In Conversation with Ian Cockfield from EVENT Magazine

We had the pleasure of interviewing EVENT Magazines Managing Editor Ian Cockfield, he took the time to take us through the history of the magazine, offer advice to emerging writers, and the things he learned along the way!

To register for the launch of EVENT’s special anniversary anthology on September 26th, 2021 at 10:30 am click HERE and for the full Word Vancouver Schedule click HERE

1. EVENT Magazine is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, what was the main idea behind starting this magazine?

That’s right: EVENT celebrates its 50th year of publication in 2021. There aren’t many literary magazines in Canada that have lasted that long. The founding editors—David Evanier, Bob Lowe, John Levin, Christopher Rideout—started the magazine, in part, to bring legitimacy to the fledgling colleges of BC and specifically to Douglas College, our publisher. And like all literary magazines, they wanted to give voice to emerging Canadian writers and showcase our literature to the larger community and the world.

2. Based on your experience as an editor, what have you learned about writing?

I’ve learned a great deal about writing in my two decades of working for the magazine, and especially in my role as EVENT’s Reading Service editor of prose, commenting on and editing hundreds of fiction and non-fiction stories from those who are being challenged by troublesome manuscripts. It’s definitely opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities of subjects and approaches—and creativity.

3. What is the best advice you can give to emerging writers and editors?

For writers, gaining some distance, some objectivity, from one’s work is key to being able to see the faults, and strengths, of a piece and to revise it. (That critical eye is what an editor brings to the table.) Nobody gets it right with the first draft. As they say, writing is all about rewriting. And don’t try to please everyone. Stay true to your inspiration for why you started writing in the first place. Most of all: read a lot, and read widely. For editors, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you’re there to help the writer. Sure, there are the fussy aspects like grammar and punctuation and formatting, but by asking them questions, getting them to think about why they’ve made certain choices, to look at their piece anew, that’s often how the writer will be able to maximize the potential of a piece. And remind them that it’s their creation, that if some comment or suggestion doesn’t jibe with their vision for the piece, then they’re free to ignore it. The writer/editor relationship is a dance, but in the end it’s always the writer who leads.

4. What have been some high points for you as the Managing Editor for EVENT?

The many awards that EVENT and our contributors have garnered over the years—National Magazine Awards, the Journey Prize, Canadian Magazine Awards—are obvious high points. As is seeing writers like Madeleine Thien, Timothy Taylor, Annabel Lyon, Marcello Di Cintio, Ayelet Tsabari, Philip Huynh, Jen Sookfong Lee and Souvankham Thammavongsa, all of whom we published very early in their career before they gained national recognition; not to mention the icons of Canadian Literature that have appeared in the pages of EVENT over the decades: Carol Shields, Alistair MacLeod, Jane Urquhart, Nino Ricci, Joy Kogawa, André Alexis, Camilla Gibb, David Bergen and Eden Robinson, amongst many others. But there’s nothing quite like getting a thank-you note from a writer who has just been published for the first time.

5. Are there any up-and-coming projects we can look forward to from EVENT Magazine?

To celebrate EVENT’s special anniversary, we’ve put together an anthology—50 Years of EVENT Magazine: Collected Notes on Writing—highlighting a selection of more than 70 personal essays that we’ve published over the years by a wide mix of notable writers from across Canada, with insights into the joys and struggles of the writer’s experience. The launch is part of WORD Vancouver on Sunday, September 26, at 10:30 am, featuring Doretta Lau, Maria Reva and Kevin Spenst, and hosted by JJ Lee. There’s also our upcoming 34th annual Non-Fiction Contest, with a deadline of October 15, and $3,000 in prizes plus publication. For other news, exclusive online content and coming events, visit www.eventmagazine.ca.