From the Editor
There has been a lot of talk about Writer Conferences lately . I have to admit there hasn't been much on my mind for more than a year now other than writer's conferences. — and more specifically Bloody Words.
And after reading through the historic copies of The Purloined newsletters and finding Vicki Cameron's synopsis of various conferences she'd attended over the years, it gave me pause to think about the myriad of book events and conferences I've attended over the past year in order to glean the best tips in organization, topics and taboos for putting on Bloody Words.
First up was Bloody Words in Toronto. Bloody great time. My eyes were opened to writers in Canada and the US that I didn't know existed previously. Since then I've bought many books I might not have picked up ordinarily. This broadening of my reading list has increased my overall enjoyment of reading mysteries.
At Bouchercon in Baltimore last October I listened to panels with authors like Amaldur Indridason from Iceland. I bought one of his books and was hooked.
  When Vicki Delaney spoke at our Christmas event she referenced Indridason's books as an inspiration in her own writing -- she talked about how she used his prose as an example of how she could get better at what she does. So these events are definitely the places to be if you love reading mystery, if you love writing mystery, and if you want to meet some of your favourite, or soon to be favourite, authors.
And now Bloody Words 2009 is almost upon us.
It's been more than a year now that the core steering committee has been working on this conference. We are thrilled with the line up of guests-- Denise Mina, Louise Penny , Barbara Fradkin and Mary Jane Maffini -- and the line up of media personalities to interview them, from the CBC (radio and TV), to the Ottawa Citizen, as well as the editor of KitchArt Magazine. Bloody Words also gives us an opportunity to showcase our national capital mystery writing organization -- Capital Crime Writers. Any CCW member in attendance is invited for a free drink at the CCW sponsored hour long cocktail preceding the banquet. The mystery cafe is open to the public and writers from across Canada will be participating at the cafe every half hour. There are lots of surprises and it promises to be a most entertaining event overall. Check out www.bloodywords2009. com for more information on what is going on.
A great way to get immersed in the conference and help garner a real sense of belonging is to volunteer. I was a time-keeper at Bouchercon and it gave me the opportunity to immediately feel part of things.
Attendees had volunteered from all over the globe; an Australian woman was manning the registration desk when I signed in. My volunteer task was easy; I would act as timekeeper at sessions I wanted to attend anyway. I had to show up early, clean up the mess the preceding panel had left, and put out fresh glasses of water.
Then I sat in the line of sight of the moderator and held up cards giving them 30 minute, 15 minute, or 5 minute warnings -- or whatever time period they preferred. What power!
So if you feel so inclined as to volunteer and help out June 5, 6 or 7 at Bloody Words, please contact Margaret Dunlop at:
Margaret.Dunlop @rogers.com We'd be happy to have you as part of the BW team!
Katherine
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