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Onward and Upward is the Greber Writing Award's in-website blog that reflects the vision of this award. Our objective is to grow the award and keep moving Onward and Upward.
To publish your comments (pending approval) about one of our existing topics or to suggest a new topic - Please click on "Comments" or go to "Post a Comment" at the end of that topic. We are looking to you for ideas, suggestions or questions that will help us move the award upward and onward and in doing so assist writers that are eligible for the prize.
 Deborah Campbell, Vancouver freelance writer, is the 2008 winner of the recently redesigned Dave Greber Freelance Writers Magazine Award for her article published in the April 2008 issue of Harper’s magazine entitled Exodus: Where will Iraq Go Next? Based on the two months she spent living among Iraqi refugees in Syria, the article is considered one of the most comprehensive accounts of the human story behind the ongoing Iraqi refugee crisis.
Shirley Dunn will present the $2000 prize to Ms. Campbell on September 28, 2008 at the Word on The Street Book and Magazine Festival in Vancouver.
The presentation of the prize is to be held at approximately 3 pm in the Magazine Life Tent Sunday, September 28th, 2008 at the Word on the Street Book and Magazine Festival. Check the website at http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/vancouver
Deborah Campbell is an award-winning writer whose work has taken her to Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Dubai, Cuba, Russia and Israel-Palestine. Deborah’s book, This Heated Place: Encounters in the Promised Land (Douglas and McIntyre, 2002) is a literary journey inside the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines a few of which include Harper’s, The Walrus, The Economist, New Scientist, Ms., the Guardian, Adbusters, Vancouver Magazine, Vancouver Review, and in anthologies, essay collections and scholarly journals in Europe, Asia and North America. Her radio documentaries have aired on CBC radio and NPR. Deborah has guest lectured widely on social justice issues and the state of media democracy.
Deborah studied history, political science, languages and Near East Religions at universities on four continents. An adjunct professor of literary nonfiction at the University of British Columbia, she is currently teaching creative nonfiction writing to graduate students. Deborah is a founding member of the FCC literary journalism collective. To learn more about Deborah Campbell and her writing go to http://deborahcampbell.ca.
Please join us this October 25 at Britannia Wine Merchants in Calgary. Details below.
Thank you!
Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award Announces a New Writing Award for Magazine Writers
As of 2008 two separate awards, each valued at two thousand dollars, will be made available to creators of non-fiction freelance writing in the area of social justice.
In the last four years, the award was granted to either a book writer or a magazine writer whose work met the criteria put forth in the Call for Submissions. The book writers have had an advantage as the time between granting of the contract and completion of the book is usually no less than six months and often more than a year. Thus if they meet all other criteria the chapter they wish to submit will fall into the timelines put forth in the Call for Submissions.
The magazine writers have not fared as well because publication deadlines are much shorter and often the article they wish to submit is not eligible because it has been published.
To rectify this inequity, the prizes have been separated. Writers of books on social justice will be asked to meet the original criteria set out in the Call for Submissions. A two thousand dollar award will be offered in this category to the successful writer.
Magazine articles on social justice will be accepted if the article has been published in the year of the competition. The request that the publisher recognize the award will stand, although this may be difficult. Recognition on a web site or in a future publication of the magazine are two possible ways for the publisher to recognize the winner. A two thousand dollar award will be offered in this category as well. Articles yet to be published will be welcome and the jury will take into account that the successful article may go to press during the competition process.
The continued focus of the award will be to recognize excellence of writing and research and to provide assistance for the writer wherever possible during the period prior to publication.
Please refer to the Call for Submissions pages on this web site to read more of the criteria established for each category.
What a year it has been for the
Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award.
In the spring of 2007 the first
wine tasting event, Wine and Words was held in support of the award at
Britannia Wine Merchants. Steve Goldsworthy, manager, is a freelance writer and
has been a major supporter of the award since its inception. He, the wine
representatives, Sunterra Market, and Peter D’Amico, guitarist, created a
welcoming ambience for those attending. Numerous wines from around the world were sampled and sold.
On November 1, 2007 the second
wine tasting event was held with additional wine representatives providing an
international tasting experience and Devour Catering providing an accompanying
international food experience which was matched by the music. I am very
grateful to all of these people for their interest in the award and their
efforts to make it a financial success.
Golf Tournament
The Dave Greber Freelance Writers
Award Third Annual Charity Golf Tournament was held again at Lynx Ridge Golf
Course on August 21, 2007. The two businessmen who stepped forward to
support the tournament were very instrumental in its eventual success. I Thank both Andrew J. Miller, and Jack
Hefner. Their kindness and assistance enabled us to move ahead.
The golfers had fun, the
volunteers who brought in the prizes, Jerry and Judith Spevakow, did a bang up
job and the golf course ensured everything ran smoothly. The golfers were so
pleased that they asked to book for 2008 and each promised to recruit one more
golfer. Watch for the announcement for the new tournament on the website.
Please donate to the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award by contacting the
Jewish Community Foundation of Calgary (1.403.640.2273) or call toll free 877.
271. 3283. Refer to the Donations pages to read about the various ways you can
make a donation and receive a tax receipt.
Also in this year of firsts: this
is the first time a Vancouver based writer has won the award, the first time a
magazine article has been chosen as the winning submission and the first time a
Saskatchewan publisher has been involved. It is truly a Western Award.
Congratulations to John Vigna.
As a result of the insights and recommendations from a
variety of people who consult with me about the direction and future of the
award, some significant changes will be made to the award in the coming year.
Check the Call for Submissions and read about the changes on the next blog
article. We continue to make 2007 a year of firsts and lay the foundation for
2008
Winner of the 2007 Dave
Greber Freelance Writers Award Receives Prize at The Word on the Street Book
and Magazine Fair
John Vigna, a
Vancouver freelance writer is the 2007 winner of the Dave Greber Freelance
Writers Award. Mr. Vigna’s successful submission, The Ballad of Big and Small,
is a magazine article to be published in the fall of 2007 by Grain Magazine.
Shirley Dunn, founder and fund developer for the Dave Greber Freelance Writers
Award, presented the award and the $2000.00 prize to Mr. Vigna on September 30,
2007 at The Word on The Street, Book and Magazine Fair in Calgary.
John Vigna has been a
self-employed writer since 1989 and has devoted himself full time as a
freelance professional writer since 1999. His writing has been featured in many
magazines and newspapers, including The Georgia Strait, The Vancouver Sun, The
Vancouver Province, Banff Crag & Canyon and The Canmore Leader. He has won
a number of Professional Awards including scholarships from the BC Arts
Council, Banff Cultural Journalism and Creative Non-Fiction Scholarship, Canada
Council as well as the First Prize for Creative Non-Fiction Awarded by the
Kootenay Writer’s Guild. He was chosen as 2002 Vancouver Entrepreneur of the
Year (Service Business-to-Business). John has recently completed his Master of
Fine Arts at UBC in the Creative Writing Program.
John Vigna, is also
is a fiction writer. His fiction has been featured in several literary
anthologies along with his poetry. John has won several awards for his fiction
including the 2007 First Prize for the Sub Terrain Lush Triumphant Fiction
Contest, and a first prize from the Kootenay Writers Guild for his poetry.
Winner of the Dave
Greber Freelance Writers Award Receives Prize at The Word
on the Street Book and Magazine Fair
 Gordon
Laird, a Calgary freelance writer is the 2006 winner of the Dave
Greber Freelance Writers Award. Mr. Laird’s successful submission, Empire of
Bargains, How cheap stuff conquers nations, changes your life, owns your
future, is a chapter from his new book, Passage to Wal- Mart: How
Bargains Rule the World, to be published in 2006 by McClelland and Stewart
Ltd. Shirley Dunn, founder of and fund developer for the Dave Greber Freelance
Writers Award awarded the $2000.00 prize to Mr. Laird, on September 24, 2006
at The Word on The Street, Book and Magazine Fair.
Dave Greber, a much published, respected freelance writer,
storyteller, and musician died unexpectedly in 2000 at the age of 50. To honor
Dave’s memory and perpetuate his professional values, his life partner, Shirley
Dunn, has established an annual award to give public recognition to the skills
necessary to craft a story based on excellence of writing and research. The
award will help support a freelance writer, non -fiction, prior to publication
in order to meet expenses related to living, writing and research.
Gordon Laird has been a self employed, writer/journalist
since 1994. His writing and commentary have been featured in many magazines and
newspapers as well as radio and TV stations. He has twice won gold at Canada’s
National Magazine Awards, including top honors for investigative reporting. He
continues to serve as Contributing Editor at This Magazine, continuing
more than a decade of commitment to small press and independent writing.
Gordon Laird has written two books: Slumming it at the
Rodeo: The Cultural Roots of Canada’s Right Wing Revolution (Douglas
and McIntrye, 1988) and POWER: Journeys Across an Energy Nation (Penguin Books,
January 2000).
Laird has also been active in social advocacy and public
policy research, as the 2003-2004 Media Fellow at the Sheldon Chumir Foundation
for Ethics in Leadership, research associate with the Parkland Institute at the
University of Alberta and a contract researcher for Public Interest Alberta. In
addition he has collaborated with and presented for the Canadian Environmental
Network, the David Suzuki Foundation, The Coalition for a Green Economy, the
Canadian Solar Power Association, the Millennium Scholarship Foundation as well
as other non-governmental and non-profit organizations.
The Executive Directors of The Word on the Street Book and
Magazine Fair support the development of the Dave Greber Freelance Writers
Award because it is a way of “celebrating reading, and advocating literacy”. They arranged for
the award ceremony to be held at 12:50 PM in the Vero Energy Inc. Family
Reading Tent, at the Calgary Farmers Market, (Crowchild and Flanders Road)
Sunday, September 24, 2006. Gordon Laird joined Shirley Dunn, for the award
ceremonies. Check The Word on the Street Book and Magazine Fair website
(www.thewordonthestreet.ca) to read about the exciting activities planned and
to learn more about the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award view
www.greberwritingaward.com
A quick thank you to the Pro Net community who support the technology that makes this blog possible. We have had a problem with the size of the title of this blog and couldn't seem to fix the problem. A posting to the Movable Type community forum at http://movabletype.org/support/ got a quick reply and a solution to a problem that had bedeviled us for months. So a heartfelt thanks to Kevin Story http://kevin.thestorys.org for helping us out.
As summer wends its way into
fall, the last of the 2006 fundraising events for the Dave Greber Freelance
Writers Award have been completed.
In early June, Wine and Words
was launched for the third year, and the artwork donated by local artists,
which comprises the silent auction (and supports the award) had grown in number
and was lovely to behold. The evening was a tribute to the donor artists,
musician, storeowners, volunteers and guests. It was a relaxed and fun celebration.
Thank you to all who attended and supported this event.
On August 22. 2006 seven
teams of happy golfers arrived at the Lynx Ridge Golf Club and spent the next
eight hours playing golf, getting to know each other, tucking into a steak
dinner and generally enjoying the hospitality and courtesy of Lynx Ridge Golf
Club. Everybody left asking for more next year. The successful day was made
possible by the two volunteers who recruited the golfers, found the prizes and
worked with the golf course personnel. Watch this site for the announcement of the next cycle of fund raising
events, which in all likelihood will include a golf tournament in August of 2007.
Right now the focus will be
on informing the 2006 Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award winner. Watch the
website late in September after the award is presented at The Word on the
Street.
The website will carry more information
about the winner and the work that made for success.
You can make individual
donations that will help increase the value of the award and to make it
available to eligible writers living outside of Alberta. To do so please go to our donations page.
Thanks for visiting our blog
page.
Hello and Welcome to All of You : Writers, Publishers, Donors and Lovers of the Printed Word
Welcome to the launch of the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award Web Site. I encourage you to learn more about this unique award and discuss your impressions and share your questions in future postings. Click the comment button and let us hear from you.
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 Senator Joyce Fairburn presenting the
2005 Dave Greber Freelance Writing Award
to Marcello Di Cintio. The award was presented
at the Word On the Street National Book and
Magazine Festival.
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Deborah Campbell, Vancouver freelance writer, is the 2008 winner of the recently redesigned Dave Greber Freelance Writers Magazine Award for her article published in the April 2008 issue of Harper’s magazine entitled Exodus: Where will Iraq Go Next? Based on the two months she spent living among Iraqi refugees in Syria, the article is considered one of the most comprehensive accounts of the human story behind the ongoing Iraqi refugee crisis. 
