What a week! The Canadian magazine industry celebrates its best people and their work

We're heading into what, for many, is a hectic, amazing and energizing Magazines Week in Toronto, beginning with MagNet, the industry conference and culminated by the National Magazine Awards. There is much to celebrate about this business as it emerges bruised, but unbowed, from a brutal recession, not least of which is the blossoming collegiality, with cooperation and collaborations all over the place. And there is still time if you're in the Toronto area, to catch some of the events and seminars. Here is just a sample of the special events:

The Kenneth R Wilson Awards for the business and trade press are taking place Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Carlu. It's the first time these awards have been co-hosted by the Canadian Business Press and Magazines Canada, so the first time they have been held formally in conjunction with MagNet conference and this year managed by the same people who pull of a miracle every year managing the MagAwards.

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The MagNet Marquee is being held Tuesday evening, though there's every likelihood it will be a sellout it is a sellout, to hear Esquire editor David Granger talk about his initiatives that have made the magazine an innovator and leader.

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Wednesday, there are two luncheons -- the CMC Excellence Awards will be presented at to the country's best circulators, and a members-only affair called the PWAC Meet-and-Greet. Both at 12:15.

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Also on Wednesday, the Circulation Management Association and sponsor CDS Global will be hosting the CMC and CDS Global Connoisseurs Club, a cocktail bash open to all MagNet participants.

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The Canadian Society of Magazine Editors (CSME) is presenting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. its annual Editors' Gala, at which the guest speaker will be Sally Armstrong, once editor of Homemakers and a president of the Magawards, but now better known as a human rights activist, documentary filmaker and author. Culminating the evening will be the presentation of the Editors' Choice Awards. 

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Thursday at noon, Magazines Canada hosts its annual luncheon and presents its Volunteer of the Year Award; this year it is John Milne, the vice-president of business and professional publishing at Rogers Publishing Limited. 

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Later Thursday, at 5:30 p.m. the Cross Country Volunteer of the Year awards, as selected by the partner regional associations across the country, will be presented at a reception sponsored by Reader's Digest Foundation , followed by the Canadian Magazine Industry reception hosted by the Canadian Business Press and Magazines Canada.

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Thursday evening at 7, the PWAC Dinner Awards Banquet will be held, where the inaugural Professional Writers Association of Canada awards will be presented five Regional Volunteer Awards, the Barbara Novak humour/personal essay award, and the Larry Jackson outstanding achievement will be presented as well as the inaugural award for life membership for service to freelance writers. Indefatigable freelancer, teacher and author Margaret Webb will be the guest speaker.

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Friday at noon, PWAC hosts the Writers Industry Awards Luncheon where the Editor of the Year is named as chosen by the freelancers who work for her or him and where the inaugural PWAC writers awards will be presented . The event, which is sponsored by the Reader's Digest Foundation, will feature speaker Cate Mortimer-Sandilands, Canada Research Chair, Sustainability & Culture, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University. (The event is followed by the PWAC annual general meeting.)

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And starting at 5:30, the 33rd annual Canadian National Magazine Awards   -- always a great show -- will be held at the Carlu. Awards will be presented in 40 categories from more than 3,000 entries and the Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Terry Sellwood, the general manager of Quarto Communications and an Olympic-class volunteer (including being president of the awards and chair of Magazines Canada). [Disclosure: I was a NMAF judge and my company is sponsoring one of the awards.]

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As I say, quite a week, and that doesn't even enumerate the dozens of informative seminars and presentations that will happen from first thing Wednesday to Friday afternoon.  You can still register through Saturday or in some cases on the spot (though you risk finding some events sold out.)

(I can't resist plugging the panel I'm moderating Friday afternoon (12:15 - 2:00). Moving Forward: State of the Cultural Magazine Nation should be very interesting and a piece of cake for me, given the calibre of the panelists: Kim Jernigan of The New Quarterly; Stephen Osborne of Geist, John Shelling of Blackflash and Eithne McCredie of Abacus Circulation.)

See you there.