A message from Alan Twigg, Publisher of BC BookWorld:
*The provincial government has suddenly rescinded ALL funding to /BC
BookWorld/, *the most-read publication about books in Canada.
Notice of this pre-Olympics decision to break a 22-year-old relationship
with the newspaper came from Andrea Henning, executive director of Arts
& Culture, during a brisk phone call, without any explanation or paper
trail, and with less than a month’s notice.
On the same day, the BC publishers’ association and the BC magazine
publishers’ association similarly learned all their funding had been
removed. To avoid more bloodletting, literary arts groups have formed
the /Coalition for the Defence of Writing and Publishing in B.C/.
You’re a writer, so by all means, write a letter to the Premier or your
MLA—or to us—if the spirit moves you, to protest these draconian
measures. But, more importantly, if you want *B.C. BookWorld* to serve
authors for another 22 years, become a Supporter / Subscriber. If you
are willing to spare the cost of two movie tickets, we can save /B.C.
BookWorld/ as a public institution that serves 100,000 readers
throughout the province, via more than 900 outlets.
It’s not charity. It’s a good deal. Send a cheque for $25 made out to
*PACIFIC BOOKWORLD NEWS SOCIETY, *and we’ll mail /B.C. BookWorld/ to
your home or office address throughout 2010. In essence, I am asking one
thousand authors to collectively replace Gordon Campbell’s government.
It’s a case of double jeopardy. If we’re not making the newspaper, it’s
unlikely my colleague David Lester and I will be able to maintain our
free reference site—for and about more than 9,000 B.C. authors—at
www.abcbookworld.com <http://www.abcbookworld.com/> (for which we have
never received a penny).
That’s the gist of the situation. It’s up to you. Show us that Gordon
Campbell made the wrong decision. Send your Supporter / Subscriber
cheque ($25) today to *PACIFIC BOOKWORLD NEWS SOCIETY, 3516 West 13th
Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6R 2S3. *
–Alan Twigg, Publisher
For info: Google the *Coalition for the Defence of Writing and
Publishing in British Columbia*. Or visit
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=148926547819
/Sent on behalf of Pacific BookWorld News Society; publisher Howard
White (president), historian Jean Barman, Simon Fraser University chief
librarian Lynn Copeland, Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing
director Rowland Lorimer, Association of Book Publishers of British
Columbia executive director Margaret Reynolds, author Andreas Schroeder,
bookseller Don Stewart and Vancouver Public Library chief librarian Paul
Whitney. In conjunction with the Coalition for the Defence of Writing
and Publishing in British Columbia./