Write! Canada coverage highlights intellectual freedom risks, troubles of book industry

Publicity from Write! Canada 2008, which ended two Saturdays ago, is humming along, and I see where Lloyd Mackey kindly quoted me at some length at Christianity.com, on the "human rights commissions" (= the Nanny Monster), and on the publishing climate in Canada in general,

Noting that Canada's 26-year-old Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees "freedom of thought, conscience and belief," O'Leary suggested that concept is "slowly being eroded by the 'human rights' system -- which I call the 'human' face of fascism."

While "those who seek to undermine intellectual freedom in Canada aim very frequently (but not only) at Christians," she maintained the aim of such people is to consolidate "their own power over society."

Tackling some of the recent practical challenges to Christian book writing and publishing, O'Leary pointed out that the market "is increasingly restricted to people who approach a publisher with a guaranteed existing audience . . . Securing an audience in advance has become a key task for the writer."

Her comments reflected an underlying current of concern at the conference, attended by some 200 writers, journalists and authors from across Canada.

The concern was predicated by the shutdown of the Canadian arm of the Christian Booksellers' Association one year ago, as well as the closure of close to 20 bookstores nationwide in the Blessings and Christian Publications chains earlier this year.

Here's the whole talk. Whatever else we do, let's maintain the current of concern (and ramp it up plenty). But we must not, under any circumstances, turn it into a "culture of concern," thus merely adding to the number of professional busybodies undermining the timbers of our society.

You know, people who can't write who presume to judge writers, people who can't publish or sell books and magazines, who would lord it over publishers and booksellers, all in the guise of "human rights."

As I have written elsewhere, Canada is rotten with this kind of Commission creep. But it is very encouraging to see how many good citizens, coming from a variety of perspectives, are starting to get the big picture and speak out.

The book cover above is of Hot Apple Cider, introduced at the conference - an anthology of some of the best Canadian Christian writing in recent years. It would make a great gift, especially for someone new to Canada or just visiting. Plus, you are helping the Resistance fight the Nanny Monster. Christian writers don't get money from the government for shutting up.

Write! Canada 2008: CD of my business course for writers available

Some of the best fun of Write! Canada is my business course, Freelance Survival 101, marketed under a variety of names in different years. (If it's me teaching, chances are the course is the business end of writing.)

The course is fun for me because I get to meet people who are serious about becoming professional writers, hear their stories, help them analyze their hopes and goals, and point them to many tools and trail markers along the way.

I just received a note recently from student Nikki Everts-Hammond who shares an interest in ecology with me. In particular, Nikki, who has a science background, knows that the health of the soil is the health of the garden. Her particular interest is earthworms, on which she blogs, along with other relevant subjects. I did not know, for example, that the common red rigger is an invasive species native to Australia

Eisenia feotida [red wriggler] IS an invader, along with 17 other species, only two are actually native to Ontario. Introduced through commercial cultivation, E. feotida is now found in the wild and was brought in by European settlers a century or two ago. Localized for the most part around human settlements.
E. feotida are indigenous to Australia

Now to business: You can order a CD of the business course (You love writing? Turn your dream into a life!) from Swordfish here for $40 and of my plenary talk for $10. The plenary talk was actually much funnier than the written version here. (No, I don't get royalties; they go to the conference, to help make each edition better than the last. So if you want to be nice to me, feed the Paypal kitty at the top right or check out some of the more interesting blog ads that Google runs.)

The photo at the top left is from my own garden - it is my favourite flower, ipomoea caerulea, the heavenly blue morning glory.

Find out why there is an intelligent design controversy here:

The Spiritual Brain shortlisted for three Write! Canada awards

According to today's release from The Word Guild, The Spiritual Brain: A neuroscientist's case for the existence of the soul is shortlisted in Book-Culture, Book-General Readership, and Book-Leadership/ Theoretical, in the Canadian Christian Writing Awards.




I am also individually shortlisted for a piece I wrote for St' Mike's Alumni magazine, "The God they don't believe in is certainly not great."

Awards night is not till June 11, by which time I should have found my summer suit.

The day after the Awards gala, the Write! Canada conference begins in Guelph, and yes, I am teaching again this year - my usual track on why many writers do not deserve to starve and, in any event, how to write for a living without starving.

Note: My other blog, The Mindful Hack, which supports The Spiritual Brain, is a good source of news and views on non-materialist neuroscience.

By Design or by Chance? wins two awards at Write! Canada

At the Write! Canada convention awards night (June 17, 2004), By Design or by Chance?, an overview of the intelligent design controversy, won two Canadian Christian Writing Awards, one in the category of books on culture and the other in the category of personal growth/Bible study & theology. The culture award was shared with Dianne B. Stinton of Nairobi, Kenya, for Jesus of Africa.

By Design or by Chance? (Augsburg Fortress 2004), by Toronto journalist, Denyse O’Leary, was first published in Canada, but the US edition followed a month later.

“What makes the wins especially gratifying is that we had such a strong field this year,” O’Leary said. “The number of books that honestly deserve prizes rapidly outstripped the number of prizes available. It seems that Christians in Canada are beginning to find their literary voice.”

Service note: If you are looking for my extended review of Privileged Planet, go here. If you are looking for information on the showing of Privileged Planet at the Smithsonian, go here and here to start, and then this one will bring you up to date.

For the first time, Quill and Quire, the Canadian book publishing industry’s publication, sent a reporter to the Write! Canada convention. The reporter interviewed O’Leary and others at some length on the growth of high quality writing among Canadian Christians.

Write! Canada is sponsored by The Word Guild, which aims at “connecting, developing & promoting Canadian writers & editors who are Christian.”

You can read excerpts from By Design or by Chance?

Blog service note: I have enabled Comments to the June 16 post now that I am back in town.