Activities of the Alcuin Society

The Alcuin Society offers lectures and workshops on many aspects of the book and sponsors exhibits of finely produced books including private press works and contemporary works notable for their excellence in design. The Society works with Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, University of Victoria, Vancouver Museum, Vancouver Public Library, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, BC Book Arts Guild and Westcoast Calligraphy Society to present free public events.

 

Alcuin Awards for Excellence in Book Design

Since 1981 the Alcuin Society has sponsored the oldest national competition that recognizes and celebrates fine book design in Canada. Come see for yourself! Click here for a list of exhibits showcasing prize-wining books in your area.

Special Events

The Alcuin Society hosts an annual awards ceremony for recipients of the Society's design awards, and stages an annual book auction for members. All events are open to the public. For more information on these and other upcoming events, please visit the Alcuin Blog.


We have also hosted a Wayzgoose event on a biennial basis (every 2 years). What is a Wayzgoose you ask? According to Wikipedia:

"Wayzgoose was at one time the name for an entertainment given by a master printer to his workmen each year on or about St Bartholomew's Day (24 August). This marked the traditional end of summer and the point at which the season of working by candlelight began. Later, the word came to refer to the annual outing and dinner of the staff of a printing works or the printers on a newspaper."

The last Wayzgoose event was held in the fall of 2009, and our next Wayzgoose is scheduled for October 21-22, 2011. See the Facebook event here.

Click here for our Wayzgoose 2009 event page
Click here for our Wayzgoose 2007 event page

National Book Collecting Contest

Developed in 2008, the W.A. Deacon Literary Foundation, in partnership with the Bibliographical Society of Canada (BSC) and the Alcuin Society have partnered to present the National Book Collecting Contest for young Canadians. The Contest is open to all Canadian residents under thirty years of age. Entries must be postmarked no later than 5 March 2012. Complete rules to the contest are available on the Deacon Literary Foundation website.

Education

The Alcuin Society offers lectures and workshops on many aspects of the book and sponsors exhibits of finely produced books, including private press works and contemporary works notable for their excellence in book design. The Society works with The Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing at Simon Fraser University to coordinate and co-sponsor book arts courses. It also co-operates with the Vancouver Public Library, University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, the Vancouver Museum, and Graphic Designers of Canada, among others, to present events. For current listings of upcoming events and lectures, please visit the Alcuin Blog.

 

Publications

Amphora, the Society's journal, covers a wide range of book-related topics including: collecting, typography, type design, type-setting, calligraphy, paper-making, book design, ornamentation, illustration, printing, binding and the impact of digital technology on the book. All members receive Amphora as well as occasional keepsakes and printed or calligraphic ephemera. In addition, members have the opportunity, but not the obligation, to buy books and other material published by or for the Society.