Bernice Afriyie | Arts Editor
Featured image: New writers shake their literary bugs and share their works at AWS Publishing’s reader series. | Courtesy of Laura Sbrizzi
One of the most frustrating things for new writers is getting their work out there. Many online and print publications publish periodically or restrict authors from making simultaneous submissions. Some literary publications require a reading fee for submissions, which can be discouraging for new writers, especially students.
Aspiring Writers Society, or AWS Publishing, offers an online platform for emerging writers to get their work out there. AWS does not require a reading fee for their entries and allows writers to submit their works to multiple publications. Publishing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at noon, the website gives new writers multiple opportunities to get their work seen. Emerging writers also have the opportunity to read their poetry, fiction and nonfiction at regular author series hosted by AWS Publishing around Toronto.
AWS hosted the fourth chapter of their reading series at Toronto’s Sneaky Dee’s on October 24. For writers who may not be used to reading their work in front of an audience, the task may seem daunting. “We just work really hard to make the events unpretentious, relaxed and fun,” says Luke Gagliardi, associate editor at AWS.
“It’s a safe space and a welcoming one, and I think the people who read really sense that when they get in front of the mic. It’s basically just an excuse to spend a night with talented like-minded people who want to elevate their craft and help others sharpen their own skills.”
Networking and meeting other writers is a major part of cracking the tightly knit world of the publishing industry. It’s great to see that this online publication hasn’t lost touch with the social aspects of writing.
“Publishing is highly competitive, and getting your name noticed […] is probably as hard as ever,” remarks Gagliardi. With the pool of online publications and blogs growing, so is the amount of talent, good or bad.
“What online publishers like us do for people is help them build their platform and grow as writers. Major Canadian journals are thinning out, but at the same time, micro-presses are popping up everywhere and that’s awesome,” says Gagliardi.
“Things haven’t gotten easier; they’ve gotten more complicated, but there is also more opportunity for beginning writers who have the drive, the talent and the luck to make it big.”
As a creative writing and professional writing double major at York, Gagliardi assures us that literature is not dead, but simply changing forms.
“Writing is a technology and an art. As an art, it has undergone countless changes as technology evolves. This is no different than it has been since papyrus and parchment.” Besides the environmental benefits, online publishing allows for more accessible literature and books and, as such, allows writers to form intimate relationships with their readers. Feedback can be instantaneous, allowing fandoms and important conversations to happen with just the scroll of a mouse.
“Literature might be changing as a result of these evolutions, but it always has, and will always continue to, and I really doubt the physical book will ever go extinct. eBooks and eZines might be the future, but they’ll still share that future with print,” adds Gagliardi.
For those of us who swear by the yellowing pages of our favourite novels or the musty and welcoming smell of a poetry book, it may be hard to embrace the technological shift in book making. However, what we stand to lose in nostalgia we stand to gain in new literary experiences.
