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Nature Power
Filmmaker Paul McIsaac interviewed Wendy Wickwire in Penticton for B.C. BookWorld on the morning after she received the Roderick Haig-Brown Prize for Nature Power by the late Harry Robinson.
BCBW: How's it feel to win the Haig-Brown Prize?
WICKWIRE: It feels great, especially because Harry was from here. Harry Robinson to me represents the soil of this area. Harry was Okanagan and what he talked about was this place; the Similkameen Valley and this valley. He knew everything about this place. So having the award presented here feels great. On the other hand, Vickie Jensen's book is wonderful. I know Vickie. And the other book, the Vancouver history "I just knew deep in my heart this is really, really important stuff book, is also wonderful. So it was one of those things where I was thinking, 'I hope they all win'.
BCBW: What does it mean to a writer to win this prize?
WICKWIRE: It puts Harry on the map. That's really important to me. The publicity part. You want the book to get out there. Every bit helps and this will help a lot. It's interesting to see how these things work. I'm realizing more and more you can do a wonderful book, but if nobody hears about it, it doesn't go very far. I still don't feel that the general public knows enough about these books. 50 for that reason I think it's really important these B.C. Book Prizes.
BCBW: In your acceptance speech you also mentioned the importance of appreciating 'the depth of oral wisdom'.
WICKWIRE: Yes. Obviously we rely pretty much on the print medium. Whereas Harry was a storyteller who could go on for hours and hours and hours. In fact, if you went to visit him for an afternoon to hear a story or two he would say, 'I'm sorry, you've got a couple of hours and I can't do it. You need at least a day or two. Because when I get started I can go for 24 hours or more without stopping. So it's a different concept than what most of us are used to.
BCBW: If you had to give some advice to young writers or someone who is part way into their first book, is there anything you would suggest?
WICKWIRE: Just believe in what you're doing. If there's a ton of passion involved in it, it'll probably work out. For me, with my relationship with Harry, he was such a tremendous artist and a tremendous man, I just knew deep in my heart that this is really, really, really important stuff. And don't let anybody say 'No'. I sent Harry's manuscript out--the first one--to almost everybody and it was turned down flatly by almost all of them. Then all of a sudden, almost by a fluke, one person picks it up. So don't be deterred by the negativity that you're going to encounter. Keep flogging. Keep flogging. And don't take it personally. I knew Harry's work was important for British Columbia, for Canada, for the Oral Traditions--so I kept flogging it. Now Harry's on the map.
[BCBW 1993] "First Nations";
BCBW: How's it feel to win the Haig-Brown Prize?
WICKWIRE: It feels great, especially because Harry was from here. Harry Robinson to me represents the soil of this area. Harry was Okanagan and what he talked about was this place; the Similkameen Valley and this valley. He knew everything about this place. So having the award presented here feels great. On the other hand, Vickie Jensen's book is wonderful. I know Vickie. And the other book, the Vancouver history "I just knew deep in my heart this is really, really important stuff book, is also wonderful. So it was one of those things where I was thinking, 'I hope they all win'.
BCBW: What does it mean to a writer to win this prize?
WICKWIRE: It puts Harry on the map. That's really important to me. The publicity part. You want the book to get out there. Every bit helps and this will help a lot. It's interesting to see how these things work. I'm realizing more and more you can do a wonderful book, but if nobody hears about it, it doesn't go very far. I still don't feel that the general public knows enough about these books. 50 for that reason I think it's really important these B.C. Book Prizes.
BCBW: In your acceptance speech you also mentioned the importance of appreciating 'the depth of oral wisdom'.
WICKWIRE: Yes. Obviously we rely pretty much on the print medium. Whereas Harry was a storyteller who could go on for hours and hours and hours. In fact, if you went to visit him for an afternoon to hear a story or two he would say, 'I'm sorry, you've got a couple of hours and I can't do it. You need at least a day or two. Because when I get started I can go for 24 hours or more without stopping. So it's a different concept than what most of us are used to.
BCBW: If you had to give some advice to young writers or someone who is part way into their first book, is there anything you would suggest?
WICKWIRE: Just believe in what you're doing. If there's a ton of passion involved in it, it'll probably work out. For me, with my relationship with Harry, he was such a tremendous artist and a tremendous man, I just knew deep in my heart that this is really, really, really important stuff. And don't let anybody say 'No'. I sent Harry's manuscript out--the first one--to almost everybody and it was turned down flatly by almost all of them. Then all of a sudden, almost by a fluke, one person picks it up. So don't be deterred by the negativity that you're going to encounter. Keep flogging. Keep flogging. And don't take it personally. I knew Harry's work was important for British Columbia, for Canada, for the Oral Traditions--so I kept flogging it. Now Harry's on the map.
[BCBW 1993] "First Nations";
Submitted on November 16, 2004 in By David.
