Saturday November 4
Balsillie School of International Arts
Showing all 16 results
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Book signing
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Childhood and Intuition as Literary Inspiration with Kathleen Winter
The participatory lecture, titled Childhood and Intuition as Literary Inspiration, will use anecdotes and illustrations from Kathleen’s own experiences. She will talk about the role of childhood memory, walking, and intuitive use of a small daily notebook. Kathleen will invite participants to write a short piece (about 500 words) that can stand alone or go on to become the seed for a longer piece to be completed independently after your time together.
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Crafting the Poem with Evelyn Lau
introduced by Barb Carter
In this workshop, renowned poet Evelyn Lau will help students appreciate the editing process required to craft a polished poem. Evelyn will workshop six poems supplied by workshop attendees. With the help of the participants, Evelyn will give an editorial assessment of the poems and make suggestions for how the poems can move forward. All attendees of the workshop will benefit from the discussion and will come away form the workshop with a keener understanding of the editorial process.
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Displacement Narratives with Kyle Edwards, Beth Gebreyohannes, Zainab Mahdi, and Maša Torbica. Moderated by Lamees Al Ethari
From immigrant and refugee narratives to suppressed voices from Indigenous communities, the concept of displacement has incited discussions on migrations, lost homelands, and new ideas of belonging and identity. Meet writers who are finding a language to express their experiences, and who are leading the way, showing how to engage in conversation.
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Finding Home: Stories My Father Never Told Me with Tamas Dobozy and Pasha Malla. Moderated by David Worsley
There are stories that are passed on through generations and there are those that are never told but must be elicited through observation, family lore, or imagination. In Stories my Father Never Told Me award winning authors Tamas Dobozy and Pasha Malla discuss the influence of family history on their work and explore the possibility that the stories they write stem from generations past.
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First Word, First Sentence, First Paragraph with Robert Rotenberg
This seminar focuses on the crucial first sentence and paragraph of a novel. Participants are invited to bring with them examples of their own writing (first page only) and examples of first paragraphs of one novel that they admire. Bring pen and paper and leave your defences at the door.
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Interactive Possibilities of Creative Nonfiction with Betsy Warland
In 2007, I decided to write with a very different set of assumptions. I began my new manuscript without the goal of a print book. In 2012, I decided to create an online salon comprised of my work-in-progress excerpts, guest artists and writers’ works, readers’ comments, and images. Oscar’s Salon ran for nine years. Was liberating! I loved every minute of it. Attracting considerable readership, in 2016, a publisher sought me out and Oscar of Between – A Memoir of Identity and Ideas was published by Caitlin Press. This workshop will inspire you to think outside-the-box regarding new ways to: write; encourage readers to discover and interact with your work; and find new paths to publication.
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Lunch
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On Character with Alison Pick
Good character development is a critical part of writing both fiction and nonfiction (and can also be surprisingly relevant to poetry!). This workshop will help you get to know the characters you are writing about in new and fun ways. Come prepared to brainstorm, to play games, to write hard, and to learn how understanding your characters deeply can take your writing project to a whole new level.
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Recklessness and Revision in Poetry with Chris Banks
introduced by Tristanne Connolly
In this master’s class workshop, Chris Banks will be talking about the twin forces of recklessness and revision, how they pull in opposite directions, and how to silence one’s inner editor so a poem can move in surprising, unexpected ways. With examples and sharp insights pulled from contemporary poetry, Banks will lead workshop participants through a variety of exercises meant to help them “unleash” their writing potential.
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The Art of the Shelfie: Marketing Yourself as a Writer with Amanda Leduc
Once upon a time, marketing and publicity rested solely in the hands of the publisher. Today, self-promotion is a necessary survival skill—something that can often strike fear into the heart of a writer who is used to disappearing behind their computer screen. But marketing yourself as a writer needn’t be terrifying! Join writer and Twitter devotee Amanda Leduc for a candid information session as she takes you through some of the dos, the don’ts, and the dares of making a name for yourself online and IRL.
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The Fiction Panel with Trevor Corkum, Alicia Elliott, Lori McNulty, and Rebecca Rosenblum. Moderated by Claire Tacon
Tough Choices. Literary fiction by its nature tends to seek out topics that make us feel uncomfortable, make us think, allow us to explore emotional territory that we might want to stray from, and yet this is the very territory that makes us feel more human. Join us for readings and discussions with authors who have each considered difficult subjects and written thought-provoking, elegant pieces as a result.
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The Nonfiction Panel: Risk, Rejection, and the Personal Essay with Kyle Edwards, Alicia Elliott, Susan Olding, and Betsy Warland. Moderated by Tasneem Jamal
The New Yorker has declared the personal essay in “decline.” TNQ says it is alive and well, thanks to risk-takers who are willing to weather rejection, controversy, and critique. Meet emerging and established essayists who can help us understand why writing that is powerful for the reader can also be so dangerous for the writer. (Psst: of special interest to fans of the Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest.)
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The Publishing Panel: The Joy of Litmags with Emily Donaldson (Canadian Notes and Queries), Laurie D. Graham (Brick), Anna Ling Kaye (Ricepaper and PRISM international), and Pamela Mulloy (The New Quarterly). Moderated by Susan Scott
Join our lively panel of editors in celebrating the unsung role that literary magazines play, introducing writers and poets to the world. What do magazine editors do and what are they looking for when they open your submissions? What role do lit mags play in securing the interest of book publishers and agents in your work? Sip your morning java while our panelists muse, opine, advise—and encourage our decoding the mysteries of the masthead.
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The Shape-Shifters: Writing in Multiple Genres with Evelyn Lau, Amanda Leduc, Pasha Malla, and Fiona Tinwei Lam. Moderated by Anna Ling Kaye.
Society loves to pigeonhole: by genre, by culture, by past work. Many authors, however, defy definition. Join acclaimed authors Evelyn Lau, Amanda Leduc, Pasha Malla, and Fiona Tinwei Lam in a discussion with TNQ Guest Editor Anna Ling Kaye on the joys and challenges of writing across fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and everything in between.
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Young Creators Masterclass with Carrie Snyder
Join Carrie Snyder for a writing adventure, a workshop that invites you to write fiction using a variety of imaginative techniques, loosely based on the teachings of Lynda Barry, who asks us to consider “the perishable images about the day you didn’t notice you’d noticed at all.” All you need is a notebook and a black pen. Come prepared to write and sketch by hand. For writers aged 13 to 17.