Quebec Writers' Federation

Black Writers Out Loud - Spoken Word Edition
2020-09-24 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom
Roen Higgins, Fabrice Koffy, and Faith Paré in conversation with Jason “Blackbird” Selman.

This fantastic group of spoken word artists sit down with guest host Jason Selman for a conversation about their arts practice, the Black Lives Matter movement and current pandemic. This is the second in a QWF series of online events celebrating black literary arts in Quebec.

The conversation will take place on September 24, 2020 at 7 p.m. EDT via Zoom.
Please CLICK HERE to RSVP and receive the Zoom link via email.
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ROEN ‘BLU RIVA’ HIGGINS – From a hyper, at-risk youth entangled in the system, to an active community change agent, Roen is a committed educator, coach, speaker, and event producer. She is known to flip words and paint pictures through her diction and uses her-story to help others “Elevate Impact.” Her community service and creative accomplishments have been recognized by Montreal Community Care Awards, Black Theatre Workshop, and Fonds 1804. In the ring of Improv & Slam poetry, she echoes the realities of society yet never leaves the mic without a solution. Dubbed as ‘Blu Riva,’ her unique style, flow and delivery has gained her opportunities to perform before different audiences in different time zones. Her current projects are coaching multi-passionate creatives to get unstuck and tap into their creative potential, and releasing a Poetry Project this year.

FABRICE KOFFY – Originally from the Ivory Coast, Fabrice Koffy settled in Montreal in 1998 to pursue university studies. This is where his journey of artistic expression begins, as he joins the infamous Kalm Unity Vibe Collective, with whom he collaborates for several years. In 2006, he meets guitarist Guillaume Soucy. Grounded in a growing complicity, their prolific union breathes life into a series of performances and the album Poésic is released in 2009 and selected by the Vue sur la Relève festival and the Montreal FrancoFolies. In 2016, the album receives the Prix Coup de Coeur award from ICI Musique, Diversité artistique Montréal (DAM) and La Vitrine during the 6th edition of the Vitrine des musiques locales et métissées (Local and Cross-Cultural Music Showcase) presented by Vision Diversité. His poetry speaks of life through history where the human being is center stage.

Photo Credit: Isobel Rose Carnegie

FAITH PARÉ – is a poet and performer of Afro-Guyanese and Québécois ancestries. Her writing is forthcoming in Carnation, and has previously appeared in GUTS , Ossa , and Shameless Magazine. Faith is a proud alum of Our Bodies, Our Stories, a creative collective for queer, trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour artists mentored by Kama La Mackerel, and she recently completed the Quebec Writers’ Federation’s 2020 Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship for Underrepresented Writers under the guidance of Dr. Gillian Sze. She is studying for her Hons. B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Find her @paretriarchy and faithpare.com.

JASON “BLACKBIRD” SELMAN – Jason “Blackbird” Selman is a Montreal born poet, trumpet player and community worker. He is the author Africa As A Dream That Travels Through My Heart (2016, Howl), The Freedom I Stole (2007, Cumulus Press), and co-editor of the poetry anthology Talking Book (2006, Cumulus Press) which chronicles the writings of Kalm Unity Vibe Collective (of which he is a founding member). He has done extensive poetry workshops across the Montréal area in schools and community groups. His work is grounded in the themes of ethno-musicology, surrealist expression, love and the intersection of masculinity and emotional vulnerability.

Poetry London: Roxanna Bennett & Greg Santos
2020-09-23 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
On Wednesday, September 23, Poetry London launches their 2020/2021 season with a digital reading event featuring Roxanna Bennett and Greg Santos.

Poetry London hosts and celebrates nationally acclaimed and local poets. For more information check out the Poetry London website: http://poetrylondon.ca

Digital Reading @ 7pm (EDT)
Zoom Workshop @ 6pm (EDT)

Sensational Songwriting: the Art and Craft of Song [Live & Online]
2020-09-22 15:00 - 16:30 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
How do we know if an idea is solid enough to inspire a song? What’s the difference between a ballad and a 3 minute pop song? What are our choices when it comes to rhyming schemes and how do we maintain a flow when scanning lyrics to melody? How do we write a thrilling pre-chorus and what makes a song have an impact? In this four-week workshop we will transform your ideas into songs; exploring structure, storytelling techniques, melodic phrasing, harmonic support and verse/chorus/bridge formats. Each week there will be a songwriting assignment, followed by the opportunity to share your work and receive in-depth feedback from your instructor and peers.

What’s in a Name? A Poetry Workshop
2020-09-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
Names carry meaning. Some names carry a story, like Samson whose name conjures thoughts of cut hair, love betrayed, and strength. We can use names to add meaning and texture to our poems.
During the workshop, participants will be guided to write poems built around a name. Each week, we will: highlight a way a name can add texture to a poem; read and discuss a poem by an acclaimed poet who uses names to create images, foreshadow, or inject meaning; and write a poem inspired by the week’s poem. Participants will have the first draft of four new poems by the end of the workshop.
Registration Deadline: September 17, 2020.
Blossom Thom is a poet and editor. She is the author of #HashtagRelief (Gaspereau Press, 2017) and her poetry has appeared during art collaborations and in literary magazines and anthologies including Poetic Notions: A Weaving of Poetry and Visual Arts, Kola: A Black Literary Magazine, and Montréal Serai. A mentorship with George Elliott Clarke set the groundwork for her work-in-progress and was supported by a Professional Development for Artists Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.
For further details, please see event link.

Summer in September at W&M Sunday
2020-09-20 20:00 - 21:30 | Online via Zoom
This Sunday September 20th we’re feeling the last rays of summer as Rachel McCrum and Jonathan Lamy perform in tandem. Joining them for the show are three fine poets, all with new books!
Robin Durnford has moved from The Rock to settle in Montreal and presents work from her new book “Gap-Toothed”
And Montreal-based poet Greg Santos is here to present work from his new book “Ghost Face”.
Checking in from Gabriola Island on the the West Coast, PC Vandall launches her book of poems “The Blue Moth of Morning”.
The event will be hosted by Jason Camlot and Ian Ferrier on Zoom at 8PM EDT, Sunday September 20th.
Join us at the following link:
https://concordia-ca.zoom.us/j/3772249115
The Words & Music Show is funded by the Quebec Writers’ Federation, and brought to you the Casa del Popolo and Wired on Words Productions.

"September Stories" with Licia Canton
2020-09-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom: get link at lcanton@accenti.ca
“September Stories” with LICIA CANTON –
Books and Biscotti Literary Series on Zoom – Register at lcanton@accenti.ca to receive the link.

Wherever you may be, whether you are having breakfast, lunch or dinner, join author Licia Canton for a Books and Biscotti event on September 19th at 12 p.m. EST. She will read her most recent (un)published writing and share biscotti, dolcetti…
Licia Canton‘s writing has been anthologized internationally in English, French, Chinese, Italian and Venetian dialect. She has published twelve books, including The Pink House and Other Stories (2018) and Almond Wine and Fertility (2008; 2018), published in Italy as Vino alla mandorla e fertilità (2015). She is the founding editor-in-chief of Accenti Magazine, where she organizes the annual writing contest and “Capture an Italian Moment” photo competition. At Accenti, she also manages a student internship program with Bishop’s University. She is also a mentor (for emerging writers and editors) and a writer-for-hire through the Quebec Writers’ Federation. She holds a Ph.D. from Uni. de Montréal and an M.A. from McGill
The event is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC).

The lawn chair soirée (Virtual Edition #6)
2020-09-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom: get link at lawnchairsoiree@gmail.com, Montreal, Canada
An evening of poetry and story and song
Une soirée de poésie et d’histoire et de la chanson
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020 at 7pm EDT
on Zoom
Invited Guests:
Sharon Lax
Su J Sokol
Carolyne Van Der Meer
+ Open Mic (3 minutes, svp)
Hosted by Jan Jorgensen, Blossom Thom, and Brian Campbell
Contact Jan for Zoom coordinates
lawnchairsoiree@gmail.com

Shut Up & Write! with QWF
2020-09-12 10:00 - 12:30, 2020-08-15 10:00 - 12:30, 2020-07-25 10:00 - 12:30, 2020-07-11 10:00 - 12:30 | Online via Zoom
Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?
Register below to do all that writing you’ve been meaning to— via Zoom! 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

In order to receive the Zoom link via email, please RSVP using the form below.

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 and she will be happy to help you.
You must specify that you are reserving 1 (one) spot (by clicking the “0” and using the arrows or typing in the number 1). Don’t forget to enter your name and email address as well.
Please note: the automated ticket you receive via email is just a confirmation that you have successfully RSVP’d; you will receive the actual Zoom link via email the day before the event.

Due to the popularity of our SUAW! events, we ask that you only RSVP if you are quite sure you will attend. Thank you for your understanding 🙂

The Infinite Playwrights' Chat Room
2020-09-10 17:00 - 18:00 | Online via Zoom
Infinithéâtre is inviting 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 online 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 hopefully provide the writer with fresh inspiration for the new draft.
All interested members of the public are welcome to audit the event live. If you would like to participate in the live discussion with the playwright, just let us know when you send in your comments. You could be invited as a guest into the Zoom online Chat Room.
Marc-André Thibault will kick off with Mazel Tov on September 10th. After that, The Infinite Playwrights’ Chat Room will happen every Thursday at 5PM. Alice Abracen is due up September 17 with Children of Egypt. Other writers to follow: Zaynab Bourezza on September 24 with M1ndf0ck_, and Laura Flynn on October 1 with Ceasefire.
For more details, or if you would like to read Mazel Tov and audit the chat room, please e-mail: ATD@infinitheatre.com.

Musical Theatre Showcase
2020-08-31 19:00 - 20:00 | Quebec
Montreal Musical Theatre Writers is presenting an online showcase on Monday, August 31st at 7pm. We have been been working on our various musicals with Jonathan Monro and CMTWC (Canadian Musical Theatre Writers Collective) for almost a year now. The following YouTube link will take you directly to the hour-long video: https://youtu.be/mpla8HYahN0

Raven Leilani launches LUSTER at Librairie Saint-Henri Books
2020-08-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
Raven Leilani launches her debut novel, Luster, with Librairie Saint-Henri Books in an online talk and Q&A with LSHB Events Coordinator Sruti Islam.
Buy a ticket to reserve a spot in our live-streamed conversation with the author of one of this year’s most exciting debuts! The online event will take place August 21st at 7PM—a url will be provided closer to the launch date and sent to your email.
For every $10.00 ticket sold you are entered for a chance to win an exclusive, specially printed LSHB designed poster as well as a copy of the book!
*All ticket sales for this event are to be donated to the Montreal women’s shelter, Chez Doris*
ABOUT THE BOOK: Edie is stumbling her way through her twenties–sharing a subpar apartment in Bushwick, clocking in and out of her admin job, making a series of inappropriate sexual choices. She’s also, secretly, haltingly, figuring her way into life as an artist. And then she meets Eric, a digital archivist with a family in New Jersey, including an autopsist wife who has agreed to an open marriage–with rules. As if navigating the constantly shifting landscapes of contemporary sexual manners and racial politics weren’t hard enough, Edie finds herself unemployed and falling into Eric’s family life, his home. She becomes a hesitant friend to his wife and a de facto role model to his adopted daughter. Edie is the only black woman who young Akila knows.Razor sharp, darkly comic, sexually charged, socially disruptive, Luster is a portrait of a young woman trying to make sense of her life in a tumultuous era. It is also a haunting, aching description of how hard it is to believe in your own talent and the unexpected influences that bring us into ourselves along the way.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: RAVEN LEILANI’s work has been published in Granta, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Narrative, Yale Review, Conjunctions, The Cut and New England Review, among other publications. She won Narrative’s Ninth Annual Poetry Contest and the Matt Clark Editor’s Choice Prize, as well as short fiction prizes from Bat City Review and Blue Earth Review. Luster is her first novel.

Lawn Chair Soirée Virtual Edition #5
2020-08-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
A monthly soirée of words and music, now via Zoom.
This month’s featured readers:
Louise Carson (launching her new poetry collection, Dog Poems)
Rachel McCrum
Bruce Kauffman
Open mic follows (three minute limit for participants).
To access the reading and/or take part in the open mic, please write lawnchairsoiree@gmail.com

Summer Refresher with QWF! Online via Zoom
2020-08-19 17:30 - 19:00 | Online via Zoom
This event has passed— thanks for joining us and keep an eye out for more QWF schmoozers!

Dear QWF members, writers, and book lovers,
We’ve been itching for another opportunity to connect with our literary community in a casual setting!
Please join us for our second online schmoozer of the summer– a place for our community to gather, network, exchange pleasantries and catch up, and generally just expand the circle of faces we get to see– while still maintaining physical distancing from the safety of our own homes.
We invite you all to join us on Wednesday, August 19 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. for a casual evening of refreshing conversation with QWF!
The plan:

please arrive on time (to get the most out of the experience), but feel free to drop in later if you need!
we’ll start as a large group to say a quick “hello!”
then QWF will put attendees into smaller groups (at random), in individual breakout rooms.
open to members and non-members!
BYOB– if you wish!

To receive the Zoom link, please RSVP using the form below (this information will not be shared with anyone):

← Back Thank you for your response. ✨

First & Last Name(required)

Email(required)

What's a book or genre you come back to every (few) summer(s)?(required)

Submit

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Aeolus House 2020 Virtual Launch
2020-08-13 19:30 - 20:30 | Quebec
Zoom conference. Four poets will present extracts from their new books.
Miller Adams (Folding Laundry on Judgement Day); Claudia Coutu Radmore (rabbit); Louise Carson (Dog Poems); Sue Chenette (Clavier, Paris, Alyssum).
RSVP allan@aeolushouse.com

Argo Zoom Reading Series: Verse, Prose & Song
2020-08-06 19:00 | Online via Zoom
Argo Zoom Reading Series: Verse, Prose & Song
Thursday, August 6, 2020

Drea Lake, Alejandro Saravia, Ariela Freedman, Connie Guzzo McParland, Madelaine Caritas Longman, Willow Loveday Little, Devon Gallant, Sharon Lax, Harry Rajchgot
Argo Bookshop 1915 Ste. Catherine St. West
https://www.argobookshop.ca/
Hosted by Adele-Elise Prevost & Moti Lieberman 514.931.3442
Curator Ilona Martonfi ilona.martonfi@sympatico.ca
7 PM-8:30 PM
Please email events@argobookshop.ca for the Zoom link
FACEBOOK EVENT:
THU Aug 6
Argo Zoom Reading Series : Verse, Prose & Song
7 PM · Online Event

Fundamentals of Short Fiction 2 [Live & Online]
2020-08-06 11:00 - 13:00 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
This interactive, four-session workshop is a continuation of the Fundamentals of Short Fiction workshop. While FOSF 1 focuses on setting, character development, dialogue and description, part 2 covers new ground. Each two-hour session will explore a different element of style including: point of view, pacing, plot/structure and developing themes.
Each class will begin with a conversation about style, followed by a quick 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. Students will also receive written feedback on their submitted work after each class.
Eva Crocker is a freelance writer based in Montreal, her short story collection Barrelling Forward (House of Anansi Press, 2017) 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.
Schedule (Eastern Time)
Thursday, August 6, 11 am – 1 pm
Thursday, August 13, 11 am – 1 pm
Thursday, August 20, 11 am – 1 pm
Thursday, August 27, 11 am – 1 pm
Who Should Take this Workshop?
You do not have to have completed Fundamentals of Short Fiction Part 1 in order to take Fundamentals of Short Fiction Part 2. 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.

Where Does it Say That?! A Text Analysis Workshop [Live & Online]
2020-08-04 19:00 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
In this workshop we’ll look at that devil of a topic, script analysis, and touch on all the things we need to think about when considering a script or a role. It’s devilish because there are so many aspects to it, so at first it seems gigantic. It’s definitely going to happen that someone tells you “hey, your character is supposed to be like this!” and you’re thinking “Really? Where does it say THAT!?” Is it just that person’s opinion, or some kind of performance tradition, or is it really indicated in the text somehow? But as we go through the course we’ll find that while there are many things to consider, the methods of how to consider them can be quite simple and become part of the exciting discovery process. Little clues become exciting discoveries that can change everything, and even the writing style will start to make more sense. We may sometimes have to play Sherlock Holmes to figure something out, but we also get to play Dr. Watson and dramatize it, so we get the full reward for our efforts!
This workshop will involve reading at home as well as together in the sessions, discussing the work and the playwright, and will have active and group activities throughout. Depending on who enrolls, we may also have the ability to have actors play out the scenes based on your script analysis, so that we can see the immediate effects of your discoveries. This workshop will be focused primarily on theatre scripts, and is open to anyone at all, which can include actors, directors, designers, or others who are interested.
Workshop 1: Reading a Script
Workshop 2: Working on a Script
Workshop 3: Getting Close to a Script
Workshop 4: The Relationship Goes On
Peter Giser is a director, actor and singer who has been performing for over 20 years in Montreal and New York. Originally trained as a musical performer, Peter turned more fully towards acting while in New York, studying at the Strasberg School and later becoming a member of The Michael Chekhov Theatre Company. Peter also began producing and directing in New York, which he now continues to do in Montreal through his own theatre company, Snowglobe Theatre. His knowledge and training include Stanislavski work, Strasberg, Meisner, Michael Chekhov technique, Shakespeare performance, and commedia, among other styles and methods. Peter puts a large focus on developing talent and skills, and has been offering workshops in Montreal to the artistic community since 2019.
Schedule (Eastern Time)
Tuesday, August 4, 7 pm – 9 pm
Tuesday, August 11, 7 pm – 9 pm
Tuesday, August 18, 7 pm – 9 pm
Tuesday, August 25, 7 pm – 9 pm

Fundamentals of Short Fiction [Live & Online]
2020-08-04 11:00 - 13:00 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
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.
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.
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.
Schedule (Eastern Time)
Tuesday, August 4, 11 am – 1 pm
Tuesday, August 11, 11 am – 1 pm
Tuesday, August 18, 11 am – 1 pm
Tuesday, August 25, 11 am – 1 pm
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.

Black Writers Out Loud
2020-07-30 19:00 - 20:30 | Online via Zoom
Diane Roberts, Tali Taliwah (aka Nantali Indongo), and Nigel Thomas in conversation with Deborah Forde.
This extraordinary group of artists sits down with guest host Deborah Forde for a conversation about their arts practice, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the current pandemic. This is the first in a series of four online events in 2020 celebrating Black literary arts in Quebec. Presented by the QWF.
The conversation will take place on July 30, 2020 at 7 p.m. EDT via Zoom.
Please CLICK HERE to RSVP and receive the Zoom link via email.
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Diane Roberts is an accomplished director, dramaturge, writer and cultural animator who has collaborated with innovative theatre visionaries and interdisciplinary artists for the past 30 years. Her directorial and dramaturgical work has been seen on stages across Canada and her reputation as a mentor, teacher and community collaborator is nationally and internationally recognized. Diane is a 2019 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholar and current PhD Candidate in the Fine Arts Interdisciplinary HUMA program. Diane’s celebrated Arrivals Legacy Project has birthed new Interdisciplinary works across Canada, throughout the Americas, in the UK, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. This work has allowed her to articulate, cultivate and realize a vision for theatre that encourages Indigenous ways of knowing as a stepping-stone to creative expression.

Tali Taliwah (aka Nantali Indongo) is an emcee and vocalist in the Montreal Hip Hop supergroup, Nomadic Massive. For the past 15 years, be it at internationally renowned festivals or local community concerts, the band has toured the world to connect with people. Part of her personal objective as a member of the group is to celebrate the depth of Afro-Caribbean-Canadian identity, far from any Club Med image. In addition to recording and performing music, Tali has also devoted 10 years demonstrating the educational potential of Hip Hop culture, bringing a non-formal educational workshop series about the non-violent origins of Hip Hop culture into classrooms and communities across Quebec, Canada and the world.

H. Nigel Thomas is a retired professor of United States literature. He has published dozens of essays in literary journals and anthologies as well as eleven books that include five novels and three collections of short stories. His novel Spirits in the Dark was nominated for the QSPELL Hugh MacLennan Fiction Award; and No Safeguards, another novel, was nominated for QWF’s Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. His novel Easily Fooled will be published in 2021. He is the founder and English-language coordinator of Lectures Logos Readings.

Deborah Forde, host – In 1999, after over 20 years in community development, Deborah’s work led her to the practice of professional community-engaged arts through the study of Theatre for Development at Concordia. Emerging first as a director, with Bryan James’s Terminal Terminal and Rahul Varma’s State of Denial, Deborah went on to spend two years supporting other emerging artists through Black Theatre Workshop’s YouthWorks, and three years serving the English-speaking theatre community as Executive Director for the Quebec Drama Federation. She then went on to serve as Fireworks Development Program Coordinator for Teesri Duniya Theatre. She recently directed The Domestic Crusaders, the inaugural production of Canada’s first Muslim theatre company, Silk Road Institute. Currently, Deborah is Administrative Manager for ELAN-Quebec, while she continues to freelance with the Teesri Duniya Theatre family.

Cross-Border Poetry
2020-07-26 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
The border between the US and Canada is closed, but words can still cross—-an open mic for poets and flash-fiction writers from all countries with an emphasis on keeping in touch. Have your say, and your second cup of coffee with us: 11:00am-12:30pm Sunday July 26, 2020.

Across the Platform: An Open Mic - ONLINE
2020-07-23 20:00 - 21:30 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
The Quebec Writers’ Federation and ARTS By The People present…
Across the Platform; an evening of literary voices from both sides of the 45th Parallel
The theme for the open mic is “I am…”

When: July 23, 8-9:30 p.m.

Hosted by: Rachel McCrum and David Crews
The signup list to read at the open mic is now closed!
The RSVP form is now closed. Thank you for joining us!

Lawn Chair Soirée Virtual Edition #4
2020-07-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Quebec
A monthly words and music soirée, now taking place on Zoom.
This month’s featured readers: Blossom Thom, Niki Lambros, Antonio D’Alfonso

Open mic follows (three minutes per reader).
To access this meeting and/or volunteer for the open mic, please write lawnchairsoiree@gmail.com

Audio Documentary Storytelling Workshop - ONLINE
2020-07-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
This series of workshops will develop hands-on skills related to audio documentary storytelling. We will be going through exercises of interviewing, text editing, audio editing and audio design. The goal of this session is to develop skills and to learn from mistakes in a low-stake environment. There will also be more time to focus on the needs of individual projects.
Please note, although this workshop builds on techniques from Audio Documentary Storytelling 1, you do not have to have taken ADS1 to participate. This is an intermediate level workshop. Expect weekly homework (2hrs). At the end of the 4 weeks, each participant will present their final project: a short sound creation.
Pascal Huỳnh first got into podcasting by having a topic he was passionate about. He created an 8-episode show called Out of the Fog which aired on CKUT 90.3FM in 2016. Being his first audio project, he learnt from the many beginner mistakes he made. Since then he has made an audio documentary piece produced by CBC and is currently working on a feature-length film documentary. He teaches film animation at Champlain College and at Salette College where he enjoys designing courses in which students are engaged by hands-on exercises and analytical thinking.
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.
Schedule
⟹ Class 1: Interviewing Techniques
Wednesday, July 8, from 6 pm – 8 pm
⟹ Class 2: Text Editing
Wednesday, July 15, from 6 pm – 8 pm
⟹ Class 3: Audio Editing
Wednesday, July 22, from 6 pm – 8 pm
⟹ Class 4: AudioDesign
Wednesday, July 29, from 6 pm – 8 pm
⟹ Sound Creation Presentations
Date TBD with participants
Registration
Use the ticket link to register. The price is 150$ + taxes for four sessions. We’ll send you an invite (within 7 days).
Since this workshop takes place online, participants will need to download Zoom (free) for video conferencing and have access to a computer. Click here to download Zoom: https://zoom.us/download#client_4meeting

Qocktails with QWF! Online via Zoom
2020-07-02 17:30 - 18:30 | Online via Zoom
Dear QWF Members, writers, and book lovers!
With the weather heating up and these long sunshine-y days stretching out before us, we’ve been itching to reconnect with our literary community in a casual setting.
So, we’re proposing an online schmoozer– a place for our community to gather, network, exchange pleasantries and catch up, and generally just expand the circle of faces we get to see– while still maintaining physical distancing from the safety of our own homes.
We invite you all to join us on Thursday, July 2 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for a casual evening of Qocktails with QWF!
The plan:

please arrive on time (to get the most out of the experience), but feel free to drop in later if you need!
we’ll start as a large group to say a quick “hello!”
then QWF will put attendees into smaller groups (at random), in individual breakout rooms of 3-4 people.
open to members and non-members!
BYOB– if you wish!

To receive the Zoom link, please RSVP using the form below (this information will not be shared with anyone):

← Back Thank you for your response. ✨

First & Last Name(required)

Email(required)

What have you been reading/working on lately?(required)

Tell us a little about yourself (optional)

Submit

Δ

PoemCards 2020
2020-07-01 08:00 - 2020-08-01 23:30 | YouTube
PoemCards is a digital revival of the postcard experience, “moving” poems of image, sound and text, each “written” to you from an exotic locale of the “image nation.” Created by poets, artists, and musicians. Look for the first one on July 1, online. For details, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67HtNKlk1dg

Authors and Artists Festival (online) June 2020
2020-06-27 11:00 - 14:00 | Online
Each Saturday in June 2020 online from 11:00am-2:00pm; speakers, readers, with art posted on the website: authorsandartistsfestival.wordpress.com
June 6: Lise Weil (lesbian activist and memoirist); Paul Richmond (National Beat Poet Laureate, USA); Deanna Cook (children’s cookbook author); poetry readings
June 13: Archer Mayor (Vermont mystery writer), Cheryl Savageau (Abenaki memoirist), Paul Richmond; poetry readings
June 20: Gretchen Holbrook-Gerzina (writer of African American history), Paul Richmond, Christina Uss (children’s author: bikes, books, persistence); poetry readings
June 27: Ju-Pong Lin (poet, peace activist, folding cranes for peace workshop), Paul Richmond, nature poetry readings
Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DUj_BdkcTmGZld6mBHWfOQ
or visit website to register: authorsandartistsfestival.wordpress.com

Shut Up & Write! with QWF
2020-06-27 10:00 - 12:30 | Online via Zoom
Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?
Register below to do all that writing you’ve been meaning to— via Zoom! 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

In order to receive the Zoom link via email, please RSVP using the form below.

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 and she will be happy to help you.
You must specify that you are reserving 1 (one) spot (by clicking the “0” and using the arrows or typing in the number 1). Don’t forget to enter your name and email address as well.
Please note: the automated ticket you receive via email is just a confirmation that you have successfully RSVP’d; you will receive the actual Zoom link via email the day before the event.

Due to the popularity of our SUAW! events, we ask that you only RSVP if you are quite sure you will attend. Thank you 🙂
