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HARD WORK PAYS OFF

Mary Green

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* Appeared in The Montreal Star, (daily)

Canada. Tuesday, February 21, 1978.

Four years ago Stephen Gill had nothing but the desire to go into publishing. Since then with hard work, aided by government grants, his efforts have grown into a fully equipped firm, Vesta Publications (Cornwall, Ont.) that has the staff and know-how to produce books-- 24 titles the first three years and 15 scheduled for this year-- in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and critical essays.

Gill has 25 authors on his list, most are experienced, though he believes in giving a chance to beginning writers. And plans are underway to put out a children's line. Gill, 44, an author of nine books, and formerly a teacher of English literature-- believes that a work should contain a message. "Strongly influenced by writers such as H.G. Wells, and George Bernard Shaw, Gill is interested in ethnic writing that reflects the Canadian mosaic. "I try to build bridges of understanding among the different groups," he explains.

One of his best selling titles, 10,000 copies to date, is Chalkdust In My Blood by Dorothy Morgan, a retired school teacher. After working 60 years in various small towns Eastern Ontario schools, she recounts with humor and nostalgia her many problems with the children. Her readers run the gamut from students to senior citizens, says Gill.

Another unusual book is Green Snow, an anthology of 20 Canadian poets of Asian origin edited by Gill, who himself is the only Asian publisher in Canada. In making his selection Gill found it "interesting to discover that Canadian poets of Asian origin have not yet learned the art of exploiting sex."

Among other things, they write of nature, religion, their homeland and their feeling of strangeness in their new "chosen land." Most of the writers come from India, and Sri Lanka. Gill sees this work, for which the Secretary of State refused a grant, as a bridge to link the 300,000 Asians scattered across Canada.

Mainly his authors come from Ontario, though a few are from the West Coast and three from Montreal, Ronald J., Cooke (A House on Dorchester Street), Lino Leitao (Collected Short Tales and Goan Tales), and Bluebell Stewart Phillips (Selected Poems and The Plate-Glass Sky).

Born in India, where writers seemed to him "like gods and starved unless they wrote textbooks," Gill decided at an early age to pursue the literary life. He admits he was influenced by a father in military related service, who was also editor of a magazine, and a mother who was a great story teller. His fascination with writers led him into their circles, to the exclusion of other friendships. Since he felt he needed a good education to write, he went on to the University of Ottawa, where he received Graduate Fellowship, and from there to Oxford University on a bursary.

About two years later, studying for his Ph.D, he took inventory of his goals and felt he had made a mistake pursuing a "higher education," when at "heart" all he wanted to do was write. He had to earn a living, but he didn't want to be a teacher either. What he lacked since he had left India was the contact of other writers to "guide me about markets, organization of materials and other aspects of the trade. In fact, for any trade some sort of training is important. Without it, a person is like a rough diamond. Training comes from taking courses, or exchange ideas with other people in that profession."

Gill's next step was to come to Montreal during the summer and enrol in an English course at Concordia University. A job offer as a teacher made him decide to remain in Montreal for a while. He soon joined the Canadian Author's Association and began reading trade books, Quill and Quire, Writer's Digest, The Writer, and such other publications.

Though he is critical at the years spent in university he does admit that "while other students were writing their term papers to pass exams, I was choosing topics that were later to develop into books." His critical essays on Yeats were published by a foreign house. So was Discovery of Bangladesh, a historical and political critique. "My former professors who helped me in class now come to me for help with their writing," laughs Gill.

When he was offered a job as a substitute teacher in Cornwall, Gill took it. He saw this "small quiet town as a good place for writing." And when a printing friend gave him credit, Gill plunged into publishing. The first year he put out five slim poetry books ("three were mine" ) in his basement. By mailing out brochures, and going "door to door" to Montreal friends, he managed to sell all the books. "Some people bought five to ten copies to give as gifts," he says. About a year later he received a S2,500 grant from the Ontario Arts Council for the books which had cost about $3,000 to print. "It was a great help," he says of this and subsequent annual grants, based on the previous year's performance, regardless of where the authors originate. He attributes the firm's growth to the Ontario Arts Council assistance.

To bring down costs, he bought all the necessary equipment to print and bind books. The basement premises were sanctioned off into a printing plant and offices. He has trained his staff, two and two part-time, in every aspect of book production. "I am so fully equipped. I can start a magazine tomorrow if I want," he says.

But what he really wanted to start last December was a new way of looking at art in Cornwall. Most municipalities don't do anything for culture, and I wanted the local people to be more active," he explains. So he ran as an independent alderman on a cultural platform in a "historical city which is an important seaway location."

"Why not give grants to artists-- Just let them sit and write," he told voters. Why just give money for welfare cases? At least with a dedicated artist you could get something back. Perhaps they could produce a local Keats, Milton or Shakespeare.

The response was encouraging. But he was defeated on the grounds that he would not go after commercial projects. Still he believes, "I have left my impact," He doesn't see himself going into the political arena again for he has books to write and publish. But now he's getting his cultural message across in a regular half hour television show on Cornwall Cable TV where he interviews writers and artists.

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