Literary Sector Receives $124,500 in Provincial Government Support

Tourism, Culture and Recreation
August 13, 2008
Literary Sector Receives $124,500 in Provincial Government Support

The literary sector in Newfoundland and Labrador has received $124,500 in Provincial Government operational and project support through the Cultural Economic Development Program (CEDP).

The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, said the investment supports the operation of the Writers� Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador (WANL), literary publications, and writers as they engage in market access initiatives.

"Newfoundland and Labrador has an extraordinary wealth of talented writers, and this operational and project-specific support recognizes the contribution the literary sector continues to make to the cultural, economic and social fabric of the province," said Minister Jackman.

Funding approved for the literary sector to date includes:

$80,000 to support the operation of the Writers� Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador, which provides professional development initiatives and other programs which benefit the development of the literary industry in the province;

$23,000 to offset costs associated with the publication of four issues of the Newfoundland Quarterly;

$10,000 to offset the cost of five local publishers to attend a Book Expo in Toronto this past June, where they had an opportunity to market their products;

$5,000 to Riddle Fence, the province�s new literary journal, to support costs associated with the production of two issues;

$5,000 to Brick Books, to offset the cost of sending poet Randall Maggs on a reading tour to promote his poetry collection, Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems; and,

$1,500 to Pedlar Press, to offset the cost of sending author Sara Tilley on a reading tour to promote her novel, Skin Room.

CEDP projects are selected based on the strength of the business plans, vision and potential for development within the sector. For more information on the CEDP program and application guidelines, visit: www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/services_programs/CEDP/ARTS/.

The Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation also supports the literary sector through the Arts and Letters Awards Program and through the $200,000 Publishers Assistance Program.

In 2006, the Provincial Government released its cultural strategy, Creative Newfoundland and Labrador, which committed $17.6 million over three years to cultural initiatives in the province.

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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928
heathermay@gov.nl.ca

2008 08 13 11:25 a.m.

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