The Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia, Dalhousie University, the Magazine Association of BC and Simon Fraser University are pleased to present Publishing Unbound: Inclusivity and Accountability in Canadian Publishing.

This event will bring together authors, activists, scholars and publishing professionals from across Canada for a conversation about systemic barriers to accessing Canadian publishing and the often-exclusive world of Canadian writing known as CanLit.

Publishing Unbound strives to build on the conversations that have come before, and help facilitate the important work that is yet to come, as we collectively build a more diverse and inclusive publishing industry.

The weekend kicks off with a public panel discussion on February 9, 2018. This evening event will feature readings and talks by noted authors and publishers Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Jordan Abel, David Chariandy and Vivek Shraya, and will be hosted by author and academic Erin Wunker of Dalhousie University.

This public event prefaces a weekend-long discussion of Canadian publishing among seventeen invited participants consisting of scholars, publishers and activists from across Canada. Co-organizer Hannah McGregor, Assistant Professor of Publishing at Simon Fraser University, notes, “This event will not be the decisive conversation about inclusivity and accountability in Canadian publishing. Instead, it is the beginning of a larger conversation, and a testing ground for how the university and the publishing industry might collaborate more effectively to drive social change. We hope that it will be the first of many, increasingly open, opportunities for productive dialogue on these timely and important issues.”

The organizers acknowledge that this event will take place on the unceded traditional territories of the Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw), Tsleil-Waututh (səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ), and Musqueam (xwməθkwəy̓əm) Nations.

The public component of Publishing Unbound will take place Friday, February 9 at 7 p.m. at SFU’s Harbour Centre campus, located at 515 West Hastings Street in Vancouver. The location is wheelchair accessible and there is one all-gender bathroom. There will also be an ASL interpreter on site. The event is free, but attendees must register as seating is limited. For more information and to register for the Friday evening event, visit publishingunbound.ca.

This event was made possible by support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Dalhousie University, Simon Fraser University and the Literary Press Group of Canada.