The Writers Guild of Alberta announces the 2011 Alberta Literary Awards Shortlist!

The Writers Guild of Alberta (WGA) is thrilled to announce the finalists for the 2011 Alberta Literary Awards! The Alberta Literary Awards recognize and celebrate the highest standards of literary excellence from Alberta authors.

Awards jurors have deliberated 164 submissions to select 25 finalists in eight categories. Finalists represent extraordinary literary work written by Alberta authors and published in 2010.

Winners will be announced and awards presented at the Alberta Book Awards Gala on Saturday June 11, 2011 in conjunction with Book Publishers Association of Alberta’s (BPAA) Alberta Book Publishing Awards and Alberta Readers’ Choice Award.  The celebration will take place in Calgary alongside the WGA’s “Writing the HIstory, Inscribing the Future” 30th Anniversary Conference.

Information on this year’s shortlisted authors is attached with this media release.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the Writers Guild of Alberta is the largest provincial writers’ organization in Canada, and was formed in 1980 to provide a meeting ground and collective voice for the writers of the province. Its mission is to inspire, connect, support, encourage and promote writers and writing, to safeguard the freedom to write and to read, and to advocate for the well-being of writers.

Registration for the Awards Gala and Conference begin on April 11, 2011.For more information or to register, please call 1-800-665-5354 or visit www.writersguild.ab.ca.

2011 Alberta Literary Awards Shortlist

R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature
      ·         Sheldon Casavant (Edmonton)—Morton the Magician and his Magnificent Magic Show, Sheldon Casavant Productions
      ·         Victor Lethbridge (Rolling Hills)—Little Chief and Mighty Gopher: The Pemmican Frenzy, Tatanka Productions
      ·         Deidre Ann Martin (Calgary)—The Elegant Cockroach, Uppercase Publishing

Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction (Sponsored by The Banff Centre)
      ·         Todd Babiak (Edmonton)—Toby: A Man, HarperCollins
      ·         Lee Kvern (Okotoks)—The Matter of Sylvie, Brindle & Glass
      ·         Rudy Wiebe (Edmonton)—Rudy Wiebe: Collected Stories, 1955-2010, University of Alberta Press

Wilfred Eggleston Award for Nonfiction (Sponsored by Lokken.com)
      ·         Tim Bowling (Edmonton)—In the Suicide’s Library: A Book Lover’s Journey, Gaspereau Press
      ·         Myrna Kostash (Edmonton)—Prodigal Daughter: A Journey to Byzantium, University of Alberta Press
      ·         Clem Martini and Olivier Martini (Calgary)—Bitter Medicine, Freehand Books
Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama (Sponsored by Alberta Views)
·         Meg Braem (Calgary)—Blood: A Scientific Romance
·         Mark Stubbings (Edmonton)—Dry the Rain
·         David van Belle and Eric Rose (Calgary)—The Highest Step in the World
Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry (Supported by Stephan V. Benediktson)
      ·         Tim Bowling (Edmonton)—The Annotated Bee and Me, Gaspereau Press
      ·         Jannie Edwards (Edmonton)—Falling Blues, Frontenac House
      ·         Robert Kroetsch (Leduc)—Too Bad: Sketches Toward a Self-Portrait, University of Alberta Press
      ·         Alice Major (Edmonton)—Memory’s Daughter, University of Alberta Press
James H. Gray Award for Short Nonfiction (Sponsored by Western Financial Group’s West Magazine)
      ·         Leah Bailly (Calgary)—“Bamako, Believe Me”
·         Jessica Kluthe (Edmonton)—“Traces”
·         Margaret Macpherson (Edmonton)—“A Thousand Years North of Dorothy”
Howard O’Hagan Award for Short Story
      ·         Jane Cawthorne (Calgary)—“Weight” in FreeFall
      ·         Stephen Howard (St. Albert)—“Saturday” in The Prairie Journal
      ·         Rudy Wiebe (Edmonton)—“Shadow of a Rock” in Rudy Wiebe: Collected Stories, 1955-2010, University of Alberta Press
Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Prize (Supported by Vanna Tessier and Guy Tessier, and House of Blue Skies)
      ·         Carolyn Hall (Edmonton)—“A Pinch of Time”
·         Marguerite Watson (Edmonton)—“Closer to the Bone”
·         Janice Williamson (Edmonton)—“The Turquoise Sea” in Alberta Views
Amber Bowerman Memorial Travel Writing Award
      It has been decided not to present an award in this category for this year.

      ###
      Nicholas Mather
      Communications and Partnerships Coordinator,
      Writers Guild of Alberta
      780. 422. 8216
      1.800.665.5354
www.writersguild.ab.ca

Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel’s State of the City Address

Arts Highlighted in Mayor’s 2011 State of the City Address
      On April 5, 2011, Mayor Mandel delivered the State of the City Address, highlighting the importance of cultivating the arts in the city:
      “…if we truly want to focus on attracting business and creating a superior quality of life for Edmontonians, we must start with the creative industry of our citizens.
      Yes arts are an industry.
      And I believe that the promise of our future can be secured by cultivating and investing in our arts industry as we do across many environments, and in more equal measure….”

Visit the City of Edmonton website to read the Mayor’s 2011 State of the City Address
http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/city_organization/mayors-speeches.aspx   

 Message from Calgary Alliance of Community Theatres encouraging Calgarians to complete a survey telling city council what is important to its citizens when deciding where the city’s tax dollars are spent.
“We have a Mayor who has demonstrated support for the Arts in our City. We need to remind him that he is not alone.”

Hello Everyone

There was a recent meeting for Arts Organizations discussing  the current City Budget process. (See Saturdays Herald-pg D3) The City is looking for input from it’s citizens so this is an opportunity to not only inform the mandarins of what you consider a priority for the City to look after, but to also remind them that the Arts are important to you and should not be cast aside in a potential era of fiscal restraint. The bureaucrats are threatening 20-24+% property tax increase. Posturing? Softening us up? Who knows but usually funding to the Arts, which brings in millions of dollars in economic activity to the City, usually gets cast aside first.

We have a Mayor who has demonstrated support for the Arts in our City. We need to remind him that he is not alone.

Please go to www.allourideas.org/calgarycityservices  and complete the survey.

You should first check out the “Budget Kit Booklet” it gives you info about what services are done and how much they are costing the city.
      Then click on the “follow the link” in the “did you attend a recent forum” paragraph. It’s a bit convoluted but you should be able to find your way to the surveys. The other survey is an “ether/or” style survey which is interesting and annoying in it’s evident bias. But maybe that is me.

The deadline for submission is April 22 so, please  find yourself some time to give the city some feedback about what works & what needs improvement and don’t forget to let them know that you are a supporter of the Arts in Calgary and you want the City to support the Arts as well.

Cheers
      Bill Torrie
      President
      Calgary Alliance of Community Theatres

Walterdale Playhouse
Bricks and Mortar, Guts and Dedication

Walterdale Theatre Associates is proud, and lucky, to be housed in one of Old Strathcona’s landmark historical buildings.  While sources vary, it is certain that the Firehall was built between 1909 and 1911, so whichever way you look at it, our illustrious home is now 100 years old.

The story of how this building has been renovated and maintained by Walterdale volunteers since 1974 is a story of determination and dedication.  Several major renovations have taken place along with continuous improvements and upgrading.

The building is designated as a Provincial Historic Resource.  In 2011, it will be designated as a Municipal Historic Resource as well.  Along with this designation, you will see some renovations and improvements between April and September.

1)    With funding support from the Enabling Accessibility Fund of the Government of Canada, the downstairs washrooms are going to be demolished and replaced with barrier-free washrooms for both men and women.  This will take place between April and June of 2011.

2)    With funding support from the City of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta, the Firehall is going to get an exterior facelift. The windows, doors, cornice and concrete are going to be stripped and repainted.  The sidewalk along the west side of the building is going to be torn up and re-laid.  The back of the building will be cleaned up, and the north-east corner of the alley behind the theatre will be re-graded and paved to ensure water flow away from the building.

As with any renovations, there may be some things that cause inconvenience to our volunteers and patrons.  Please be patient and understanding as we once again work to keep our beautiful building in tiptop condition.

For more information visit http://walterdaleplayhouse.com

The 2011 Pulitzer Prize Winner
Drama

For a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris, a powerful work whose memorable characters speak in witty and perceptive ways to America’s sometimes toxic struggle with race and class consciousness.

Finalists

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “Detroit” by Lisa D’Amour, a contemporary tragicomic play that depicts a slice of desperate life in a declining inner-ring suburb where hope is in foreclosure’ and “A Free Man of Color” by John Guare, an audacious play spread across a large historical canvas, dealing with serious subjects while retaining a playful intellectual buoyancy.

www.pulitzer.org

AFA Newswire
www.affta.ab.ca
April 21, 2011

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts announces the Arts Presenting Grant Stream

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) announces the arrival of the new Arts Presenting grant stream as part of the Arts Organizations Operational Grant Program.  The Arts Presenting grant stream combines the former Community Presenting and Arts Festival project grant streams.

The introduction of the Arts Presenting grant stream allows for festival and presenting activities by the same organization, clarifies eligibility requirements and further increases administrative efficiency leading to an improved grant process.

The Arts Presenting grant stream application annual deadline is November 15. To ensure a smooth transition for clients of the Community Presenting and Arts Festivals grant streams:

• Clients preparing to apply to the July 15, 2011 Community Presenting intake will be able to claim eligible events from July 1, 2010 to November 14, 2011.
• Returning Arts Festivals clients will be allowed to claim eligible events from November 15, 2010 to November 14, 2011.

Clients interested in applying for funding through the Arts Presenting grant stream can find the guidelines on the AFA website at www.affta.ab.ca/organization-operational-grant-program.aspx.

        The AFA Board of Directors and Alberta Culture and Community Spirit will continue to work together to find ways to better meet the needs of Alberta’s diverse arts communities.

For Immediate Release
Monday, April 18, 2011
Edmonton’s first artists’ housing co-op joins Alberta Ave arts revitalization

EDMONTON – Arts Habitat Association is pleased to announce their latest project: ArtsHab Alberta Ave, Edmonton’s first affordable housing co-op for artists. Located above the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts, this 16-suite project is a new cornerstone in the arts-led revitalization of 118 Ave.

The new co-op will allow artists to live and work in a dynamic community that is highly motivated to support the arts. The completion of this development is a source of pride for Arts Habitat Association of Edmonton, whose goal is to provide safe, affordable and appropriate living and working space for artists and arts organizations.

Nina Haggerty Centre Director, Wendy Hollo, is delighted with the development. “The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts was thrilled to welcome Arts Habitat as its condo partner in the new ArtsHab Alberta Avenue facility. Their presence on the Ave helps to grow the artistic community that is palpably transforming this once beleaguered neighbourhood into Edmonton’s newest arts district,” she says.

Arts Habitat Association General Manager, Linda Huffman adds, “Arts and culture led regeneration has been proven to create diverse, inclusive and healthy communities. New investments such as affordable housing and facilities for the arts have long-term positive effects for the community, and are key components in the City’s strategy to revitalize 118 Ave. Literally next door to the co-op is the Alberta Cycle Building which Arts Habitat is developing into a multi-discipline arts facility with partner, Arts on the Ave.”

“We welcome ArtsHab Alberta Ave as a huge addition to the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood.  It brings life, creativity and friendships to the Ave.” says Christy Morin of Arts on the Ave.

Actor Garett Spelliscy is one of the co-op’s first members.  He has discovered the benefits that living in a co-op offers, “We’ve gotten to know all our neighbours. We’re all like-minded and we all have a sense of shared responsibility to the building and each other.”

Arts Habitat Association acknowledges the generous support of the City of Edmonton through the Cornerstones Program for Affordable Housing.  Many thanks to our partners, Edmonton Inner City Housing Society for their vision in presenting us with this outstanding opportunity, and Artists Urban Village – a chapter of PAL Canada for their insight and commitment to affordable housing for artists. We also thank our development consultant Lynn Hannley of The Communitas Group.

Media contact:
      Linda Huffman
      General Manager
      Arts Habitat Association
      T: 780 932-3676
      E: lhuffman@artshab.com
      W: www.artshab.com

AFA Newswire
www.affta.ab.ca
April 15, 2011

Cultural Industry Program now part of the Alberta Multimedia Development Fund

Alberta Culture and Community Spirit and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) announce the transfer of Cultural Industries (book and magazine publishing, sound recording, small film production) programming and related funding from the AFA to the Alberta Multimedia Development Fund (AMDF). This includes the Cultural Industries Grant streams and funding for Cultural Industries support organizations.

Following an extensive three year (2006-09) evaluation of AFA programming, the AFA determined a funding model external to the AFA would be better able to support the Cultural Industries as outlined in The Spirit of Alberta, Alberta’s cultural policy.  The AFA will continue to support individual artists in music, film and the literary arts.

The Cultural Industries Grant Program, revised following consultation with sector stakeholders, has been moved to the AMDF. Program guidelines, application forms and further information can be found at http://culture.alberta.ca/multimediafund/default.aspx. Program deadlines have been moved to June 1 annually beginning in 2011.

For questions and further information please contact Paul Pearson, Director of Arts Services, at 780-422-3827 or paul.pearson@gov.ab.ca.