| I know what you’re thinking: "Who are you and what have you done with Harry Vandervlist?"
Many of you reading this might already know me from my day job. I’m Jason Hammond and I’m the Southern Alberta program co-ordinator with the Writers Guild of Alberta. What did I do with Harry? Nothing. I’m just filling in for him for the next few months while he’s in prison. Just kidding – he’s on sabbatical in Europe. (Yes, the life of a Fast Forward book columnist is a tough one.)
When Harry mentioned that he was going on sabbatical and I said that I’d be interested in filling in for him, I also brought up my concern about the possibility of conflict of interest should I get the job. "I work for the Writers Guild. How can I objectively write about them?" Harry had a very prescient reply: "Isn’t the entire Canadian book industry founded on conflicts of interest?" Good point – Vandervlist: 1, Hammond: 0.
Still, I am nervous about the perception of conflict of interest, so I have come up with a very scientific, highly technical method of letting you know any time this column might possibly contain the slightest hint of impropriety. Unlike a similar system used by the U.S. government to indicate "Terrorism Alert Status," my system has the advantage of actually making sense. Unlike their system, I don’t have fancy colour coding.
This is how it works: if I am writing something that involves a possible conflict of interest, I will indicate this by including the phrase: "Conflict of Interest Alert." Then I’ll go ahead and tell you about it anyway. Then I’ll write: "Conflict Over." In this way, I can keep you fully informed about upcoming events, but also easily boost my word count.
Let’s try it. Conflict of Interest Alert: You should join the Writers Guild of Alberta. Yes, you! Sitting on the bus reading the John Grisham book. You know you’ve always wanted to be a writer. Well, c’mon then. Joining the WGA is something every writer and wannabe writer should do. Call Jason (265-2226) today! Conflict Over.
See? That wasn’t so bad.
The other thing I wanted to do in my first column was a give brief overview of my background in this wacky book world. I convocated from the University of Regina (that explains any spelling errors and grammar mistakes – oooh, cheap shot) in 1996 with a BA in English and a specialization in language and writing, then worked with the Saskatchewan Publishers Group. In 1997, I began serving on the board of the Saskatchewan Book Awards, a position I held until 2001 when my fiancée and I decided to join the marauding hordes moving to Alberta in search of lower taxes, better skiing and more "exciting" traffic. (OK, maybe not that last one.)
I am already on many of the mailing lists for local literary groups, writers and publishers, but if I’m not on yours, I would encourage you to add me to your mailing list: writers@telusplanet.net.
I have a few ideas for new features to try in this column, but for the most part, it will remain your best source of information about local authors, books, literary events and everything related. |
