to the premier on a rainy, wet Vancouver day in his fake Cowichan sweater?
Let’s hope.

Take a Bus Dude!

I just received this. Please forward to as many writers and readers as you can. And send a letter of protest to the government:

“The provincial government has suddenly rescinded ALL funding to BC BookWorld, the most-read publication about books in Canada.
Notice of this pre-Olympics decision to break a 22-year-old relationship with the newspaper came from Andrea Henning, executive director of Arts & Culture, during a brisk phone call, without any explanation or paper trail, and with less than a month’s notice.

On the same day, the BC publishers’ association and the BC magazine publishers’ association similarly learned all their funding had been removed. To avoid more bloodletting, literary arts groups have formed the Coalition for the Defence of Writing and Publishing in B.C.

You’re a writer, so by all means, write a letter to the Premier or your MLA—or to us—if the spirit moves you, to protest these draconian measures. But, more importantly, if you want B.C. BookWorld to serve authors for another 22 years, become a Supporter / Subscriber. If you are willing to spare the cost of two movie tickets, we can save B.C. BookWorld as a public institution that serves 100,000 readers throughout the province, via more than 900 outlets.

It’s not charity. It’s a good deal. Send a cheque for $25 made out to PACIFIC BOOKWORLD NEWS SOCIETY, and we’ll mail B.C. BookWorld to your home or office address throughout 2010. In essence, I am asking one thousand authors to collectively replace Gordon Campbell’s government.

It’s a case of double jeopardy. If we’re not making the newspaper, it’s unlikely my colleague David Lester and I will be able to maintain our free reference site—for and about more than 9,000 B.C. authors—at www.abcbookworld.com (for which we have never received a penny).

That’s the gist of the situation. It’s up to you. Show us that Gordon Campbell made the wrong decision. Send your Supporter / Subscriber cheque ($25) today to PACIFIC BOOKWORLD NEWS SOCIETY, 3516 West 13th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6R 2S3.

–Alan Twigg, Publisher”