Writers Beyond Borders
General Membership Meeting, March 14th (Stanley Milner Library)
Minutes
Chair: Monika Igali Secretary: Francien Verhoeven
Present: Sunny Kim, Edward Porper, Adonay Guarrero, Argelia Gunzalez, Marco Katz, Rita Espeschit, Jalal Barzanji,
Sabah Tahir, Yemane Fisaharsen, Mario Fletcha, Ahmui Cheong, Eugene Ip, Julio C. Munhoz,
Teja Singh, Therenha Kennedy, Francin Verhoeven, Monika Igali, Patricia Lopez de Vlootheus,
Francia Barnes
1. Sunny Kim presented the opening statement: addressing why the temporary steering committee was set up, that the committee had held several meetings and were ready to present the general membership with a proposal for setting up WBB.
2. Presentatation:
- Mario Fletcha explained how the name committee chose the name for the organization. Writers Beyond Borders seemed appropriate because the intent of the writers is to reach out beyond borders regardless of what language is used.
- Marco Katz then laid out the objectives of WBB, and explained that the objectives are twofold and as follows:
Internal - to provide support, information and networking opportunities for multilingual and immigrant writers and,
External - to foster multilingual and immigrant writers by connecting them to other writers, publishers, and editors of Alberta and across Canada and generating resources that help develop the writer’s work and projects.
- Francien Verhoeven explained the proposed operational structure for WBB. The organisational structure is horizontal in order to foster active membership; to create smaller and therefore workable group settings; and to provide ongoing opportunity for changes to be initiated from the bottom up.
Members of WBB will actively participate, by choice, by joining one or more of the initiated project committees. Project committees will hold meetings independently from the overarching WBB organisation but each and every formed project committee must choose a delegate to be representative within the Permanent Steering Committee (PSC). The PSC is therefore an accumulation of delegates coming in from the various project committees being active. The PSC thereby serves as the overarching body of the organisation, and will hold meetings at regular intervals. The WBB membership at large will be notified of any business being discussed at PSC meetings by means of newsletters and the like.
- The PSC chair and treasurer will be chosen from the delegates coming forward. However, the position of secretary is open to be selected from the general membership at large, due to the workload a secretary might be asked to take on. But if the selection for secretary does not arise out of the general membership, the position shall be filled by one of the delegates serving on the PSC.
- (Note: the By-law committee is specifically designed for initiating future changes to the organisation)
The following projects were presented. Project initiators explained what the projects are about.
- WBB website – contact person Argelia
- WBB newsletter – contact person Monika
- Thematic Meetings – contact person Rita
- Multilingual Page in Alternative Trends – contact Rita
- Writing Groups – contact person Mario
- Get Published – contact person Edward
- Symposium – contact person Sunny
- “Coming Out” – contact person Francien
- By-law committee – contact person Therezinha
3. Afterwards, a good group discussion followed. Praise was also given to the steering committee members for having proposed a workable start for Writers Beyond Borders. Many new suggestions came from the general membership in attendance and many also signed up for the project committees. However, not all project committees were given the go-ahead since some of them did not gather sufficient support. The project committees which are now active are as follows:
- WBB website – contact person Argelia
- WBB newsletter – contact person Monika
- Multilingual Page in Alternative Trends – contact Rita/Pardee
- Writing Groups – contact person Mario
- Get Published – contact person Edward
- By-law committee – contact person Therezinha
4. Marco nominated Francien to fill the position of secretary which she accepted uncontested.
5. Before the closing of the general meeting, members signed on to various project committees. Those committees have now become active.
6. The first PSC meeting will be held on April 25, 2009, at 1:30 pm.