Comox Valley’s rich writing history

History of the Comox Valley Writers Society: 60th Anniversary 1964 – 2024
by Terrance James

Courtenay: Poplar Publishing, 2024
$20 / 9798875496806

Interview by Dave Flawse

[Editor’s Note: Dave Flawse interviewed Terrance James in January. The following is edited.]

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At 60 years old, the Comox Valley Writers Society (CVWS) might just be the oldest writing society in the province. To celebrate the milestone, Terrance James decided to document this niche history in History of the Comox Valley Writers Society: 60th Anniversary 1964-2024, before memory of the early days was lost forever. What keeps a group like this going for the long haul? The answer might surprise you.

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Dave Flawse: Why did you decide to write this history about the Comox Valley Writers Society?

Terrance James: When we celebrated our 50th anniversary, I invited two ladies who were the last remaining members from the original 1964 group to come and present. They didn’t want to present, per se, but they agreed to answer questions. Details came out that we realized were not written down anywhere, because there was no written history of the writers’ club (which evolved into the CVWS).

One of them, Phyllis Long, a former school librarian, had started a scrapbook, which had some information about the things that they did as a group in the early years. That was the impetus for me to write the story down more formally.

When the CVWS wrote Writers and Books: Comox Valley 1865-2015, we documented a rich history of writing in the Comox Valley. We came up with 180 book authors related to the area over 150 years. It was a lot of fun researching literary history.  So, I just took this latest book on as a personal project. I was president of CVWS at the time and felt that the history needed to be recorded to ensure that there would be something in the archives for the future.

DF: There’s a question raised by the book that the CVWS may be the oldest writing society in the province. Have you been able to confirm this?

TJ: I can’t absolutely say that it’s the oldest in the province, but it’s got to be one of the oldest continuous groups for sure. I don’t see any other groups that pre-date 1964. Certainly, the Federation of BC Writers started later than our group. There was a group in Duncan in the late 60s, but I don’t know that it’s been a continuous group.

DF: And what do you think the secret sauce for this kind of longevity in a group is?

TJ: Well, women have been in leadership for 50 out of the 60 years. Dare I suggest that women enjoy a stronger social environment than men?  The social element of getting together was very strong over the first 30 years, before any men came into leadership. There were always one or two token men present, but the club was really dominated by women. And even now, as I look at the modern iteration of the group, it’s women who are doing the heavy lifting and carrying most of the load.

And there’s a history of writing in the Valley. There have always been writers, and a writing tradition exists here. Of course, not every writer associates with the Writers Society. There are certainly a lot of very successful writers that haven’t. The CVWS attracts a lot of emerging writers.

DF: How do you think the society fosters growth of writers, or why do you think it’s successful in that way?

TJ: Matt Hughes is probably the one individual name that stands out as a writer who has gone on to support himself as a professional. Most times, if people are really successful at writing, they don’t join the Writers Society. We’re seen more as a group for beginners and emerging writers.

We’re not a group that attracts accomplished writers, per se. And in Matt Hughes case, he was making a transition from political speech writing and moving into writing crime fiction at the time. The purposes of the society are to read and critique each other’s work, assist with publishing, and help writers develop their craft through presentations. Matt was doing this, but then he got his big break. He got his first novel published with Doubleday, and that was a big deal for him and for the Writers Society. People remember how successful Matt was. In 2020 he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions over his career.

DF: Who are some other inspiring writers to come out of the Writers Society?

TJ: The story of Betty Annand is inspiring. At age 90 she wrote her first novel, The Girl from Old Nichol, historical fiction in the worst of London slums. She sent out two query letters to publishers, got a contract, and wrote four novels over the next four years.

Kim Letson and Kunio Yamagishi are two current members who are reaching international audiences.  Kim turned her love of trekking into a four-book series which concluded with a recent book tour in England. Kunio had his book Return of the Shadow published in the UK, and he’s now got a publisher in Japan translating the book.

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Terrance James earned a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from UVIC and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the Rehabilitation Studies Program at the University of Calgary. In addition to academic writing on educational topics and Prader-Willi syndrome, his area of doctoral research, he has written books of local and family history, and biography. He is the biographer of sasquatch researcher Dr. John Bindernagel. https://terrancen-james.com

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Dave Flawse is the publisher of a Vancouver Island history site, a freelance writer, and an editor. He writes about history, but also other lesser-known, remarkable stories hiding in plain sight. A firm believer in literary citizenship, he promotes and furthers literary arts in British Columbia with the goal of helping this robust and diverse community impact as many readers as possible. Read his portfolio here and visit his website here. Editor’s note: Dave Flawse has also reviewed books by David Beers and andrea bennett (eds.), Collin Varner, Cathy Converse, Vickie Jensen, Kathryn Willcock and Kelly Randall Ricketts for The British Columbia Review.

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The British Columbia Review

Interim Editors, 2023-26: Trevor Marc Hughes (non-fiction), Brett Josef Grubisic (fiction)
Publisher: Richard Mackie

Formerly The Ormsby Review, The British Columbia Review is an on-line book review and journal service for BC writers and readers. The Advisory Board now consists of Jean Barman, Wade Davis, Robin Fisher, Barry Gough, Hugh Johnston, Kathy Mezei, Patricia Roy, and Graeme Wynn. Provincial Government Patron (since September 2018): Creative BC. Honorary Patron: Yosef Wosk. Scholarly Patron: SFU Graduate Liberal Studies. The British Columbia Review was founded in 2016 by Richard Mackie and Alan Twigg.

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