National Conference
Background
PWAC holds its National Conference & AGM annually. The National Conference agenda includes a mix of professional and social activities open to members and the larger writing and publishing community:
- professional development workshops (including a stand-alone intensive workshop on contracts, copyright, negotiation and associated skills co-presented by the Canadian Freelance Union);
- a welcome reception;
- an awards banquet and ceremony;
- informal social events organized by the PWAC Quebec Chapter that cement the camaraderie of members from coast to coast; and
- PWAC's Annual General Meeting, at which members debate issues that involve professional issues, the running of the association, and the broader concerns of the writing community (and, in 2011, includes an important discussion on proposed amendments to PWAC's Constitution).
35th Annual National Conference & AGM: Friday, June 17 - Sunday, June 19, 2011 in Montreal, Quebec
The 35th PWAC National Conference will be held in Montreal, Quebec at Concordia University. The official Conference program and business meetings run from Friday, June 17th to Sunday, June 19th with an optional social program of events (additional charges may apply; not including in the standard registration pricing) organized by the PWAC Quebec Chapter from Thursday, June 16th to Tuesday, June 21st.
Join your fellow professional writers and industry partners for networking, professional development (including a special intensive workshop on contracts, negotiation skills and how to use the small claims court system) and, of course, special events! If you've never been to a PWAC National Conference, 2011 is the year to begin.
To view the National Conference & AGM schedule-at-a-glance, visit www.pwac.ca/files/PDF/Schedule_2011PWACNationalConference.pdf.
To view the registration form, visit www.pwac.ca/files/PDF/AGMRegForm2011.pdf.
New for 2011: Intensive Workshop on Contracts, Negotiation Skills and Small Claims Court
In 2011, PWAC is pleased to offer a special pre-conference learning opportunity on Friday, June 17th from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. "Writing is a Business," presented in partnership with the Canadian Freelance Union (CFU) features intensive professional development and knowledge sharing with experts Claude Brunet, Christine Kelsey and Warren Sheffer.
Limited to the first 25 registrants, the intensive is an optional add-on to your conference package that costs $100 for PWAC members (plus 13% HST). A light breakfast and lunch are included.
Attendees will be immersed in the following curriculum:
Freelance Contracts with Claude Brunet & Warren Sheffer
This segment will delve deeply into the contracting process. We will examine actual examples of current contracts in detail and outline the key clauses and their effects. We will also provide coaching on how to construct your own contract, explore how contracts might be amended in the negotiation process and provide models for the handling of electronic rights.
Negotiating for Yourself with Christine Kelsey
This segment will enhance your understanding of the practice of negotiation and discover how effective negotiation can best work for you in obtaining favourable terms. We will cover the general principles and styles of bargaining including Positional Bargaining, Principled Bargaining, Rights-based and Interest based. We will explore how and why the negotiation process can successfully produce writer/publisher agreements and practical negotiating skills including participation in a negotiation exercise. This segment also covers approaches to mediation and arbitration when there is a dispute over negotiated terms.
Using Small Claims Court with Warren Sheffer
This segment will provide an overview of the steps involved in bringing a claim with a view to resolving contractual disputes. There will be discussion on gathering documentary evidence, and drafting and serving claims, as well as, preparing offers-to-settle and tips for how to conduct yourself during settlement conferences and trials. It will include case study, and an examination of certain rules of procedure common in different jurisdictions across the country.
Register early for this exciting opportunity to learn from the best. Please find the speakers' bios below:
Claude Brunet is a senior partner in the law firm of Ogilvy Renault and has acted as counsel for the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada (CAPAC) (now SOCAN). Mr. Brunet specializes in Intellectual Property and Communications, particularly in copyright, cultural industries (music, books and motion pictures) communication industries (broadcasting, software, Internet), and applications to the Copyright Board. In 1976, he co-authored with Frank Keyes Copyright in Canada: Proposals for a Revision of the Law, a seminal work that became the basis of the 1988 and 1993 amendments to the Copyright Act. In 1985, he acted as legal advisor to the House of Commons Sub-Committee on Copyright which produced the Charter of Rights for Creators. In 1999, the world's first copyright collective SACD (France) awarded him the Médaille Beaumarchais for his contribution to the advancement of copyright.
Christine Kelsey is a Workplace Fairness Analyst with Toronto's Workplace Fairness Institute, where she conducts assessments into sources of workplace conflict to identify improvements in conflict prevention and management. Prior to being an analyst, Chris worked for over twenty years for the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television & Radio Artists (ACTRA) in various positions including Manager and Assistant Director (ACTRA Performers' Rights Society. She has comprehensive experience and knowledge in the negotiation of artists' rights and independent contracting. She is a member of the ADR Institute of Ontario and is trained as a mediator with Dispute Resolution certification from York University, specializing in mediation, conflict and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for the workplace.
Warren Sheffer is engaged in a broad intellectual property and business law practice at the firm Hebb & Sheffer. In addition to his LL.B., he holds a B.A. in Economics, a M.A. in History and a Professional Specialization Certificate in International Intellectual Property Law. Warren began his legal career at Fasken Martineau LLP (1999-2004) and was formerly legal counsel to the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (2004-2006). He currently serves as duty counsel at Artists' Legal Advice Services (ALAS), a not-for-profit summary legal advice clinic in Toronto that serves artists of all disciplines. Warren is a founding director of the Access Copyright Foundation and the chair of the Queen West Art Crawl corporation. Among other professional associations, he provides advice to the Grievance Committee of The Writers' Union of Canada and copyright counsel to the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television & Radio Artists (ACTRA) Performers' Rights Society.
While this intensive workshop is not included in the standard registration package, all PWAC members are invited to enrich their professional development complement at the Conference and register.
To register for this exciting opportunity, download the 2011 National Conference & AGM registration form at www.pwac.ca/files/PDF/AGMRegForm2011.pdf and add it to your package!
Professional Development
In 2011, PWAC is pleased to offer a choice of 4 professional development sessions of a list of 8 on Saturday, June 18th:
- Editors Panel with Susan Nerberg (Deputy Editor, enRoute), Drew Nelles (Editor in Chief, Maisonneuve) and Carmine Starnino (Senior Editor, Reader's Digest) - Three of Montreal's top editors will discuss pitching etiquette, offer tips on getting in their pages, and share what makes them love their favorite freelancers. Attendees are invited to pitch ideas to the editors during the questions section at the end of the panel, so come with your best idea.
- Writing for Trade Magazines: Breaking In and Staying In with Suzanne Boles - This workshop will cover the difference between trade and organizational magazines (both great markets), how do your break into the market, how much technical knowledge you need, pay rates, and the challenges and rewards of these markets. We will explore the impact of online publishing in this domain with a walk-through of examples and time for questions. Take-home material will be provided.
- Unleash Your Inner Entrepreneur: Panel with Hugh McGuire, Ben Yoskovitz, Craig Silverman & Geeta Nadkarni - Every freelance writer is a businessperson, but not all of us are adept at managing that side of the operation. What's your vision for your business? How will you take advantage of new opportunities and technologies? This panel brings together two successful entrepreneurs with connections to the publishing industry and one entrepreneurial-minded freelancer to share advice for how freelance writers can take their businesses and brands to new heights.
- Medical Writing with Amanda Strong and Giancarlo La Giorgia - Are you curious about medical writing but not sure exactly what it is, what qualifications you need, or what kind of writing work is out there? Join Amanda Strong and Giancarlo La Giorgia as they share their experience writing for the pharmaceutical industry and medical publishers. Learn the basic tools of the trade, how you can build your portfolio, and where to find work.
- Computer-Assisted Reporting in 2011: A Journalist's Guide to Twitter, Facebook, and New Mobile Tools with Elias Makos - This workshop will show how to use social media for story ideas, getting interviews, and crowdsourcing. Also, as photography, video, and audio skills are becoming more important for freelance writers, the workshop will show off the huge advance in mobile technology in the last couple of years, and how anyone can record and edit audio and video using relatively affordable technology.
- The Pitch of your Life: Writing Book Proposals with Julie Barlow - Book proposals are SALES documents. In this seminar, best-selling Canadian author Julie Barlow explains the six elements of a nonfiction book proposal, what book agents and editors are looking for, and how to write the book you want while meeting the demands of the publishing market. Think you'd rather skip the publisher and self-publish? It doesn't matter. To write and sell a nonfiction book, you still need to do the thinking that goes into a book proposal.
- On Solid Grounds: Write to Live with Jean-Benoit Nadeau - OK, you sold the idea. Then what? In this 90-minute seminar, best-selling author and award-winning journalist Jean-Benoît Nadeau explains what to do after you have hooked editors or publishers. This will not be a seminar on writing (you're supposed to know that part), but on copyright, negotiating, executing and maintaining good relationships, as well as "branding" yourself - as a journalist or as an author.
- Travel & Food Writing with Alexandra Forbes - Alexandra will talk about life on the road and how she gets an ongoing flow of assignments from publications based anywhere from Singapore to Santiago and everywhere in between. She will talk about the pros of being so booked up with stories and deadlines, and the cons: day-to-day life back home eventually has to suffer. She will also give valuable insight into whether or not to go on free fam trips, and on how to decide which trips are right for building up a portfolio and fattening up your bank account.
Special Events
In addition to a full slate of professional development, PWAC will offer two special events: a Welcome Reception and PWAC's Annual Gala Awards Ceremony & Dinner.
On Friday, June 17th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., PWAC welcomes conference attendees, PWAC members or not, to a Welcome Reception at the conference venue, Concordia University. Enjoy fabulous views of downtown Montreal while getting to know your fellow PWAC members from across the country.
On Saturday, June 18th from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the historic Pepsi Forum, PWAC members from coast-to-coast will celebrate PWAC's award winners at the Annual Gala Awards Ceremony & Dinner with keynote speaker Carole Beaulieu (Editor-in-Chief, L'actualité). Join us for presentations of the Lawrence Jackson Outstanding Achievement Award, the Barbara Novak Writing Award for Excellence in Humour/Personal Essay Writing and the Regional Volunteer Awards.
PWAC Members seeking members-only information (including pricing information): log-in to the members-only section of the PWAC website here.In addition, in 2011 PWAC remains a partner for MagNet, Canada's Magazine Conference in Toronto, Ontario in partnership with the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors, the Circulation Management Association of Canada, and Magazines Canada.
Save the Date! June 7 to 10, 2011: join PWAC in Toronto!
Join your fellow professional writers for four days of networking, professional development and, of course, socializing.
A full schedule of professional development events is ready and what would a PWAC Conference be without evening receptions, lunch speakers, city tours and the annual Writers Awards Luncheon? If you've never been to MagNet, this is the year to begin!
Check the MagNet website for links to a digital brochure, the complete schedule and session descriptions by stream (advertising sales, circulation, design, digital, editorial, management, production, small magazines, special events, and writing), as well as an online registration form. Information will be posted to the site in the coming months.
PWAC Members seeking members-only information (including pricing information): log-in to the members-only section of the PWAC website here.
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