Activities / Programs / Workshops

Creative Play for Writers (In Person)

Creative Play for Writers is a hands-on, exploratory workshop that uses visual art, music, movement, film, and more to spark new writing.

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Description

Eight Thursdays, Mar 12-Apr 30, 5:45-7:45pm        
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants
In-Person Workshop*

This workshop is designed for writers from any genre but artists from other mediums are welcome to join.

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.
—Maya Angelou

Many writers have other creative outlets. Maya Angelou danced. D.H. Lawrence painted. Miranda July makes films. Creativity thrives across disciplines; when writers tap into other art forms, surprising things can happen on the page.

Creative Play for Writers is a hands-on, exploratory workshop that uses visual art, music, movement, film, and more to spark new writing. Each session invites you to engage with a different form of creative expression—not to master it, but to play with it—and discover how it can fuel your storytelling.

You’ll respond to rich, sensory prompts, collaborate with others, and experiment freely. Whether you’re feeling stuck, looking for new inspiration, or simply aiming to reconnect with the joy of making things, this workshop offers a playful and supportive space to expand your creative practice.

We will explore exercises and readings from Syllabus by Lynda Barry, Workbook by Steven Heighton, and The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad. We will also touch on the ideas and art of Rebecca Belmore and Elizabeth Zvonar, among others, as inspiration. Weekly exercises and homework will be given.

 *This workshop will take place exclusively in-person at the QWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec).

Workshop leader

Marcia Walker’s writing has appeared in Bellevue Literary Review, yolk, Prairie Fire, Electric Literature’s Recommended Reads, The New Quarterly, EVENT, PRISM international, The New York Times, CBC radio, and elsewhere. She often writes about women, desire, family, and the consequences of rupture. Her debut short story collection, Things to Think About When Looking at the Sky, is forthcoming with Freehand Books in spring 2027. Before becoming a writer, Marcia worked as an actor and a lawyer. Currently she’s re-learning the guitar, experimenting with instinctive art, and working on a novel.

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Workshop Policies

Please familiarize yourself with our workshop policies and general guiding principles

Special Thanks

QWF gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Government of Canada.