Book banning across the country continues to concern the Canadian literary community, especially in Alberta where certain books are slated to be pulled from school shelves this Fall. What do these types of bans mean for writers and for readers, now and in the coming months? Years? What calls to action might help prevent the banning of books in the future? Join our panelists and experts as they explore the ramifications of banned books and more this August.
The Panelists
Gail de Vos
Storyteller, author, librarian and educator, Gail de Vos has been an active promoter of the oral tradition of literature in Alberta for over three decades. Gail teaches courses on storytelling as well as courses on Canadian Children’s Literature, Indigenous Literature for Young Readers, Comic Books and Graphic Novels at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Library and Information Studies. Gail is the author of ten award winning resource books on storytelling and folklore in popular culture intended for educators working with students in Grade 6 and above as well as numerous guest chapters on comic books and graphic novels, storytelling, monsters, and folklore in popular culture for academic monographs. While her specialty is telling contemporary legends to young and not so young adults, she is equally at ease telling stories to young audiences. She is an active champion for intellectual freedom in her storytelling, writing, course material, and on social media.
http://storytellerdevos.com/
Ira Wells
Ira Wells is a writer and associate professor of literature at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, and the President of PEN Canada. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Globe and Mail, Guardian, The New Republic, and many other venues. His most recent book is On Book Banning. He lives in Toronto with his wife and children.
You can find him at Unacknowledged Legislation on Substack.
Peter Midgley
Peter Midgley is the author of several books of poetry, children’s literature, non-fiction, and plays. He has received national and international recognition as a writer and editor. His latest book, let us not think of them as barbarians, is an elegy for Namibia, the country of his birth, and a meditation on the multiple legacies of colonialism. His scholarship includes investigations into the relationship between writing, publishing and ideology, and he has spoken internationally on the subjects of censorship and writing as resistance.
https://www.midgley.ca/
Malcolm Azania
Malcolm Azania (Minister Faust) is an award-winning novelist, award-winning print journalist, radio host-producer, television host and associate producer, sketch comedy writer, video game writer, playwright, and poet. He has spoken and taught workshops widely.
ministerfaust.com
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Book banning across the country continues to concern the Canadian literary community, especially in Alberta where certain books are slated to be pulled from school shelves this Fall. What do these types of bans mean for writers and for readers, now and in the coming months? Years? What calls to action might help prevent the banning of books in the future? Join our panelists and experts as they explore the ramifications of banned books and more this August.
The Panelists
Gail de Vos
Storyteller, author, librarian and educator, Gail de Vos has been an active promoter of the oral tradition of literature in Alberta for over three decades. Gail teaches courses on storytelling as well as courses on Canadian Children’s Literature, Indigenous Literature for Young Readers, Comic Books and Graphic Novels at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Library and Information Studies. Gail is the author of ten award winning resource books on storytelling and folklore in popular culture intended for educators working with students in Grade 6 and above as well as numerous guest chapters on comic books and graphic novels, storytelling, monsters, and folklore in popular culture for academic monographs. While her specialty is telling contemporary legends to young and not so young adults, she is equally at ease telling stories to young audiences. She is an active champion for intellectual freedom in her storytelling, writing, course material, and on social media.
http://storytellerdevos.com/
Ira Wells
Ira Wells is a writer and associate professor of literature at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, and the President of PEN Canada. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Globe and Mail, Guardian, The New Republic, and many other venues. His most recent book is On Book Banning. He lives in Toronto with his wife and children.
You can find him at Unacknowledged Legislation on Substack.
Peter Midgley
Peter Midgley is the author of several books of poetry, children’s literature, non-fiction, and plays. He has received national and international recognition as a writer and editor. His latest book, let us not think of them as barbarians, is an elegy for Namibia, the country of his birth, and a meditation on the multiple legacies of colonialism. His scholarship includes investigations into the relationship between writing, publishing and ideology, and he has spoken internationally on the subjects of censorship and writing as resistance.
https://www.midgley.ca/
Malcolm Azania
Malcolm Azania (Minister Faust) is an award-winning novelist, award-winning print journalist, radio host-producer, television host and associate producer, sketch comedy writer, video game writer, playwright, and poet. He has spoken and taught workshops widely.
ministerfaust.com
Controversy at Noon: Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing
Writers' Guild of Alberta Podcast
1 hour 2 minutes 10 seconds
10 months ago
Controversy at Noon: Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing
Expanding on our September Controversy @ Noon discussion, which focused on traditional publishing vs self-publishing, our December panel will address questions WGA members and fellow literary folks submitted on the topic. Panelists will also have the opportunity to share their views, insights, and experiences with self-publishing, traditional publishing, and/or hybrid publishing.
Submitting Questions: Our December panel will be pre-recorded, but in an effort to keep things interactive, we would love for you to send any topic-related questions you have to Ashley Mann at ashley.mann@writersguild.ab.ca. We will have our panelists answer your questions – and more – during their discussion. We will be accepting one question/submission per person, and we will attempt to cover as many questions as possible during the panel discussion. Questions should be submitted no later than November 22, 2024
Moderator: Barb Howard
Panelists: Naomi K. Lewis, Charlene Carr, and Jaima Fixsen
About The Panelists
Jaima Fixsen
Jaima Fixsen is a USA Today and International best-selling author living and writing in Edmonton. Her novel, The Girl In His Shadow (co-authored under the pen name Audrey Blake), was selected as Libby’s 2022 Big Library Read, and has been translated into eight languages.
Jaima studied Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta, and her experiences learning anatomy and dissecting cadavers began her fascination with the history of medical science, which often figures in her stories. Her debut crime novel, The Specimen, released this year. Jaima still works in health care supporting children with disabilities and their families. She loves history, snow, reading, snow, mountains and snow. And Diet Coke.
Website: http://jaimafixsen.com/
Instagram: @byjaimafixsen
Barb Howard
Barb Howard has published five books and more than 50 short stories and essays in magazines, journals, and anthologies across Canada. She has been President of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, Writer-in-Residence for the Calgary Public Library, editor of FreeFall Magazine, and a board member for Calgary Arts Development. Barb is currently a mentor in the Newcomer Arts Professional Program operated by the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation.
Website: www.barbhoward.ca
Facebook: @barb.howard.50115
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barb-howard-ab542120/
Charlene Carr
Charlene Carr studied literature at university, attaining both a BA and MA in English, including a study program at Oxford. She has independently published nine novels and her first agented novel, Hold My Girl, sold to HarperCollins Canada, Sourcebooks Landmark (US), Welbeck Publishing (UK) and Alma Littera (Lithuania). It was named one of the Best Books of 2023 by CBC Books, was an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Literature and Fiction, was shortlisted for both the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Dartmouth Book Award, and has been optioned for adaptation to the screen. Charlene received grants from Arts Nova Scotia and Canada Council for the Arts to write and revise her most recent novel, We Rip The World Apart, and is working on her next book. She lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with her husband and young daughters.
Instagram: @charlenecarrauthor
Facebook: @charlenecarrwritinglife (Charlene Carr – Writing Life)
Naomi K. Lewis
Naomi K. Lewis writes fiction and nonfiction, and also works as an editor, currently at Freehand Books.
Instagram: @na.oh.mee
Facebook: Naomi K. Lewis
Website: https://www.naomiklewis.com/
Writers' Guild of Alberta Podcast
Book banning across the country continues to concern the Canadian literary community, especially in Alberta where certain books are slated to be pulled from school shelves this Fall. What do these types of bans mean for writers and for readers, now and in the coming months? Years? What calls to action might help prevent the banning of books in the future? Join our panelists and experts as they explore the ramifications of banned books and more this August.
The Panelists
Gail de Vos
Storyteller, author, librarian and educator, Gail de Vos has been an active promoter of the oral tradition of literature in Alberta for over three decades. Gail teaches courses on storytelling as well as courses on Canadian Children’s Literature, Indigenous Literature for Young Readers, Comic Books and Graphic Novels at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Library and Information Studies. Gail is the author of ten award winning resource books on storytelling and folklore in popular culture intended for educators working with students in Grade 6 and above as well as numerous guest chapters on comic books and graphic novels, storytelling, monsters, and folklore in popular culture for academic monographs. While her specialty is telling contemporary legends to young and not so young adults, she is equally at ease telling stories to young audiences. She is an active champion for intellectual freedom in her storytelling, writing, course material, and on social media.
http://storytellerdevos.com/
Ira Wells
Ira Wells is a writer and associate professor of literature at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, and the President of PEN Canada. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Globe and Mail, Guardian, The New Republic, and many other venues. His most recent book is On Book Banning. He lives in Toronto with his wife and children.
You can find him at Unacknowledged Legislation on Substack.
Peter Midgley
Peter Midgley is the author of several books of poetry, children’s literature, non-fiction, and plays. He has received national and international recognition as a writer and editor. His latest book, let us not think of them as barbarians, is an elegy for Namibia, the country of his birth, and a meditation on the multiple legacies of colonialism. His scholarship includes investigations into the relationship between writing, publishing and ideology, and he has spoken internationally on the subjects of censorship and writing as resistance.
https://www.midgley.ca/
Malcolm Azania
Malcolm Azania (Minister Faust) is an award-winning novelist, award-winning print journalist, radio host-producer, television host and associate producer, sketch comedy writer, video game writer, playwright, and poet. He has spoken and taught workshops widely.
ministerfaust.com
