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April 8, 2008

Three Gorgeous Rooms, Three Great Readers!

Join Room magazine and host Joy Gugeler at the BC Book and Magazine Week Literary Tour to hear poetry and short fiction from current and future issues of Canada's best literary magazine by and for women. In this half-hour event, Emily Wight, Claire Tacon, and Jamella Hagen will give snappy readings from works appearing three consecutive Rooms: starting with 30.4—"Love and Other Indoor Sports"—and moving into sneak peaks from our next two upcoming issues.

Thursday April 24, 7:45 pm - 8:20 pm
Lugz Coffee Lounge, 2525 Main Street (at Broadway)
as part of the BC Book & Magazine Week Literary Tour
www.bcbookandmagazineweek.com



December 13, 2007

Room Magazine Annual 2008 Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Non-fiction Contest

It's that time of year again—sharpen your pencils or fire up your laptop and send us your fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction contest entries.

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked no later than July 15, 2008.
Entry Fee: $27 per entry (includes a complimentary one-year subscription to Room). Payment by cheque or money order made out to Room.
Non-Canadian entries: $39 Canadian dollars
Prizes: 1st prize in each category – $500, 2nd prize – $250. Winners will be published in a 2009 issue of Room. Other manuscripts may be published.

Judges:
Creative Non-Fiction: Rita Moir
Fiction: Ivan E Coyote
Poetry - Evelyn Lau

Rules & Details:
Send entries to:
Room Fiction and Poetry Contest
P.O. Box 46160, Station D
Vancouver, BC  V6J 5G5
Canada

More than one entry will be accepted as long as fee is paid for each entry. No manuscripts will be returned. Only winners will be notified.

Poetry: max. 3 poems or 150 lines | Fiction: max. 4,000 words

There will be blind judging, therefore, do not put your name or address on entry submission, but enclose a cover sheet with your name, address, phone number and title(s) of entry. Entries must be typed on 8.5 X 11 white paper. Prose must be double-spaced. Each entry must be original, unpublished, not submitted or accepted elsewhere for publication and not entered simultaneously in any other contest or competition.




December 1, 2007

2007 Contest Winners Announced!

Congratulations to the following finalists in Room's 2007 Poetry and Fiction Contest!

Poetry: 1st place:
"Larger than Life"
Pam Calabrese MacLean
2nd place:
"MIracle of Language"
Patricia Young
Honourable Mention
"A Short History of Swings"
Patricia Young

Fiction: 1st place:
"Treading Water"
Amanda Sun
2nd Place:
"Camel Spin"
Angela Long

Judges' Biographies
Poetry Judge – Stephanie Bolster
Stephanie Bolster's first book, White Stone: The Alice Poems, won the Governor-General's Award and the Gerald Lampert Award in 1998. She has also published Two Bowls of Milk and Pavilion, recently edited The Ishtar Gate: Last and Selected Poems by the late Ottawa poet Diana Brebner, and is guest editor for the inaugural The Best Canadian Poetry in English 2007 anthology. Raised in Burnaby, B.C., she teaches Creative Writing at Concordia University in Montreal.

Fiction Judge – Laisha Rosnau
Laisha Rosnau is a novelist and poet. Her first novel, The Sudden Weight of Snow (McClelland and Steward 2002), appeared on best-seller lists across Canada and was runner-up for the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award. Her first full-length collection of poetry, Notes on Leaving (Nightwood 2004), won the Acorn-Plantos People's Poetry Award in 2005. Laisha lives in Prince George, B.C., where she is working on a second collection of poetry and a second novel during the nap times of her infant son.



May 28, 2007

BC Volunteer of the Year Award

BC Association of Magazine Publishers press release - May 28, 2007

The BC Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP) is happy to announce that Lisa Manfield has been chosen as B.C. Volunteer of the Year Award. Lisa has contributed enormously to the Canadian magazine industry through her volunteer editorial and operational work with Room magazine, her work with future writers and publishers, and her many years of dedicated service on the boards of directors of both Vancouver's Word on the Street and BCAMP. Lisa was chosen as the most deserving nominee out of several received from the B.C.-published magazines. The final decision was made by Brian Kaufman, editor of subTerrain and one of the founders of BCAMP.

Lisa's publishing career began at Realm magazine in the late 1990s. She has been a contributing editor with Backbone, and she now works as a marketing consultant to publishers, a freelance writer with several trade magazines, an editor with suite101.com, and as associate editor at CGA Magazine. Lisa is also the longest-serving member of the volunteer collective, which manages Room, Canada's oldest feminist literary journal.

Lisa has given countless hours to Room as an editor, organizer and fundraiser. She recently helped guide its collective through significant organizational changes and a major re-branding, and she lead the editorial team for many issues, including its 30th anniversary release. She also manages the magazine's grant writing, fundraising and human resources. On behalf of Room, Lisa contributes to the future of the industry by volunteering her time to speak to writing groups, schools, and event audiences about the importance of Canadian magazines.

Lisa's experience and knowledge of both the cultural and business sides of magazine publishing has been extremely valuable in her past work on the board of The Word on the Street and her ongoing work on the BCAMP board, where she sits as vice-president. She is also the current chair of BCAMP's Professional Development committee, where she leads discussions on the programming for Camp BCAMP and Magazines West, and represents the organization at events in other Canadian cities.

The B.C. and the Canadian magazine industry has greatly benefited from Lisa's dedication, energy, and willingness to commit her time and experience. We are thrilled to be able to thank her for her efforts with this award.


I'd like to thank everyone who nominated me for this award; I am truly honoured to receive it. This industry is fuelled by the volunteers whose passion for publishing propels them -- and their publications -- forward, and I am thrilled to have been a part of it for the last decade. It is more than a labour of love; it is a desire to ensure that there continues to be room for new voices, creativity and self-expression in the Canadian media spectrum. Every single volunteer on the Room board should be recognized for the enormous number of hours they devote to seeing that this publication does what it can to promote and encourage Canadian literary talent. I am lucky to be part of such a wonderful group of publishing professionals and I accept the award on behalf of all of my fellow volunteers. To us!
-- Lisa Manfield




March 22, 2007

Room Celebrates the Big 30!

This year, Room has a lot to celebrate—the premier Canadian journal of female writing and art is turning 30!

To commemorate this momentous milestone, we shortened our name (from Room of One's Own to, simply, Room), updated our look, added new editorial features, and of course, had a party! A wine and cheese gala was held at Centre A in Vancouver on March 21 to launch issue 30.1. Against the backdrop of artistic works by Sally Lee and Bernadette Phan, guests were treated to a reading from Diane Haynes' interview with Devyani Satlzman, poetry readings by Elizabeth Bachinsky and Anna Helena Warje, and a musical performance by Mary Castle.

Anna Helena Warje Diane Haynes Elizabeth Bachinsky

Anna Helena Warje

Diane Haynes

Elizabeth Bachinsky





2006 Contest Winners Announced!

Congratulations to the following finalists in Room's 2006 Poetry and Fiction Contest! The winning pieces have been published in issues 30.1. The honourable mentions are available online in PDF format (click the links below).

Poetry: 1st place:
"Cousin"
Myrna Garanis
Edmonton, Alberta
2nd place:
"In the Neurology Ward"
Grace Cockburn
Victoria, BC

Fiction: 1st place:
"Parada"
Rhonda Collis
Cobble Hill, BC
Honourable mention:
"In the Balance" (PDF)
Joan McEwen
Vancouver, BC
Honourable mention:
"To China with Love" (PDF)
Cathy Sosnowsky
West Vancouver, BC




2005 Contest Winners

Congratulations to the following finalists in Room's 2005 Poetry and Fiction Contest! The winning pieces are available online in PDF format (click the links below).

Poetry: First place:
"Overwintering" (PDF)
Vicki Goodfellow Duke
Calgary, AB
Second place:
"Into Grains of Sand" (PDF)
Zoya Harris
Vancouver, BC
Honourable mention:
"Page 5 Girl Next Door!"
Shannon Stewart
West Vancouver, BC

Fiction: 1st place:
"Seedlings" (PDF)
Helyn Wohlwend
Cobble Hill, BC


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