Buzz May 2013

BCATW Spring Symposium

The 10th Annual BC Association of Travel Writers’ Symposium is set to reveal how to sell your writing internationally! And it’ll be a time to celebrate the contributions of our two wonderful founders.

WHEN: May 11, 2013, 11:30-4:00
WHERE: Vancouver’s LISTEL HOTEL 1300 Robson St Vancouver, BC
COST: Members $20, Non-members $40. Fee includes refreshments and chance to win prizes.
WHY ATTEND? Check out bcatw.org under events to see the excellent agenda and array of prizes!

RESERVE YOUR SEAT: Pay online at the website! Or make out a cheque to “BC Association of Travel Writers” and mail it to Baila Lazarus, BCATW Treasurer BC Association of Travel Writers PH3 1433 East 1st Ave., Vancouver, BC V5N 1A4

MY HOPE: I’ll see you at the Listel on May 11th!
-Rick Millikan, President

How Being a BCATW Member Helps

Darlene Foster attended a writers workshop at UBC recently and was amazed at the number of seasoned, well established writers in attendance. She had been under the impression that writing would get easier as time went by. The workshop proved that one is never finished learning when it comes to writing. It also proved the importance of keeping up to date and refreshing your knowledge in order to be the best you can be. Belonging to a group such as BCATW is a wonderful way to meet fellow travel writers, get ideas, improve your writing and stay motivated. Darlene feels she has learned something new at every symposium she has attended. She will be in Spain this May and will miss the first symposium since she joined five years ago. She wishes everyone a wonderful time! www.darlenefoster.ca

News from Members

Journeys to the Edge (J2E) is announcing an upcoming multi-video event and fundraiser, Afghanistan Rising. A portion of the money raised will go to Young Women for Change, a youth group based in the capital city of Kabul that is working to transform deeply entrenched misogynistic attitudes.
Afghanistan Rising is set for Thursday June 27 from 7 PM to 9 PM at Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy Avenue. There will be raffles, door prizes, wine and snacks. Tickets go on sale at the end of May. The cost will be $20 for adults, seniors and students $15. Chapel Arts is Vancouver’s oldest and most historic art deco structures and a strong supporter of the city’s visual arts and music scene.

Afghanistan Rising is the creation of J2E principals Roberta Staley of the BCATW and Tallulah Photography, who embarked on a reporting trip to the Central Asia nation in 2012. This multi-media gala event will take you to the open-air markets of Kabul, a sensory overload of scents and sights like saffron, turmeric, roses, harvest vegetables and livestock. You will be introduced to world champion Qu’ran singer Ahmad Reshad Mamozai, and an Afghan rug designer whose wares sell as far afield as Vancouver. You will meet female politicians who brave Taliban threats to fight for gender equality, the Afghanistan women’s boxing team, the owners of Kabul’s top beauty salon, an international fashion designer, jewelry makers, and an Afghan-Canadian cardiologist who treats everyone for free – even members of the Taliban. You will also meet the courageous men and women – foreigners and nationals – working to restore civil society in a nation devastated by three decades of civil war. There will also be two short films from emerging Afghan filmmakers. If you would like to be reminded when tickets go on sale, please contact Roberta Staley at rstaley@nullshaw.ca.

Ruth Kozak had an article about the stone circle at Avebury published in EuropeUpClose and has another one on Stonehenge pending. She’ll be teaching an all-day memoir class at John Oliver for VSB on May 11 (sorry to miss the gala!) and two night memoirs at New Westminster secondary, Thursday May 9 and 16. These include travel memoirs.

Julie H. Ferguson is looking down Osoyoos Lake as she writes this news for BCATW. She and her husband are on his two-week retirement-moon wine tasting their way south from Kelowna to the US border, and driving home via Hedley, Princeton and Hope. Golf around Osoyoos is on the cards too.They’ve been following fur trade routes much of the time, an interest of hers, and avoiding the traffic on the main highways while improving her photography. Julie enjoyed a catch-up lunch with members, Irene and Rick Butler who now live in the Okanagan. In early April, Julie presented Travel Photos that Pop! to an eager audience of the Vancouver University Women’s Club arranged thanks to member, Randi Winter. She will be spending the summer at home planning their next adventure.

Lunch Nk’Mip Cellars © Photos by Julie Ferguson 2013

Irene Butler had a run on “Europe Up Close” with four stories on Russia.

Moscow – the Kremlin and Red Square
Moscow – Beyond the City’s Historical Centre
Lake Baikal – Russia’s Galapagos
St. Petersburg – the Enchantress
Her story on Bohol Island in the Philippines appeared in “Day Trips Travel Guide”.
The Philippine Island of Bohol

Irene is waiting impatiently for scorching temperatures in the Okanagan Valley for exploring the areas many lakes and towns.

Joei Carlton Hossack’s new Mini Read – Stuck in Greece – is finished and in the hands of an editor. She has applied for an ISBN number and her cover designer, Brion Sausser of www.BookCreatives.com, has been given the go-ahead. See you’all on May 11th. Looking forward to seeing everyone. www.JoeiCarlton.com

Karoline Cullen and her husband very much enjoyed using the door prize certificates from last year’s symposium at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria. A fine room and afternoon tea made for a lovely stay. Just last week, Karoline’s photos garnered a number of awards, including a CAPA gold medal in the colour category, at the Delta Photo Inspirations. www.cullenphotos.ca
BC Legislature, Victoria

“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”
– Brandon Sanderson

– Karoline and Darlene
Your BUZZ Co-Editors
www.bcatw.org

 

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