Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 11, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba Sunday Mao axing focus Marci i ii of do writers collective growing Novice authors learn from Peers the Canadian authors association is turning 80 this and the Manitoba born in the same would be celebrating the same Milestone if it had sur the Manitoba Branch ceased operations last a victim not of a War of but one of num declining membership and a workout slice of life executive with too Many Lori Firo Cahoot hours and years of service led to the final these do not reveal the True activities at the Manitoba Branch were but the majority of people who contacted us were Novice they were serious about Honing their sharing information with other writers and celebrating their achieve most of our programming reflected the interests of this Popula they not interested in joining a professional especially one with the fee Structure of the authors a oneyear membership costs with there is no difference in Cost Between an associate and a Vot ing for which you must provide proof of publishing expert seventy seven per cent of each membership fee remains with the National Council and they disallow offering memberships at a Branch regardless of the value of participation in a National organization with the history and prestige of the Cana Dian authors we found fewer Novice writers willing or Able to join at that As a our membership dwindled to without a Active the responsibilities of running the Branch rested on the shoulders of a Mere handful of we thought the solution was a simple equation lower one number fees and the other num Bers would Rise membership and Volunteer solutions Are never simple when they require at the authors association National conference in june last a Small delegation of Manitoba members presented a proposal for a change in fee Structure a lower fee for associates and a larger percentage of that Money to remain with the branches for although we had Strong support from pockets of members from other for the most those in attendance and those Able to vote were satisfied to keep things As they in most expressed fear that discounted fees would spell the end of a balanced budget and throw the organization into a we believed that a lower fee would attract More Novice writers to our roster and bring a new vitality to the but our proposal was As a the Manitoba Branch quietly closed its doors after 79 years of there were no ashes from which a Phoenix might have for there were no they were but past serious about experience told Honing their snaring information with other writers and rpm Phatina Ceil Oraig their achieve organization that served the needs of new so the collective for professional and developing the writers collective for Short was our objective is to be accessible and responsive to the needs of new All of our programming is educational and designed for writers in All genres and Levels of membership is open to everyone and we offer reasonable including a special rate for students and the under our membership is at about 150 already and is growing every writing is a lonely occupation and most of the educational opportunities Marc free press writing is a lonely task and writers can use advice and for writers Are limited in time and where can you get feedback on the novel you develop Over years of rewriting How do you know if the pages of poems in your drawer Are ready for an editors scrutiny where would you Send them if they were so what does the writers collective offer emerging writers we present skill building workshops on such topics As building interesting charac ters How to get published editing for beginners and How to read and write if you Are looking for ongoing practical tips and the Moti vation to you can join a monthly pee editing writers facilitated by a professional instruct thanks to the support of the Winnipeg free we cosponsor six writing in nonfiction and for students and our bimonthly the collective contains Market writing new books by Manitoba and Canadian write Friendly web site listings and fiction and nonfiction by new and developing our weekly radio a Bunch of on features interviews and readings by a variety of local and International we have hosted individual inter views and panel discussions on such topics As and As Well As new poetry round storytellers and contest win on the third thursday of every month we Host a words and music Coffee where you can enjoy performances by local writers and participants and Mem Bers of the writ ers collective where can you Are available Fol get feedback on the novel answer ques Vou develop tons and share 3d vice the Over years of writers Coli dec Tive is growing How do you know if the in your am Are ready from now fees Are encourage and assist devel Oping and professional will we still be around 80 years i Only Hope the letters to the editor the free press welcomes letters from they must include the authors address and Telephone letters May be letters to the 1355 Mountain r2x fax email nearly nude photos insulting after having a visual diet of scantily Clad women throughout your pages More often than its time for a by frequently displaying such photos example Liz xxx tra Large March it fur ther diminishes my Faith that you Are the intellectually stimulating paper you once and its nothing against or any other women you proudly in i met Liz and had a drink with her in an English pub Back in the Early and Shes a very Nice in quite sure she would agree with me in what in telling there Are More suitable sources to find such when i read my free i like to be informed of current events and issues in a reasonable i dont like to be or sometimes by nearly nude women stripped Down to whats left of them before my very Amy Mcewan Winnipeg journalistic integrity shown thank you thank you for showing your journalistic integrity once on a recent i bought two papers your front Page featured five incredibly heroic men who spent the last three weeks walking Lake Winnipeg in the name of their personal triumphs were inspiring these five men challenged themselves far above on the front Page of your so called competitions paper was a doubled i help but wonder what things she accomplished in the last three weeks opening up the peroxide bottle without her Teeth per haps Ingr Dengel Winnipeg its no wonder Afghanistan wont listen the recent event in Afghanistan where the Taliban regime is destroying the Buddha statues has caught the worlds we Are flabbergasted at the indifference of the Afghani govern ment to the worlds outrage and consider this just another example of strict islamic it is very unfortunate that we never take the time to consider the events in their context before passing judg the world used the Afghani nation to fight off the communist threat the russians and set up the Afghani people As heroes and flooded that society with arms and Armuni we did not care then whether in Afghanistan there was a booming drug Trade or that it was an ultraconservative society or that there was no Clear leadership and that illiteracy was ram we needed we used them and then we turned on once they had Defeated the rus the world Community abandoned the Afghani people to make the Transi Tion to rebuilding their nation on their As Afghanistan Slid into civil the same Mujahideen who were so praised for their valour and bravery Are now terrorists and islamic extremists a threat to the democratic the islamic institution of jihad that inspired and motivated the afghanis to defeat the russians was now a cause of concern As this meant an islamic the Battle cry to mobilize the world against Afghanistan because of its treatment of women is hypocritical and what has gone unreported is that Afghani society has always been segregated along gender lines with the exception of the City who constitute perhaps one per cent of the popu when the Afghani children were being killed and maimed by the Mil Lions of mines left behind by the rus what help did we offer while thousands of children and the elderly Are dying due to malnutrition and Lack of medical supplies and what have we done to rectify this when neighbouring Pakistan takes in millions of refugees straining its own meagre where is the Public outcry to help we impose sanctions and Cut off relations based on our ethnocentric View of How a society should if we Are concerned Over the treat ment of women in Afghanistan then let us provide them with female Medicine and Freand postnatal care and rebuild schools for girls rather than waging a War against their Idolo associated press it is no wonder Afghanistan Taliban rulers wont respond to the wests pleas to save Buddha Afghanistan is a country riddled with the aftermath of years of War and civil therefore to hold it to the same standards that we enjoy in our peaceful country is unreasonable and is it any Surprise that with our Cal Lous treatment of the Afghani nation and our disregard for their suffering that they have responded with indifference to our cries on the destruction of statues albeit these Are historical Arti facts Shahina Siddiqui Winnipeg Granger made remarks before Campaign i am so sick and tired of hearing about How poor Little Betty Granger was mistreated and misunderstood by the general Public and her former col leagues on the Board of trustees for Winnipeg school As one of the if not the aboriginal person at Simon Eraser University student seminar on Public policy that was held in Winnipeg in March 2000 and facilitated by the Frontier Centre for Public i can assure you that the comments Granger made at the University of Winnipeg in november did not appear to be accidental or out of the As she made the similar statements regarding the invasion during a break at the March 2000 Alison Dubois Winnipeg Mol Gat a pillar of Cadet movement the army Cadet league of the army and the Canadian Cadet movement have lost a great senator Gildas Mol Gat was a dedicated fellow governor Large of the army Cadet league of a and pillar without it would be perhaps impose to find a Man with greater Dedi cation and sincerity in his support of Canadian As Pas president of the army Cadet league of Canada Manitoba and a governor Large of the league i speak for All league Mem Bers when i say that senator Mol Gat was a role Model for All of observing his tactful manner combined with his persuasive style of leadership and his Strong belief in the resilience of Canadas youth was a privilege of the highest senator Mol Gat will be missed How he will always be with Brian Garagan Winnipeg Latimer should be Back on his farm the supreme court of Canada is in my mind Long overdue for a major Why should one group of professionals Rule the population of such a Large country As Canada Robert Latimer should no More be in jail than i know what it is like to see a loved one slowly fade away before your eyes and heart and in the it was she who said no to the life saving apparatus which would have made her a bedridden invalid for the rest of her Latuner should be Back on his farm As he is certainly no criminal and certainly no threat to the George Inkster Winnipeg Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 vol 129 no 95 2000 Winnipeg free a division of newspapers division of Thomson Canada limited published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Manitoba r2x pm 6977000 a member of the Manitoba press Council Rudy publisher email Nicholas Patrick Flynn Deputy editor ;