Beside the Point:

Not pertinent to the matter under consideration. See also irrelevant, digressive, extraneous, immaterial, impertinent, tangential.

2010. The beginning of a new decade. This is a time for change and renewal, as well as the emergence of new voices on the frontiers of literature. To that end, 2010 also marks the continuation of Beside the Point, the literary anthology published by Camosun College since 2008.

Beside the Point spotlights a diverse range of genres and voices. From the comedic story telling of Curran Dobbs, to the illustrative poetry of Chelsea Falconer and Morningstar Pinto, the non-fiction of Gabriel Cayer and Megan Gartrell, the slam drama of Mathew Weagle and the allegorical fiction of Dyanna Cope, this issue of Beside the Point is as wildly diverse as anything we have ever published.

We here at Beside the Point have fixed our collective gaze to the future. In the process of collecting material for this issue, we considered the strength and originality of each submission, selecting what we felt were the most evocative pieces. We believe that those selected for this issue will be names of note in the near future.

The daunting task for the editorial committee was to sift through the plethora of submissions to come up with an initial short list of candidates in each category. After a heated and lively session, the committee reduced that short list to the selected pieces you are about to read. Each of the winning entries is invested with the strong identity and voice of maturing young authors, each one unique.

As we congratulate our chosen submitters, we wish to encourage future writers to submit, as we also encourage all those who entered the contest this year to do so again in the future. With great pride and enthusiasm, I am proud to introduce the 2010 issue of BTP. May your life be altered in some profound way by what you are about to read.

By Jason Motz (for the editorial team)