Vancouver World City of Literature - The Association of Book ...

the strategic fit of the city of literature
The intended purpose and scope of activity of the VCL organization are highly
complementary to the policy goals and objectives of this range of agencies and institutions.
All are concerned with supporting and/or promoting arts
and culture, and are either explicitly concerned with the
literary arts or incorporate writing and publishing into
their larger mandates. Each recognizes the social and
economic benefits that arise from vibrant cultural
industries, and each encourages excellence and diversity
in the arts as part of its policies and programs.
Many of the grant programs or objectives reviewed here
indicate an interest, and some level of support, for arts
promotion (and for the promotion of literary culture
in particular). On balance, however, the vast amount
of available grant support is concentrated on cultural
production, as opposed to promotion. There is thus a gap,
and so an opportunity for new contributions, in this area.
Given the stated objectives of the VCL, we believe the organization could make such a
contribution in terms of:
• promoting Vancouver and British Columbia as a creative centre
• developing or enhancing cultural tourism
• strengthening writing and publishing enterprises and literary groups
• improving coordination and promotion of literary resources and events
As noted earlier, there is a significant opportunity to leverage, through new funding and
cooperative action, the efforts of individuals and organizations working to bring the work
of individual authors or organizations to wider public attention. The VCL could aggregate
diverse initiatives and make them have a bigger total impact, at the same time as it clearly
establishes Vancouver as one of the world’s great literary cities.
chapter four: the city of literature
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