QWF Workshop - The Art of Literary Translation
2020-05-26 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-05-19 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-05-12 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-05-05 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada
For those with a solid mastery of French and English, writing ability in English, and an interest in literature.

In this workshop we, will explore literary translation from French to English: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and songs.

We will look at contemporary literature from Quebec and France, as well as some older (nineteenth and twentieth century) texts. Sources may include Gabrielle Roy, Anne Hébert, Annie Ernaux, and Samuel Archibald. We will start by looking at an excerpt of a literary text in French and reading a published English translation of it. What difficulties (such as euphony, voice, word play, and verb tense) did the translator face, and how successful was she or he? At each meeting, there will be time to produce your own translations, often in groups. We will read our work aloud and comment on difficulties and strokes of inspiration. Participants will have the opportunity to translate a further passage from the same work (or from another) as a homework assignment for the next meeting. The corrected assignments provide individual feedback and lead to discussion of the issues encountered.

During the course of the workshop, you’ll be asked to present a passage you have translated,
commenting on the issues it presents, and describing ways of solving these issues. This is an ideal opportunity to begin or pursue a project you intend to submit to a publisher.

Infinithéâtre's The Infinite Playwrights' Chat Room
2020-05-21 17:00 - 18:00, 2020-05-14 17:00 - 18:00
Infinithéâtre invites members of the public across Canada to participate in the development of a series of exciting new plays. Once a week, a work-in-progress will be released on-line in read-only digital format. Our playwrights are looking for your help to write the next draft of their play. You’ll have ten days to read, prepare comments, questions, suggestions and e-mail them back to Infinithéâtre.
This is a genuine dramaturgical process. A live Zoom on-line chat session with the playwright and moderator will take up your suggestions, address questions and provide the writer with fresh inspiration for the new draft.
Paul Van Dyck will kick off with King of Canada on May 14. After that, The Infinite Playwrights’ Chat Room will happen every Thursday at 5PM. Oren Safdie is due up May 21st with Imminent Domain. Other writers to follow: Marianne Ackerman; Alexandria Haber and Ned Cox; David Sherman; and Alice Abracen.
All Chat Rooms will be streamed live on Zoom and Facebook. Visit www.infinitheatre.com for direct links.
For more details, or if you would like to read this week’s play and audit the chat room, please e-mail: ATD@indinitheatre.com

Atwater Poetry Project Online presents Ben Ladouceur & K.B. Thors
2020-05-20 19:00 - 20:00
Join the Crowdcast here: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/app-online
For our final Atwater Poetry Project Online in Spring 2020, APP is delighted to present Ben Ladouceur (Otter/Mad Long Emotion ) and K.B. Thors (Vulgar Mechanics).
Join us on Crowdcast 7 – 8pm (EDT) on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, for reading and discussion with the poets.
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The Atwater Poetry Project has run as a live poetry reading series at the Atwater Library and Computer Centre since 2004, hosting over 280 readings. It takes place on the traditional and unceded territory of the Kanien’keha:ka.
The Atwater Poetry Project is made possible with funding and support from the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Atwater Library and Computer Centre.

QWF Workshop - Writing Long: The Novel
2020-05-20 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-05-13 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-05-06 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-04-29 18:00 - 20:00 | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Registration for this workshop is TBA!

Shut Up & Write! with QWF
2020-05-16 10:00 - 12:30, 2020-05-09 10:00 - 12:30 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?
Register below to do all that writing you’ve been meaning to do at the Atwater Library. Using the Pomodoro technique, participants write in 25 minute bursts, with 5 minutes break in between. Once you RSVP, we will send you a Zoom link and instructions.
This event is for QWF members only. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member.
Please note that these sessions are designed for silent writing, rather than discussing or getting feedback on work.

10:00 – 10:25 – Writing 1
10:25 – 10:30 – Break
10:30 – 10:55 – Writing 2
10:55 – 11:00 – Break
11:00 – 11:25 – Writing 3
11:25 – 11:30 – Break
11:30 – 11:55 – Writing 4
11:55 – 12:00 – Break
12:00 – 12:25 – Writing 5

Note: QWF Members, you must be logged in to your Member Account in order to check event availability and to access the RSVP form on this page. If you are having any issues with the RSVP form, please email Marian at workshops [AT] qwf [DOT] org and she will be happy to help you.

Anna Sommer and Catherine Ocelot Conundrum double launch
2020-05-14 18:00 - 21:00 | La Petite Librairie Drawn & Quarterly, 176 Bernard West, Montréal, Québec, H2T2K2, Canada
Join Librairie Drawn & Quarterly and Conundrum Press as we celebrate the release of The Unknown by Anna Sommer, and Art Life by Catherine Ocelot. Featuring presentations by Sommer and Ocelot, alongside translators Helge Dascher and Aleshia Jensen.
THE UNKNOWN
A story of deceit, self-deception, and the search for happiness
When Helen finds a newborn abandoned in a changing room in her boutique, she decides to keep the baby nestled in a cardboard box and hidden from her husband.
After Vicky is talked into sex work by her boarding school roommate, Wanda, all of Vicky’s secrets–including her affair with their history teacher and her pregnancy–are quickly uncovered.
As the two narratives converge, coincidences and secrets are revealed. Incisive, wicked and breezily unconcerned by taboos, Anna Sommer lets readers put together the pieces of her morally ambiguous fable.
The Unknown is the English language translation of Sommer’s L’Inconnu, a French language edition published by Les Cahiers Dessinés. In 2018, L’Inconnu was nominated for a prize at the prestigious Angoulême International Comics Festival.
ART LIFE
Winner of the Prix Bédélys (Best comic in Quebec)
Shortlisted for the Quebec booksellers award 2018 in the graphic novel category (Prix des libraires)
Catherine Ocelot wonders about her place as an artist, digging into the layers of what it means to live this Art Life. In her search for answers, she talks with seven artists from different disciplines who express their doubts, their struggles, their ambitions and their sometimes-wise and sometimes-funny observations. The author stages these encounters with finesse and wit, and echoes them with scenes from her own life. Art Life is a tragicomic tale tinged with fantasy that explores the impact of others on oneself, led by an artist who slowly comes to understand herself.

Atwater Poetry Project Online presents...Chantal Gibson
2020-05-13 19:00 - 20:00
The Atwater Poetry Project Online is delighted to present Chantal Gibson!
CROWDCAST LINK: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/app-online-chantal
Join us on Crowdcast on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, from 7 – 8pm (EDT). Chantal will be reading from her debut collection ‘How She Read’ (Caitlin Press, shortlisted for the 2020 Griffin Poetry Prize and winner of the 2020 Pat Lowther Memorial Award) and in conversation with APP curator Rachel McCrum.
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The Atwater Poetry Project has run as a live poetry reading series at the Atwater Library and Computer Centre since 2004, hosting over 280 readings. It takes place on the traditional and unceded territory of the Kanien’keha:ka.
The Atwater Poetry Project is made possible with funding and support from the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Atwater Library and Computer Centre.

Making a Scene: A Screenwriting Workshop [Live & Online]
2020-05-13 15:00 - 17:00 | Online
The devil is in the details, and never is that more true than in the movies. The single most important building block to a successful screenplay is a scene, so in this workshop we will explore how to write a great one.
We will discuss how to give each scene a strong arc, making sure that it pushes the overall story forward, while revealing character through action and dialogues. We will discuss how to deal with exposition, character descriptions, action, formatting and finally how to write believable and entertaining dialogues. Participants will workshop scenes from their projects, learning what makes a scene great and what to do to make it even better The workshop runs for 4 weeks, two hours per session.
Who Should Take This Workshop?
This workshop is open to any experience level. Small groups ensure that each student has their voice heard and their needs met. Whether you’re looking to connect over shared interests, develop your craft, or looking for feedback on a project, this is the workshop for you.
Wiebke von Carolsfeld is an award-winning writer and filmmaker, who has directed three critically acclaimed theatrical feature films (Marion Bridge, STAY, The Saver), Her films have played at festivals around the world (TIFF, Rotterdam (competition), Karlovy Vary, Sydney, Pusan etc), winning many awards including Best First Feature at TIFF. Claremont, her first novel, was published to much acclaim in the fall of 2019. The German edition, by Kiepenheuer&Witsch, is forthcoming.
Please Note
Live and participatory, these video conference workshops are limited to 4-8 participants, to ensure everyone gets the most out of each session. Participants are expected to attend all four weekly sessions.
Flexible Scheduling and Registration
Three possible schedules, to be confirmed:
Schedule A: Tuesday, April 21, May 5, 12, 19, from 10 am – 12 pm
Schedule B: TBD
Schedule C: Wednesday, May 13, 20, June 3,10, from 3 pm – 5 pm
Use the ticket link to pick your preferred schedule(s). Based on the sign-ups we receive we’ll coordinate the workshop schedule and send you an invite (within 7 days). If you agree to join, then it’s booked and we’ll send an invoice for $100.
Software
Since this workshop takes place online, participants will need to download Zoom for video conferencing and have access to a laptop.
Click here to download Zoom: https://zoom.us/download#client_4meeting

QWF Workshop - Poetry Workshop: Tentacular Thinking & Writing
2020-05-07 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-04-30 18:00 - 20:00, 2020-04-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada

Stéphanie Boulay: Where the Waters Meet w/Ghislaine LeFranc
2020-05-04 18:00 - 19:00 | La Petite Librairie Drawn & Quarterly, 176 Bernard West, Montréal, Québec, H2T2K2, Canada
Join author Stéphanie Boulay and translator Ghislaine LeFranc for the launch of Where the Waters Meet, a coming-of-age novel told by an unforgettable narrator with an honest and poetic voice. Gain insights into the translation process and enjoy a glass of wine as we celebrate the launch of this heartfelt story.
WHERE THE WATERS MEET
She lives in a cabin in the woods, near the place where the blue water meets the brown. Titi takes care of her, shelters them from the sneering villagers, the dangers across the river, and those who might decide to move her out of her home and send her who knows where. Her life is simple, but nothing ever stays the same. Her body is changing; life around her is changing too.
The isolation of their lives is wearing on Titi, who threatens to leave her. Keeping Titi happy is impossible, school is difficult, and friends are hard to come by, but she takes solace in her poetry, her swims in the river, and music. Then one day, Mané appears on her side of the water, and she realizes that she understands the world much better than anyone gives her credit for.
Sometimes bleak, sometimes funny, Where the Waters Meet is a coming-of-age story told by an unforgettable narrator with an honest and poetic voice.
–Originally published by Québec-Amérique as À l’abri des hommes et des choses–

Canada Performs: Greg Santos
2020-05-02 15:00 - 16:00 | Facebook Live
Montreal author, Greg Santos, will be reading excerpts from his forthcoming DC Books poetry collection, GHOST FACE, as part of the National Arts Centre’s Canada Performs online series. Catch his live-streaming performance from his Facebook Author page www.facebook.com/gspoet on May 2nd from 3:00-3:45 pm EST. The reading will be followed by a Q&A session.

QWF Workshop - Narrative Non-fiction: Creating Scenes
2020-04-30 20:00 - 22:00, 2020-04-23 20:00 - 22:00 | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada
This workshop is open to writers who have already taken a writing workshop or published at least one short piece of prose fiction or non-fiction. Limited to 12 participants.

QWF Workshop - The Writer’s Tune-Up: Create with Courage
2020-04-29 20:00 - 22:00 | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada
For all those looking for a practical, hands-on workshop of generative prompts to get your wheels turning, your creative engine humming, and new projects out of the blocks.

Marianne Ackerman launches Triplex Nervosa Trilogy
2020-04-29 19:00 - 21:00 | La Petite Librairie Drawn & Quarterly, 176 Bernard West, Montréal, Québec, H2T2K2, Canada
Join us as we welcome Marianne Ackerman for the launch of her latest: Triplex Nervosa Trilogy! Featuring short excerpts from the plays to be read by Montreal actors, the evening will be accompanied with music from the soundtrack by Patrick Watson.

Atwater Poetry Project Online presents...Oana Avasilichioaei & Margaret Christakos
2020-04-29 19:00 - 20:00
Atwater Poetry Project Online is proud to present Oana Avasilichioaei (Montreal) and Margaret Christakos (Toronto) in a joint performance and discussion.
Join the event on the APP Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/AtwaPoetryProject – and login details will be posted closer to the time.
Interweaving solo voices and stereo texts that inhabit virtual spaces and a poetics of technology/form/relations, this performative reading voices a dialogue between two books, Charger (Talonbooks 2020) and Eight Track (Talonbooks 2019) and two poets, Margaret Christakos (Toronto) and Oana Avasilichioaei (Montreal).

QWF Workshop - Inventing the Truth: The Art of Personal Writing
2020-04-28 20:00 - 22:00 | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada

Fundamentals of Short Fiction [Live & Online]
2020-04-28 15:00 - 17:00 | Online
This interactive, four-session workshop will explore the fundamentals of writing short fiction. Two hours a week, we will explore a different element of style including: setting, character development, dialogue and description.
Each class will begin with a conversation about style, followed by a writing exercise addressing that day’s theme. Students will have an opportunity to share these exercises with the class. The prompts will be a fun way to exercise techniques discussed at the beginning of class and will hopefully spark ideas for future projects.
Students will be asked to submit a short piece of writing to the instructor prior to each class.
In the second half of each lesson, everyone will read aloud from their submitted work and receive in-depth feedback from the instructor and their peers.
Who Should Take This Workshop?
This workshop is open to all experience levels; it’s for anyone who’s interested in getting constructive feedback on works in progress, finding inspiration for new projects through short writing exercises, meeting fellow writers and hopefully making some friends.
Eva Crocker is a freelance writer based in Montreal, her short story collection Barrelling Forward was a finalist for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for Emerging LGBTQ Authors. The collection won the Canadian Authors’ Association Emerging Writer’s Award and the Alistair MacLeod Award for Short Fiction. Her non-fiction work has appeared in Maisonneuve Magazine, Border Crossings Magazine, Hamilton Review of Books, Visual Art News and Atlantic Books Today. Her debut novel All I Ask will be published by House of Anansi Press in June 2020.
Please Note
Live and participatory, these video conference workshops are limited to 4-8 participants, to ensure everyone gets the most out of each session. Participants are expected to attend all four weekly sessions.
Flexible Scheduling and Registration
Three possible schedules, to be confirmed:
Schedule A: Mondays, April 20, 27, May, 4, 11, from 7 – 9 pm
Schedule B: Fridays, April 24, May 1, 8, 15, from 11 am – 1 pm
Schedule C: Tuesdays, April 28, May 5, 12, 19, from 3 pm – 5 pm
Use the ticket link to pick your preferred schedule(s). Based on sign-ups we receive we’ll coordinate the workshop schedule and send you an invite (within 7 days). If you agree to join, then it’s booked and we’ll send an invoice for $100.
Software
Since this workshop takes place online, participants will need to download Zoom for video conferencing and have access to a computer or phone. 1-on-1 support is available if you require assistance.
Click here to download Zoom: https://zoom.us/download#client_4meeting

QWF Workshop - From Idea to Script to Screen
2020-04-27 20:00 - 22:00 | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Photo by Sabrina Reeves
12 participants.

This workshop will help you adapt your ideas into scripts for TV, Film, Video, Web series, etc., and also show you how to craft pitches and other creative documents designed to attract producers and broadcasters to your material. In addition, you will receive advice as to which avenues to venture down in terms of seeking potential funding and/or professional representation and/or producing partners for your projects.

Topics covered will include:

Setting realistic writing goals; how to break down and analyze a script; the importance of feedback; analysis of produced work; story, structure, conflict, character, dialogue; the importance of rewriting and how to go about it; pitching; riders, indemnity waivers, non-disclosure agreements; contracts, agents, lawyers; development funding; and budgeting (time & money).

Recommended reading: film scripts of all genres and lengths

QWF Workshop - Love and Intimacy in Fiction: Setting the Scene
2020-04-27 18:00 - 20:00 | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada
“One stroke of lightning does not have to lead anywhere, but to the next stroke of lightning.”
– Alice Munro
All levels are welcome. Limited to 12 participants.

Are your characters stuck at first base? Maybe you’ve been trying for months to create tasteful romantic tension, but your revisions seem to be getting tawdrier instead. Love and sex in fiction are challenging to write: We’re striving to find the perfect chemistry between voice, language, pacing, plot, and setting, and the measurement of each is never the same from one situation to the next. Just as it takes time in real life for intimacy to grow between people, it takes more than a few lines in a short story or pages in a novel to develop genuine narrative intimacy.
This workshop will provide participants with creative and technical tools to write anything from smoldering eye contact between strangers on a subway to harrowing mid-novel breakup sex between critical characters. We’ll look at a variety of print and digital media, and everyone will be encouraged to act as a reader as well as a writer—that is, to share ideas and offer constructive feedback. Participants will leave the workshop with an expanded, specialized lexicon and the confidence to know when to be nuanced in their writing and when to be explicit.
This workshop is not a genre “how-to” for romance or erotica, but a fun, holistic survey of tools and techniques writers can use to craft believable and compelling intimacy in any fictional context.
