Suite101.com at Word on the Street, Vancouver 2009

Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh Sep 29, 2009

Suite101.com was happy to return to the Word on the Street National Book & Magazine Festival. For the past 15 years this festival has been held across Canada in Vancouver, BC; Kitchener, Ontario; Toronto, Ontario; and Halifax, Nova Scotia with the goal of "promoting literacy throughout the community".

I can't believe it's been an entire year since Suite101.com was there last, but it really goes to show just how far we've come. Editor-in-Chief Colin Smith was there bright and early setting up the table and greeting writer hopefuls (and even a few fans!). He was joined by myself, Associate Editor Lima Al-Azzeh, and Managing Editor Emma Worbeck. We were delighted to have an opportunity to meet people face to face and talk about the opportunities we offer freelance writers.

What surprised me about this year's event was the amount of fresh, young faces looking for ways to push off their journalistic careers. These eager writers are looking for any opportunity to be published and preserve the power and importance of communicating via the written word. Newspapers may be dying, but young journalists are still searching for opportunities to practice their craft. We're happy to support these budding careers and hope to be a significant part of their experience and education.

This year also saw the exciting launch of "The Word on the Screen" an event that uses innovative technologies to bring readers the ultimate book signing experience. Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood read an excerpt form her latest novel The Year of the Flood via a live broadcast from Toronto. Readers in Vancouver, Kitchener, and Halifax were able to partake in a live Q&A session with the author through interactive video. Not only that, but Atwood was available to sign copies of the book using LongPen technology, an innovative way to transmit a genuine, personalized autograph from the author to the pages of the book. Atwood fans were also given the opportunity to engage with her through private video chats.

So it seems that as the years go by, literary festivals and organizations are recognizing the value of integrating online media and supporting their efforts equally to bring readers, and writers, together on a national and international scale. While print publications continue to survive this economic downturn, both readers and writers are seeking out more opportunities to share their knowledge.

That being said, it was a great privilege to sit alongside our fellow magazine editors and publishers. The Magazine Life tent hosted such wonderful publications as The Tyee, Event, and The Block magazine proving that print publications are as vital as ever.

Thanks to the BC Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP) for hosting another successful event. We hope to be there spreading the word for many years to come.