THE FIGHT FOR POETRY
In December, 2003, the National Magazine Awards Foundation announced it would be eliminating its poetry category. Despite receiving dozens of letters of protest over the following weeks, the foundation has held fast to its decision. Taddle Creek feels this decision is simply unacceptable from an organization claiming to be representative of the Canadian magazine industry as a whole. The magazine will be boycotting this year’s awards out of protest—it will neither be entering nor attending. All those interested can help, too. Read on:
THE REASON
From the National Magazine Awards Foundation’s web site:
“After much deliberation, it was decided that the Poetry category would, once again, be discontinued. The vast majority of Canadian magazines do not publish poetry, and for those that do, other national awards programs exist to recognize poetry.”
THE FACTS
The foundation’s above statement shows a great ignorance of not only the arts community in Canada but, ironically, the magazine industry. More than three dozen Canadian magazines publish poetry—not the majority, but a respectable number, to be sure. As for the “other national awards programs,” the National Magazine Award for poetry was the only national award for poetry published in magazines, and the only such award even the most emerging of poet could win.
MORE IRONY
The foundation states among its official objectives:
“[M]any [Canadian magazines] have small circulations and meager financial resources, but reach important, specialized audiences for whose interests they are often the only voice. In a modest but tangible way, the financial rewards that come with the recognition by NMAF judges augment the income [of] the under-funded arts community in Canada.”
By discontinuing its poetry award, the foundation is sending a message that it in fact does not support small-circulation magazines (such as literary magazines), nor does it care to support Canada’s “under-funded arts community.” Several of the awards’ categories are funded by the Government of Canada through the Ministry of Heritage and by the Canada Council for the Arts—organizations committed to funding the very same under-funded arts community the foundation claims but fails to support.
There are no small-magazine representatives on the board of the National Magazine Awards Foundation.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Let your anger be known:
1. Write to Terry Sellwood (terry@cottagelife.com), president of the National Magazine Awards Foundation, and tell him why you feel this decision is unjust.
2. Write to the members of the Government of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts listed below and tell them why you feel they should not be supporting an organization that is not living up to its mandate by failing to support the Canadian arts community.
3. Write to the Honourable Hélène Chalifour Scherrer (scherh@parl.gc.ca), Minister of Heritage, and tell her the same.
4. Write to your local member of Parliament and tell them, too. (Use the following form to locate your M.P. by postal code)
5. Make sure to copy Terry Sellwood and other members of the foundation's board on all your letters (feel free to copy Taddle Creek, too).
6. If you run a literary magazine, boycott this year’s awards.
Write to:
Canada Council for the Arts
Joanne Larocque-Poirier
Head of Grants to Literary and Art Magazines
joanne.larocque-poirier@canadacouncil.ca
Melanie Rutledge
Head of Writing and Publishing Section
melanie.rutledge@canadacouncil.ca
John Hobday
Director
john.hobday@canadacouncil.ca
Government of Canada
William Fizet
Director of Policy and Programs
william_fizet@pch.gc.ca
Denise Chénier
Support for Industry Development
denise_chenier@pch.gc.ca
If you want to copy Terry Sellwood and some of the foundation’s board members, just cut and paste this line into your E-mail:
terry@cottagelife.com; christian.bellavance@cica.ca; editorial@torontolife.com; cbrouse@saturdaynight.ca; scottb@ctcmagazines.com; info@enroutemag.net; explore@explore-mag.com; gsmith@elmstreet.ca; chheditorial@canhomepub.com; wlmail@westernlivingmagazine.com; lisa.tant@chatelaine.rogers.com; nmaf@bellnet.ca
