Category Archives: The Shebeen Club

Vancouver’s Monthly Literary Gathering. My baby. No open mic, no hand-holding, no American beer.

3 Day Novel Contest Writer’s Retreat

Posted on by

I know I’m posting this up everywhere I possibly can (except perhaps at Lolebrity.net) but it deserves repeating. Quite an exclusive gathering this will be.

3 Day Novel Contest Writer's Retreat on Beautiful Bowen Island

From a bright-eyed Friday, September 4th through to a groggy, shaken Tuesday the 8th morning, we’ll be closeting ourselves away in a secluded BC resort doing nothing but writing. The goal: to create a novel from start to finish in three straight days.

Every year the 3 Day Novel Contest comes around, and every year, something gets in the way. The purpose of this retreat is to ensure that over those three caffeine and stress-packed days, you have nothing else to do but write. And maybe slam some energy drinks.

You can also join this event on Facebook and you can join the Shebeen Club itself there as well.

Host:
Start Time:
Friday, 04 September 2009 at 17:00
End Time:
Tuesday, 08 September 2009 at 11:00
Location:
a resort within an easy ferry ride/drive of Vancouver
Town/City:
Beautiful BC
Phone: 778-235-0592 but email instead, PLEASE
Email:
lorraine.murphy at gmail.com

Reflections on Bowen Island, by Kris Krug

Meals, shelter, companionship and isolation as you choose: all are included in the price. We’re still in negotiations, but at this point it looks like the four days (checkout 11am Tuesday) will run us about $500, including your 3 Day Novel Contest registration fee of $50.

There is an absolute maximum of 20 attendees, so express your interest sooner rather than later.

Obviously, we’ve yet to lock all the deets down, so consider this a preliminary announcement and we’ll consider your ATTENDING/MAYBE/NOPE RSVP to be equally tentative until everything is ready for launch. We’ll contact everyone then with the official registration link, where you’ll be able to make your reservation via debit, paypal, or credit card. For now, just drop a comment or email to let us know you’re interested and we’ll keep you informed.

Oh, and by the way, we’re not officially affiliated with the 3 Day Novel Contest, we’re just big fans who’ve been thinking about doing this for years.

Bowen Bay by KK

Add to FacebookAdd to NewsvineAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Furl

Publication and Treasure: the Shebeen Club meeting for May

Posted on by

cross-posted from BOTH raincoastermedia.com and Facebook, because our domain name at the Shebeen Club blog is currently in limbo, and cannot be fixed for a few days.

Library Editions

Building on last month’s successful meeting re-examining the existing publishing model, we’ve lined up renegade publisher and artist Robert Chaplin of independent publisher Library Editions to give us his take on end-running the Old Boy’s Network.

On Monday May 18th at the Shebeen Club Royal Canadian Academician Robert Chaplin will discuss publication and treasure, vis a vis the extinction of codex in the electronic age.

The importance of perfect rhyme and meter with respect to the mainstream absorption of hip hop.

Robert Chaplin was born under a lucky star and has fed pancakes to WhiskeyJacks.

Mr Chaplin will be launching his fourth Library Edition trade hardcover ‘Brussels Sprouts & Unicorns’ Thursday May 21st at Walrus, 18th & Cambie.

Who: Robert Chaplin and the Shebeen Club

What: our monthly meeting

When: 6-9pm Monday, May 18th

Where: The Shebeen, behind the Irish Heather, 210 Carrall Street in Vancouver

Deets: $15 includes dinner and a drink, so what are you waiting for?

Robert Chaplin gets schooled by Gary Kasparov

Add to FacebookAdd to NewsvineAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Furl

MIA

Posted on by

Chuck Norris is MIA too!

raincoaster.

I’ve been all over the web lately, mostly in 140-character chunks, which is much easier to handle than full blog posts when you are being a digital nomad. I really DO need to sit down for a good straight eight hours at home and just bully through the internet without looking up, although with no power in my apartment that is not currently possible, particularly as my too-clever-for-his-own-good building manager has disabled both the electrical outlets in the hallway near my apartment. He musta seen me run the extension cord from there the last time this happened…

And Hydro wants an amount greater than the total amount owing as a reconnection fee, to which I say; it’s warm outside, I’ve got a wide selection of nearby cafes with free wireless, and a potbellied stove with plenty of wood, so, like, nyah-nyeah.

And while the blog network for which I am paid to write is no longer down completely, it’s developed some peculiarities which make posting to it somewhat more like playing the lottery than like actual professional, you know, work. On the one blog my posts vanish entirely, while on the other they appear, “disappearing’ my co-blogger’s latest three posts and adding her comments to my post.

Overcoming all odds, including how odd it was to hold a meeting in the ONLY spot in all of the West End without functional wifi, I did manage about three or four thousand words yesterday, on the Shebeen Club and Twitter, liveblogging and live-tweeting the surprisingly-interesting Annual General Meeting of the Federation of BC Writers. And then I came home, thought about trotting out to the courtyard where there IS free wifi but also no power, and went to bed instead.

So how is your weekend going?

OLD PUBLISHERS HAVE NEW THINK COMING

Posted on by

Yes, that’s deliberate ALL CAPS!
(cross-posted from the Shebeen Club)

Gutenberg was an early adopter

Who: Monique Trottier, Shebeener.

What: Old Publishers Have New Think Coming call to arms!

When: Monday, April 20th, 6pm-9

Where: The Shebeen, behind the Irish Heather, 210 Carrall Street.
$15 cash admission includes dinner and a drink.

Call to action: I’m going to organize a panel in Vancouver. We’re going to create a model for publishing and marketing books. We’re going to move forward as an industry. Leaders will be identified. Roles will be assigned. If you’re not open to totally change everything you’re doing, then you are not ready for this revolution. Don’t come.

Who’s in?

Monique Trottier is the owner of Boxcar Marketing, an internet marketing company in Vancouver, BC. As the former internet marketing manager of Raincoast Books, she spearheaded major online marketing campaigns, including online promotion of Harry Potter and the creation of the first Canadian-publisher podcast and blog. Her thoughts on marketing and technology can be followed on Twitter at “somisguided” or on her blogs at http://www.boxcarmarketing.com/blog and http://www.SoMisguided.com.

Shebeen beer taps, but where are the whisky taps?

quiz: which aphrodisiac are you?

Posted on by

Yes, it’s blog filler. No, we’re not proud. You should know that by now.

We ARE, however, self-promotional, so this is the perfect time to remind you all that the Crime Pays party on Monday will feature an auction of Vangroover‘s finest hotties of all sexes, plus a poetry brothel! Come on, bid! When was the last time you had a chance to win a date with a legendary (well, actually fictional) character among others? Eh? Answer me that!


You Are Wine


You are very naturally sexy and inviting. You don’t have to try too hard.

The longer people spend time with you, the more drawn in they become.

You believe that seduction shouldn’t be rushed, you like to savor every moment.

Going too fast kills the excitement. You like to indulge all of your senses.