New writers
shatter silence
"I feel like a dead person walking around

in a live society. I feel like I’m useless,
not helpful, lost in a society that doesn’t

understand...I’m an illiterate person learn-

ing about myself in the last year."

After a lifetime of "silence" the written
words and accompanying emotions burst
out. The writing, by Del Swan of Fernie,
comes from The Wind Cannot Read. The
new book is a collection of works by
adult new readers from across B.C. col-
lected during International Literacy Year
in 1990.

"This book has provided a great sense of
accomplishment for those who con-
tributed," said Mardi Joyce of Douglas
College, who coordinated its production
with three literacy students who edited
the book.

The selections offer honest and revealing
looks inside the lives of people coping
with a problem which affects more than
one-in-three Canadians. Some works ex-
press the frustration and pain of years of
dealing with illiteracy and society's indif-
ference. Other selections celebrate life,
family and everyday experiences as
adults put pen to paper for the first time.

Many contributors chose to write about
memories from their youth, as though
these had been stored away and only
now could be recorded. The works are
cathartic, the tones swinging from painful
introspection to liberation.

"I would like to live in a rural space very
much. There’s more freedom and space to
develop whatever I want with my proper-
ty," wrote one anonymous contributor.
"In the evening, I would go for a long
walk and enjoy the fresh air. I wish I
could live in this way all my life."

The Wind Cannot Read will be used by
students in literacy classes but is also
available to the public. For more informa-
tion call the Adult Literacy Contact Centre
at 684-0624, a

Hooping it up

A $10,000 hoop shoot, promo nights for seniors
and kids, and prize giveaways - it sounds like _
an NBA marketing plan. ;

  
 

You will, of course, be forgiven for being
surprised at some of the hoopla which

will surround Douglas College basketball
this season. It usually doesn’t happenin...
these parts. Ss

"We are here to help students develop
themselves through athletics at both
recreational and competitive levels.
But there has been a lot of talk lately
about colleges needing to build more
links to the communities we serve,
and one of the best ways to do that is
through athletic events," said Betty Lou Hayes,
Douglas College Athletic Director. "The problem is,
B.C. colleges have not been very successful about
getting the general public involved. These days
you have to give people something to get excited
about, if you want their support."

   

om iY

ma
ned

Hayes hopes a modest marketing plan, financed by {_V
student fundraisers, will help get more area residents excited about Royals basketball. The
plan stresses family value (adult admission is $2, accompanied children under-12 enter
free) and includes ad mailouts to New Westminster homes, local advertising and prizes,
including the $10,000 hoop shoot at halftime during home games. To win the contest,
(underwritten by a sports promotions company), a shooter must complete four shots
within 25 seconds, including one from centre court. Prizes will also be awarded for each
successful shot.

The season will also feature a seniors’ free-admission game and a sports card-giveaway
night for children under 16.

The show opens when Camosun College of Victoria visits on Oct. 9 at 6:30pm, followed by
the Seattle Blue Angels on Oct. 23 at 8pm. Hayes hopes the lessons learned at basketball
games this season can be applied to more sports next year.

"We can only afford to effectively cover one sport and we thought that basketball was a
good place to start because it is so well established as a spectator sport," she said. &

Winning gold continued from page 1

 

Canada opened the game with an 8-0 run, stifling the potent American offence with 2-3
zone, and later mixing in woman-to-woman and combination defences to keep from being
too predictable. Marni Abbott and Diane Rakiecki of the Lower Mainland, who both
trained with Royals wheelchair basketball teams, were strong defensively while Chantal
Benoit of Orleans, Ontario led the offense with 18 points. &