Great day today at Word on the Street. Had a blast making the rounds, talking about the conference and meeting the glowing literati of the Vancouver area. Tons of our presenters were on the street, performing, schmoozing, having a ball.

It was the first official 'shadow' outing for my successor, Kathy Chung. Kathy will be keeping a close eye on the workings of the conference this year, as she'll be taking over as conference coordinator in 2010. We'll be profiling her on this blog very soon.

The Book Broads [Angela Crocker, Kim Plumly and Peggy Richardson] interviewed Kathy and me for a video post on their blog. We'll post a link to it here when it goes live. We talked about all the great stuff we have planned for the conference this year -- it's going to be a winner! The Book Broads will all be volunteering at the conference -- make sure to say hi when you see them this year!

Other SiWC 2009 presenters at WOTS included:  Annabel Lyon, who was just this week included on the Giller Prize longlist for her new novel The Golden Mean, was interviewed by former presenter favourite Stephen Galloway.

From Blank Page to Big Screen

In addition to all the vital information you need to develop a screenplay, Brian and Keith give you and your project their hands-on, personal attention. In a dynamic, collaborative environment, their 'tag team' approach will help you evolve your characters, develop your structure, conquer your unique challenges. It's not simply about learning to write: it's about being motivated, confident, and supported in your endeavours.

Upcoming Weekend Blitz Workshops

In five sessions of high-octane teaching, Vancouver Island Screenwriters Keith Digby and Brian Paisley will take participants through hands-on sessions in script formatting, screenwriting structure, character development, writing dialogue that hums, creating visual action scenes, and building sequences that grip the audience.

WHERE:

New Westminster, BC

I just received notice of this contest today -- but it's a good 'un, (winner gets a book contract!) so if you've got something in your notebook that might work...send it in! One of the judges is our own Anthony Dalton, who will be presenting at our conference this year.

Many people travel and many people write but few take to the level Anthony Dalton has. In addition to being published his adventures have been recognized by both the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club, where he holds the title of Fellow. In this week's episode of the SiWC Soapbox host kcdyer interviews Anthony Dalton. The discussion includes how Anthony was blind-sided by the subject of a biography he was writing, his writing process, and his presentation at the conference.

Check it out: The Soapbox - Ep4: Anthony Dalton