Blogathon and the Federation of BC Writers

Charles Dickens breaks through writer's block

This Saturday (because I am insane) I’ll be participating in Blogathon 2009, a 24-hour, 48 blog post postathon, to raise money for the Federation of BC Writers, BC’s home grown support system for Left Coast literati. What are you waiting for? Sign up to sponsor me by selecting “raincoaster.com” from the list of available blogs to sponsor. You can sponsor me so much per post or a lump sum for the entire thing. For a $50 donation, I’ll make a post entirely devoted to you, and will even include a link to your Facebook Fan Page (if you insist). All the posts will be going up over there at raincoaster on Saturday, and a word of warning: I will get my 48 posts up, but I will NOT get them up promptly every goddam half-hour. I AM NOT A MACHINE GODDAMMIT and I am also not cheating by pre-posting and scheduling things. I may or may not attend Illuminares and liveblog it; depends if I can catch a ride to and fro; forty minutes on the bus each way is a killer. After Blogathon wraps, you just tote up your donation and send the cheque straight to the Fed, which will put it to good use on behalf of British Columbia’s home-grown literary talent.

On the topic of the Fed, and more particularly the topic of the Lower Mainland Representative to the Fed: Yes, I’m stepping down, not that my slightly insane schedule ever let me do a proper job of that position. It’s a great volunteer job for someone who’s organized and community-minded, who likes to support and promote events, groups, and individual writers around Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. It’s highly social, and great exposure. I’d say the job takes four or five hours a week to do properly, since the Lower Mainland is so active and there’s so much to keep track of. Here’s the official posting:

CALL FOR LOWER MAINLAND SUNSHINE COAST REGIONAL REP

The Federation of BC Writers is looking for a member to serve as the LowerMainland/

Sunshine Coast Regional Representative. As a regional representative, your responsibilities

include:

• participating as a member of the Federation board of directors

• helping to organize Federation-sponsored regional events

• representing the Federation at regional literary events

• writing quarterly regional reports for WordWorks magazine and e-newsletters

• communicating regularly with regional members

• acting as a resource for member queries

• maintaining a regional email list

If you’re interested in serving a two-year term for this position, please send an email to

bcwriters at shaw.ca that includes your resume (attached as a Word document) with a succinct cover letter that tells us 1) why you’re interested in the position, 2) how much time you’re able to commit on a monthly basis, 3) a bit about your writing background, and 4) your skills and interests by Friday, July 30. Please put Regional Rep in the subject line.