Annual Report 2006 2007 - Saskatchewan Writers Guild · according to taste. In committee, to call them hogs would be an insult to a comparatively co-operative animal.” An astute

SWG Staff 2006-07Susan Hogarth, Executive DirectorAmy Nelson-Mile, Program Offi cerBeth McLean, Education Offi cer,

FreeLance Managing EditorRobert Armstrong, Financial Offi cerJackie Mehlmann, Administrative

Assistant (until November 2006)Kylee-Anne Hingston, Administrative

Assistant (since December 2006)Kent Bruyneel, Grain EditorSue Stewart, Grain Business Administrator (until March 2007)Kari McCrea, Grain Business Administrator (since May 2007)Hannah Chukwu, Grain Clerical

Assistant (March 2007)Jordi Wheeler, Grain Clerical AssistantShawn Mackenzie, Grain Clerical

AssistantJaime Speed, Grain Clerical Assistant

(until August 2007)Ellen Quigley, Grain Editorial AssistantAnne Pennylegion, Colonies

Coordinator (contract)

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PORT

2006-2007

ContentsPresident’s Report / 2

Executive Director’s Report / 4

Treasurer’s Report / 5

Auditor’s Report / 6

Financial Statements /7

Program Report / 20

Grain Report / 23

Saskatchewan Writers/Art-ists Colony Report / 25

Committees, Volunteers / 26

Donors and Funding / 26

Agencies / 28

The Saskatchewan Writers Guild works to create an environment where writers and all forms of writing fl ourish. The Guild will do this by supporting writers and by raising public awareness of the value of the work produced by Saskatchewan writers. The objectives of the SWG are as follows:• To advocate on behalf of writers and improve their economic status• To foster a sense of community• To foster excellence in writing• To make writers and their work accessible to the public• To make writing and literature accessible at all levels of education

Board of Directors2006-07(November 2006- October 2007)

Robert Calder, PresidentGloria BoermaCathy FenwickDave GlazeHazel KellnerKen MitchellAlexandra PopoffBrenda SchmidtMarianna ToposSusan Hogarth, Ex-offi cio

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President’s Report

During the Second World War the British playwright Bernard Shaw declined an invitation from J. B. Priestley to serve on a wartime authors’ committee, saying, “Evidently you have never been on a Committee of Authors. I had ten years of it in the Society of Authors. In their books they are more or less delightful creatures according to taste. In committee, to call them hogs would be an insult to a comparatively co-operative animal.”

An astute observer of the human race, Mr. Shaw may well have accurately described the ego-driven, overly competitive English literary scene, but his experience of authors in committee is a far cry from my own after three years of Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild Board meetings. Though each Board has comprised members with a wide variety of interests and approaches to solving problems, they have always resolved the issues with the best interests of the Guild at heart and in a civil and positive manner. This past year’s Board has been no different, and the staff at the Guild Offi ce—Susan Hogarth, Amy Nelson-Mile, Beth McLean, Bob Armstrong, and Kylee-Anne Hingston—have worked hard to serve the membership and to carry out the Board’s wishes.

The essential nature of the Guild’s membership and the organization itself has been at the heart of a number of the Board’s initiatives in the past year. In particular, the “branding” exercise, designed to identify how we see ourselves and how we present ourselves to the public at large, identifi ed the SWG’s strengths as being not just its expertise, knowledge, and professional experience, but also its warm support and encouragement of those wishing to become better writers. We really are a community of writers that provides encouragement, affi rmation, inspiration, and knowledge of craft to each other.

The results of the branding exercise—new brochures, a revamped website, and a new public image—will help to increase the membership of the SWG. Though it is presently healthy at well over 600 members, there are a lot of writers at every level who either are unaware of what the Guild offers or who do not see it as offering what they want. In particular, we need to reach more young writers and persuade them that, no matter the attractions of on-line workshops, blogs, or publications, the programs of the Guild are still the best ways to enhance their craft and promote their career. To this end, the Task Force on Membership, created after last year’s Strategic Retreat, will be continuing its work and

making specifi c recommendations to the Board about how a membership drive might be conducted.

The image and reputation of the Guild—its membership, structure, and effectiveness—were closely examined in March by SaskCulture’s Eligibility Committee as part of SaskCulture’s Funding Review of Provincial Cultural Organizations. The Review is critically important to the Guild since its purpose is to determine whether each of the PCOs still meet the criteria for receiving the Lottery funding administered by SaskCulture. Susan Hogarth and Bob Armstrong put together a very effective Powerpoint presentation and, together with Board member Dave Glaze and me, put it before the Committee and responded to questions. We will know how convincing our presentation was when SaskCulture presents the results of its fi ndings in the next month or so.

The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild is now in its thirty-eighth year of operation, and it has a history of which its members can be proud. It is, moreover, a history that should be more widely known throughout the province, by the general public, the funding agencies, and the politicians holding the public purse strings. From time to time there has been talk of such a history being written but nothing has come of it, and so the Board has decided on a different approach. It has written the Departments of History and English at the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina to make their graduate students aware of the possibility of writing a Master’s thesis or a doctoral dissertation on the Guild. Several Canadian scholars are currently working on broad-ranging studies of public arts funding policies and organizations, and a scholarly examination of the Guild would be a more specifi c look at the challenges facing a writers’ association and the contributions it makes to the development of writers and writing. Such a project would, of course, be a scholarly study over which the Guild would have no control, but it might result in a document that could be the basis of a thorough published history.

Among the many members who have played signifi cant parts in the history of the SWG is Gary Hyland, and this year the Board has done several things to recognize his many contributions to the Guild and to writers and writing in Saskatchewan. First, it has renamed the SWG Volunteer Leadership Award the “Hyland Award,” and the fi rst presentation of the award under its new name will be made at this year’s Fall Conference. Second, the Board has agreed to play a major role in the creation and administration of a Gary Hyland Literary Grant.

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For some months in the spring, I had been thinking that the SWG should ask the SWG Foundation to consider creating and soliciting donations for a writers’ fellowship in Gary’s name. Before I could bring the matter to the Board, I learned that Colleen Patterson, in Moose Jaw, had announced the creation of such a scholarship to be administered by the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation. In discussions with Colleen, it became clear that the SWG still could play an important part in the project, providing expertise in the formulating of the terms of reference of the award, in assisting in the fund-raising, and in administering the award when it becomes operative. After further discussions between Colleen, Wain Birch (the Executive Director of the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation), Susan Hogarth and me, the Board agreed that the Guild should be a partner in this venture.

In consultations with Gary, it was agreed that the award would be in the form of a grant to an emerging Saskatchewan writer (someone who has not yet published a book) of any age. It is intended to help the writer develop his or her craft or to further his or her career, which can be done in a number of ways: for example, attendance at writing schools and workshops such as the Sage Hill Writing Experience or the Banff School of Fine Arts, attendance in university degree programs in writing, securing release time from work to complete a manuscript, and travel to do research for a writing project. As with the Saskatchewan Arts Board grants, the candidate will have to provide a justifi cation for the project and evidence (a writing sample, etc.) that he or she is a committed writer.

Amy Nelson-Mile is in the process of drawing up the complete terms of reference, and when that is complete, a committee comprising her, Colleen Patterson, Robert Currie, and I will begin working on a national fund-raising campaign, which will involve a mailout of a brochure and cover letter and a canvassing of Guild members and others. We anticipate being able to raise substantial funds and consequently be able to create an award that will both honour Gary’s very many contributions and be a new and important source of support for Saskatchewan writers.

As we approach 2008 the Guild is strong. It continues to be highly respected by provincial and national funding bodies, envied and emulated by other guilds across the country, and in good fi nancial shape. The newly-created SWG Foundation, under the chairmanship of

James Romanow, is beginning to work toward providing long-term fi nancial stability for the organization. Grain continues to have an international reputation as a literary journal, and the complicated issue of its relationship to the SWG should fi nally be resolved at this year’s AGM with the acceptance of the recommendations made by the Grain Ad Hoc Committee, chaired by Dave Glaze. The SWG staff has evolved into an effi cient and effective team, which, in my view, offers our membership good service.

This is not to say that we are complacent and unaware that there are ongoing issues that need to be resolved and improvements that could be made to Guild operations. At the SaskCulture Funding Eligibility Review, we were asked where and what we saw the SWG being in ten years, and my response was that we would be doing what we do now: helping writers develop their craft and further their careers, and promoting Saskatchewan writing. We will not accomplish these things in the same way—technology is rapidly changing and all manner of social, economic and political changes will change the landscape of writing. We are an evolving organization that will be not only responsive to these changes but one that will create imaginative and productive transformations. It is for others to judge, but I think the SWG is doing that now.

Robert CalderPresident

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Executive Director’s Report

This has been another successful year for the Guild as we continue to fi nd innovative ways to advance the skills and profi le of Saskatchewan writers. A highlight of the year was the appointment of Robert Currie as the third Poet Laureate for Saskatchewan. His fi rst offi cial event was his installation and public reading at Govern-ment House in November. Robert began a schedule of readings throughout the province in January and was lauded at a luncheon at the Festival of Words in July for his many contributions to the Saskatchewan writing community.

The Guild continues to be mindful of the special needs of rural writers. A second pilot project, Rural Writers Workshops, offered a series of readings and free work-shops in eight rural communities. We will be evaluating the success of this project against last year’s Write in Your Community! as we work to provide ongoing ser-vices in rural areas. Unhappily, our search for funding for a rural mentor program for writers groups was not successful. We will continue to search for innovative and successful programming for rural writers who too often feel isolated from Guild activities.

The Guild implemented an on-line mentorship program for high school students to address a need for craft development in this age group that had been identi-fi ed by the membership. Twelve young people were selected for the ten week program which culminated in the production of a chapbook and an overfl ow reading at McNally-Robinson in Saskatoon. Evaluations by both the mentors and apprentices in the program were positive and we plan to continue offering this ArtSmarts funded program which serves as a natural adjunct to windScript.

Another dream that came to fruition was the transfer of the trusts to the SWG Foundation Inc. along with $50,000 set aside from the reserve by the board. This will provide the Foundation with a solid investment base as it works to become a stable source of funding for SWG activities. The legacy campaign launched by the Foundation at the fall AGM has produced a number of pledges and the Foundation is planning other fundrais-ing activities to begin this fall.

Funds were found to allow us to start the development of a family of communications tools, starting with a new membership brochure. Selected board and staff mem-bers participated in a branding exercise under the able leadership of the staff of Brown Communications which helped us to focus our attention on the many benefi ts

of Guild membership. The group decided to focus its communications approach on the vibrant community of common interest that is the strength of the SWG. The membership brochure should be available at the Fall Conference, with poster and advertising templates refl ecting the same messages and graphics established in the brochure. A reworking of the website using the same approach is in the works.

In 2006-2007 the Guild entered into a formal relation-ship with the Camaguey branch of the Cuban writers union, UNEAC. Ken Mitchell, representing the SWG, visited Cuba in February where he spoke with UNEAC offi cials about joint ventures. Ken also gave a reading at the Santiago Book Fair, arranged by UNEAC. This project is progressing slowly but we are optimistic that it will provide opportunity for Saskatchewan writers in the coming years. At present, we are working on a second visit by Rod MacIntyre this February. Oscar Rivera has been particularly helpful in advancing this relationship by providing translation services throughout the project. We owe him a tremendous vote of thanks for his generous response to our plea for help.

After a fi ve-year hiatus, the northern Colony returned to Emma Lake, and we hope to be able to continue our association with this facility. The facilitated retreat, with fi nancial assistance from the Canada Council, has become a popular program and is proving its worth as a stepping stone to the Colony experience.

Our many funders are crucial to the success of the Guild. We are grateful for their confi dence in the SWG and their support for the development of Saskatchewan literary arts. I am personally appreciative of the support and wise counsel of Board members who, along with many volunteers, cheerfully give so generously of their time to serve the Guild membership.

Finally, I want to thank the staff for their professional-ism and dedication. Their cheerful creativity and ability to rise to the most complicated challenges continually remind me how lucky we are to have their talents in our service.

Susan HogarthExecutive Director

5

This past fi scal year was, as has been the history of the Guild, one of challenges met and overcome. The Financial Offi cer continues to report to the Board through the Executive Director and this process has performed well.

The Audit Committee was re-organized and we met a couple of times through the year. I would like to thank Mari-Lou Rowley, Ilonka Halsband, and James Romanow for their dedicated work. Without them, this committee would not have functioned.

With the successful organization of the SWG Foun-dation Inc. (the “Foundation”), your Board passed a resolution to transfer of the various scholarship invest-ments from the Guild to the Foundation as directed the AGM. The investments supporting the Sage Hill (Media) Scholarship and the John V. Hicks Scholar-ship were transferred in July. The Jerry Rush fund will be transferred in September. From this point forward, the stewardship of those funds, and the payment of the scholarships there from, will fall under the Foun-dation.

Also during the year, the Guild transferred an additional $50,000 from its reserve to the Foundation to invest in an Endowment. It is the wish of the Foundation Board that future donations and legacy funds will continue to grow the Foundation’s core investments to a level that keeps it independently viable and able to begin sup-porting SWG activities and programs.

The bottom line of the Guild refl ects the impact of the transfer of the $50,000 to the Foundation. If this amount is taken out of the picture, the Guild recorded an op-erating loss of $3,350 which is well within its targeted operating goal of plus or minus 2%.

Ken MitchellTreasurer

Treasurer’s Report

20

Program Report

Awards

City of Regina Writing Award

The winner of the 2006-2007 City of Regina Writing Award was Connie Gault; judges were Zoe Landale (British Columbia) and T. F. Rigelhof (Quebec). This award is sponsored by the City of Regina.

John V. Hicks Long Manuscript Awards

The 2006-2007 John V. Hicks Long Manuscript Awards recognised full-length plays. The winners were Bar-bara Sapergia (Saskatoon), Gordon Portman (Regina) and Geoffrey Ursell (Saskatoon). The judges were Gordon Pengilly (Alberta) and Marie Clements (British Columbia).

Community Programs

Throughout the year we continued working with other groups and organisations to support community events.

Thanks to generous funding from the City of Regina (administered by the Regina Arts Commission), we were able to partner with Campion and Luther Colleges (University of Regina) for “Talking Fresh 5: A Spring Festival of Writers and Writing.” We also partnered with the following organisations to host author appearances: the University of Regina Theatre Department; the University of Regina Campion College; the University of Regina Luther College.

The Guild worked with the Festival of Words to offer workshops with Susan Stenson and John MacLachlan Gray and a panel featuring Noah Richler, Dionne Brand, Michael Helm, Lawrence Hill, and Jane Urquhart.

The Guild also helped to publicise arts events by community groups throughout Saskatchewan through freeLance and eBriefs.

Rural Writers Workshops

Thanks to generous funding from the Canada Council, the Guild was able to offer a series of readings and free workshops across Saskatchewan. The following authors and co-hosts participated: Judith Silverthorne, Beechy Public Library (Beechy); Donna Caruso, Estevan Writers Group and Estevan Public Library (Estevan); Lynda Monahan, Nipawin Public Library (Nipawin); Lynda Monahan, Nokomis Public Library

(Nokomis); Linda Aksomitis, North Battleford Public Library (North Battleford); Linda Aksomitis, Shaunavon Public Library (Shaunavon); Judith Silverthorne, Unity Public Library (Unity); Lynda Monahan, Weyburn Public Library (Weyburn).

Fall Conference

The Fall Conference/AGM took place on 13, 14, and 15 October at the Park Town Hotel in Saskatoon. The AGM took place on Sunday morning; the Hot Issues session was held on Saturday morning. The rest of the time was devoted to professional development and time for writers to meet each other and socialise.

The professional development sessions included a panel on publishing (Barbara Sapergia, Geoffrey Ursell, Paul Wilson); a session on playwriting (Colleen Mur-phy); a session on writing historical non-fi ction (Lois Simmie and Bill Waiser); a session on writing and nar-rative (Warren Cariou); a session on revising (Dave Carpenter); a Writers Exchange (where members of writers groups discussed matters of interest to them); a panel on the writing life (Brenda Baker and Steven Ross Smith); a panel on censorship (Warren Cariou, Denise Chong, Jean Hillabold, and Candace Savage); a panel on literary archives (Cheryl Avery and Ken Dahl); a session on what writers can expect to earn with their writing (Alison Lohans); readings (Warren Cariou and Denise Chong);.

The Caroline Heath Memorial Lecture was delivered by Denise Chong.

Barbara Sapergia, Gordon Portman, and Geoffrey Ursell, the recipients of the John V. Hicks Manuscript Awards, were honoured at a dinner, where excerpts from their plays were read by actors Cheryl Jack and Bruce McKay.

Poet Laureate

The Saskatchewan Writers Guild administers the Poet Laureate program. Louise B. Halfe fi nished her last year of a two-year term as Saskatchewan’s Poet Lau-reate in December 2006; she represented the literary community in a variety of settings, including offi cial appearances throughout the province.

In September 2006 a Selection Committee consisting of Elizabeth Brewster (Saskatoon), Michael Trussler (Regina), and Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (Saskatoon) met to select the next Poet Laureate. They chose Robert Currie (Moose Jaw), and he was welcomed to

21

his position at a reception in his honour in November 2006 at Government House in Regina. He began his two-year term in January 2007.

The Poet Laureate program is supported by the Sas-katchewan Arts Board, Saskatchewan Lotteries, and SaskCulture.

Readings

In 2006-2007 the Guild offered readings by Linda Ak-somitis, Byrna Barclay, Warren Cariou, Dave Carpen-ter, Donna Caruso, Marty Chan, Denise Chong, George Elliott Clarke, Connie Gault, Don Hannah, Trevor Herriot, Joy Kogawa, Judith Krause, Zoe Landale, Sylvia Legris, Holly Luhning, Shawn MacDonald, Joan MacLeod, Dave Margoshes, Lynda Monahan, Greg Nelson, Elizabeth Philips, Paula Jane Remlinger, Kelly-Anne Riess, Judith Silverthorne, John Terpstra, James Trettwer, Daniel Scott Tysdal, and Marlis Wesseler.

Our co-hosts in these readings were the Fieldstone Review; the Southwest Saskatchewan Writers Project in Swift Current, St. Peter’s College in Muenster, Wey-burn Public Library in Weyburn, the Tisdale Writers Group, the University of Regina Theatre Department; the University of Regina, Campion College; and the University of Regina, Luther College; and the University of Saskatchewan English Department.

These readings were made possible with the help of the following funders: the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Regina, the League of Canadian Poets, the Playwrights Union of Canada, SaskLotteries, SaskCul-ture, and the Saskatchewan Arts Board.

Professional Development

Manuscript Evaluation Service

The Manuscript Evaluation Service continues to be a popular program; 30 manuscripts in all genres were evaluated before the funding ran out in May. This program is funded by the Saskatchewan Arts Board, supplemented by fees from the authors of the manu-scripts.

Mentorship

Thanks to the generous funding from the Canada Council, the Guild was once again able to offer the Mentorship Program this year. Three apprentice/men-tor pairings completed the four month program. These

pairings were as follows: Kelly-Anne Riess/Steven Ross Smith; Paula Jane Remlinger/Sylvia Legris; James Trettwer/Connie Gault.

At the end of the program the apprentices read from their work at a very successful event—nearly 70 people attended.

Workshops

The Guild offered a day-long session called “Homes Sweet Homes: Messages From Time and Space” with Donna Caruso (Regina); a day-long session called “Writing Language That Shows, Not Tells” with Linda Aksomitis (Regina); a half-day session called “Whose Story Is It?” with J. Jill Robinson (Saskatoon).

Writers Groups

The member writers groups continued to be an impor-tant method for members to gain access to ongoing professional development. The SWG provided funding to six writers groups for this purpose.

Educational Programming

Readings and School Visits

The program enjoyed continued success as we were able to approve 230 (92%) of requested readings. 62 writers read at 131 locations across the province. As in past years, the majority of the readings were in schools while many took place in libraries and other public venues. Over $42,000 in fees were paid to the participating SWG writers and over $13,000 was paid in travel expenses.

We were pleased to be able to sponsor SWG partici-pation in the Creating in the Qu’Appelle Student and Teacher Writing Retreat and the Quill Plains Poetry Festival. We also provided a speaker at the Saskatch-ewan Teachers of English Language Arts conference in Regina, and sponsored tours with the Prince Albert Grand Council and the South East Saskatchewan Reading Council. The Shaunavon Arts Council was assisted with their tour of cowboy poetry workshops through the program.

We were again able to continue our sponsorship of a Northern communities readings tour with the Northern Readings Program through the Saskatchewan Read-ing Council.

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Write Now! Teen Writing Program - Regina

SWG members Bernadette Wagner and Marie Powell Mendenhall instructed a teen writing workshop in May. The program ran on two consecutive weekends dur-ing which time, Bernadette and Marie used various methods teaching creative writing to young people. The program was funded by a grant from the City of Regina.

Visiting Writer Program - Saskatoon

YA writer R.P. MacIntyre was the Visiting Writer at Fa-ther Vachon School for two weeks in April. The program included writing workshops, teaching creative writing and working with students on an individual basis. The program was funded by a Quality of Life grant from The Saskatoon Community Foundation.

ArtsSmarts Online Youth Mentorship Program

Working with English Language Arts and Creative Writ-ing Teachers, the SWG conducted a province-wide, pilot online mentorship program for students, involving four established writers as mentors to 12 student ap-prentices. Contact was mainly online with one face-to-face meeting and a wrap-up day where the teachers, mentors and students were invited to make chapbooks of their work with JackPine Press followed by public readings at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Saska-toon. This project was funded through a grant from the ArtsSmarts Program, which The Saskatchewan Arts Board manages in partnership with SaskCulture, Sas-katchewan Learning and Saskatchewan Lotteries.

Publications

windScript

High school students from across the province sent in their best poems, fi ction and creative non-fi ction in hopes of being published in Volume 23, the 2006 edi-tion of windScript.

gillian harding-russell held the position of poetry editor and R.P. MacIntyre was the prose editor.

This edition’s award winners were Melanie Nicole Met-calfe and Brittany Gervais for the Jerrett Enns Award for Prose; James Aaron Heinrichs for the Jerrett Enns Award for Poetry; and Kody Huard for the Currie-Hyland Prize.

The Jerrett Enns Awards are awards of excellence named in honour of Victor Jerrett Enns, Executive Di-rector of the SWG from 1982 to 1988. It was Victor who fi rst presented the idea of windScript to the Board of the Guild in 1983. His enthusiasm and determination kept the magazine alive in its fi rst two years until permanent funding could be found.

The Currie-Hyland Prize was established as a tribute to Robert Currie and Gary Hyland in recognition of their literary excellence, commitment and generosity to students and fellow writers. The prize is awarded for excellence in poetry to a high school writer living outside Regina or Saskatoon.

windScript Volume 23 was made available on-line and launched in February 2007 at McNally Robinson Book-sellers in Saskatoon and in Regina in conjunction with the Annual Poetry Face-offs at the CBC Galleria, where the award winners read from their chosen work.

spring Volume V

spring magazine showcases work from new writers who have not published more that one book. All contributors are Saskatchewan residents or members of the SWG. spring is provided free to all members. We received over 160 submissions for spring Volume V. The edito-rial process was completed under Managing Editor and Poetry Editor Gerry Hill, with Michael Trussler as Prose Editor. The magazine will be published and launched in the fall of 2007.

freeLance

freeLance, the SWG’s member magazine, is published eight times per year and includes articles on the craft of writing and coverage of conventions, conferences, readings, book launches, and other events of interest to Saskatchewan writers. FreeLance also contains infor-mation on opportunities for writers such as workshops, markets, retreats, conferences and other avenues for professional development.

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Grain Report

Grain publishes new and established literary writing from Saskatchewan, Canada and the rest of the world. Grain contributes to the SWG’s mandate in many important ways. Specifi cally, Grain “foster(s) excellence in writing” and “make(s) writers and their work accessible to the public” by publishing fi ction, poetry and creative non-fi ction that is inventive, lively and original. Grain relies greatly on a base of Saskatchewan writers and editors and further contributes to the community of the SWG by offering editorial feedback received from this province. Nearly half of Grain’s budget went into the pockets of writers, editors and artists; and a large portion of that stayed in Saskatchewan.

Editorial

Grain has had another strong year on the editorial front. Our editorial group for 2006-2007—Fiction Editor Dave Carpenter and Interim Fiction Editor Dave Margoshes, Poetry Editor Gerry Hill, and Kent Bruyneel, Editor—published a mix of emerging writers, writers in mid-career, and more established writers. We provided readers with a selection representative of the Canadian literary landscape, from more conventional work to work that pushes at the boundaries of tradition. The editorial team received boundless support from our fi ction readers, Leona Theis and Betty Jane Hegerat, our designer Duncan Campbell, and the staff in Regina and Saskatoon.

Awards & Mention

The National PostA poem that fi rst appeared in Grain, Nick Thran’s “756*” was reprinted on a full page of The National Post. Grain and its hometown were also mentioned in the piece, a signifi cant coup, and a fi rst really for a magazine of our size.

The Journey Prize AnthologyGrain is pleased to announce that a story that appeared in Grain this year will appear in The Journey Prize Anthology. This year, Andrew Borkowski’s “Twelve Versions of Lech” was chosen. This marks the fi fth consecutive year Grain has had a story chosen for the anthology.

The Western Magazine AwardsAndrew Borkowski’s “Twelve Versions of Lech” was chosen as a fi nalist for the Fiction Award and the magazine was nominated for Saskatchewan Magazine of the Year, with Kent Bruyneel also noted, as editor.

The Gruber PrizeGrain is pleased to announce that a story that appeared in Grain has won the prestigious Gruber Prize—an award given out to a writer of non-fi ction or journalism for a piece published or scheduled to be published. The story, John Vigna’s “The Ballad of Big and Small” appears in Grain 35.1 and is the fi rst major piece of non-fi ction published in the magazine in the last few years.

Promotion & Circulation

Grain’s subscription base has held constant over the past year; though a marked jump in two-year subscriptions has been noted. The subscription base hovers around 1000. Grain has also experienced an exponential jump in newsstand sales and in single copy purchases. Also, two universities ordered the entire history of the magazine and several other institutions have expressed a similar interest.

The magazine’s website has become a very popular tool for our writers and readers. We are receiving an average of 2-3 new subscriptions a week through our website. This rate is unmatched by similar magazines in the rest of Canada.

Financial

Grain continued to receive money from a variety of funding sources that contribute the fi nancial wherewithal for Grain to pursue its activities. They include: The Canada Council of the Arts, the Saskatchewan Lotteries Commission, the Saskatchewan Arts Board, and private donations and project grants. Private donations collected this year exceeded $4000. Grain continues to stand on balanced footing economically; Grain’s revenues are increasing at the same time we are looking for areas to save money. A defi cit accrued this year is attributable to the magazine not applying for a Heritage Canada grant and the timing of some late-year donations. As mentioned, some revenues were deferred to next year, resulting in a defi cit.

Grain’s expenses over the last year saw almost half the money in the program go into payments for work on the journal. This amount will be maintained if not augmented.

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New Initiatives

The magazine is seeing the benefi ts of an investment in technology in 2007 by doubling its computer capacity and adding a network, and it is in the process of investigating how the other offi ce activities can be streamlined to help us grow.

Grain continued its intern program with the University of Saskatchewan. For the second year we were lucky enough to have a talented and dedicated student work with us at the journal and, for the fi rst time, we hired the intern after her term was over.

The editor of the magazine, Kent Bruyneel, completed a national tour of university campuses and public halls. This tour brought considerable goodwill, authors, attention and readership to the magazine and was supported by a grant from the Canada Council of the Arts.

Staff

Grain would like to thank the Regina offi ce, past and present, especially Bob Armstrong and Susan Hogarth. We would also like to thank our volunteers, interns and offi ce assistants.

In Saskatoon, we again had constant and intrepid contributions from our offi ce assistants Jaime Speed and Jordi Wieler. Also in this past year, Grain said goodbye to a great business administrator in Sue Stewart, and said hello to another great business administrator, Kari McCrea.

Kent BruyneelGrain Editor

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Saskatchewan Writers / Artists Colony Report

This was a very busy and productive year for the SWG Writers/Artists Colonies—a year of change, renewal and growth—thanks to the dedication of all colony com-mittee members and the hard work, commitment and meticulous fi scal management of Anne Pennylegion, our colony coordinator.

Winter colonies at St. Peter’s remain very popular, and for the fi rst time this year the colony was extended from two to three weeks—from February 9 to March 3, 2007. There were 25 participants, including three artists and fi ve attendees from out-of-province, with an average of 15 colonists per week. By all accounts it was a very successful, congenial and productive colony, with many saying they would consider applying for the full three weeks next year.

The summer colony at St. Peter’s saw a decline in at-tendance this year, with only 15 attendees over a four-week period from July 6 to August 3, 2007. Fortunately, we were able to cancel two weeks of our booking on short notice without penalty. Notably, ten colonists were from out-of-province, and fewer Saskatchewan residents applied. In the past, there has been concern about the noise level and heat in Scholastica residence, and lack of air conditioning or ventilation in the 4th fl oor studio spaces. The mandate of the colonies is to provide retreat/work time for both writers and artists, and the committee is working to ensure that all colonists have adequate facilities. Since only two of the four weeks were fully booked (we need eight colonists to break even) the committee is planning only four weeks again next year.

The facilitated retreat, held at St. Peter’s AbbeyNovember 9 to 12, 2006, had the full contingent of 15 participants, with Elizabeth Phillips as writer-in-residence. Thanks to Susan Hogarth for a successful funding application that allowed us to offer facilitators a more reasonable fee.

The most controversial and celebrated change for the colonies this past year was the return of our northern colony to Kenderdine Campus at Emma Lake. To facili-tate this, the SWG was given a one-time grant of $5,000 from the University of Saskatchewan. Many thanks to Leona Theis, Betsy Rosenwald and Peter Stoicheff, associate dean of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan, for their assistance.

The Emma Lake colony was held from June 15 to 29, 2007, with ten participants including two artists. Nancy Lowry did a fantastic job as coordinator, and by all ac-counts it was a glorious and productive colony. Many improvements have been made to the Kenderdine fa-cilities, including washrooms and showers in all cabins, and a screened porch off the dining hall. The staff was exceptionally accommodating, and the meals were scrumptious! Although we had hoped for 15 attendees, the time it took to fi nalize Kenderdine (along with past ill feelings), probably accounted for lower numbers.

Colony fees were increased moderately to cover in-creasing expenses. Current SWG member fees are $225/week for St. Peter’s and $250/week for Emma Lake. A fi ve-year analysis of attendance showed that on average 25 percent of participants are from out-of-province. As a result, there might be opportunities for other sources of funding. We are working with Susan Hogarth to pursue this.

In closing, I would also like to welcome new committee members Clint Hunker and Larry Gasper. It was a busy year, and much was accomplished. I look forward to working with everyone again next year to help provide successful and viable colonies for years to come!

Mari-Lou RowleyChair, Colony Committee

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Committees 2006-2007Executive CommitteeJudy McCroskyBob CalderSusan Hogarth (ex-offi cio)

2007-2008 Fall Conference CommitteeCathy Fenwick (Board)gillian harding-russellShelley LeedahlDanica Lorer Amy Nelson-Mile (Staff)Bernadette Wagner

2006-2007 Fall Conference CommitteeBob Calder (Board)Sharon MacFarlaneLeeann MinogueAmy Nelson-Mile (Staff)Bernadette Wagner

35th Anniversary Conference CommitteeTracy Hamon (Board)Gerry HillSheena KoopsKen MitchellBrenda NiskalaArt SladeAmy Nelson-Mile (Staff)

Personnel CommitteeHazel KellnerSusan Hogarth (Staff)

FreeLance Advisory CommitteeDave MargoshesDianne YoungRod MacIntyreBeth McLean (Staff)

Policy CommitteeHazel KellnerBrenda Schmidt

Nominations CommitteeJudy McCrosky

Membership CommitteeMarianna ToposMary LoveJackie Mehlmann (Staff)

2006-2007 Writers/Artists Colony CommitteeMari-Lou Rowley (Chair since November)Dave Margoshes (Acting Chair until November)Dave Carpenter

Betsy Rosenwald Leona TheisCherie Westmoreland (until May)Larry Gasper (since April)Clint Hunker (since April)

Grain Editorial Advisory CommitteeSteven Ross SmithJennifer StillBernadette Wagner

windScript Editorial Committeegillian harding-russell, Poetry EditorR.P. MacIntyre, Prose EditorBeth McLean (Staff)

Technology CommitteeJill Bell Amy Nelson-Mile (Staff)Art SladeBernadette WagnerEd Willett

Audit CommitteeIlonka HalsbandKen MitchellJames RomanowMari-Lou Rowley

Volunteers2006-2007 Fall Conference VolunteersSharon AdamBob CalderDave GlazeGerry HillHazel KellnerShelley LeedahlJudy McCroskyMarie MendenhallJames RomanowBrenda SchmidtMadelon SmidLeona Theis

Bright Nights Reading SeriesKen Probert (Host)

City of Regina Writing Award ReceptionJoanne Skidmore

Three New Voices! (Apprentice Reading)Dave Margoshes

Grain MagazineEleanor Knight Sabryna McCrea

Shawn MacKenzieEllen Quigley Jaime SpeedJordi Wheeler

FoundationTony BidulkaSusan Hogarth (Staff)Rangi JeerakathilHazel KellnerJames Romanow

Camaguey (Cuba) ProjectKen MitchellOscar Rivera

Offi ce Support and EventsRon RobertsonKaren Good

Strategic PlanningSharon AdamLinda AksomitisBob CalderRoy ChallisJoan Eyolfson-CadhamDave GlazeRegine HaenselTracy HamonHazel KellnerAnne LazurkoRod MacIntyreMerle MasseAmy Nelson-Mile (Staff)Brenda NiskalaAlexandra PopoffBrenda SchmidtMarianna ToposLarry Warwaruk

Donors 2005-2006Guild Contributors(up to $49)Linda AksomitisAnonymousBill ArmstrongDoreen AustmanBrenda BakerDoris BirchamShirley ByersVelma M. CampbellJoel CaswellBrian CobbledickSally CrooksRoger CurrieElsie DavidsonJeannette DowMarie DunnJean FahlmanMargareta Fleuter

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Myrna GuymerMichael KrawchukLang SchoolGerry LavoieAndrea LeddingRuth Lee-Knight Margaret LeesRicki LernerDanica LorerMerle MassieWenda McArthurBronwen McRaeJune MitchellWynne NicholsonLeslie PeachAnnie RaeBetty RamshawManny SavoyArthur SladeMarie Elyse St. GeorgeMyra StilbornLeona TheisMorgan TraquairWilliam WardillJayne WhyteAnna Willey

Guild Friends ($50 – $99)Marion BeckMartha BlumGloria BoermaNicole BrodnerDoug CharrettDenise ChongRobert CurrieRodney DickinsonLorne EricksonCatherine FenwickDeanna GruendingIlonka HalsbandSharon HeagyCathy JewisonElaine KenneyAllison KyddKen McConaghieDianne MillerJoan OlsonKathleen ParleyVerley RobsonSteven Ross SmithElaine SharfeMary Lou Soutar-HynesTerry ToewsLarry WarwarukMichele Yeager

Guild Sponsors ($100 – $199)Sharon AdamShirley AndristAnthony BidulkaSandra Birdsell

Gail BowenSharon ButalaDavid CarpenterRoy ChallisHelen ClarkeMargaret DurantDavid GlazeSusan HaytonDavid HertesDoris HillisDonald Kerr Karen KlassenAnne LazurkoA. Jean MackenzieDavid MacKinnonThomas MacLachlanDavid MalcolmPete Sarsfi eldMaggie SigginsBetty TerschuurErica TesarElsie ToupichMurray WalterGarrett Wilson

Guild Benefactors ($200 – $499)Joanne Bannatyne-CugnetDonna CarusoKarlene GibsonLyn GoldmanLynda MonahanHelen MourreKen Probert

Guild Patron (over $500)AnonymousRobert CalderYann MartelRob Tiffi n

SWG In memory of VerneClemenceLloyd Ratzlaff

SWG In memory of Steven StapletonMilton Taylor

SWG In memory of Colleen BaileyW. Allan BaileyRobert Currie

Saskatchewan Writers/Artists ColonyLinda AksomitisShelley BanksLinda BiasottoAnnette BowerAnne Marie BuchmannSandra Campbell

Lorna J. CrozierTracy HamonMaureen HarrisHonor KeverBarbara KlarWilliam KlebeckMyrna KostashAnnette LeBoxSharon MacFarlaneHannah Main-van der KampJoann McCaigMarijan MeglaDianne MillerIsa MilmanJune MitchellJane MunroBarbara NickelLloyd RatzlaffPaula Jane RemlingerRuth Roach PiersonVerley RobsonDawna RoseLorraine Weidner

Writers’ Assistance FundWendy BarkerGloria BoermaRobert CalderDoug CharrettMyrtle ConacherMyrna DeyRodney DickinsonMargaret DurantDavid GlazeDavid HertesAllison KyddMary LoveDave MargoshesWenda McArthurRod MacIntyreJune MitchellBetty RamshawMansel RobinsonPete Sarsfi eldSteven SmithGlen SorestadMarie Elyse St. GeorgeRob Tiffi n

SWG FoundationJames RomanowGertrude Story

Grain Sustainers($50 – $99)Randy LundyRobert Krell

Grain Sponsors ($1000 +)Yann Martel

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P.O. Box 3986Regina, SaskatchewanCanada S4P 3R9

Phone : (306) 757-6310Fax: (306) 565-8554E-mail: [email protected]: www.skwriter.com

GLOBAL FUNDING

PROGRAM/PROJECT FUNDING