April 23, 2007 - 9:47am
The 2007 edition of Portal was launched at an open reception on April 3, in the Royal Arbutus room at Malaspina, and included student readings, an awards ceremony for student writers and a reading by famed Canadian poet bill bissett.
“The launch was amazing,” said Jolene Edmunds, a Malaspina student and managing editor of the 2007 Portal. “It was a privilege to work on this magazine.”
Several students entertained the audience with readings of poetry and fiction before an awards ceremony where 10 students received scholarships for achievements in creative writing and publishing.
Scholarship winners included Gloria Gray-Lorenzen and Janelle Hoddevik (Barry Broadfoot awards); Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey, Roy Tyndall, Kim Clark and Elizabeth Ross (Meadowlark awards); Melaina Haas (Pat Bevan fiction award); Carrie Anne Marshall (Pat Bevan poetry award); Ryan Smith (Myrtle Bergren award); and Bahiyyih Marie Egeli (Jason Mayes award for publishing).
After the awards ceremony, Canadian performance poet bill bissett read from his new book “ths is erth thees ar peopul.” bissett garnered international attention in the 1960s as a pre-eminent figure of the counter-culture movement in Canada and the United Kingdom. His appearance was generously sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts as part of their public readings program.
“Hearing bill read his poetry was incredible,” said Edmunds. “I read his work previously in class, but hearing it out loud was an experience I won’t forget. It made all of us feel like we are a part of the larger literary community.”
Many local businesses donated gifts for the magazine’s launch, including a framed print, several gift baskets, books and t-shirts. Portal always receives great support from the community and this year’s edition was no exception.
“We want to thank everyone in the community,” said Edmunds. “People went above and beyond to assist us in every way. It amazed me how quickly people offered to help us at the launch with donations for prizes, decorations and other generous gifts.”
Portal was first published in 1991 and is produced by students in the Creative Writing program at Malaspina. This annual anthology of student works fuses creative writing, photography, fine and other visual arts and is entirely funded by the efforts of student fundraising, donors, friends of the magazine and advertising from the community. Portal is one of only two classes in BC that produces a publication for print. This rare publishing opportunity has helped past Portal students get jobs in the publishing industry.
According to Rhonda Bailey, who teaches publishing 430/431 (the class that produces the magazine), this year’s class excelled in every way.
“This year’s Portal is excellent. The class really came together as a team and did a terrific job. Everyone is thrilled with the result,” said Bailey.
“Working on Portal was a fantastic, fun experience,” added Edmunds. “It’s an exceptional portrait of life on campus and I am proud to be involved.”
Portal magazine is available for $8 at the Malaspina Book Store, Falconer Books, Clifford’s Wake, House of Indigo, Lobelia’s Lair and Salamander Books. For more information about Portal, please contact portalmagazine@viu.ca. For more information on Malaspina’s creative writing and publishing scholarships, please contact Steve Guppy at (250) 753-3245 (local 2112) or guppy@viu.ca
Tags: In the Community
