Call for Submissions/Nominations:

• BPAA member Frontenac House has released a call for submissions to Quartet 2021. Frontenac House has published the Quartet series of poetry titles every fall since 2001. More information including full submission guidelines is available here. The call for submissions will close on April 30, 2020.
• The Edmonton Poetry Festival is also accepting submissions for the spring flight of Poetry Moves on Transit. The contest is open to all residents of the Edmonton region, and winners also receive a $100 honorarium, as well as a copy of the bus poster. More information is available here, and submissions will be accepted until March 6, 2020.
• Calgary Arts Development is pleased to open nominations for the next Calgary Poet Laureate. The term runs April 2020 to April 2022 and the deadline for nominations is Friday, March 20, 2020 at 4:30pm MST.

Now Hiring!

• SaskBooks is looking for a Communications Officer, to start on April 1, 2020. See here for the full job posting. Applications are due February 28, 2020.

From the Association of Canadian Publishers:

Those who attended the ACP Mid-Winter Meeting in Toronto last week heard that our sector has a unique opportunity to move our longstanding request for an increase to the Canada Book Fund forward in the coming year. We have an enthusiastic Heritage Minister, an engaged bureaucracy, a standing recommendation for an increase from the Finance Committee, and an international spotlight focused on our industry. ACP has worked hard to lay the groundwork, but the experience of other sectors shows that widespread support is critical to moving these requests forward. We are partnering with our colleagues at ANEL, with whom we have submitted a joint recommendation to the Finance Committee, on a letter writing campaign in support of this recommendation. 
 
Please support this effort by writing to your company’s MP before the end of February. If you have a different home MP, consider adapting the letter for them, too, and encourage staff to send their own letters. A template is available that can be customized as you wish. 
 
Key points to keep in mind:

• MP names (searchable by postal code) and their email addresses are available here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en
• The goal of the letter writing campaign is to motivate local MPs to share their support for an increase to the CBF with the Prime Minister, Minister of Canadian Heritage, and Minister of Finance. These officials should be copied on your letter/email, regardless of whether your MP is part of the government or opposition. Email addresses are provided in the template.
• Copy me or send a copy of your letter. We will keep track of the MPs who have been contacted, and at the end of the month compile all of the letters that have been sent into a single package to present to the Heritage and Finance Ministers. The letters sent by ACP members and affiliates will be combined with those sent by ANEL members.
• If you receive a response, please forward a copy for our records.
• Even if you don’t receive direct support from CBF, consider sending a letter of support for this recommendation. The CBF supports a wide range of organizations (ACP, eBOUND, BookNet, Livres Canada Books, regional associations) that all provide critical collective services that benefit the sector as a whole. 

Thank you for your support of this initiative.
The Edmonton Arts Council has revamped their travel grant program, which is intended to support "Edmonton residents active in the arts and festival communities with travel project costs to the benefit of both themselves and the citizens of Edmonton." Applications will be considered three times a year, with deadlines of February 3, June 1, and October 1. Online applications will open a month before each deadline, and the full program overview is available here.

Ampersand Inc. is seeking sponsors for National/Regional Book Fairs that will begin in February 2020. There are a wide range of potential sponsorships available and they go a long way in supporting Canadian bookstores. A spreadsheet with the opportunities and sponsorship details/contacts can be found here.

The Canada Council for the Arts has released new and simplified guidelines for their German translation program. More information is available here.

The Ministry of Culture, Multiculturalism, and Status of Women announced a new grant on December 10. The Multiculturalism, Indigenous and Inclusion Grant revitalizes the Anti-Racism Community Grant to support a broader range of projects. Projects will focus on promoting cross-cultural understanding, celebrating diverse backgrounds and helping Albertans understand the impacts of discrimination. There are two intakes remaining for 2020, with the first deadline on March 1. Full application guidelines and eligibility information is available here.

Tech Forum 2020 registration is currently open, and the event will take place from March 23-25, 2020, in Toronto, Ontario.

PubWest 501 is currently running an educational series, offering a choice of two courses covering Distribution and the Title Profit & Loss Statement. See here for more information and registration details.

Canadian arts and culture organizations will soon be required to commit in writing to providing a workplace free of harassment and sexual misconduct in order to receive federal funding. Respectful Workplaces in the Arts is the gateway to CHRC’s national anti-harassment initiatives and resources such as “Workplace Harassment and Violence” and the CHRC’s comprehensive HR Management Toolkit.

The Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC) and The Conference Board of Canada (CBoC) are pleased to announce the launch of a national survey of the Canadian cultural sector labour force - the first of its kind since 2010 and the only current national research on the sector’s employers and workers. Click here for more information and to fill out the survey.