For immediate release

Moncton, NB, November 24, 2023- The 2024 annual New Brunswick Writing Competition judges have been selected, and they will review submitted unpublished manuscripts from New Brunswick writers between January 1 and March 31, 2024. The program celebrates eight categories of unpublished writing in the genre of story collection/novel, short story, single poem, poetry manuscript, books for young people, and stories by teens, as well as unpublished short film script, and narrative non-fiction.

The competition is open to all New Brunswickers. If you live outside of New Brunswick, you must be Writers' Federation of New Brunswick member to participate.

The judges for 2024 are as follows:

The David Adams Richards Prize for Fiction Manuscript – Trudy J. Morgan

(15,000 to 30,000 words - Individual stories in a collection can be previously published, but a novella or novel extract must be unpublished. First Prize $400, Second Prize $200, Third Prize 1 year WFNB membership)

Trudy J. Morgan is a writer and educator in St. John's, Newfoundland. She is the author of numerous works of historical fiction including By the Rivers of Brooklyn, Most Anything You Please, and A Sudden Sun. Her latest work, the Cupids Trilogy (A Roll of the Bones, Such Miracles and Mischiefs, A Company of Rogues), is a fictional exploration of the earliest English settlements on the island of Newfoundland. Trudy's particular interest is in uncovering and re-imagining the lost and silenced voices of women in history.

The Douglas Kyle Memorial Prize for Short Fiction – Willow Kean

(Single story - 2,000 to 4,000 words. First Prize $250, Second Prize $150, Third Prize 1 year WFNB membership)

Willow Kean Willow Kean is an actor and writer from Labrador West who now resides in St. John’s. She holds a BFA in theatre from Grenfell College and has spent over twenty years working for several theatre companies across Newfoundland and Labrador. Her work on film includes The Death of Winter, Hard Light, Away From Everywhere, and The King Tide. While living in South Korea, Willow was employed as a teacher, voice recording artist, and writer, researching and writing biographies and historical fiction for ESL students of all ages. She started writing collaboratively for the theatre in 2009 and has had several children’s theatre productions tour schools around the province. Willow’s five-woman comedy Supper Club was developed and workshopped with Resource Centre for the Arts Theatre and was selected for the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) Colony in Sackville, New Brunswick, held virtually over a two-week period in May of 2020. Supper Club premiered in St. John’s at the LSPU Hall in November of 2021, and completed an island-wide Arts and Culture Centre provincial tour this past fall. She’s won NL Arts and Letters awards in both fiction and non-fiction, been shortlisted for the Cuffer Prize, the WANL Postcard Story Contest, and most recently was longlisted for the 2022 NLCU Fresh Fish Award. Willow was the recipient of the 2016 Rhonda Payne Theatre Award, and in 2018 she won the Percy Janes First Novel Award. Her novel, Eyes in Front When Running, was published by Breakwater Books in June of 2023. Willow gets angry, cooks, and writes about it at thelittleredchicken.substack.com.

The Alfred G. Bailey Prize for Poetry Manuscript – Susan Gillis

(48 to 96 pages - Individual poems can be previously published, but the manuscript must be unpublished. First Prize $350, Second Prize $200, Third Prize one year WFNB membership)

Susan Gillis has lived on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and along the St. Lawrence River, and now makes her home near Perth in eastern Ontario. Her most recent book, Yellow Crane (Brick 2018), is a meditation on ecologies of place, writing, and desire. Volta, her second book, was awarded the AM Klein Prize for Poetry; her other books have been finalists for awards from  the Quebec Writers Federation, the Association for Studies in Literature and the Environment, Relit and the League of Canadian Poets. Her work has been featured in Best Canadian Poetry, Juniper, The Fiddlehead, Grain, and other journals in print and online. A member of the collaborative group Yoko’s Dogs, Susan also works as a poetry editor and mentor.

The Quantiphi Books for Young People Award - Lorna Schultz Nicholson

(Short stories or poems written for young people - children’s, middle grade or YA - up to 4,500 words. First Prize $200, Second Prize $100, Third Prize one-year WFNB membership)

Lorna Schultz Nicholson is full-time writer who divides her time between Edmonton, Alberta and Penticton, British Columbia. She has published children’s picture books, middle grade fiction, YA fiction and non-fiction sports books. Lorna’s books are about family, friendships, and, well, the ups and downs of life. We all have those, right? They are also diverse, featuring many different characters. Many of her books are about sports, (yes, hockey), so she can answer a lot of questions about that too. Of course, she loves talking about writing and her process, and she loves giving tips to students on how they can make their writing better. Lorna is a lively presenter and has been in schools across Canada. She loves instilling her love of reading and writing to any grade. 

The Dawn Watson prize for Single Poem – Jeanette Lynes.

(Single poem, up to 100 lines. First Prize $200, Second Prize $100, Third Prize one-year WFNB membership)

Jeanette Lynes Jeanette Lynes is the author of seven books of poetry and three novels. Her third novel, The Apothecary’s Garden (HarperCollins Canada, 2022) was a finalist for a High Plains Book Award and two Saskatchewan Book Awards. Jeanette’s fourth novel is forthcoming from HarperCollins Canada in 2025. Jeanette’s personal essays, Apron Apocalypse, won the John V. Hicks manuscript competition in 2023. Jeanette’s most recent poetry book, Bedlam Cowslip: The John Clare Poems (Wolsak and Wynn/Buckrider Books) won the 2016 Saskatchewan Arts Board Poetry Award. Jeanette directs the MFA in Writing at the University of Saskatchewan.

The Sheree Fitch Prize for Teen Writers – Jay McGrath

(Short story - 400 words, or poem - up to 100 lines, written by teens age 13 to 18. First Prize $100, Second Prize $50, Third Prize one-year WFNB membership)

Jay McGrath is an emerging author, originally from Branch, NL and currently resides in Mount Pearl, NL. Born into a community of storytellers, Jay has been putting pen to paper his whole life and enjoys writing speculative fiction. He holds an Arts Degree with a double major in English and History, as well as, a Business Degree from Memorial University. He also completed his Master of Arts in History. His debut novel, We’d Rather Fight Than Eat is available through Flanker Press. His second novel is due out in Fall 2024. He is one of the hosts of the Writer’s NL podcast Inkpod. You can follow his Author Page on Facebook – Jay McGrath, Writer.

The narrative nonfiction prize - Shelly Kawaja

(Narrative nonfiction prose - 1,500 to 3,000 words. First Prize $200, Second Prize $100, Third Prize 1 year WFNB membership)

Shelly Kawaja won the 2022 BMO Winterset Award for her debut novel, The Raw Light of Morning. Her work can also be found in Riddle Fence, Horseshoe Literary Magazine, The Humber Literary Review and The Dalhousie Review. She was longlisted for the Bridge Prize, the Fresh Fish Award, and won the GritLIT 2020 short fiction contest. Shelly teaches creative writing at Memorial University’s Corner Brook campus and is the Fiction Reviews Editor at The Artisanal Writer Magazine. She’s a graduate of UBC’s MFA program, The Humber School for Writers and Memorial University of Newfoundland. She lives in Corner Brook with her family.

The Jane LeBlanc Screenwriting Award – Carlos Anthony

(Short Film Scripts (up to 15 minutes in length), Unproduced or produced accepted. Must have been written within the last two years. First Prize $500, Second prize, $150, Third Prize, one-year WFNB membership.)

Carlos Anthony is a filmmaker and author who writes about the experiences that Black men have historically avoided talking about. He has been recognized for his video web series, short story series, published essays, and short films that explore the themes of Black adolescence, fatherhood, fidelity, provision and work ethic, healthy relationships, sex and intimacy, overcoming addiction, and abuse. Shades of Black, his first novel, was published in April, 2023. With his wife and children, Carlos lives in Windsor, Ontario. 

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MORE THAN WORDS: Navigating the Complex World of Communication. 

Valerie Sherrard and Natalie Hyde invite you to join them on NOVEMBER 15 as they launch their new non-fiction title for middle grades. With a look at non-verbal communication, listening skills, speaking effectively, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and more, the content in MTW is supported by activities at each chapter's end, and fun artwork from David Jardine. 

Friends, family, teachers (along with their classes) ALL are welcome to join us! 

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/746340403237?aff=oddtdtcreator 

The Canadian Artists Network, the voice of Canada's experienced professional artists, will present its annual virtual conference Maintaining Creativity 8 from October 30-November 3, 2023 with three chapters on the theme Artists as Agents of Change. 

The Maintaining Creativity 8 conference will explore a different aspect of Artists as Agents of Change in each two-hour chapter with moderators including Laurie Brown, Steven Loft, and Garry Neil. This annual conference is an online gathering place for professional artists of all disciplines in Canada to come together to examine new ideas for innovation, support, and craft.

Maintaining Creativity 8 is presented free of charge, with registration now open at https://www.csarn.ca/conference/. Participating panelists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Chapter One
Women Warriors for Change

Monday, October 30^th at 1pm Eastern time

What does it mean for an artist to be a warrior? Starting something that needed starting? Stopping something that never should have started in the first place? An artist who works to change the system? For moderator Laurie Brown, being a warrior means searching, exploring until we find authenticity, honesty, purpose and meaning coming together. Broadcaster, writer, journalist Laurie Brown will dig deeply into the topic of Women Warriors with three remarkable guests. 

Chapter Two
Inclusion: Where Are We?
Wednesday, November 1^st at 1pm Eastern time

Canadian artists from diverse communities have been at the forefront of issues involving equity, representation and inclusion. Much has happened and a lot still needs to happen. Where are we when it comes to social justice in the arts and beyond, in the areas of race, reconciliation with Indigenous communities, gender, sexual orientation, and people with disabilities? What are the most effective ways to be an ally for these communities? What is the role of artists in mobilizing their own community and the wider community? What role can/do arts institutions play? Does ageism fit into this discussion?

Inclusion: Where Are We? will be moderated by Steven Loft, Vice-President, Department of Indigenous Ways and Decolonization at the National Gallery of Canada.

Chapter Three
The Original Gig Workers: Strategies Towards Economic Stability
Friday, November 3^rd at 1pm Eastern time

Artists are fundamental to society, but they are the original gig workers. The median income of professional artists is 44 per cent lower than that of all workers; many earn less than the poverty line. Thirty years after the Status of the Artist Act was adopted, have we made any progress? What more needs to be done? 

The Original Gig Workers moderator will be Garry Neil, whose 40-year-career in arts and culture policy includes the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

For more information visit: www.csarn.ca/conference.

The Canadian Artists Network (CAN, formerly CSARN) is the voice of Canada's elder professional artists across all disciplines. CAN offers programs and services that enable artists to remain relevant, connected, informed, and motivated. Artists don't retire. Their creativity and skills do not diminish with age. Creativity Lives Forever. The Canadian Artists Network is committed to raising awareness of the value of these artists as resources for the future and role models for emerging talent. CAN is dedicated to supporting, celebrating, and inspiring these senior artistic voices through its advocacy work and programs.

October 19, 2023

Several key cultural industry associations and groups met recently to discuss the state of the arts and culture sector in NB. As important voices advocating for the arts and culture sector, we submit these insights and recommendations to further strengthen and support the vital contributions made by this sector.

It is time to recognize the importance of arts and culture in New Brunswick.

In 2021 — despite a 5% workforce decline from 2020 — New Brunswick’s arts and culture sector employed 7,050 people and contributed $578 million to the province's GDP. Recovery from the pandemic remains a challenge, with fewer organizations and businesses from 2020 to 2022.

Inflation has raised costs by over 16% since 2019, impacting the ability of cultural organizations to fulfill their essential role within the sector's framework. The foundation of the cultural ecosystem is made up of community centres, festival organizers, art spaces, and other cultural assets. Arts organizations offer funding for creation, distribution, and presentation, as well as for training and employment of artists, and a place for artists and the public to assemble, study, explore, and develop as a community.

The Arts and Culture Branch of the Department of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture faces severe underfunding, making it difficult to meet the sector's needs. We urge the government to recognize the value of investing in arts and culture in order to sustain and grow these essential contributions to our society and economy.

We recommend a minimum investment of $25M in arts and culture for the 2024-25 Provincial Budget, including the following:

Increase the Core Support Programs by $2.5M for cultural organizations’ base funding.

Allocate $2.5M to support festivals, including Arts in Communities and the Invitation Festival Fund.

Boost the Music Industry Development Program (MID) by $460,000.

Provide an additional $2M to the New Brunswick Arts Board through the Arts Development Trust Fund.

Allocate funding towards the local governance reform project to develop and implement new municipal cultural strategies.

Uphold the commitment to the Film, Television, and New Media Industries by increasing film industry funding by $5M to reach the 2025 target.

Your leadership in bringing these recommendations to the forefront will pave the way for a brighter future for all New Brunswickers and our economy. We are ready to discuss these proposals with you and explore collaborative initiatives and solutions toward implementing positive change and prosperity.

Thank you for your time and commitment to our province’s arts and culture sector.

***

19 octobre 2023

Plusieurs associations et groupes clés de l'industrie culturelle se sont réunis récemment pour discuter de l'état du secteur des arts et de la culture au N.-B. En tant que représentant.e.s de ces associations et groupes, nous soumettons ces réflexions et ces recommandations à votre gouvernement dans le but de renforcer et de soutenir convenablement les contributions inestimables de ce secteur.

Il est temps de reconnaître l'importance des arts et de la culture au Nouveau-Brunswick.

En 2021, malgré un recul de 5 % de l'emploi depuis 2020, le secteur des arts et de la culture du Nouveau-Brunswick employait 7 050 personnes et contribuait au PIB de la province pour un montant de 578 millions de dollars. La relance après la pandémie reste un défi, avec moins d'organismes et d'entreprises de 2020 à 2022.

L'inflation a fait augmenter les coûts de plus de 16 % depuis 2019. Cela a eu un impact sur la capacité des organismes culturels à remplir leur rôle essentiel dans le cadre du secteur. Le fondement de l'écosystème culturel est constitué de groupes artistiques: centres communautaires, organisations de festivals, espaces artistiques et autres biens culturels. Les organismes artistiques fournissent des fonds pour la création, la distribution, la présentation, la formation et l'emploi des artistes, ainsi qu'un lieu où les artistes et le public peuvent se rassembler, étudier, explorer et grandir en communauté.

La section des arts et de la culture du ministère du Tourisme, du Patrimoine et de la Culture souffre d'un grave sous-financement, ce qui l'empêche de répondre aux besoins du secteur. Nous plaidons pour des investissements significatifs afin de soutenir et de développer ce secteur essentiel qui contribue grandement à notre société et à notre économie.

Nous recommandons un investissement minimum de 25 millions de dollars dans les arts et la culture pour le budget provincial 2024-25, qui comprend ce qui suit :

Augmenter le Programme de soutien de base de 2,5 millions de dollars afin de fournir un financement de base aux organismes culturels.

Allouer 2,5 millions de dollars pour soutenir les festivals, notamment le Programme des arts dans les communautés et le Fonds pour les festivals «l'Invitation».

Augmenter le Programme de développement de l'industrie de la musique (DIM) de 600 000 dollars.

Fournir 2 millions de dollars supplémentaires au Conseil des arts du Nouveau-Brunswick par le biais du Fonds en fiducie pour l'avancement des Arts.

Allouer des fonds au projet de réforme de la gouvernance locale afin d'élaborer et de mettre en œuvre de nouvelles stratégies culturelles municipales.

Respecter l'engagement pris à l'égard du Programme de soutien à l'industrie du film, et de la télévision et des nouveaux médias en augmentant le financement de l'industrie cinématographique de 5 millions de dollars pour atteindre l'objectif de 2025.

Le leadership dont vous ferez preuve en mettant en avant ces recommandations ouvrira la voie à un avenir meilleur pour tous les gens du Nouveau-Brunswick et pour notre économie. Nous sommes prêts à discuter de ces propositions avec vous et à explorer des initiatives et des solutions de collaboration pour mettre en œuvre des changements positifs et favoriser la prospérité.

Nous vous remercions de votre temps et de votre engagement envers le secteur des arts et de la culture de notre province.

Participating Organizations/Les organisations participantes : ArtsLink NB, CraftNB, Creating Access, Mawi’art: Wabanaki Artist Collective, Media NB, Music•Musique NB, NB Arts Centre Association INC / Association des centres des arts du NB INC., RADARTS inc.

The New Brunswick Arts Board (artsnb) is pleased to have launched its remodeled Artist in Residence Program. Professional artists, arts organizations, non-profit and for-profit organizations, institutions, municipalities, councils, and bands are eligible to apply to artsnb’s Artist in Residence Program.

The Artist in Residence Program is intended for individual artists to participate in residencies here or elsewhere, and for New Brunswick public or private institutions and organizations to host professional artists and enable them to pursue specific projects relating to their creative work. The artists in residence are also to contribute to the promotion and understanding of the arts by means of the artists’ contact with the clientele of the establishments. This program now has 6 annual deadlines.

What is an artist residency?

An artist residency offers artists a space and time outside of their regular environment to do one or a combination of the following: create or develop new or in-progress work; engage in mentorship or gain new skills; broaden the network and audience for their professional artistic practice; and/or community engagement.

For more information on this program and to apply please visit https://artsnb.ca/web/programs/artist-in-residence/

artsnb Lunch and Learn presentation about the Artist in Residence Program

Join artsnb staff members in their Lunch and Learn presentation (online) on TUESDAY OCTOBER 10, 2023, FROM 12PM to 1PM and find out everything there is to know about submitting an application to the remodeled Artist in Residence Program.

For more information on this information session and to register please visit https://artsnb.ca/web/2023/10/artsnb-lunch-and-learn-the-new-artist-in-residence-program-at-artsnb/

For questions or concerns about the Artist in Residence Program, please reach out to our Program Officers by email at prog@artsnb.ca.

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Bonjour aux intervenant.es culturels, galeries, municipalités, institutions, associations multiculturelles, bandes et conseil, centres d'art, et organisations artistiques et culturelles.

Le Conseil des arts du Nouveau-Brunswick (artsnb) est heureux d’avoir lancé son nouveau programme d'Artiste en résidence. Les artistes professionnel.les, les organisations artistiques, les organisations à but lucratif ou non, les institutions, les municipalités, les conseils et les bandes peuvent déposer une demande de financement au programme d'Artiste en résidence d'artsnb.

Le programme d’Artiste en résidence s’adresse aux artistes pour leur permettre de participer à des résidences, ainsi qu’aux institutions publiques ou privées et aux organismes néo-brunswickois qui désirent accueillir des artistes professionnel.les dans le cadre de projets leur permettant de se consacrer à leur activité créatrice. Les artistes en résidence doivent contribuer à la promotion et à la compréhension des arts par leur présence auprès de la clientèle de l’établissement hôte. Ce programme a maintenant 6 dates limites annuelles.

Qu’est-ce qu’une résidence d’artiste?

Une résidence d'artiste offre à un.e artiste un espace et du temps en dehors de son environnement habituel pour réaliser une ou plusieurs des activités suivantes : créer ou développer une nouvelle œuvre ou travailler à une œuvre en cours de réalisation ; bénéficier d'un mentorat ou acquérir de nouvelles compétences ; élargir son réseau et le public pour sa pratique artistique professionnelle ; et/ou s'engager auprès de la communauté.

Pour plus d’information sur ce programme et pour déposer une demande, visitez https://artsnb.ca/web/programs/artist-in-residence/?lang=fr

Midi-Causerie sur le programme Artiste en résidence

Rejoignez l'équipe d'artsnb pour un Midi-causerie (en ligne) le MERCREDI 11 OCTOBRE 2023 DE 12H À 13H, pour tout savoir à propos du nouveau programme d’Artiste en résidence.

Pour plus de détails sur cette session d’information et pour s’inscrire, visitez https://artsnb.ca/web/2023/10/midi-causerie-artsnb-le-nouveau-programme-artsnb-dartiste-en-residence/?lang=fr

Pour toute question sur le programme d’Artiste en résidence veuillez communiquer avec nos agent.es de programme par courriel à prog@artsnb.ca.

Dear friends –

I wanted to let you know about the Sackville Arts Wall Celebration this fall where Janet Crawford, Dan Steeves and I will be honoured. The celebration is always a joyful affair, and I hope you will be able to come and celebrate with us!  For the exact date, time and location please click below.

https://sackville.com/calendar/arts-wall-induction-ceremony/

Warmly,

Marilyn

PRESS RELEASES

Artificial Intelligence

September 20, 2023

New York, N.Y., September 20, 2023—The Authors Guild and 17 authors filed a class-action suit against OpenAI in the Southern District of New York for copyright infringement of their works of fiction on behalf of a class of fiction writers whose works have been used to train GPT. The named plaintiffs include David Baldacci, Mary Bly, Michael Connelly, Sylvia Day, Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham, Elin Hilderbrand, Christina Baker Kline, Maya Shanbhag Lang, Victor LaValle, George R.R. Martin, Jodi Picoult, Douglas Preston, Roxana Robinson, George Saunders, Scott Turow, and Rachel Vail.

“Without Plaintiffs’ and the proposed class’ copyrighted works, Defendants would have a vastly different commercial product,” stated Rachel Geman, a partner with Lieff Cabraser and co-counsel for Plaintiffs and the Proposed Class. “Defendants’ decision to copy authors’ works, done without offering any choices or providing any compensation, threatens the role and livelihood of writers as a whole.”

Scott Sholder, a partner with Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard and co-counsel for Plaintiffs and the Proposed Class, added, “Plaintiffs don’t object to the development of generative AI, but Defendants had no right to develop their AI technologies with unpermitted use of the authors’ copyrighted works. Defendants could have ‘trained’ their large language models on works in the public domain or paid a reasonable licensing fee to use copyrighted works.” 

The Authors Guild organized the lawsuit after witnessing first-hand the harm and existential threat to the author profession wrought by the unlicensed use of books to create large language models that generate texts. According to the Guild’s latest author income survey, the median full-time author income in 2022 was just barely over $20,000, including book and other author-related activities. While 10 percent of authors earn far above the median, half earn even less. Generative AI threatens to decimate the author profession. The council of the Authors Guild and the board of the Authors Guild Foundation voted unanimously (with abstentions) to file the suit because of the profound unfairness and danger of using copyrighted books to develop commercial AI machines without permission or payment.

Maya Shanbhag Lang, president of the Authors Guild and a class representative, stated, “The Authors Guild serves to protect the literary landscape and the profession of writing. This case is merely the beginning of our battle to defend authors from theft by OpenAI and other generative AI. As the oldest and largest organization of writers, with nearly 14,000 members, the Guild is uniquely positioned to represent authors’ rights. Our membership is diverse and passionate. Our staff, which includes a formidable legal team, has expertise in copyright law. This is all to say: We do not bring this suit lightly. We are here to fight.”

The complaint draws attention to the fact that the plaintiffs’ books were downloaded from pirate ebook repositories and then copied into the fabric of GPT 3.5 and GPT 4 which power ChatGPT and thousands of applications and enterprise uses—from which OpenAI expects to earn many billions. These “professionally authored, edited, and published books” are “an especially important source of LLM ‘training’ data,” as the complaint states, because they allow GPT to provide better, more commercial outputs.  

GPT is already being used to generate books that mimic human authors’ work, such as the recent attempt to generate volumes 6 and 7 of plaintiff George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series A Song of Ice and Fire, as well as the numerous AI-generated books that have been posted on Amazon that attempt to pass themselves off as human-generated and seek to profit off a human author’s hard-earned reputation.

Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger commented, “It is imperative that we stop this theft in its tracks or we will destroy our incredible literary culture, which feeds many other creative industries in the U.S. Great books are generally written by those who spend their careers and, indeed, their lives, learning and perfecting their crafts. To preserve our literature, authors must have the ability to control if and how their works are used by generative AI. The various GPT models and other current generative AI machines can only generate material that is derivative of what came before it. They copy sentence structure, voice, storytelling, and context from books and other ingested texts. The outputs are mere remixes without the addition of any human voice. Regurgitated culture is no replacement for human art.”

This suit highlights the particularly egregious harm to the fiction market. For fiction writers, OpenAI’s unauthorized use of their work is identity theft on a grand scale. Fiction authors create entirely new worlds from their imaginations—they create the places, the people, and the events in their stories. According to Rasenberger, “People are already distributing content generated by versions of GPT that mimic or use original authors’ characters and stories. Companies are selling prompts that allow you to ‘enter the world’ of an author’s books. These are clear infringements upon the intellectual property rights of the original creators.”  

She added, “This class-action suit focuses on fiction writers as a first step, as it is a well-defined and cohesive class of writers, as works of fiction are already being widely mimicked with GPT; we do of course also see harm to nonfiction markets and are addressing that as well. In all events, a positive outcome of this case will resound to the benefit of writers from all genres.”  

Class representative George Saunders stated, “I’m very happy to be part of this effort to nudge the tech world to make good on its frequent declarations that it is on the side of creativity. Writers should be fairly compensated for their work. Fair compensation means that a person’s work is valued, plain and simple. This, in turn, tells the culture what to think of that work and the people who do it. And the work of the writer—the human imagination, struggling with reality, trying to discern virtue and responsibility within it—is essential to a functioning democracy.”

Fiction writers are not the only ones being hurt, however. Nonfiction writers are also being robbed of their work. In August, Jane Friedman posted a thread on social media about how there were books listed on Amazon with her byline, when she had not in fact authored them. These books were then listed on Goodreads as well, under her author profile. She worked with the Authors Guild to get these books removed. Misappropriating authors’ names to sell scam books though Kindle and Goodreads is not new, but has gotten worse with the advent of AI-generated content.

Class representative Jonathan Franzen stated, “Generative AI is a vast new field for Silicon Valley’s longstanding exploitation of content providers. Authors should have the right to decide when their works are used to ‘train’ AI. If they choose to opt in, they should be appropriately compensated.”

The economic ramifications to the author profession stand to adversely affect all cultural production. For one, emerging writers will be less likely to enter the profession or sustain themselves as creatives. The loss of diverse perspectives, stylistic variety, and innovative approaches will indeed be to the detriment of all. The prospect of a future dominated by derivative culture is a matter of grave concern for everyone and this lawsuit is one of many efforts on various fronts to prevent that from happening.

Read the full complaint here (PDF).

About The Authors Guild

With near 14,000 members, the Authors Guild is the nation’s oldest and largest professional organization for published writers. It advocates on behalf of working writers to protect free speech, freedom of expression, and authors’ copyrights; fights for fair contracts and authors’ ability to earn a livable wage; and provides a welcoming community for writers and translators of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and journalism. Through its educational and charitable arm, the Authors Guild Foundation, it also offers free programming to teach working writers about the business of writing, as well as organizing public events that highlight the importance of a rich, diverse American literary culture and the authors who contribute to it.

Contact:
Raluca Albu
Communications Director, Authors Guild
RAlbu@authorsguild.org

About The Law Firms

Lieff Cabraser

Among the largest law firms in the U.S. representing only plaintiffs, Lieff Cabraser continues its 50-plus year commitment to corporate accountability; promoting fair competition and business practices; safeguarding product safety; protecting our environment; securing justice for consumers, employees, patients, investors, and business owners; ensuring our rights to privacy; and upholding the civil rights of citizens worldwide.

Rachel Geman
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
212-355-9500
rgeman@lchb.com

Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP 

For nearly three decades, Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP has provided legal counsel to leading media, art, technology, and entertainment clients, from individual creators to corporations, associations, and non-profit organizations. See https://cdas.com for more information.  

Scott Sholder
Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP
212-974-7474
ssholder@cdas.com

Halifax, N.-É. - L'Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association (APMA) s'est associée à toutes les bibliothèques publiques du Nouveau-Brunswick, de la Nouvelle-Écosse, de Terre-Neuve et de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard pour créer la collection 2023 Lire Atlantique /  Read Atlantic 2023 un accès illimité, qui comprend 50 livres numériques et livres audio accessibles à tous les usagers des bibliothèques publiques du Canada atlantique, sans attente ni retenue. Les livres numériques comportent également une série de caractéristiques qui les rendent plus accessibles aux utilisateurs de la bibliothèque qui sont incapables de lire les imprimés.   

La collection comprend certaines des nouveautés les plus populaires de la saison et de grands gagnants de prix, comme Nosy Parker de Lesley Crewe (best-seller du Globe & Mail en 2022) et Some Hellish de Nicholas Herring (lauréat du Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize en 2022, d'une valeur de 60 000 $). La collection compte 36 livres en anglais et 14 livres en français, qui pourront être empruntés immédiatement par tous les usagers des bibliothèques du Canada atlantique, sans retenue ni liste d'attente.   

Le projet 2023 Lire Atlantique présente une sélection initiale de 50 livres pour lancer le projet, l'objectif étant de lancer la collection complète de 100 à 150 livres numériques accessibles d'ici l'automne 2023. L'éditeur et le groupe de partenariat des bibliothèques espèrent utiliser ce projet pour créer un moyen efficace et efficient pour les bibliothèques de continuer à promouvoir les livres numériques et les livres audio accessibles de l'Atlantique pour les années à venir.   

Ce projet s'appuie sur une initiative pilotée en 2021, qui a permis d'offrir 141 livres numériques accessibles sans liste d'attente ni retenue dans les réseaux de bibliothèques du Nouveau-Brunswick, de la Nouvelle-Écosse et d'Halifax. Le projet pilote a suscité un vif intérêt de la part des lecteurs, qui ont emprunté les livres plus de 24 600 fois dans les trois réseaux, mais c'est la première fois qu'une collection de livres numériques locaux est mise à disposition pour une utilisation simultanée et illimitée dans toute la région de l'Atlantique. ​​  

« Nous sommes ravis de poursuivre sur la lancée du projet pilote et d'élargir l'accès à la littérature du Canada atlantique », a déclaré Karen Cole, directrice générale de l'APMA. « Nous croyons que cette initiative établira de nouvelles façons d'incorporer les livres numériques et les livres audio accessibles à l'échelle locale dans les promotions régulières des bibliothèques. Nous sommes ravis de nous associer à toutes les bibliothèques publiques du Nouveau-Brunswick, de la Nouvelle-Écosse, de Terre-Neuve et de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard pour nous aider à continuer à promouvoir et à élargir la portée des histoires de l'Atlantique d'une manière inclusive et dynamique. »  

Avec une telle sélection de livres, les éditeurs et les bibliothèques s'attendent à ce que la collection soit populaire et que tous les lecteurs puissent y accéder sur OverDrive / Libby et Pretnumerique. Tous les usagers des bibliothèques peuvent emprunter et télécharger sur l'appareil de leur choix - il suffit d'avoir une carte de bibliothèque et une connexion internet.  

 

« La popularité croissante des livres audio et numériques n'est pas seulement une merveille technologique, mais aussi un symbole d'inclusivité grâce à l'augmentation des caractéristiques conviviales », a déclaré Dave MacNeil, gestionnaire des collections et de l'accès aux bibliothèques publiques d'Halifax. « Les plateformes utilisées par les bibliothèques publiques du Canada atlantique, telles que l'application Libby d'OverDrive et Pretnumerique.ca pour les lecteurs francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick, ont fait l'objet d'un certain nombre de mises à jour en matière d'accessibilité au cours des dernières années afin de permettre la fonction de synthèse vocale et diverses caractéristiques permettant aux technologies d'assistance de lire et de naviguer dans le texte, telles que les descriptions d'images et les outils de navigation, ainsi que la capacité d'apporter des modifications à des éléments tels que la couleur et la taille de la police. »  

Pour la première fois, les collections de la bibliothèque afficheront des informations sur les caractéristiques d'accessibilité de chaque livre numérique de la collection, dans le but d'accroître la découverte de livres numériques accessibles du Canada atlantique. Le projet est financé en partie par l'Initiative pour des livres numériques accessibles du ministère du Patrimoine canadien - Fonds du livre du Canada.  

Tous sont encouragés à préparer leur carte de bibliothèque et à rejoindre l’APMA dans cette incroyable odyssée littéraire, à faire partie du mouvement #LireAtlantique et à plonger dans le monde enrichissant de la littérature atlantique.  

Pour plus d'informations sur #LireAtlantique et pour accéder à la collection actuelle, visitez les plateformes OverDrive / Libby et Pretnumerique des bibliothèques publiques participantes, leurs médias sociaux, ou contactez :  

 

Karen Cole
Directrice générale
Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association
karencole@atlanticpublishers.ca  

Afuwa Renner
Project Assistant | assistante de projet
Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association
afuwa.renner@gmail.com  

For immediate release  

(Version française ci-dessous)  

Halifax, NS - The Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association (APMA) has teamed up with all public libraries in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Prince Edward Island to create the 2023 Read Atlantic / Lire Atlantique Unlimited Access collection, with 50 eBooks and audiobooks that can be accessed by all Atlantic Canadian public library patrons with no holds or waitlists. The eBooks also include a range of features that make them more accessible for library users with print disabilities.   

The collection includes some of the season’s hottest new releases and big award winners, such as Nosy Parker by Lesley Crewe (2022 Globe & Mail bestseller) and Some Hellish by Nicholas Herring (winner of the $60,000 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize in 2022). There are 36 English books and 14 French books in the collection, which will be available for immediate borrowing by all Atlantic Canadian library patrons, with no holds or waitlists.   

The 2023 Read Atlantic project showcases an initial selection of 50 books to get the project started, with a goal to launch the full collection of 100-150 accessible digital books later this Fall 2023. The publisher and library partnership group hope to use this project to create an efficient and effective way for libraries to continue to promote accessible Atlantic eBooks and audiobooks for years to come.  

This project builds on an initiative piloted in 2021, which made 141 accessible eBooks available with no waitlists or holds across the library systems of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Halifax. The pilot saw great interest from readers, with books borrowed over 24,600 times across the three systems, but this is the first time that a collection of local digital books has been made available for simultaneous, unlimited usage for the entire Atlantic region. 

"We're thrilled to continue building on the momentum of the pilot project and expand access to Atlantic Canadian literature," said Karen Cole, Executive Director of APMA. "We believe that this initiative will establish new ways of incorporating local, accessible eBooks and audiobooks into regular library promotions. We are excited about partnering with all public libraries in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Prince Edward Island to help us continue to promote and expand the reach of Atlantic stories in an inclusive and dynamic way.”

With such a wide selection of books, publishers and libraries expect the collection to be a popular one that all readers can access on OverDrive / Libby and Pretnumerique. All library users can borrow and download to the device they choose – all that’s needed is a library card and an internet connection.  

“The ongoing surge in audiobooks and ebook popularity is not just a technological marvel, but a beacon of inclusivity thanks to an increase of user-friendly features.” said Dave MacNeil, Manager of Collections and Access at Halifax Public Libraries. “Platforms used by Atlantic Canadian public libraries, such as OverDrive’s Libby app, and Pretnumerique.ca for French readers in New Brunswick, have undergone a number of accessibility updates in recent years to allow for text-to-speech functionality and various features that allow for assistive technologies to read and navigate the text, such as image descriptions and navigation tools, and the capability to make changes to elements like colour and font size.”   

For the first time, the library collections will display information on the accessibility features of each digital book in the collection, with a goal of increasing the discoverability of accessible Atlantic Canadian digital books. The project is funded in part by the Department of Canadian Heritage - Canada Book Fund's Accessible Digital Books Initiative.   

All are encouraged to get their library cards ready and join in this incredible literary odyssey, be part of the #ReadAtlantic movement and dive into the enriching world of Atlantic literature.  

For more information about #ReadAtlantic and to access the current collection, visit the participating public libraries' OverDrive / Libby and Pretnumerique platforms, their social media, or contact:  

Karen Cole  

Executive Director  

Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association  

karencole@atlanticpublishers.ca  

Heather McDonald  

Library Liaison Consultant   

Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association  

heathermcdonald@atlanticpublishers.ca 

Thank you,

Heather

Heather McDonald

Library Liaison Consultant

Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association

AtlanticBooks.ca

heathermcdonald@atlanticpublishers.ca

Journée J’achète un livre du Nouveau-Brunswick :

une occasion de faire rayonner la littérature de chez nous 

Moncton, le 31 août 2023 - Aujourd’hui, le Festival Frye lance la quatrième édition de la journée J’achète un livre du Nouveau-Brunswick, qui aura lieu le 16 septembre 2023. Cette année, un comité d’artistes, d’auteur·ices, de libraires, de bibliothécaires et d’organismes culturels a organisé plus d’une quinzaine d’événements partout dans la province afin de célébrer et promouvoir la littérature néo-brunswickoise.

Mettre en valeur un paysage littéraire foisonnant

Les objectifs de la journée J’achète un livre du Nouveau-Brunswick sont multiples, notamment faire découvrir les auteurs et les autrices du Nouveau-Brunswick et augmenter les ventes de leurs livres dans les librairies locales. Plus encore, l’initiative vise à mettre de l’avant la lecture et la littérature comme vecteur de promotion culturelle. Au programme de cette année : des lancements de livres, des heures du conte, des séances de dédicaces chez les libraires, mais aussi des événements multidisciplinaires et des clubs de lecture virtuels.

« On sent un bouillonnement dans le paysage littéraire du Nouveau-Brunswick et des Maritimes, plus largement », affirme Ariane Savoie, la directrice générale du Festival Frye. « De plus en plus d’auteur·ices sont publié·es ici et ailleurs dans la francophonie et sont primé·es pour leurs œuvres. Au fil des années, nous avons pu remarquer que des voix nouvelles émergent pour nommer les réalités qui leur sont propres ; les festivals et les événements littéraires se multiplient et attirent des auteur·ices reconnu·es et célébré·es. Nous souhaitons amplifier cet élan, le faire connaître par un plus grand public », conclut Ariane Savoie.

Au Québec, la journée Le 12 août, j’achète un livre québécois a lieu depuis 10 ans, et génère chaque année des chiffres de vente qui dépassent ceux du temps des Fêtes. L’impact n’est pas qu’économique : en dix ans, l’initiative a créé un réel engouement pour la littérature locale, permettant à la scène littéraire de se développer tout en donnant aux gens la piqûre pour les livres d’ici.

Des événements organisés dans toute la province

Plusieurs partenaires se sont rassemblés pour proposer des événements aux quatre coins de la province. C’est le cas notamment des éditions Bouton d’or Acadie, qui seront présents pour des animations et des heures du conte à la fois à Moncton, au parc de la garderie Roche, Papiers, Ciseaux, à côté de la boulangerie CoPains, à leurs bureaux rue Botsford, mais aussi à Dalhousie au marché des fermiers de Restigouche.

À Caraquet, la Société culturelle Centr’Art s’allie avec la Librairie Pélagie, les éditions La Grande Marée et le Salon du livre de la Péninsule Acadienne pour offrir un événement interdisciplinaire, dans le cadre du festival Intervalles. Pendant ce temps, au Nord-Ouest, le Salon du livre d’Edmundston propose une animation jeunesse avec l’auteur Albert Roy.

Plusieurs librairies à Moncton, Sackville, Tracadie-Sheila et Edmundston organisent des concours et offrent des rabais sur l’achat des livres du Nouveau-Brunswick le 16 septembre afin d’encourager l’achat local. L’an dernier, Ellen Pickle, propriétaire de Tidewater Books à Sackville, avait noté que 33 % des livres vendus lors de la journée étaient des livres néo-brunswickois.

Deux clubs de lecture gratuits et virtuels, organisés par le Frye en partenariat avec le Club Co-Libris, seront aussi l’occasion de rassembler les lecteurs et lectrices à travers la province. Le club de lecture en français se tiendra autour de Rivières-aux-Cartouches (Éditions Perce-Neige, 2023), de Sébastien Bérubé, tandis que le club en anglais portera sur The Running Trees, d’Amber McMillan (Goose Lane Editions, 2021).

Le Grand Moncton s’anime autour des livres

Un premier lancement de poésie sera organisé le 7 septembre autour du livre Berceuses d’Émilie Turmel (Poètes de brousse) qui est paru le 29 août dernier. Des estampes créées par l’artiste seront cachées dans les livres.

Toujours du côté poésie, le 16 septembre, les éditions Perce-Neige mettent l’accent sur leurs livres rares anciens lors d’une Petite braderie au café The Groggy Frog, mais proposent aussi au public de découvrir leurs nouveautés lors de séances de dédicaces et lors d’un double lancement à la Place Resurgo de Moncton, avec Louis-Martin Savard et Paul Bossé.

De son côté, le Conseil provincial des sociétés culturelles (CPSC) invite le public à un café-croissant avec l’autrice de Fredericton d’origine Libanaise, Samira Farhoud, à la Place de la Cathédrale de Moncton, dans le cadre de la tournée Les mots qui tournent.

Les familles sont aussi invitées à prendre part aux festivités lors d’une Chasse aux livres à la Place 1604 de Dieppe ! Cette activité sera aussi ponctuée d’heures du conte et de jeux, et est organisée par le Conseil des étudiants en éducation de l’Université de Moncton, en partenariat avec la Ville de Dieppe, le Salon du livre de Dieppe et le Frye.

 

Liste des événements :

7/09 : Lancement de Berceuses (FR) | Moncton

13/09 : Club de lecture Co-Libris : Rivières-aux-Cartouches (FR) | Virtuel

16/09 :

●      Les contes à la ferme : Marie-France Comeau et Gilles Cormier (FR) | Dalhousie

●      Séances de dédicaces : Sébastien Bérubé (FR) | Matulu, Edmundston

●      Les mots qui tournent : Samira Farhoud (FR) | Moncton

●      La petite braderie des éditions Perce-Neige (FR) | Moncton

●      Le parc aux histoires : Camille Perron-Cormier, Johanna Lezziero, Nicole Poirier et Josephine Watson (FR) | Moncton

●      Événement interdisciplinaire Intervalles (FR) | Caraquet

●      Dans le panier d’Amadou (après le 15 août) : Samira Farhoud (FR) | Moncton

●      La chasse aux livres / Book Hunt (BIL) | Dieppe

●      Animation jeunesse (FR) | Edmundston

●      Lancement double : Folklorismes et Tous les tapis roulants mènent à Rome (FR) | Moncton

Séances de dédicaces : Librairie The Flying Canoe Bookstore

Rabais : Stylopress/Le Bouquin (Tracadie-Sheila); Librairie acadienne (Moncton); Tidewater Books (Sackville)

20/09 : Club de lecture Co-Libris : The Running Trees (EN) | Virtuel

Pour entrevues :

Elise Pelletier

media@frye.ca

506-380-4272 

Nous reconnaissons que les terres sur lesquelles la journée J’achète un livre du Nouveau-Brunswick  propose ses événements sont les territoires traditionnels non-cédés des peuples Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqey et Passamaquoddy.

Le Festival Frye est le plus important festival littéraire au Canada atlantique et une célébration bilingue des livres, des idées, et de l'imagination. D’une durée de dix jours, le festival se déroule à la fin du mois d’avril et se déploie dans la région du Grand Moncton, dans les communautés avoisinantes et, pour les visites scolaires, dans l’ensemble de la province. Une programmation d’ateliers et de classes de maîtres est offerte chaque année en dehors de la programmation officielle du festival.

Relations de presse | Press relations