Portal 2011 Announcements

This semester I'm enrolled in the publishing class that puts together VIU's literary magazine, Portal. Portal's aim is to give VIU students the opportunity to see their prose, poetry, art, photography, or script in publication. Portal provides the first publication credit for many student writers and looks great in a portfolio!

We're currently seeking submissions, and here is the info for our postcard prose contest and the early bird draw! Deadline for both is November 25. The final deadline for submissions is January 7, 2011.


I encourage student writers to submit their work to Portal—whether you're in the creative writing program or not. It's a daunting experience to put a piece of writing out there, and in my first year I didn't submit anything at all. I thought I couldn't possibly write anything good enough or that anyone would want to pay to read my work. Perhaps I was right at the time, but that shouldn't have stopped me submitting. In my second year I submitted two stories and one of them was published in Portal. I initially wasn't going to submit the piece that made it in to the magazine—once again I thought it wasn't good enough, but a (literal) last second change of heart made all the difference!

So don't hesitate to send us your work, we want to read it, and perhaps you'll make it into Portal too! Any questions? Email portalmagazine@viu.ca, or leave a comment below.

Kaitlyn

Alive and Kicking

Hello faithful readers!

It’s been awhile, how are you?

It’s safe to say that my semester has been intense. Starting upper courses level feels like learning to walk again with assignments due every week, and everything counting a whole lot more. If the first two years was the practice round, upper level is the big show. But I find the stress rather fun, if anything, it’s only hard because I care.

That being said, I have had time to attend a couple of excellent events which I thought I’d re-cap over the next few days.

On the last Sunday of September Word on the Street is held in five major cities across Canada, including Vancouver. The last two years I have attended the event with a contingent of students from VIU’s creative writing department. Word on the Street is an all-ages, all-day free event held in library square that celebrates the joy of reading. Authors read in tents and BC publishers and magazines have booths set up to visit. There is music and fun activities for everyone. One of my favourite parts of the event is Word Under the Street- in one of the large meeting rooms below the library, Vancouver comic book artists set up booths where there are lots of pins, comics, and the chance to meet the artists themselves. Back up on street level, VIU has its own booth to promote our literary journal, Portal.

Another of my favourite activities is the treasure hunt. For twenty dollars attendees can purchase one of 250 treasure bags and fill it with books, pens, and other goodies from participating booths. This is serious business, and being my second year undertaking this quest, I felt like something of an expert. The only daunting aspect of the thing was knowing how much pain my shoulders would be in by the end of the day. Participating in the Word on the Street treasure hunt is like volunteering to be a pack horse for a day. Here are a few photos from the day.

A portion of our group on the morning ferry.


Library square.

The Portal Booth.

Rearranging bags for maximum efficiency.

A Word on the Street veteran on the hunt for more treasure.

The Treasure.

Exhausted Adventurers head home.

Like what you saw? Word on the Street will happen again next year, on the last Sunday of September, and is an excellent cheap trip for anyone who loves reading!

Up next? The Gustaffson poetry event and a few announcements regarding Portal.

Your still-alive blogger,
Kaitlyn