QWF’s Writers in the Community program pairs small groups of young people with a professional writer or literary performance artist who can teach them and, more importantly, motivate them, to use language to express themselves in productive ways. In each project, a writer-facilitator works with a small group for 10 weeks, teaching them language tools, giving them writing prompts, and ultimately, boosting their self-confidence by showing them that they are capable of producing literary work of value.
Recent projects
Pyramid Campaign : Help us make a difference in the lives of Quebec kids who have been left out of the mainstream by supporting this program. Make a donation
Meet the writer-facilitators
Jimmy Blais
Jimmy Blais is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation; he is of Plains Cree and French settler heritage. Born and raised on tiohtià:ke, Jimmy is a seasoned stage and film actor and has worked for over 15 years in collaboration with companies like Native Earth Performing Arts, The Stratford Festival, The N.A.C., Centaur, Geordie Theatre, Porte Parole, and La Licorne. He has had roles in television and film for Crave, Discovery Channel, CBC and Space as well as multiple award winning short films. Jimmy’s most notable TV role was playing Watio for five seasons in APTN’s hit series Mohawk Girls. Jimmy is also a writer and director. His most recent play Feather Gardens won him a META for Outstanding New Text. In October of 2021, Jimmy became the 4th Artistic Director of Geordie Theatre in Montreal.
I particularly liked the fact that we would write a lot and there wasn’t very much theory and
young writerwe would become better by writing every day.
Program sponsors
We would also like to express our gratitude to the following sponsors, without whom the Writers in the Community program would not be possible
