Quebec Writers' Federation

Teen Spirit: Writing YA
2021-10-21 18:00 - 20:00, 2021-10-28 18:00 - 20:00, 2021-11-04 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom
Young adult fiction is a genre that has exploded in popularity in the last few decades, but it is a genre that is often hard to define. Many people want to write stories about adolescence, with teenaged protagonists. Does that automatically make the work YA? What exactly is YA? That is one of the questions we will seek to answer in this workshop as we look at the genre and talk about what makes it great. YA is exciting, explorative, and highly creative, allowing writers to experiment with novel structure and narrative voice. It is also challenging, in that the story must be engaging to young readers and speak to them in a way that is never condescending or pedantic. The writer must do all this with plots that are fast-paced and original, and with characters that are believable and never clichéd.
In this workshop, we will look at the components of the YA novel, including character, voice, plot, structure, setting, dialogue and figurative language. We will also discuss how to generate ideas, the writing and editing process, marketing and working with editors. Participants will learn how to deal appropriately with sensitive topics such as sex, violence and profanity. We will explore various forms of the YA novel, such as traditional narrative, journal form and the verse novel. We will also talk about different sub-genres, such as fantasy, historical, mystery, reluctant reader, and others. We will use John Truby’s book, The Anatomy of Story, as a support and guide to the process of storytelling. It is recommended that participants purchase this book.
Participants will have the opportunity to workshop their own writing on a designated night by sharing up to 20 double-spaced pages with the group. Fellow participants will read the work in advance and offer critiques in a supportive round table forum. Writers can then ask questions on their work and gain valuable advice for revision.
The schedule below shows the main topic of each session. Writing exercises, examples taken from published works, and discussion will be also part of each session.
Week 1: Introductory session Participants will introduce themselves and their work; they can also share their expectations for the workshop. Lori will introduce herself and her work to the group and provide an overview of the units that will be covered during the upcoming sessions. We will also lay out the workshopping schedule.
Week 2: Plot, structure, pacing.
Week 3: Character and voice.
Week 4: Setting, symbolism and figurative language.
Week 5: Dialogue.
Week 6: Publishing, submissions, expectations etc.
Week 7: Workshopping.
Week 8: Workshopping. Wrapping up loose ends, final questions.
Lori Weber is a native Montrealer who has written eight young adult novels, including Deep Girls and Yellow Mini; a middle grade novel called Lightning Lou; and one picture book, My Granny Loves Hockey. A ninth young adult novel, The Ribbon Leaf, is forthcoming with Red Deer Press in 2022. She has also published poetry, short fiction, and essays in various Canadian journals. She taught English Literature and Creative Writing at John Abbott College for twenty-six years, and has been a QWF mentor five times, as well as workshop leader several times. She lives in Dorval, Quebec.

Way Out: Developing Long-Form Fiction Already in Progress
2021-10-21 20:00 - 22:00, 2021-10-28 20:00 - 22:00, 2021-11-04 20:00 - 22:00 | Online via Zoom
Open by application to writers with a novel or novella in progress
Limited to 10 participants

This workshop is intended for writers who are looking for guidance and encouragement while working on a novel or novella already in progress. Ideally, you’ll have a significant portion (about 30–50 pages) of your novel or novella already completed, as well as a solid grasp of the story you’re working on.

Writing long-form fiction on your own or with few readers can be exhilarating, but can also leave you with abandoned drafts, half-written chapters, and the sinking feeling that there’s no way out. Gaining insight from unbiased readers—myself and the other members of the group—in a supportive, creative atmosphere will help you identify issues, clarify your intent, and find real ways to improve your manuscript. To this end, our primary focus will be on workshopping sections of each participant’s novel or novella. Each week, one or two participants will be invited to submit 10–15 pages from their work-in-progress in order to receive feedback and notes from each person in the group. You’ll also be encouraged to include one or two questions about your work with your submission, and will have the opportunity to engage in informal question and answer sessions in each workshop.

Workshopping will be combined with lectures and writing exercises to help you gain new insight to constructing and completing your novel or novella. We’ll explore ways to reinforce the structure of your existing manuscript, gain deeper understanding of characters, fix plot holes, tie up storylines, and approach publishers and editors. We’ll also work on developing another skill invaluable to any writer: The ability to pinpoint what might not be working—and cut or rework if need be. Because writing a novel or novella takes as long as it takes, this workshop is designed to help you stay motivated and focused through the difficult parts of writing a long piece and aims to give you the tools to finish your manuscript in your own time.

Please submit the following to workshops@qwf.org, with the subject line “For Maya Merrick,” by Monday, September 13.

A short summary of your novel or novella (about one or two lines).

A maximum of 10 pages from your novel or novella, double-spaced (if these are not the opening pages, please include a brief note to let me know where we are in the story).

One or two questions about your novel, the process of completing a long work, and/or what to do with it once you’ve finished.

You will be notified about whether you’ve been selected for the workshop by Monday, November 20.
Maya Merrick’s novel, Sextant (Conundrum Press), was released to critical acclaim in 2005, followed by The Hole Show (Conundrum Press) in 2007. She works with the Quebec Writers’ Federation as a mentor and workshop/master-class facilitator, has been an instructor at Concordia University’s Centre for Continuing Education, and has served as the editorial and administrative assistant at Conundrum Press. She is an active writing coach/mentor, editor, copyeditor, and manuscript consultant. Maya is currently completing her third novel, Colour Radio, and is working on The Ride, a book of microfiction.

Writeaway in Italy
2021-10-22 11:00 - 2021-10-29 03:00 | Villa Cini, Località Villa Cini, 52021, Bucine AR, Italy
How do you become the writer you’ve always wanted to be? It takes a villa.
Rediscover the writer in yourself as you listen to the lyrical lilt of Italian, taste pasta prepared by a traditional Tuscan chef, and explore the ancient towns of Italy. During this weeklong writing retreat in Italy, you’ll immerse yourself in writing, cooking and adventure in a 17th century villa in the heart of Tuscany. Includes writing consultations and daily writing workshops, cooking class and excursions, and all meals, wine and after-dinner drinks.
Our Writeaways in Italy are located at Villa Cini and Villa Casanova near the village of Bucine in the Chianti region, between Siena and Arezzo, an hour from Florence.

APP Online - stephanie roberts & Yusuf Saadi
2021-10-22 19:00 - 20:00 | Crowdcast
APP Online with stephanie roberts & Yusuf Saadi
Friday, 22 October 2021
7 – 8pm (ET)
Crowdcast link: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/app-online-stephanieroberts-yusufsaadi
In October, APP presents two Quebec-based poets who published their celebrated debut collections in 2020. We are delighted to present stephanie roberts, whose book rushes from the river disappointment (MQUP, 2020) was a finalist for the 2020 A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry from the Quebec Writers’ Federation, and YUSUF SAADI, who was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize and the Concordia University First Book Prize with Pluviophile (Nightwood Editions, 2020). Join us on Crowdcast for readings and discussion with these exciting new voices!

Freelance Boot Camp What You Need to Know to Be a Freelance Writer
2021-10-23 10:00 - 12:00, 2021-10-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Online via Zoom
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants

When you are building a freelance writing career, talent, and drive are important, but a basic tool kit of freelancing skills is essential. In this series of three, 2-hour online sessions, author and journalist Julie Barlow draws on lessons from her 25-year career as a freelance writer to explain the fundamental skills and knowledge freelance writers need to get their business off the ground: selling ideas, working with editors, and understanding how the writing industry works.

In session 1, Julie will explain how to:

come up with writing ideas;
figure out where to sell them;
write convincing story pitches.

Participants will be encouraged to bring query letters or outlines for writing projects that they can share and workshop with their fellow participants, and Julie will supply sample query letters of her own for the class to read.

In Session 2, Julie will explain:

what editors are looking for;
how to approach editors;
how to work with editors and build strong relationships with them.

Participants will continue to read and critique the query letters of their fellow workshop participants.

In Session 3, Julie will explain:

how to negotiate deadlines and contracts;
what freelancers need to know about copyright, fees, and other conditions in contracts;
how to negotiate so you get what you need to write.

Participants will continue to critique fellow classmates’ query letters and can ask questions and share experiences about their specific projects.

The workshop is designed for beginners and intermediate writers. While it draws on Julie’s 25-year experience career as a freelance journalist, book author, ghostwriter, translator, radio documentary producer, writing coach, editor, and speaker, the focus will be on participants’ own projects and goals. Participants will be expected to develop and pitch a story idea (real or hypothetical) to a media outlet.

Julie Barlow is a freelance magazine writer, translator, and author of seven nonfiction books, including The Story of French and The Bonjour Effect: The Secret Codes of French Conversation Revealed. She has also published books on medicine and energy, including her latest, Charging Ahead: Hydro-Quebec and the Future of Electricity (October 2019). Julie has been a regular contributor to Quebec’s public affairs magazine L’actualité for over two decades and publishes articles in French and English in magazines, newspapers, and online media in Canada, the U.S., and Europe.

Website: www.nadeaubarlow.com

The Self-Publishing Blueprint
2021-10-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Online via Zoom
You’ve written your book! Now what?

Have you been procrastinating about taking the next step toward publishing your book? Are you unsure about the benefits of self-publishing versus traditional publishing? Have you watched numerous YouTube videos on self-publishing only to be left confused about how to do it?

This workshop will provide you with comprehensive material that you can use to guide you through the process of becoming a self-published author.

The Self-Publishing Blueprint is a two-part workshop that discusses and explains topics such as

Self- vs traditional vs hybrid publishing;
The 5 major self-publishing platforms;
How to upload your book to a self-publishing platform;
The importance of understanding your goals and how they affect your marketing and branding as an author;
The many jobs of a self-publisher;
Why royalty percentages matter;
How to create an effective budget as a self-publisher.

Five reasons why this workshop might be just what you need:

You’ll save time.

Having the right information will help you to publish your book the right way on the right platform without spending countless hours doing research. I have done that! Let me help you!

You’ll get a step-by-step guide and see a live upload.

In addition to showing you the steps to successful self-publishing, I’ll do a live demonstration of the uploading process to two of the major self-publishing platforms.

You’ll learn to avoid unnecessary hassles and expenses.

I’ll help you organize a budget and provide useful resources and links that will help you to allocate your money intelligently.

You’ll get straight, to-the-point information.

No gimmicks, no tricks, no long-winded wind-up only to say join the masterclass for more. This is an honest self-publisher giving an honest insight to the self-publishing process. I have been there and done that!

It’s a small step on the way to the giant leap of maintaining creative control.

The best thing about learning how to self-publish successfully is the beauty of being able to maintain creative control over your work. I experience this every time I publish a book on my own and you can too!
Before the first session, please complete the Author’s Goals Self-Reflective activity which you’ll receive shortly after registering.

Latoya Belfon is a three-time Amazon best-selling author in Children’s Books and Journals, a McGill graduate, and a teacher with the English Montreal School Board. She is a motivational speaker, an entrepreneur and in 2021 received a Women of Merit Award from the Playmas Montreal Cultural Association for Black Excellence and Community Development.

Latoya has written, illustrated, and self-published 13 books.

As CEO of Labworks Publishing Inc., Latoya is working with several authors to realize their publishing dreams, Her first published author, Oluwanifemi, is now an Amazon best-selling author in the Consumer Guides and Skincare categories.

“But without honesty and the willingness to bare one’s soul, we cannot truly harness the power of narration.”
Latoya Belfon

Websites:
www.latoyabelfon.com
www.labworkspublishing.com

Storytelling-In Your Own Voice, In Your Own Words
2021-10-25 18:00 - 20:00, 2021-11-01 18:00 - 20:00, 2021-11-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Online via Zoom
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants

Tell us a story of your hopes, dreams and fears.

Whether yours is a love story or an adventure, a true-life story or one that’s totally imagined, you will be free to improvise and adapt as you are guided through the creative process of bringing a story to life and telling it In Your Own Voice and Your Own Words.

This six-week online workshop is an invitation to explore not only the process of creative writing, but also a brief introduction to the essential elements of oral and nonverbal communication necessary to assimilate (as opposed to memorizing) an original story for a traditional style oral transmission, i.e., a telling vs. a reading.

Unleashing the imagination

Using images and working within allotted time limits, your will be guided through the basic steps and elements of creative story writing (these elements being the key to any storytelling project, written or oral).

The writing sessions will include exercises in creative thought, improvisation, situation, and character motivation as well as the ongoing transition and adaptation of your story.

Throughout the workshop, you will continue to experiment and improvise, and the ongoing transition and adaptation of your written text (Your Words) will gradually evolve into a story made to tell (Your Voice).

Storytelling exercises will cover creating the storyboard, incorporating senses and emotions, and using both voice and gesture to bring the story to life.

Freedom of creative voice and individual style are encouraged!

Through the sharing of stories, we may see past our differences; stimulate interaction between generations, languages, and cultures; strengthen our confidence, identity, and sense of community.
With laughter and tears, participants will share their thoughts and ideas, memories and emotions, in a positive, enjoyable, and non-judgmental environment designed to encourage growth and well-being. . . simply for the pleasure of it!

Patti Warnock, aka La Contesse, travels the globe, collecting and sharing her stories. She has participated in festivals and cultural activities throughout Quebec, Canada, the Caribbean, France, Iran, and China,
receiving commendations for her storytelling and writing work. Her repertoire (for the young at heart of all ages) consists not only of traditional style tales, but also of her own creations, where reality and fiction walk hand in hand, and which are based on the reality of everyday life events, and on her own childhood in rural Quebec and in northern Canada.

W.R.I.T.E.® Workshops: Culture in the Schools – ELAN ArtistsInpire – QWF programs.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-warnock-13a7a83b/

Creating Compelling Non-Fiction
2021-10-25 20:00 - 22:00, 2021-11-01 20:00 - 22:00 | Online via Zoom
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants

Creative non-fiction has been breaking out of its niche to become an increasingly central component of the literary scene. For those wishing to enter this vibrant and thriving field, having one’s work read and constructively critiqued by an established writer and a group of one’s peers is an invaluable experience. Creating Compelling Non-Fiction is precisely such an opportunity.

Our workshopping will be done from the ground up. Analysis will be rigorous, readings will be close, group feedback will be thorough, supportive, and respectful. As workshop leader I will provide advice and critique that is both pertinent to the type of non-fiction being addressed and applicable to the genre as a whole. I’ll strive to provide practical and creative tips drawn from my extensive experience with short- and long-form journalism and book-length non-fiction.

Along the way, numerous questions will be confronted and addressed:

What are the qualities and writing options unique to this form?
What are the lines between non-fiction, creative non-fiction, and fiction?
Are some subjects and narrative strategies better suited to a non-fiction treatment than others?
What distinguishes memoir from autobiography?
What is the writer’s responsibility to factual rigour in non-fiction?
How much research is too much research?
What are some of the ways to invest non-fiction writing with the narrative pull of good fiction?
Precisely what story does the writer wish to tell?
What are the choices—sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, page by page—that will best serve that story, and lead to effective and engaging non-fiction?
Finally, how do writers know when their piece is done?

Throughout the workshop I will stress the mutual, collective nature of our undertaking. Offering one’s work to the eyes of others is an essential step in the journey of all writers, and attaining a degree of comfort with that process is its own reward.

To complement and underpin our workshopping, a short list of works by some of the contemporary masters of the form will be read and discussed. I will emphasize the general importance of reading as deeply as possible, especially in the area in which one wishes to write; where useful, I will provide personally tailored suggestions-for-further-reading lists for participants. A guest appearance by a prominent Montreal-based writer and journalist will be incorporated.
Ian McGillis has been writing about books and visual arts for the Montreal Gazette for more than twenty years. His critically acclaimed novel A Tourist’s Guide to Glengarry was shortlisted for the QWF’s Hugh MacLennan Prize For Fiction and McAuslan First Book Prize, and was a finalist for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.

Poetry: An Act of Mischief
2021-10-26 18:00 - 20:00, 2021-11-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Online via Zoom
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants

American poet Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) once called poetry ‘an act of mischief.’ In this online, hands-on workshop participants will be encouraged to ‘play’ outside the boxes they habitually construct for themselves, to venture into dubious territory, to be mischievous. Sessions will be tailored to meet the needs and interests of the group, with writing triggers designed to coax out your dormant little ‘gems.’ Some of the topics we will explore include imagery, line breaks, and poetic language. What makes a good poem? What are some practical ways of incorporating this knowledge into your own writing? Roughly half of each class will be devoted to theoretical concerns and/or writing exercises; the second half, to workshopping the pieces produced in class and tweaked at home. No texts are specifically required, but you are strongly encouraged to read poetry and/or essays on poetics outside class time and share materials that might be of interest to the group. Beginning, emerging, and intermediate poets welcome.
Carolyn Marie Souaid is the author of eight poetry books and an award-winning novel. She has performed at festivals and literary events in Canada and abroad, and her work has been featured on CBC Radio and in a variety of national and international publications. Her controversial videopoem, Blood is Blood, won a top prize at the 2012 Zebra International Poetry Film Festival in Berlin. Other books have been shortlisted for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the QWF’s A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry. Carolyn has been guest faculty in creative writing at Bishop’s University and has led several previous QWF workshops.

Suspended Meaning: Making Filmpoems
2021-10-26 20:00 - 22:00, 2021-11-02 20:00 - 22:00 | Online via Zoom
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants

What happens when image and sound and poetry collide? The experience of a filmpoem is suspended somewhere between what is seen, what is heard, and what is ‘read.’ Learn how to create your own filmpoems with Rachel McCrum, from conception to writing to filming to editing to production.

This 8-week workshop is suitable for both beginners and those with some experience in writing poetry and/or making films. Support will be tailored to whatever participants already have access to, and to their needs.

We’ll set the foundation by introducing the basics of filming, video-editing, soundtracks, post-production, and writing poems suitable for short films. Along the way, we will explore and discuss examples of filmpoems, from the Surrealist experiments of the 1920s to videopoetry of the 1980s, to performance, animation, and digital art in the 1990s and 2000s. By the end of the workshops, each participant will have their own original DIY, guerilla-style filmpoem to showcase.

Over the workshop, we will cover

Introduction to the genre, exploring how filmpoetry has evolved since the start of the 20th century, and how to break down elements of text, image and sound.
Critiques to explore how each element influences our perceptions of the finished piece, including pacing, framing etc.
Exploring the types of poems that make good filmpoems (and those that do not).
Developing your own visual language.
Writing original poems.
Use of archival footage and sound (including rights).
Introduction to various editing suites.
Editing techniques and post-production work.
Sound effects and soundtracks; use of music.
Finishing a film.

Equipment requirements: There is no need for expensive technology or software, although those with access to more sophisticated equipment are welcome to use it. The basic requirements will be a digital camera or cameraphone (a basic cameraphone is enough); a PC or Mac computer with basic editing software installed, and a good Wifi connection. We will use WeTransfer and Google Drive to share documents, resources, and large video files. There will be some homework set between sessions (no more than 2 hours per week).

If you are curious about the genre ahead of signing up for the website, you could check out https://movingpoems.com/ and http://motionpoems.org/ for examples.
Rachel McCrum is a poet, performer, event organizer, and workshop facilitator. Originally from Northern Ireland, between 2010 and 2016 she lived in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she was the first BBC Scotland Poet in Residence and recipient of a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship. Her debut collection The First Blast to Awaken Women Degenerate was published in a bilingual edition with Mémoire d’encrier in Fall 2020. She has produced filmpoems in Scotland, Ireland, and Canada, and coordinated the international collaborative projects ‘cinepoems Quebec-UK’ (2016) and ‘Moving Pictures and Borders’ (2017) – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkKtEfsozu9cZELX6QO8KCQ

Life Writing: An Introductory Memoir Workshop
2021-10-27 18:00 - 20:00, 2021-11-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Online via Zoom
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants

“Part of the art of memoir is seeing and recognizing the story itself. Life is messy. Art gathers up the chaos and gives it form.” Dani Shapiro.

Our lives are filled with stories—experiences of joy, heartbreak, or transformative change. If you’ve always wanted to write down true stories from your life, here’s a place to begin. Whether you’re writing family tales for the next generation or describing life-changing moments for a wider audience, this workshop will help you find your voice and polish your prose.
Building a writer’s toolbox of basic narrative techniques helps shape personal episodes into stories that engage readers. Sessions will include discussion of short readings and tips for getting stories from your head and heart onto the page. Each week, two or three participants will be asked to email their drafts of a life-based story for peer feedback the following session. You will learn how to offer supportive feedback to your fellow writers in accordance with workshop guidelines. The workshop leader will provide written comments on submissions to help writers lift their first drafts to the next level.

Karen Zey’s creative nonfiction stories, personal essays and craft articles have been widely published in literary magazines. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and featured in Getting to the Truth: The Craft and Practice of Creative Nonfiction (Hippocampus Books, 2021). Karen has led writing workshops and hosted literary events at her local West Island library. She belongs to a monthly writing group whose members first met in 2013 at a QWF workshop. Karen believes that emergent writers thrive by finding community in which they can explore craft and share writerly talk.
Visit: www.karenzey.com
(Twitter @zippyzey) http://twitter.com/zippyzey

Story Technique – A Hands-on Investigation
2021-10-27 20:00 - 22:00, 2021-11-03 20:00 - 22:00 | Online via Zoom
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants

“The only way … to learn to write short stories is to write them, and then to try to discover what you have done.” Flannery O’Connor

This eight-week workshop will investigate the short story form. Using five truly great realist and speculative short stories as reference, we’ll do a quick review of the basic building blocks of story-writing: things like detail, narrative point of view, and elements of time and place. Then we’ll investigate technical innovations with an eye to attempting something new in our own fiction. Workshop time will be split between discussing technique in published models, and reading and discussing our own stories.

As soon as you have registered for this workshop, please submit a single WORD document containing the following information to workshops@qwf.org with the subject line “For Claire Rothman”:

A short paragraph about yourself.
A sentence about what you hope to get from this workshop.

Story Technique will be taught online on Zoom. You’ll need a computer and a decent online connection. We will keep things interactive, with participants pairing up in break-out rooms for one-on-one exchanges, and also giving short presentations to the group.

You will receive links to the five stories we’ll be using as models. Reading them before our start date is strongly recommended.

Claire Holden Rothman is a Montreal writer, translator, and fiction editor, whose third novel, Lear’s Shadow (2018) won the 2019 Vine Award for Jewish Canadian Fiction and was short-listed for the 2020 Jacob Isaac Segal Award. Other novels include My October (2014), shortlisted for a Governor General’s Award and nominated for a Scotiabank Giller prize, and The Heart Specialist (2009), also nominated for the Giller. She has taught fiction workshops at McGill and Bishop’s Universities. For many years, she taught English literature and creative writing at Marianopolis College in Montreal.

www.claireholdenrothman.com

From the Classics to Pop Culture: An Evening with Daniel Mendelsohn
2021-11-04 17:30 - 19:00 | Online – Please RSVP
F.R. Scott Lecture 2021 (Virtual)
From the Classics to Pop Culture: An Evening with Daniel Mendelsohn
Thursday, November 4, 2021 at 5:30PM (ET)
The Friends of the McGill Library are delighted to welcome Daniel Mendelsohn, internationally bestselling critic, essayist, translator, and author of, among many others, The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million (2006); An Odyssey: A Father, A Son, and An Epic (2017); Ecstasy and Terror: From the Greeks to Game of Thrones (2019); and Three Rings: A Tale of Exile, Narrative, and Fate (2020).
The evening will feature a virtual conversation between Daniel Mendelsohn and Allan Hepburn, James McGill Professor of Twentieth-Century Literature at McGill University. Professor Hepburn’s research focuses on the novel – British, American, Irish, Canadian. His areas of interest include twentieth-century fiction, contemporary literature, and aesthetics.
Audience questions can be emailed in advance or during the event to info.library@mcgill.ca.
The F.R. Scott Lecture is generously supported by Donald Walcot.
Works by Daniel Mendelsohn and Allan Hepburn will be available for purchase at Paragraphe Books.

Read for The Cure 2021
2021-11-04 21:30 - 22:30 | Online
Read for the Cure is an inspiring, annual literary event series, presented by Penguin Random House Canada. This year’s conversations will connect book lovers across the country with bestselling authors in support of the Environment-Cancer Fund at the Cancer Research Society. Tickets available at ReadfortheCure.ca
NOVEMBER 4, 2021
9:30 PM EST / 6:30 PM PST
Our first event for the season welcomes some of Canada’s best-loved authors who are household names thanks to their iconic storytelling. Billy-Ray Belcourt became the youngest winner of the illustrious Griffin Poetry Prize, and has since captivated readers with his electrifying memoir. Eden Robinson’s Trickster series has become one of the most popular in modern literature, offering a powerful perspective on Indigenous life and Indigenous storytelling. Meanwhile, Giller Prize-winner and former Fifth Estate host Linden MacIntyre writes page turners that speak to human nature. They’ll speak with CTV’s Mi-Jung Lee about their recent works and answer YOUR questions.
NOVEMBER 10, 2021
7:00PM EST / 4:00PM PST
Tune in for this virtual conversation between Giller Prize nominee Kim Echlin, world champion athlete Perdita Felicien, and celebrated novelist Mary Lawson.
Read for the Cure’s legacy began with four women harnessing their collective passion to make a difference. We’re thrilled to continue the tradition with three Penguin Random House Canada authors who have each created their own inspiring path. Kim Echlin’s internationally bestselling books explore the biggest challenges we face, and women’s strength to thrive despite them. Perdita Felicien is a World Champion hurdle sprinter who shares her story of beating the odds—with her mother—in her new memoir. Also a bestseller, Mary Lawson has become synonymous with riveting storytelling about families—and the experiences that bind them. The three authors will speak with Lucy Van Oldenbarneveld.
NOVEMBER 18, 2021
8pm EST / 5pm PST
We’ve brought together an all-star panel of authors for our closing event, revered for their page-turning, suspenseful domestic thrillers. Ashley Audrain’s debut novel, The Push, was one of the most anticipated books of 2021 and an instant bestseller, challenging readers to rethink the complicated expectations of motherhood. Joy Fielding has been writing since 1972 and has since become a name synonymous with thrillers. And Karma Brown’s emotional, gripping novels highlight the risks women navigate as they take control of their own lives. They’ll speak to Globe & Mail Columnist Johanna Schneller in this event that will have you turning pages long into the night.

APP Online - Ashley Obscura & Tara McGowan-Ross
2021-11-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Atwater Library Auditorium, 1200 Atwater Avenue, 2nd floor, Westmount, QC
APP Online with Ashley Obscura & Tara McGowan-Ross
Friday, 5 November
7 – 8pm (ET) online at Crowdcast
AND
in person at the Atwater Library 7 – 8pm (doors 645pm; book signing till 830pm)
Crowdcast link: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/app-online-ashleyobscura-taramcgowanross
Two of Montreal’s finest. Come hear new work from ASHLEY OBSCURA (I am here, Ambient Technology) and TARA MCGOWAN-ROSS (Girth, Scorpion Season), reading and in discussion with APP curator Rachel McCrum. This will be a filmed in-person event broadcast online – we love a hybrid! More details on the live event coming soon. In the meantime, please feel free to register on the Crowdcast now.
This event is run in partnership with the Atwater Writers’ Exhibition. Tara McGowan-Ross will be running a writing workshop ‘Poetry and the Document’ on Saturday, November 6, 11am – 2pm. More details below.
Events Listings

Perfecting Your Pitch
2021-11-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Online via Zoom
Perfecting Your Pitch is a three-session intensive workshop designed to bring out the best in your film, television, or web-series idea and present it in a concise, eﬀective, and catchy 1-pager, presentation paragraph, log-line, or “Elevator” pitch to potential producers. Whether you’re interested in fine-tuning only one of the above or all four, this workshop will identify the “hook” of your idea and make sure it is placed front and centre in your presentation.

Through the use of examples, basic notions of storytelling and cinematic structure, eﬀective oral communication, and feedback, Perfecting Your Pitch will focus on originality and appeal, simplicity, and delivery in an eﬀort to better acquaint and arm participants with their own work, ready to pitch eﬀectively at a moment’s notice.

Additionally, the workshop will explore notions of confidence in pitching and identify diﬀerent avenues available to get your idea in front of industry professionals and decision-makers.

Participants should bring an original fiction or documentary idea for a feature or short film, and/or a TV or web series to the workshop.
Matt Holland is a screenwriter, story editor, and script consultant from Montreal. His writing credits include short films (Drop Off, Whistleblowers Anonymous), episodic television (Moose TV, Toi & Moi), and feature film (Gone Dark). He has also worked extensively as a development executive for television, serving as a content analyst for Telefilm Canada and as a manager of development and production for the CTV network, where he fielded many pitches. He is a Creative Writing graduate of Concordia University and attended both the Writer’s Lab and the Professional Screenwriting Programme at The Canadian Film Centre in Toronto.

Write Here, Write Now! Local Journalism: A Special Workshop
2021-11-06 13:30 - 15:30 | Online – Please RSVP
Write Here, Write Now! special workshops focus on techniques to be used in poetry, fiction, and many types of non-fiction.
Ever wonder what goes into writing the daily news? This workshop will explore the different processes and styles of writing that go into traditional print news reporting and offer participants opportunities to work on writing to inform an audience. Inquiry is a key part of journalism, so come with questions in mind, whether they relate to the specific experiences of a community journalist or to broader issues of journalistic ethics and practice.
About the facilitator
Gordon Lambie was reluctantly pulled into the world of community news close to a decade ago and never left. Through his work with “The Record” in Sherbrooke, Quebec, he regularly writes on issues ranging from elections to the local bake sale.
Write Here, Write Now! is supported by Bishop’s University Lifelong Learning Academy.
Bishop’s University is located on the Traditional and Unceded Territory of the Abenaki People.
For more information, please e-mail us at bulla@ubishops.ca.

Poetry and the Document: A Workshop
2021-11-06 20:00 - 22:00 | Atwater Library Auditorium, 1200 Atwater Avenue, 2nd floor, Westmount, QC
Our lives are ruled by paper: birth certificates. Leases. Contracts. Yet, strangely, these documents are so dry. They can make us feel as much as a poem—but they don’t have the spark of life in them.
In this workshop for all ages, Montreal-area poet Tara McGowan-Ross takes emerging writers through the process that she developed to write her document-poem STRIKE MOTION —a resistance poem layered on the actual document her university department used to go on strike in 2015. By injecting humour, imagery, beauty, and metaphor into the documents that shape our lives, we have an endless supply of writing material—and a truer archive for our brief and precious life on Earth.
**This workshop will follow the November 5, 2021 Atwater Poetry Project featuring Tara McGowan-Ross and Ashley Obscura, 7:00-8:00 pm in the Atwater Library Auditorium.
Tara McGowan-Ross is an urban Mi’kmaw multidisciplinary artist and writer. She is the author of the poetry collections Girth and Scorpion Season, and the nonfiction collection Nothing Will Be Different, forthcoming in fall 2021. She hosts the Drawn and Quarterly’s Indigenous Literatures Book Club and reviews experimental and independent Montreal theatre for Broadwayworld.
To register: awe@atwaterlibrary.ca.
Co-presented with the Atwater Poetry Project.
