Written by Alexandra Bogdanovic; copy edited by Tanya Procyshyn

On Sunday, September 28, EAC-BC participated in Word Vancouver, a free reading and writing festival. It is also part of Cultural Days, a national celebration of the arts. The festival began on Wednesday, September 24, and was held over the course of five days. Events took place at several venues, including The Paper Hound, Banyen Books & Sound, The Cottage Bistro, Christianne’s Lyceum, Historic Joy Kogawa House, and SFU Harbour Centre. The main event was held on Sunday, September 28, at the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch.

Festival events included presentations by accomplished authors, interesting and informative panel discussions, and professional development workshops, in addition to the main stage with numerous musical and theatrical performances. Among the many highlighted guest appearances, Janet Love Morrison, an EAC member, presented the popular topic of writing for children on Saturday, September 27. On Sunday, September 28, Michelle van der Merwe, an established magazine editor and EAC member, gave a well-attended presentation on freelance writing for magazines, on behalf of EAC-BC. Both presentations were followed by lively and informative question-and-answer sessions.

This fun and energetic family event also featured over 80 booths, including the EAC-BC booth staffed by member volunteers. Peter Moskos, Alicja Serafin, Tara Masaki, Jennifer Stewart, Joanne King, Tanya Procyshyn, Alexandra Bogdanovic, and Amy Haagsma greeted visitors with book bag giveaways and informative brochures on how to join EAC and how to find and hire an editor.

This exciting and successful event has been produced by The Vancouver Book and Magazine Fair Society since 1995 and celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. Originally called The Word On The Street, this annual event takes place in several cities across Canada and endeavours to promote literacy to all by featuring Canadian and British Columbian literature and artists. EAC-BC is proud to have been a part of this inspiring gathering for many years, and we look forward to many more successful years as a participant in the festival.

Alexandra Bogdanovic was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, and is experienced in marketing communications. She has been a student member of EAC since 2013.

Tanya Procyshyn is a freelance writer/editor and science grad student based in Burnaby, BC.

Image by Amy Haagsma.