Icelandic League of North America

· President Ron Goodman opened the meeting by saying this year was interesting, as two new Provisional member clubs were welcomed: Chicago and Washington, D.C. He said the INL of NA needs to work on elevating the organization’s profile among the member clubs. This theme was echoed throughout the meeting.

· 1st Vice President Claire Eckley reported that she is searching for the next International Visitor Program candidate. She is working with the Chicago club; Snorri West program; ensuring an INL of NA presence at August the Deuce and Islendingadagurinn festivals.

· 2nd Vice President Sunna Pam Furstenau reported on her successful IVP trip to Iceland; the growth of the INL of NA Facebook page; and the growth of the Icelandic On-Line club including signing up three more members to the club at the convention.

· Dianne O’Konski reported that the 2014 INL of NA calendar will feature Icelandic volcanoes. Amanda Allen will take over the 2015 calendar.

· The Icelandic Biography project is launched and a webpage on the INL of NA website will appear shortly with more information.

· This year’s INL Reads! selection is “The Young Icelander,” by Jóhann Magnús Bjarnason and translated by Borga Jakobson.

· Snorri West will bring four participants from Iceland this summer to explore Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and North Dakota between July 10 and August 7. Planning is underway for a future western or eastern tour.

· Settlement tour to Blaine was a success. Interest is high for another settlement tour at the 2014 convention.

· New duties of INL Regional Directors was presented. The Ontario and Manitoba positions are open. INL Club representative position was also discussed.

· Reports were also presented on the Donald K. Johnson Icelandic Film Series, INL website traffic and club web services available through the INL of NA website.

· 2014 INL of NA convention will be May 15-18 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The slogan is “Winnipeg-Welcoming Icelanders since 1875.” The theme is “Footsteps,” which will celebrate contributions to North American life by Icelandic individuals and groups.

invite young people to write a poem on the theme of The Significance of June 17th about Jon Sigurdsson or Icelandic Independence

The two winning poets will have an opportunity to read their poems on June 17th at the Jon Sigurdsson Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Manitoba Legislative grounds. The time of the event is 7:00 p.m. Other speakers at the ceremony will include the Lt. Governor of Manitoba, the new Consul General for Iceland, a representative from the province and one from the city.

Contest deadline is May 21, 2013.

Please submit poems by email to Karen Botting, President of Jon Sigurdsson Chapter IODE, at kbotting@shaw.ca

Hotel Venue - INL Convention 2014

The committee has met and a reservation has been made for the venue. All events (other than tours) will be conducted at this site.

This will be the Canad-Inns - Polo Park in Winnipeg. Their website is www.canadinns.com, with the central reservation line as 1-888-33-22623 (CANAD) and local reservation number is 204-269-9090. The general office phone number is 204-775-8791.

There are 100 rooms being held for the event with a daily rate of $120.00 which includes vouchers for 2 breakfast meals. The group rate number (238367) to reserve into this offer.

There is also a plan in place for overflow beyond the 100, but those accommodations will be off-site with shuttle services. The room rate on the overflow rooms will be slightly more at $129.00.

2013 INL of NA CONVENTION INFORMATION

Snorri West Letter and Thank You

Snorri West 2013 Itinerary

Click for Snorri West Photos

2013 INLNA Calendar Photos available for viewing

The theme of Icelandic flora allows for an enormous variety of plant life, from lichens and mosses, to flowers and grasses, to trees. There were many more wonderful photographs submitted than could be used in the 2013 Iceland in Bloom calendar. We have decided to make them available for viewing to the public through the INL of NA website. Click here and see what Iceland can offer us!

Viðar Hreinsson, an independent literary scholar, grew up on a farm in the North of Iceland. A lecturer on various aspects of Icelandic literary and cultural history at universities in Iceland, Denmark, and Canada, he also acted as general editor of the acclaimed five-volume series The Complete Sagas of Icelanders, published in 1997.
Viðar’s two-volume biography of Icelandic-Canadian literary giant Stephan G. Stephansson was published in Icelandic in 2002 and 2003. Volume I was nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize in 2002 and the completed work received the 2003 Award for Excellence in Scholarly Writing.
An English, one-volume version of this biography is now available in English: Wakeful Nights. Stephan G. Stephansson: Icelandic-Canadian Poet. It has already received good reviews in Lögberg Heimskringla and Kirkus Review.
An outspoken environmental and political activist and former Director of the Reykjavík Academy, Viðar Hreinsson has since written two biographies and worked on developing new and critical approaches to Icelandic literary and cultural history.
Viðar will present Stephan G. Stephansson's biography, discuss his immigrant experience, introduce his profound poetry and philosophy of life that is highly relevant today, and finally read a few of his poems in Icelandic.

If you would like to follow the ‘’International Visits Program’’ tour to Iceland blog, click on this link:

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     Since 1919, the 'Icelandic National League of North America' has been meeting the needs of their members in many various ways, including local clubs where members can interact and participate with one another. Although the benefits of joining a local club are immeasurable, it has not been an option for members living outside the radius of local clubs. Realizing the needs of those members, the INLNA has been exploring the benefits of technology to meet those needs, and are excited to announce the addition of a new, interactive, online club called the 'Icelandic Online Club.'
     By creating an online club, the INLNA feels this will allow members who are unable to participate in a local club due to their location, to be able to participate in an interactive online club, by using various methods of technology to meet the needs of its online members. Although this cannot replace the personal interaction provided by participating in a local club, it will allow those that were never able to participate, to benefit from being in an Icelandic club. The new online club will be a fully participating chapter of the INLNA, members will have access to 'Icelandic National League' information, voting rights at the annual Convention, and inclusion in INLNA projects.
     The INL of NA will be launching the new interactive, 'Icelandic Online Club' December 31, 2011. For additional information on the club or how to join, go to http://inlofna.org/IOC/ . Help spread the word to others, or be one of the first to join the new online club! The club is available to all Icelanders, people of Icelandic descent, and people interested in all things Icelandic. Come join us!

We still have a few of the beautiful INL of NA t-shirts available, sizes small and medium.

The t-shirts are $15 plus shipping costs of:
$4 each within Canada ($19) and $5 each to U.S.A. ($20)

Enjoy Delicious Coffee While Supporting Local Heritage Projects

Every pound purchased supports the work of Icelandic River Heritage Sites
(project details at: www.icelandicriver.com)
To order, contact: eyrarbakki@hotmail.com or phone 204 378 2758

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