EDAC Literary Arts

Chairperson: Sandra Bell Kirchman
Phone: 745-2000
Email: sandra@myedac.com

Note to add re launch of BOAU

CONGRATULATIONS ON RECENT JOURNALISTIC AND LITERARY ACHIEVEMENTS TO:

HELEN SOLMES for ranking as one of the finalists for best columnist of the year
in the 2010 Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association annual awards.

SANDRA BELL KIRCHMAN for ranking as one of the finalists for best health article
of the year with her three-part article on sleep apnea in The Miner-Journal in the
2010 Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association annual awards.

SANDRA BELL KIRCHMAN for the acknowledgement of the excellence of her fiction,
and specifically her fantasy novel Witchcanery, by being selected
as one of the authors featured in The Authors Show's forthcoming book,
Fifty Great Writers You Should Be Reading - available from The Authors Show, summer, 2010.

The main thrust of the Literary Arts division of EDAC is threefold:

1. to identify and catalog the writers in Esterhazy & District as possible resources
and to pinpoint who might need help or who might have help to offer;

2. to offer writing workshops and writing aid to our writers;

3. to back and encourage writers in their publishing efforts by locating markets,
offering helpful tips, and possibly such things as editing clinics and expert panels.

This past couple of years have been involved with establishing and recognizing the Literary Arts division as a viable part of the Esterhazy & District Arts Council. The first step in this process was the vote in September of 2008 to create the Literary Arts section of EDAC. Included in this step was the election of a Literary Arts chairperson - Sandra Bell Kirchman, freelance writer, journalist and author of the novel Witchcanery.

Even prior to the establishment of the LA division of EDAC, the Arts Council was busy backing the writers of our community with the production of an anthology, In the Shadow of the Burr Oak, a collection of short stories by nine writers in the community. The Arts Council donated $100 to the anthology group to help defray some of the printing costs. It in no way detracted from the Council's generosity that the book was so successful that it didn't need the $100 after all, and the money was subsequently paid back to the Council.

EDAC's second offer of help to the community's writers last year was giving them space to display and sell their books at the Autumn Skies art show last year. The anthology sold well, as did the Prairie Pearl books by local author Arleen Brenner (Gray) and Witchcanery by Sandra Bell Kirchman.

The Literary Arts committee is in the process of distributing a questionnaire to any known writers in the area. The completed questionnaire will then be put into the EDAC Literary Arts database so that knowledge of what our literary resources are, who needs help, and who is willing to offer help, will be at our fingertips.

If you are a writer who has not had a chance to obtain a questionnaire or would like to volunteer your services in reading to the elderly or assisting other writers, phone Sandra at 745-2000 or email her at sandra@myedac.com.

* * *

This year (2011-2012), we are hoping to increase our services regarding e-books to the writers in the area. Sandra is learning a whole pack of information about the rising of the e-book in the literary field. Amazon has recently been quoted as saying they are now selling more e-books than print books. That is an amazing feat, since e-books have only been acceptably out for about four years.

It is relatively easy to convert your manuscript to e-book format. Amazon is very backing of the writers who choose that route, and some people are making a lot of money selling their e-books, either through Amazon or on their own private site.

The upshot of this is...if writers are seriously interested in e-book business, give Sandra a call or drop her an email at sandra@myedac.com.

* * *

We'll also be giving a workshop some time early next year for writers, indeed for anyone who would like to learn about writing in various categories. We will have to pick one we would like from a few different categories. If there is enough interest in other categories as well, we could probably do that too. The current choices on topics are: mystery writing, romance writing, fantasy writing, writing my memoirs. Does one of these tickle your fancy? Write to Sandra at sandra@myedac.com.