Chairperson: Arleen Gray (writing as Arleen Brenner)
Phone: 745-2346
Email: arleen@myedac.com

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 year has 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.

In the coming year, Arleen would like to also focus on helping young writers (ages 9-12) start out on their literary adventure. She would like to add the following to the Literary Arts vision:

1. Look for young writers who would like to start but don't know how or where.

2. Make young writers aware of the importance of keeping a journal from a young age.

3. Explore how thoughts are presented differently by different people.

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 Arleen at 745-2346 or email her at arleen@myedac.com. The questionnaire can either be emailed or snail-mailed to you.