N.W.T. literary anthology to be produced

De Beers Canada and the northWords Writers Festival are teaming up to produce a collection of poetry, fiction and non-fiction from writers in the Northwest Territories.

Festival organizers and officials from De Beers, which operates the Snap Lake diamond mine and the Gahcho Kue mining project in the Northwest Territories, announced the partership as the festival began Thursday in Yellowknife.

Officials said they are now accepting submissions for An Anthology of Northwest Territories Writing, which will be published by 2013.

"We've been, for nine years now, travelling to communities close to the mines, bringing free books to children," De Beers spokesperson Cathie Bolstad told CBC News.

"This builds on that partnership and it's making sure that we're taking the stories from the North, we're ensuring they're published, and we're adding that book to the selection of books that we bring to communities close by."

Bolstad said De Beers Canada has invested more than $750,000 into literacy projects across the N.W.T., including the latest anthology.

As well, she said the company has distributed about 28,000 books to students attending schools in aboriginal communities near its N.W.T. mining projects since 2003.

Submissions for the N.W.T. literary anthology will be accepted until Nov. 30. Guidelines for writers can be found on the northWords festival's website.

Writers whose submissions are chosen for publication will "each receive a small payment for their work," according to a De Beers release.

This year's northWords Writers Festival, which runs until Sunday, brings together writers and literature buffs for readings, workshops, discussions and more.