Rural communities across Alberta now have access to a Writer-in-Residence through their regional library system, thanks to a new program called Check out the writer!
The writers will provide public consultations to aspiring and established writers, as well as author readings, workshops and more.
The Peace Library System’s writer-in-residence from March through May is Diane Schuller, and she will be bringing her talents, advice and consultation to the Slave Lake library for a day and an evening session on April 29.
Schuller is a freelance writer, columnist and award-winning short fiction writer, whose stories have appeared in various literary journals and aired on CBC radio. She also writes a montly canine care column for the Grande Prairie Ink! and recently won the Professional category of the CBC Alberta Anthology for her short story “Paper Wasp”, her second such award.
Despite these various accomplishments, Schuller refers to herself as a “dog writer”, suggesting that she has a love of animals as well as the written word.
The Leader caught up with the author via e-mail, during the beginning of her cross-province ‘Check out the writer!’ junket, and managed to squeeze an interview in with the busy author. We wanted to know about the climate for writers in Alberta, and just how our geography plays into the craft.
“For writers in Alberta, the climate is a supportive and encouraging one,” said Schuller. “For freelance writers there are so many opportunities and for those who write fiction and poetry, the opportunities are healthy enough depending upon each individual writer’s goals.” And, of our relatively remote locale, the award winning author says;
“In reality for writers, the opportunities are borderless. Writers tend to write in isolation regardless of geography, yet when most of us have opportunities to get together with other writers, I’ve always found the writing community to be one of collegiality. We’re a friendly and supportive bunch.”
That’s good news for folks looking for encouragement or some healthy peer pressure.
And, a public library is a great place to host the sessions, for reasons other than the obvious.
“If we look at this excellent collaboration between the Library Association of Alberta and Writers Guild of Alberta, that is a solid example of how writers are encouraged and supported here in Alberta. Each of the many writing organizations exist to encourage, promote, and to lobby for writers as a whole. It’s great to know there are several long-time organizations working hard on behalf of writers.”
We wanted to know what memories stood out for a writer of some renown; how does a reclusive bunch such as writers take to receiving awards and accolades?
“Personal memories here in Alberta are many; it’ll be hard to narrow that down. Winning Alberta Anthology both times I’ve entered certainly ranks right up there when you ask about personal memories. Something else that always stands out is the opportunities for meeting authors and other writers usually at writing conferences, workshops, or other functions.” And speaking of other writers, Schuller had the change to attend a workshop and reading with noted Saskatchewan author Alistair Maclead .
“I was in awe of what he shared with us as writers and the opportunity of having a personal conversation with him about his writing. He’s simply one example of that — there are probably close to a dozen of those examples I’d lump together as significant and memorable.”
Schuller’s April 29 Slave Lake workshop is called “An ocean of memories”. Interested parties will have the chance to take a trip down memory lane, and come back with useful tips for getting the details down on paper.
“We all have an ocean of memories from our lives and through our families. This workshop helps us to dive down to capture those memories and family stories. I’ll share practical tips on capturing those memories and stories including how-to ideas for interviewing family members.”
And finally, some good news for those who have that burning urge to put pen to paper, but aren’t sure where to start. It turns out that the best advice is to get busy!
“This is something I think is important for any aspiring writer to know,” says Schuller. “Although it does help to take writing courses and to attend some writing conferences, there is no better training ground for any writer, except to place the butt on the chair and to get busy writing. The more we write, the better we become. The more variety in the types of writing we’re willing to try, the more we’ll expand our talent. We don’t need a degree in English or the Arts, though I would always encourage a person to do so if they were so inclined. What a writer needs is to write, write, write. That said, it helps to have a sense of curiosity, an enquiring mind, and to experience as much of life as possible. It’s the life experience that enriches what we write.”

Copyright © 2000 The Lakeside Leader. All Rights Reserved.
No part may be reproduced without written permission.

View our Privacy Statement.
Send website suggestions to the Webmaster