Strange Places

Summer Dreams Literary Arts Festival

Posted by Daniela Elza on Aug 29 2010

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:

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• 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. 
   

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• 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).

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

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• 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
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• 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
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• 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
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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.
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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.