Thank you, donors!
Thank you, 2024 donors to the British Columbia Review
by Richard Mackie
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Merry Christmas! I’m pleased to report that, so far, 144 donors have responded to the annual fundraiser we kicked off on October 19, 2024. Donations, which are still arriving by mail after the postal strike, now total $13,390. Thank you everyone on behalf of our Board of Directors, our Advisory Board, interim editors Trevor Marc Hughes and Brett Josef Grubisic, social media manager Myshara Herbert-McMyn, and bibliographer Lee Cadwallader.
As well, 25 reviewers have kindly offered to write one or more reviews pro bono as their contribution to the fundraiser. Altogether they will contribute 36 free reviews, with a total value of $3,600.
When these numbers are added up, we have a total of 169 donors who have contributed an amazing $16,990!
I know that it was a difficult time to contribute for some of you. If you planned to donate after the postal strike, or after Christmas, donations may be made here at any time.
A few details. Donations ranged in size from $20 to $1000. We had significant donations of $1000 (one,) $500 (three), $250 (one), $200 (nine), and $150 (five). Most donations were for $50 or $100. Thank you, everyone. Four donors make monthly payments. Six publishers donated personally in addition to buying banner ads (see the 22 sparkling ads on the right-hand sidebar, which rotate if you hit refresh).
Running the British Columbia Review is not cheap. We pay our reviewers $100 per review — unless they choose to donate that amount back to the review. In 2023 we paid $23,000 to our reviewers in honoraria, and in 2024 we will surpass that figure. A special thanks to all our book reviewers whose expertise and passion it’s a privilege to tap.
Thank you very much for your donations and for your support of the BC Review and, by extension, the entire writing community in British Columbia.
We’ve been fortunate in 2024 to receive grants from Creative BC and the Canada Periodical Fund, and we’re delighted that 22 publishers and printers have taken out ads on our site this year, but we also rely on our larger community for support. So this is truly appreciated!
We couldn’t keep up this work of promoting BC authors, reviewers, publishers, advertisers, booksellers, and readers without your donations.
Finally, please subscribe here to The British Columbia Review if you haven’t already. About twice a week — with every third post — you will receive a free email notification of the latest posts from The British Columbia Review.
Thank you again, generous donors, on behalf of our two boards:
Ormsby Literary Society board: Byron Sheardown (president), Eldon Yellowhorn (treasurer), Trevor Marc Hughes (secretary), Joanne Arnott, Daniel Francis, John O’Brian, Jessica Poon, Renee Sarojini Saklikar, and Ron Verzuh.
Advisory Board of The British Columbia Review: Jean Barman, Wade Davis, Robin Fisher, Barry Gough, Hugh Johnston, Kathy Mezei, Patricia Roy, and Graeme Wynn.
Here again is the link for donations.
Thank you,
Richard Somerset Mackie (publisher), for Brett Josef Grubisic and Trevor Marc Hughes (interim editors)
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The British Columbia Review
Interim Editors, 2023-26: Trevor Marc Hughes (non-fiction), Brett Josef Grubisic (fiction and poetry)
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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