StoryScaping

The Quebec Writers’ Federation offers free writing workshops to groups of English-speaking youth and/or seniors throughout the province. 

Workshops are six hours long and can be delivered in either of the following formats:

• A one-day six-hour workshop in person; or
• A multi-day workshop online via Zoom (3 sessions of 2 hours each, or 4 sessions of 90 minutes each)

Community organizations interested in participating can request one of six workshops to offer, free of charge, to members of their community.

The goal of the workshops is to give participants in isolated or underserved communities an opportunity to connect and to shape (or “scape”) their personal stories through wordplay and experimentation. The focus is on giving participants a chance to share their stories, document their lives, and read or perform their creative work.

“Searching for a creative outlet during the confinement of Covid, I took a QWF storytelling workshop on a whim. It was led by Nisha Coleman in November, as part of the QWF’s StoryScaping program.  At the end of the month, Nisha encouraged me to start pitching stories to producers for virtual shows.  I have since been featured on Bodies of Stories, the Volume Knob, Mental Health Happy(ish) Hour and Soul Stories Live.  I have found a supportive community of creative writers and opened my world to something far  greater than I ever imagined.”

Madeleine Holden

If you are interested in these workshops for your community, a short, simple application form is all we need to get the process started.

QWF will cover the honorarium for the facilitator. Community organizations will be responsible for the following:

• Publicizing the workshop, with support from QWF, and keeping track of registration (maximum of 10 participants).
• For in-person workshops, providing a venue.
• For online workshops, ensuring that all participants have access to technology (ideally a laptop with speakers and webcam) and good Wi-Fi connectivity.
• Liaising with the QWF project manager to connect with potential participants, and alerting the QWF project manager to any special needs within the community.

Workshops will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis, with QWF making every effort to accommodate the scheduling preferences of the requesting organizations.

Step 1: Select a Workshop

Visit our Storyscaping Workshops page to see descriptions of each workshop and the facilitators’ bios.

Each workshop leader has a particular specialty—from poetry to fiction to storytelling—but most workshops are flexible and can be adapted to your group’s needs.

Step 2: Request a Workshop

Fill out the workshop request form to let us know which workshop you want to take. We will respond to your request within a week.

---

Have questions? Contact us.