Deadline to Apply: February 19, 2024
This program is open to you if you are Black, Indigenous, or a person of colour.
The Quebec Writers’ Federation is soliciting applications for the 2024 Fresh Pages Guest Curator of the Words & Music Show.
Part of QWF’s Fresh Pages Diversity Initiative, this temporary, part-time, paid opportunity is designed to help an aspiring literary artist who is Black, Indigenous, or a person of colour develop skills in creating and curating literary and other arts events.
The successful candidate will work under the guidance of poet, author, and performer Tawhida Tanya Evanson to curate their own literary, musical, and performance event. Applicants may have curated no more than three public events.
The guest curator will receive:
- approximately 15 hours of mentorship
- an $800 honorarium
- a free one-year membership (or extension of membership) in the Quebec Writers’ Federation.
The guest curator is selected by QWF’s Words & Music Committee.
Your Mentor
Tawhida Tanya Evanson is a poet, author, performer and producer. Her poetry collections include Bothism and Nouveau Griot, and her debut novel Book of Wings won the 2022 CAM/Blue Metropolis New Contribution Prize. Her French autotranslation Livre des ailes (2023) is fresh from Marchand de feuilles. With a twenty-five-year practice in oral poetry and music, she performs internationally and has released studio albums and short films including the upcoming concert film CYANO SUN SUITE. She is president of the Quebec Writers’ Federation, director of the Banff Centre Spoken Word Program, and produces interarts events as Mother Tongue Media. She moonlights as a whirling dervish. www.mothertonguemedia.com
Responsibilities
Tasks include the following:
- Defining the event with a clear, cohesive theme
- Selecting and inviting performers
- Gathering bios, photos, and other info for publicity
- Writing press releases
- Structuring and presenting a show (Typically, four to five performers present their work in a show that lasts 60 to 75 minutes.)
The guest curator is also welcome to host the show and introduce the performers.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must live in Quebec and be Indigenous, Black, or a person of colour.
- Applicants should demonstrate an interest in presenting either their own work in public presentations or in creating a literary, musical or other arts event.
- There is no age or publication requirement.
- Candidates who have already curated more than three public events, or who work for an event creation agency or company, are not eligible.
Timeline
- Call for applications: January 10, 2024
- Deadline for applications: February 19, 2024
- Notification of results: March 2024
- Public show: Fall 2024
How to Apply
Please submit the following:
- A cover letter describing the kind of show you envision presenting and why you are interested in curating events (maximum one page);
- A short biographical statement about your background and experience, including a confirmation that you are aware of the eligibility criteria for the program and that you are eligible (maximum 200 words);
- Your full name and a way to contact you.
Submit to [email protected] or by mail to:
“Fresh Pages” Guest Curatorship
Quebec Writers’ Federation
1200 Atwater Ave., Suite 3
Westmount, QC H3Z 1X4