Writers' Meet and Greet

The saying used to be that Victoria was home to the newly wed, nearly dead and flower beds. While not everything has changed, the city has also become known for writing. The city pulses with writers in all forms and genres in all age groups and from beginners to award winners, such as Esi Edugyan who won the 2011 Giller Prize for Fiction for her book Half Blood Blues.

On July 15, 2016, three organizations held a joint meet and greet for writers at the James Joyce Bistro in downtown Victoria. The Victoria Writers' Society, the Federation of BC Writers and the Victoria chapter of the Canadian Authors Association invited their members to come out and network with fellow writers.

Writing is a solitary pursuit, and these gatherings give writers a chance to socialize and share information on the business side of the craft. Over the course of the evening, I discussed the editing process, publishing, agents, retreats and taxes with my peers while learning about their writing projects.

The writing community is strong in the city, and each year there are countless opportunities to see and hear writers at festivals, readings and book launches. But there are few opportunities to network solely for the sake of networking. Kudos to the three organizations for recognizing the importance of such events. I hope there will be more to come.