meeting | Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers

Last Saturday, was the first time my writing group, the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County attended an in-person event since the pandemic started. In conjunction with Recreation, Parks & Culture the event gave residents the opportunity to try sports and discover the multiple cultural organizations within the county.

As a writing group, we always encourage all ages to delve into the delights of the written word and explore their imaginations. We promoted our annual children’s writing contest, which has a deadline of 30th April, 2022. It is a great opportunity for young people to enter their stories and have it published in a ‘real’ book.

We had many visitors to our table and several took the contest details home with them to begin their story entries. I’m looking forward to reading all the entries and the expressions of imagination from the clues.

I also attended the AGM for the Arts and Culture Council last night. Meeting with other people passionate about the creative arts and exchanging ideas and views is always a treat.

The next big event on my calendar is a Spring writers conference (virtual) on 23rd April. Registration is required via the website: http://www.wfscsherwoodpark.com Details so far are:

This week has my writing group hosting their AGM and my publishing company attending a book fair. This entails my time in planning for both.

As secretary of the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County, I am responsible for the minutes at the meeting but also to ensure notification and reminders have been sent to the membership, that we have copies of last year’s AGM minutes and an agenda. As well as ensuring the Bylaws and Policies binder is up to date and present for viewing. On Saturday, I spent time with the Treasurer, Linda J Pedley, creating the agenda and a President’s report. This was after I had driven to Leduc to record the inventory of Dream Write books in the Leduc Artisan Market and to pick up a Ockleberries to the Rescue promotional item. (See below). We will hold the AGM on Tuesday 16th September and begin another year – our 10th anniversary – with new vigor and plans for a writing conference on 2nd May 2015.

Once the writer’s group business was completed, we began planning for the upcoming weekend’s book fair. This event – Words on the Street – is Canada wide and well worth visiting in your location. You have the opportunity to meet authors and hear them read from their current book, purchase and have books signed, receive advice from publishers and find a writing group in your area.Dream Write Publishing will be in stall #17 – opposite the library entrance – so come along and say Hi and also meet the members of the Lethbridge writing group, The River Bottom Writers, who will be next to us.

All of Dream Write’s books will be available for sale and some for pre-order, such as my Ockleberries to the Rescue children’s chapter book. Immerse yourself in literary endeavors for the day. Hope to see you there.