so far this year, and “seeing birds in church is a kind of adieu”

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 31 2010 | Comment now »

This year I keep saying to myself I will take a break, rest, after this month is over. And it seems I might have said that for each month. And here we are at the end of August. And by take a break I mean be with my writing and my reading. Attend to new writing.

This year just seems to be a more intense year on the submissions, manuscripts, and gathering of my work together. It does pile up, all this writing, and eventually you are faced with it and should get it together in some compilation, shape, build it a home. So I have promised myself to put my second manuscript together. Which is always a good way to keep the first one out of mind while it is doing its visits to publishers, or first book contests.

Today the rain is coming down, and the wind is toying with trees. The taste of autumn, dark like winter.
A good day to work on my conversation with Arlene Ang for Daily s-Press. Not that the conversation is dark, this weather will just help me sit still and work on it. Arlene and will soon begin our fifth poem together. We have been collaborating on writing poems, and it has been an amazing experience. The other three are under consideration. Hope to share them here with you soon.
She also just came out with her new poetry book: seeing birds in church is a kind of adieu (Cinnamon Press, 2010). I have enjoyed her book immensely. The testimony is: I keep going back to it. I keep sharing the poems, reading them to friends, even over the phone.
It is brave, full of heart, surreal, not at all sentimental for the topic it deals with, and makes us face the question of loss. Any loss. Rises above, redeems, and opens the contemplative space needed for us to rise as well, and let go.

Summer Dreams Literary Arts Festival

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 29 2010 | Comment now »

Now that I have had a few days to catch my breath after Nelson, and Summer Dream’s Literary Arts Festival I can write a few lines. The Awards’ night gathered over 85 people in the small Jacana gallery. It was great to see so many in the writing/art community gather (people who normally do not come together in one place). Congratulations to all the winners (enumerated below). Thank you for your efforts and continued dedication. In a time of such deep cuts to the Arts it was wonderful to get together and celebrate the people who inexhaustibly keep events, and magazines, and news etc running. Here it might be good to remember:

During World War II, when Britain was undergoing the blitz, the finance minister suggested to Winston Churchill that funding for the arts could be cut. Churchill replied, with indignation, “Then what are we fighting for?”

(thanks Shiela, for this)

Please see below for descriptions of awards and the people who won them this year:
2010 Pandora’s Collective Awards:

    ———

  • Pandora’s Collective Lifetime Achievement Award: 
    2010 goes to Susan Musgrave: It has been 40 years since the publication of her first book. She has been a force on the Canadian writing scene for decades, a strong mentor and supporter of the new writers and of the art itself. 
     

    • ———

  • Pandora’s Collective Publishers of Magazines Awards: *Go to magazines that continue to support novice and established writers despite cutbacks and inflation.
    2010 Awards go to: Room, Event, Prism, sub Terrain, Geist, The Vancouver Review, The Capilano Review, and OCW MAgazine (previously known as One Cool Word).

    • ———

3 Awards of merit for persons or organizations that support the writing community. These three awards are voted on by the community. 

    ———

  • Padnora’s Collective Organizer /Promoter *This is an individual who has put themselves forward to help organize literary events, whether they are on-going or special events. Someone who has over the years helped give space to many writers whether they are new or established.

    • 2010 Organizer/Promoter Award goes to Fernanda Viveros
     ———

  • Pandora’s Collective BC Writer Mentor *This award goes to an individual who has taken the time to help foster other writers, giving them feedback and support over and above what may be expected.

    • 2010 BC Writer Mentor Award goes to Ivan Coyote
     ———

  • Pandora’s Collective Publishers *This award goes to those publishers who keep getting the word out, your words, every year despite cutbacks. Where would we be without the publishers.

    • 2010 Publisher’s Award goes to Alan Twigg
    ———

And finally, one award which I was honoured to receive:

  • Pandora’s Collective Citizenship Award: *Goes to recognize an individual who Pandora’s Collective feels has excelled in their support of writers within our community and supports Pandora’s Collective to grow with their vision, actions and words.

    • 2010 Citizenship Award goes to Daniela Elza.
    ———

The next day the festival took place. I enjoyed being part of it, contributing to it. Listening to performances, varied, and unique. Meeting old friends, meeting new. Then took part in taking the tents down, folding tables and chairs. Admirable to see so many hands at it, and how fast we had it packed up and ready to go. Even before the truck showed up. Thanks to all who stayed and helped load and unload. And of course hanging out at the Sylvia Hotel at the end.

Every year I get to talk to someone who stumbled upon the festival by accident, or did not know what to expect, and left charged and excited with something they would take away and into their life. With questions asked and maybe answered. Or just questions that begin new quests.

unhinged

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 22 2010 | 2 Comments »

Pedestal Magazine (issue 59) just published the collaborated poem unhinged written between myself and Al Rempel. Hope you enjoy it.

To submit, please read their guidelines, they have a strict schedule of when not to submit (so make sure you read to the bottom of the page). Submission process is electronic and easy (through their website). They are closed for submissions till the 27th of August, and open next between the 28th till September 11th.

Thank you to the editors at Pedestal Magazine.

Also speaking of Al and me, I just heard that excerpts from a poem of mine (interpreting the winds) and a poem of Al’s (Fidelity) in the book 4 poets(Mother Tongue Publishing, 2009) have been selected for the 2010 Poetry in Transit. (The results are now up).

Congratulations, Al.

Not sure when they will actually go up on the buses, but let me know when/if you have a sighting.

today and tomorrow: 2events

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 20 2010 | Comment now »

Friday August 20, 2010
Summer Dreams Awards Ceremony: A Night of Honour

  • Join us at the Jacana Gallery, to celebrate those in the writing community who deserve to be honoured. On the eve of the Summer Dream’s fest we will begin with a lifetime achievement award for Susan Musgrave. We will then go on to give awards to publishers of magazines who continue to support novice and established writers despite cutbacks and inflation. To be honoured are Room, Event, Prism, Sub Terrain, Geist, The Vancouver Review, The Capilano Review, and One Cool Word. Finally, the evening will end with four special awards. Three will be awards of merit for persons or organizations that support the writing community. These awards come from the writing community itself. We asked for nominations from the community and the results will be announced the night of the gala. One award will go to recognize an individual who Pandora’s Collective feels has excelled in their support of writers within our community. This years Citizenship Award goes to Daniela Elza. The evening will continue with Pandora’s Collective commitment to highlighting community involvement to the public. Music: James Mark and Mike Peacock of Melic Thrum (our musical featured guest). Jaime Reid will close the evening with poetry and music. Silent Auction. Cash Bar.
    Time: 7:00 pm. Location: Jacana Gallery (2435 Granville Street)

AND

Saturday
August 21st, 2010

The Summer Dreams Literary Arts Festival is a one day annual free event which takes place at Lumberman’s Arch, in beautiful Stanley Park.This event is an outdoor festival which showcases and celebrates the on-going literary events, programs and resources available in the community. The line up is a combination of literary performances, dancers, local bands, panel discussions, open mics etc. This year’s performers include Evelyn Lau, Betsy Warland, Brad Cran, Wayde Compton & Vancouver’s own Theatre In the Raw and more. There is also a children’s area with puppet shows, music, story tellers, face painting and craft tables. Information tables showcasing community groups and resources.
For all that you need to know please visit the website with news, information and a downloadable schedule.

freedom to voice

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 18 2010 | 1 Comment »

Letter from Jane Danzo (Chair of BC Arts Council) to Minister Kevin Krueger (Minister of Tourism Culture & the Arts for the BC government).

“…I felt obliged to resign in order to have a voice.”

What does it cost you to have a voice?
Where does freedom to have a voice come from?
Important questions for writers (and artists in general).

Federation of BC Writers just had its funding cut by 80% -from the previous $20,500 to just $4,500.
How much can an institution speak up against the hand that feeds it? Who would/can speak on their behalf?

If you are on Facebook, you can join Organizing Against Campbell’s Cuts to the Arts. More than 4,000 members, and counting:

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=1257567378601#!/group.php?gid=129278437702

“god is a poet” and other poems

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 08 2010 | 5 Comments »

god is a poet is now up on qarrtsiluni. It finally found its home.
Hope you enjoy it.

Also, after getting lost, and then found (both my fault) after almost two years, here is a piece titled:

  • travelling: across through down in(words

(11 poems) up in the current issue of The Trumpeter. Some of the words in the triptych poems shifted perhaps due to .doc transfers. (Hopefully the editors will fix that.)

Also check out their call for submissions for some special issues.

“These issues will focus on narratives, artwork or poetry that exemplify ecosophy and deep ecology across generations.
Parent/child, grandparent/grandchild, uncle – aunt/ niece/nephew and teacher/ student narratives about oikos + sophia that tell of instances shared by each person that lead to deep understanding of particular places or processes are sought. Both (or more) voices must be individually discernable in each submission.

Perhaps you and a relative or teacher shared a wilderness experience, a moment of deep connection or an instance of the ineffable. We wish to explore personal experience as it expresses the concept of ecosophy.”

Deadline for submissions is December, 2010. Why not, give it a try.

the best slave

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 07 2010 | 1 Comment »

Erica Goldson speaks as Valedictorian at her graduation ceremony:

But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework done because they were reading about an interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit, even though I never needed it. So, I wonder, why did I even want this position? Sure, I earned it, but what will come of it? When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be successful or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to do with my life; I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning. And quite frankly, now I’m scared.

Thank goodness for her tenth grade English teacher, Donna Bryan.
Why such a rare breed?

Lots could be said here. But I won’t. I think Erica said it well. Enjoy her speech. As she put it in her words
“I know that you did not become a teacher or administrator to see your students bored.”

Too bad I do not see the speech on the Coxsackie highschool website.

great time trying

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 04 2010 | Comment now »

I do not know if we figured out what is this thing called love, but we sure had a great time trying.
Thank you to my co-performers poet Trevor Carolan, and Andrew Collins (on guitar).

I guess, love is too big to be captured in one poem. Or one song. Each time we might (if we are lucky) capture a fragment. Or hint at one. Over time the fragments, like fractals, start to resonate, and, there, together we have more of a chance.

Thank you to all who came. To all (more than 60) of you who gathered at the ArtsSpeak tent at the Harmony Arts Festival on Monday from 1 to 2pm. and accompanied us on the 50 (or so) minute journey through music and poetry. The ocean, literary a few feet away, accompanied us, and added its music to our performance. Also for your energy, your thoughts and words after the show. Thank you. Feel free to leave a note here, if you wanted to say something and you did not get a chance.

what is this thing called love?

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 01 2010 | Comment now »

Well, what is it?

Please join poet Trevor Carolan, guitarist Andrew Collins and myself in a one hour poetic and music exploration and play with the theme tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, Monday, August 2nd, from 1-2pm.
at the Harmony Arts Festival 2010, ArtSpeak Tent at the Ferry Building Gallery, Ambleside, West Vancouver. This is an outdoor event.

A summer celebration of poems, songs & music on themes of Love.
A lyric event for all ages at beautiful Ambleside Landing!

Info about the Harmony Arts festival at (604) 925-7268,
or visit www.harmonyarts.ca

Hope to see you there.

of letting go and happy accidents

Posted by Daniela Elza on Jul 18 2010 | 2 Comments »

Enjoyed Lorri Neilsen Glenn’s poem and interview on Speaking of Poems. Here is a taste:

“In my relatively short life as a poet – I started at age 50 – I’ve learned to let the poetry come first and the analysis later. Believe me: as an ethnographer well-schooled in discursive and analytical thought, it’s a delight to let go and fall into composing in that way.”

and

“this poem, like most, began with an image or a germ of curiosity or a shadow or a twinge of discomfort. And when I begin a draft I am often somewhere ‘out there,’ in a flow state, a meditative otherworld– where words and images come and I simply have to ride them out, struggle inside the emerging language, nudge it, abandon it, nurse it along, turn my back on it or look at it sideways, keep it going, carry it with me when I refill my coffee cup or check for mail at the door, return to it, and allow it to run its course for the hour or two or three I have in a day to write. It’s not calculated, this process. During all this time, all the resources I have are standing by, grinding their gears or elbowing me as necessary.

The process Lorri describes is hard to put into words, but well worth the effort. I am so glad she attempts to, and with good measure of authenticity, humility, heart, and courage. Which we need more of in the world today.

This space where world and word meet is indeed messy. And it is hard to get ourselves out of the way enough to tease out something that would surprise, invite what wants to come through without imposing too much on it.

‘Cos impose we do.

There is something utterly delicious to let go and learn from what you did not put there. Or nurture a new expression into existence. Or set our expectations aside enough to see what is being offered. Which takes us right back to that moment of first translation from world to word (as Bringhurst calls it), of receiving the poem in the first place.
Looking forward to reading Lorri’s Lost Gospels book.

And while you are there there are more interviews, with further insights, like:

“This sort of happy accident is what I love about poetry, as poet and reader, especially as a reader of my own poems years later. They can still surprise me!”

says John Pass, in Words Made Flesh.
Or perhaps you might be itchy to get into a discussion about literary criticism. The role of the critic?
Yes, poke around, stay a while, enjoy.