Hello from SiWC Central!

 

This newsletter is for everyone, whether or not you're already registered for SiWC 2023. We have lots of news to share about our presenters and the conference as well as writing contest info and more.

 

Note, if you ARE already joining us, hooray! Looking forward to seeing you, whether in person or virtually, in October. We'll start sending attendee-specific emails much closer to the conference with the info you need to make the most of SiWC this year. If you're not already registered, please join us!

 

 

It's turning out to be a big year for SiWC presenters on the awards front. Huge congratulations to THREE of our SiWC 2023 presenters for being named finalists for this year's Hugo Awards: Mary Robinette Kowal for Best Novel for The Spare Man; CL Polk for Best Novella for Even Though I Knew the End, which also won this year's Nebula for Best Novella; and John Wiswell for Best Short Story for "D.I.Y." Congratulations also to 2022 presenter Gabino Iglesias for winning the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel and the Shirley Jackson Award (in a tie) this year for The Devil Takes You Home.

 

If you're up for any awards for your own writing or have a good news story to share about your writing or publishing journey, please email me at [email protected] and let me know if I can include your story on the Good News Stories page on our website.

 

 

SiWC 2023 Success Story Presenter Yilin Wang is raising funds to take legal action against the British Museum for copyright and moral rights violations. The museum used Yilin's translations of Chinese poet Qiu Jin's poetry in their "China's Hidden Century" exhibition without permission, credit, or payment. You can read more about this in Yilin's interview with Modern Poetry in Translation here. 

 

 

Do you write non-fiction? Our friends at Event magazine are once again running their non-fiction writing contest. See the detailed message from our own JJ Lee below.

 

Fiction writers, our own Jack Whyte Storyteller's Contest is also open for short story submissions. Check out all the contest rules on our contest page: https://www.siwc.ca/writing-contest/. First prize is $1000CAD; honorable mentions win $150. Subject to editorial review, winning stories will also be published in Pulp Literature. Our writing contest is open to all writers anywhere in the world. You do not have to attend the conference to enter the contest.`

 

 

We are delighted to announce that we are partnering with Western Sky Books, a local indie, for our on-site conference bookstore this year. We're thrilled to have them join us. If you have book shopping to do (and who among us doesn't have book shopping to do??) please check them out in person in Port Coquitlam or online at https://store.westernskybooks.com/home.

 

 

Early bird pricing for SiWC 2023 ends July 31. New registrants, sign up now at https://www.siwc.ca/registration/ to save. Current registrants, to upgrade your package or add master classes at the early bird rate, email our conference administrator Kim by July 31 at [email protected]. After July 31, regular conference pricing applies to new and upgrading registrants. Our system does not allow you to add to or upgrade your own registration, but Kim is happy to help.

 

At the time of writing this, space is available in all conference packages and master classes except Crystal Hunt's Using Emotional Wounds, which is sold out. If the class or package you want is sold out by the time you register, please email Kim at [email protected] to get on the waiting list. 

 

 

If you are a young writer, a Black writer, an Indigenous writer, or a writer from any underrepresented group, we strongly encourage you to apply for one of our scholarships. Details are available under Scholarships on the News and Community menu at www.siwc.ca. Note that if you are already registered for the conference and win a scholarship, we will refund you the value of your scholarship win. Please don't self-reject. There is no application fee, so you have absolutely nothing to lose by applying. The deadline for this year's scholarships is September 15, 2023. Winners will be notified by the end of September.

 

If you know someone who might benefit from one of our scholarships, please pass this information along.

 

 

That's it from us for now. More soon!

 

Kathy

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Surrey International Writers' Conference Society
Suite #544 | 151-10090 152nd St | Surrey BC V3R 8X8 | Canada