The CAJ National Writers' Symposium

DELTA BESSBOROUGH HOTEL

October 25-26, 2003

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Symposium Schedule

(Order cassettes of last year's conference - 7k PDF file)

FEATURING:

Jacqui Banaszynski Sheila Coles

Bryan Painter Maggie Siggins

Gillian Steward Douglas Todd

Yann Martel Jane Kansas

Please note that the list of speakers is not complete at this time.

The CAJ presents a symposium that will take journalists through the storytelling process, starting with the first spark of an idea, to completing the final draft. From finding compelling stories to interviewing with focus, the symposium will offer practical tips for print and broadcast journalists.

We’ll also explore the less tangible aspects of writing: Being creative, taking chances, appreciating our role as storytellers.

Editors, reporters, authors and coaches from Canada and the U.S. will share their expertise during this two-day conference at the Delta Bessborough, on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River in pretty downtown Saskatoon.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Yann Martel, Writer-in-Residence, Saskatoon Public Library

Martel won the Man Booker Prize for his novel Life of Pi, the story of a boy whose family operates a zoo in India. His father decides to move the family to Canada, but the ship sinks and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with part of the menagerie including a Bengal tiger. “Pi is Martel’s triumph. He is understood and ironic, utterly believable and pure...”wrote the Globe and Mail. Martel has also written The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, a collection of short stories, and Self, a novel.

KEEP THE CREATIVE FIRE BURNING.

Yann Martel, the Saskatoon Public Library’s writer-in-residence, will discuss the creative process that all writers wrestle with. How can we rekindle our creative spirits, build our confidence and use that inspiration to become better writers?

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Jacqui Banaszynski, Seattle

Before her recent promotion to associate managing editor for special projects and staff development, Banaszynski previously was in charge of the Sunday newspaper, and the metro news department at The Times. Before joining The Times in 1997, she spent 18 years as a beat and enterprise reporter, then worked as a projects editor at newspapers in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. In 2000, she joined the faculty at the prestigious Missouri School of Journalism.

While at the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota), her series “Aids in the Heartland” - an intimate look at the life and death of a gay farm couple-won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in feature writing. She was a finalist for the 1986 Pulitzer in international reporting for coverage of the Ethopian famine.

THE POWER OF STORY

Stories are more than mere words. They are how we bear witness to history, chronicle our place in the world, impart values and dreams, speak to each other across continents. And as journalists, we are society’s storytellers. A Pulitzer Prize winner talks about the importance of stories, and storytellers.

ONE REPORTERS’ TRASH IS ANOTHER REPORTER’S TREASURE

There’s lots of good stories out there, but journalists must learn to recognize them –even when they turn up in the most banal places. Banaszynski discusses how to find and focus stories gleaned from routine news events.

REPORTER/ EDITOR RELATIONSHIPS: CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

It’s time to stop eyeing each other warily across the newsroom, there’s work to be done. Banaszynski explores how reporters and editors can get along and help each other get better.

Sheila Coles, Saskatchewan

Coles, who taught school in Newfoundland before beginning her career in journalism, started her CBC career with radio news. She has also worked in TV news as a reporter, producer and anchor. This past summer she was heard hosting CBC Radio’s national morning show ‘Sounds Like Canada.’ Coles has hosted the Morning Edition since 1993. The show has been named CBC Radio’s “Best Daily Regional Program” in 1993, 1994, and 2000. It was a runner-up in 2002.

DONT BLOW THE INTERVIEW!

Using examples gleaned from the airwaves, Coles will walk participants through the good, the bad and the ugly of interviewing. Discussing will also focus on journalists’ own interviews gone wrong, (or right!) and why the interview turned out the way it did. Participation in this session is limited.

Bryan Painter, Oklahoma

Bryan Painter has won 12 national and regional awards for his writing as well as numerous state awards. He is a three-time finalist and two-time winner of Dallas Press Club awards in the business and sports categories. As a business reporter he also won the National Association of Agricultural Journalists Series of the year in 1998. In other coverage, Painter was assigned to covering victims following the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and was the team leader for victim’s coverage following the May 3, 1999 Oklahoma tornadoes which killed 44 people. The Oklahoman won the Dart Award for its coverage of the Murrah Building bombing.

TAKE THE READER WITH YOU IN FEATURE WRITING

It’s easy to fall into the trap of telling and not showing. Bryan Painter shows you how to use detail to put your reader at the scene, bringing your subject closer to the reader and help the reader experience the story through your senses.

Maggie Siggins, Regina

Maggie Siggins has earned several awards for her books which include: A Canadian Tragedy: JoAnn and Colin Thatcher, A Story of Love and Hate; Revenge of the Land: A Century of Greed, Tragedy and Murder on a Saskatchewan Farm; Riel: A Life of Revolution and In Her Own Time: A Class Reunion Inspires a Cultural History of Women. Siggins has been a newspaper reporter and columnist, and has written for several national magazines. Siggins is also an experienced broadcaster, working as a reporter, on-air interviewer, and commentator for CITY-TV and CBC in Toronto. She has done numerous documentaries and television specials.

THIS WOULD BE A GREAT BOOK...OR WOULD IT?

It’s the biggest story you’ve ever covered and it’s got everything: Murder, lust, betrayal. There must be a book in there somewhere. But beware...not every big story is worthy of undertaking this herculean task. Siggins discusses the signposts that signal when a story is book material, and how to get started if you’ve got the goods.

Gillian Steward, Calgary

Gillian Steward served as the 2001-02 visiting professor at the University of Regina School of Journalism. Her work spans newspaper reporting, magazine writing, radio documentaries for CBC’s Ideas series and non-fiction writing. Her book Clear Answers: The Economics and Politics of For-Profit Medecine (co-authored with Kevin Taft, 2000) was on the Calgary and Edmonton bestseller lists for 10 weeks. Her weekly column for Southam news focused on political developments in western Canada (1990-92). She was the managing editor of the Calgary Herald (1987-1990) and assistant managing editor responsible for day-to-day news coverage and special investigative reports. As a freelance journalist she has written for The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The Montreal Gazette, Maclean’s, The Financial Post, RPB Magazine and many more.

COVERING THE FIRST CONCERN: HEALTH CARE REPORTING IN THE AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY.

With health care at an all time high government expenditure and most Canadians naming it as the top public policy issue, Steward looks at ways to explore the issues. She’ll show how reporters can use the 2002 Romanow Report as a reference point, a source of story ideas and to back their demand for accountability.

Douglas Todd, Vancouver

Todd is The Vancouver Sun’s religion and ethics writer. He has received more than two dozen regional, national and international journalism awards while covering the beat. He has twice won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, which goes to the top religion reporter at any secular magazine. He is also the recipient of B.C. Newspaper awards and Jack Webster Foundation awards for news reporting and commentary. In addition to these and other awards Todd is the author of two successful books, Brave Souls, Writers and artists Wrestle With God, Love, Death and the Things That Matter; and The Soul-Searcher’s Guide to the Galaxy.

WRITING WITH A FLAIR.

Want to expand your writing style? Award-winning Vancouver Sun feature writer Douglas Todd will offer tips on how to go beyond formulaic prose, cure journalistic boredom and broaden your writing (and intellectual) horizons. This session will include examinations of excellent examples of writing.

Jane Kansas, Halifax

Jane Kansas is a feature writer at The Coast, an alternative weekly newspaper in Nova Scotia. Until she was fired in August, she wrote a freelance weekly column, on a wide range of social and personal issues for the Halifax Daily News. Kansas has also been heard as a contributor on CBC Radio, as This Morning's Nova Scotia columnist. her broadcast experience also includes work with campus community radio station CKDU.

THEY SHOOT PLAGIARISTS DON'T THEY?
Jane Kansas was on deadline, her column was too long, she needed to cut something fast. She chopped an attribution and never put it back. After a reader spotted the uncredited passage, Kansas was fired by her editor, who said his paper couldn't be seen to be condoning plagiarism. Kansas
tells her story and opens a discussion on an issue that is getting attention as a growing problem everywhere, from university classrooms to the world's top newspapers.

MORE SESSION INFORMATION TO COME.



Home Search this Web site Agendae & Minutes Aims & By-Laws Board of Directors CAJ Awards CAJ Directory Caucuses Chapters Events Fellowships Guidelines and Principles History Jobs Links Media Magazine Membership News Services Sponsorship & Advertising Please forward any comments or suggestions for the Web site to the CAJ webmaster. Last updated: October, 2003				The CAJ National Writers' Symposium DELTA BESSBOROUGH HOTEL October 25-26, 2003 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Register Now! Symposium Schedule (Order cassettes of last year's conference - 7k PDF file) FEATURING: Jacqui Banaszynski Sheila Coles Bryan Painter Maggie Siggins Gillian Steward Douglas Todd Yann Martel Jane Kansas Please note that the list of speakers is not complete at this time. The CAJ presents a symposium that will take journalists through the storytelling process, starting with the first spark of an idea, to completing the final draft. From finding compelling stories to interviewing with focus, the symposium will offer practical tips for print and broadcast journalists. We’ll also explore the less tangible aspects of writing: Being creative, taking chances, appreciating our role as storytellers. Editors, reporters, authors and coaches from Canada and the U.S. will share their expertise during this two-day conference at the Delta Bessborough, on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River in pretty downtown Saskatoon. KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Yann Martel, Writer-in-Residence, Saskatoon Public Library Martel won the Man Booker Prize for his novel Life of Pi, the story of a boy whose family operates a zoo in India. His father decides to move the family to Canada, but the ship sinks and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with part of the menagerie including a Bengal tiger. “Pi is Martel’s triumph. He is understood and ironic, utterly believable and pure...”wrote the Globe and Mail. Martel has also written The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, a collection of short stories, and Self, a novel. KEEP THE CREATIVE FIRE BURNING. Yann Martel, the Saskatoon Public Library’s writer-in-residence, will discuss the creative process that all writers wrestle with. How can we rekindle our creative spirits, build our confidence and use that inspiration to become better writers? KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Jacqui Banaszynski, Seattle Before her recent promotion to associate managing editor for special projects and staff development, Banaszynski previously was in charge of the Sunday newspaper, and the metro news department at The Times. Before joining The Times in 1997, she spent 18 years as a beat and enterprise reporter, then worked as a projects editor at newspapers in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. In 2000, she joined the faculty at the prestigious Missouri School of Journalism. While at the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota), her series “Aids in the Heartland” - an intimate look at the life and death of a gay farm couple-won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in feature writing. She was a finalist for the 1986 Pulitzer in international reporting for coverage of the Ethopian famine. THE POWER OF STORY Stories are more than mere words. They are how we bear witness to history, chronicle our place in the world, impart values and dreams, speak to each other across continents. And as journalists, we are society’s storytellers. A Pulitzer Prize winner talks about the importance of stories, and storytellers. ONE REPORTERS’ TRASH IS ANOTHER REPORTER’S TREASURE There’s lots of good stories out there, but journalists must learn to recognize them –even when they turn up in the most banal places. Banaszynski discusses how to find and focus stories gleaned from routine news events. REPORTER/ EDITOR RELATIONSHIPS: CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? It’s time to stop eyeing each other warily across the newsroom, there’s work to be done. Banaszynski explores how reporters and editors can get along and help each other get better. Sheila Coles, Saskatchewan Coles, who taught school in Newfoundland before beginning her career in journalism, started her CBC career with radio news. She has also worked in TV news as a reporter, producer and anchor. This past summer she was heard hosting CBC Radio’s national morning show ‘Sounds Like Canada.’ Coles has hosted the Morning Edition since 1993. The show has been named CBC Radio’s “Best Daily Regional Program” in 1993, 1994, and 2000. It was a runner-up in 2002. DONT BLOW THE INTERVIEW! Using examples gleaned from the airwaves, Coles will walk participants through the good, the bad and the ugly of interviewing. Discussing will also focus on journalists’ own interviews gone wrong, (or right!) and why the interview turned out the way it did. Participation in this session is limited. Bryan Painter, Oklahoma Bryan Painter has won 12 national and regional awards for his writing as well as numerous state awards. He is a three-time finalist and two-time winner of Dallas Press Club awards in the business and sports categories. As a business reporter he also won the National Association of Agricultural Journalists Series of the year in 1998. In other coverage, Painter was assigned to covering victims following the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and was the team leader for victim’s coverage following the May 3, 1999 Oklahoma tornadoes which killed 44 people. The Oklahoman won the Dart Award for its coverage of the Murrah Building bombing. TAKE THE READER WITH YOU IN FEATURE WRITING It’s easy to fall into the trap of telling and not showing. Bryan Painter shows you how to use detail to put your reader at the scene, bringing your subject closer to the reader and help the reader experience the story through your senses. Maggie Siggins, Regina Maggie Siggins has earned several awards for her books which include: A Canadian Tragedy: JoAnn and Colin Thatcher, A Story of Love and Hate; Revenge of the Land: A Century of Greed, Tragedy and Murder on a Saskatchewan Farm; Riel: A Life of Revolution and In Her Own Time: A Class Reunion Inspires a Cultural History of Women. Siggins has been a newspaper reporter and columnist, and has written for several national magazines. Siggins is also an experienced broadcaster, working as a reporter, on-air interviewer, and commentator for CITY-TV and CBC in Toronto. She has done numerous documentaries and television specials. THIS WOULD BE A GREAT BOOK...OR WOULD IT? It’s the biggest story you’ve ever covered and it’s got everything: Murder, lust, betrayal. There must be a book in there somewhere. But beware...not every big story is worthy of undertaking this herculean task. Siggins discusses the signposts that signal when a story is book material, and how to get started if you’ve got the goods. Gillian Steward, Calgary Gillian Steward served as the 2001-02 visiting professor at the University of Regina School of Journalism. Her work spans newspaper reporting, magazine writing, radio documentaries for CBC’s Ideas series and non-fiction writing. Her book Clear Answers: The Economics and Politics of For-Profit Medecine (co-authored with Kevin Taft, 2000) was on the Calgary and Edmonton bestseller lists for 10 weeks. Her weekly column for Southam news focused on political developments in western Canada (1990-92). She was the managing editor of the Calgary Herald (1987-1990) and assistant managing editor responsible for day-to-day news coverage and special investigative reports. As a freelance journalist she has written for The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The Montreal Gazette, Maclean’s, The Financial Post, RPB Magazine and many more. COVERING THE FIRST CONCERN: HEALTH CARE REPORTING IN THE AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY. With health care at an all time high government expenditure and most Canadians naming it as the top public policy issue, Steward looks at ways to explore the issues. She’ll show how reporters can use the 2002 Romanow Report as a reference point, a source of story ideas and to back their demand for accountability. Douglas Todd, Vancouver Todd is The Vancouver Sun’s religion and ethics writer. He has received more than two dozen regional, national and international journalism awards while covering the beat. He has twice won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, which goes to the top religion reporter at any secular magazine. He is also the recipient of B.C. Newspaper awards and Jack Webster Foundation awards for news reporting and commentary. In addition to these and other awards Todd is the author of two successful books, Brave Souls, Writers and artists Wrestle With God, Love, Death and the Things That Matter; and The Soul-Searcher’s Guide to the Galaxy. WRITING WITH A FLAIR. Want to expand your writing style? Award-winning Vancouver Sun feature writer Douglas Todd will offer tips on how to go beyond formulaic prose, cure journalistic boredom and broaden your writing (and intellectual) horizons. This session will include examinations of excellent examples of writing. Jane Kansas, Halifax Jane Kansas is a feature writer at The Coast, an alternative weekly newspaper in Nova Scotia. Until she was fired in August, she wrote a freelance weekly column, on a wide range of social and personal issues for the Halifax Daily News. Kansas has also been heard as a contributor on CBC Radio, as This Morning's Nova Scotia columnist. her broadcast experience also includes work with campus community radio station CKDU. THEY SHOOT PLAGIARISTS DON'T THEY? Jane Kansas was on deadline, her column was too long, she needed to cut something fast. She chopped an attribution and never put it back. After a reader spotted the uncredited passage, Kansas was fired by her editor, who said his paper couldn't be seen to be condoning plagiarism. Kansas tells her story and opens a discussion on an issue that is getting attention as a growing problem everywhere, from university classrooms to the world's top newspapers. MORE SESSION INFORMATION TO COME.