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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220312T140000
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DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
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SUMMARY:A Literary Conversation with Author Mikhail Iossel
DESCRIPTION:in collaboration with the Westmount Public Library \nJoin author Mikhail Iossel for a discussion about his book Love Like Water\, Love Like Fire\, winner of the QWF’s 2021 Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. Iossel’s twenty stories of Soviet childhood and adulthood\, dissidence and subsequent immigration\, are filled with wit and humor even as they describe the daily absurdities of a fickle and often perilous reality and being a Jew in the Soviet Union. \nYour vaccine passport and personal ID are required to attend this event. For more information on the vaccine passport visit quebec.ca.\nPlease note that this event may take place online as the health situation evolves. We will contact you should this change occur. \nIf you do not have an email address\, call 514 989-5355. \nFor more information\, contact Daniel Míguez de Luca at 514 989-5530 or dmiguez@westmount.org. \nRegister for Free on Eventbrite
URL:https://qwf.org/event/a-literary-conversation-with-author-mikhail-iossel/
LOCATION:Westmount Public Library\, 4626 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest\, Westmount\, Quebec\, H3Z 1G1\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events,QWF Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220314T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220314T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T180847Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164712Z
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SUMMARY:Translating Quebec
DESCRIPTION:8 Mondays\, 8 to 10 p.m. \nMarch 14 to May 2\, 2022 \n  \nOpen to all. \nLimited to 12 participants. \n  \nThis workshop is aimed at anyone interested in exporting Quebec French to an English audience. Using the translator’s own experiences in the field as a springboard\, the workshop will address the challenges—and fun!—of translating both a language and a culture. Participants will be encouraged to draw on their own well of cultural knowledge\, and discussions are expected to be lively. We’ll tackle translation theory with a comparative reading of published translations; we’ll talk about the role of the church in contemporary Quebec French; we’ll take a look at media content and dip into the art of subtitling. Each week\, participants will be given short selections to translate and workshop together. The focus of the workshop will be on translating what people speak\, so don’t be afraid to make yourself heard! \n  \nParticipants will be asked to reflect upon their own relationship to English and Quebec French as they develop the linguistic flexibility to navigate the challenges of translating from one to the other. Knowledge of both languages is mandatory\, but participants are not required to have any formal translation experience. \n  \nArielle Aaronson has published nine translations including titles of fiction\, nonfiction\, young adult fiction\, and children’s literature. Her translation of Marie-Renée Lavoie’s Autopsy of a Boring Wife was longlisted for the 2021 Canada Reads book of the year. She has subtitled feature films shown across Quebec as well as content currently available on Netflix. She lives in Montreal with her husband and three children. \n  \nFacebook: Arielle Aaronson \nhttps://www.arielleaaronson.com/
URL:https://qwf.org/event/translating-quebec/2022-03-14/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220315T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220315T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211209T214629Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164708Z
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SUMMARY:A Journey into Spoken Word
DESCRIPTION:8 Tuesdays\, 6 to 8 p.m. \nMarch 15 to May 3 \n  \nOpen to all \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \n  \nIn this workshop\, participants will step out of their comfort zones and onto the stage. \n  \nObjectives include learning about the history of spoken word and its place within the wider world of poetry\, understanding some of the stigma surrounding spoken word and slam\, and increasing appreciation for the craft of writing for performance. \n  \nResource materials include but will not be limited to text\, audio\, and video from some of the best known and most beloved poets in Canada and the U.S. Participants will be expected to watch and/or listen to poems\, discuss form and poetic devices\, create original work\, and share with the group. \n  \nPoetry as creative catharsis\, democratization\, and act of rebellion will be examined. \n  \nPerformance tips such as mic use and engagement with the audience will also be discussed. \n  \n  \nDeanna (DNA) Smith is a poet\, performer\, teaching artist\, and social-justice advocate. Her artistic work is rooted in her experience as a fifth-generation Canadian who thinks in two languages and her exploration of identity as the descendent of kidnapped and exploited Africans. Deanna is a former Montreal Slam Champion and is currently the VP of the Throw Poetry Collective. She is eagerly anticipating a return to the stage with the Kalmunity Vibes Collective. Deanna has a background in Linguistics and Speech-Language Pathology. She has a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing\, and is currently pursuing another in Social Justice\, Diversity\, and Inclusion.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/a-journey-into-spoken-word/2022-03-15/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220315T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220315T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T183207Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164703Z
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SUMMARY:Mining Personal History to Enrich Our Short Fiction
DESCRIPTION:8 Tuesdays\, 8 to 10 p.m. \nMarch 15 to May 3 \n  \nOpen to all \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \n“Some of these stories are closer to my own life than others are\, but not one of them is as close as people seem to think.” — Alice Munro\, from her Introduction to The Moons of Jupiter \n  \nWhen we write fiction\, it seems inevitable that we will\, at one point or another\, be asked a certain\, probing question: How much of that story is true? \nOften\, we deflect rather than answer\, and make some great show of asserting our story is fiction and\, therefore\, not true. But by this time we are already squirming inside\, feeling caught out. But caught out at what? That we have committed some sort of fraud? As if writing fiction from personal experience were cheating\, like peeking at the answers we’ve scrawled on the palm of our hand in advance of the test? \nIn this workshop\, seeking out kernels of truth from our own lives will be encouraged. We will embrace personal history for what it is: a fruitful mine for our short fiction. This is not\, however\, a study in autobiography. Personal experience can be a jumping-off point\, the spark that sets our fictional stories in motion. It can also serve as adornment; a place from which to extract vivid details that enhance our fiction\, to help our made-up stories feel alive. Yes\, sometimes we write about what happened\, but we strive to write about what could have happened. \nWe will explore writing exercises that\, through examination of objects\, activities\, places\, and time\, can help us draw from our personal experiences and observations for the enrichment of our stories. We will also workshop one another’s short fiction in a respectful and supportive environment. \nRecommended reading: Prior to our first session\, please read “The Turkey Season” by Alice Munro\, from her short story collection The Moons of Jupiter. The story can also be found online with a Google search\, on the website of The New Yorker. \n  \nMark Paterson is the author of the short story collections Dreamers and Misfits of Montclair\, A Finely Tuned Apathy Machine\, and Other People’s Showers\, all from Exile Editions. His work has won the 3Macs carte blanche Prize\, Geist magazine’s Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest\, and the Atwater Library’s 150 Words for 150 Years contest. In 2020\, his story “To Disappear Around Here” was runner-up for The Puritan’s Thomas Morton Prize. \nwww.markpaterson.ca \nhttps://twitter.com/apathymachine \nhttps://www.instagram.com/paterson.mark/ \nhttps://www.facebook.com/mark.paterson
URL:https://qwf.org/event/mining-personal-history-to-enrich-our-short-fiction/2022-03-15/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220316T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220316T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T184013Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164759Z
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SUMMARY:Pitching on Paper: Creating a TV Series Proposal
DESCRIPTION:Six Wednesdays\, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. \nMarch 16 to April 20 \n  \nOpen to all \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nYou’re armed with a great elevator pitch for a new television\, documentary or digital series idea\, and your friends\, family and colleagues have encouraged you to pitch it to a broadcaster. The challenge is to move that idea from the confines of your creative imagination and into a well-structured and detailed concept. \n  \nIn this 6-week workshop participants will expand\, develop\, structure\, break down\, and build up show ideas into full-blown proposals\, ready to present to a network or production executive. \n  \nFor those who don’t have a show idea at the ready\, the first workshop will help you get those creative juices flowing to take a concept through the development process. \n  \nWeek 1 – Elevator Pitch \nThe idea. \n  \nWeek 2 – First Page \nThe beginning is crucial. \n  \nWeek 3 – Structure  \nHow it works. \n  \nWeek 4 – Writing  \nGiving it life. \n  \nWeek 5 – Rewriting \nThe perfect life. \n  \nWeek 6 – The Full Pitch \nIt’s showtime. \n  \n  \nJennifer McAuley has produced and written hundreds of hours of television for over 30 years and developed new series and concepts for production companies throughout North America. Her most recent credits include Restoration Garage\, My Worst Nightmare and Million Dollar Genius. She is currently working with Cineflix Montreal on Patrick Ayree’s Wild World for Love Nature. \n  \nAs past head of production and development with various companies in Toronto\, and executive producer with CBC and TVO\, Jennifer has received and evaluated hundreds of pitches\, and consulted on numerous TV show ideas. She has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism. \n  \nwww.filltheframe.org
URL:https://qwf.org/event/pitching-on-paper-creating-a-tv-series-proposal/2022-03-16/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220316T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220316T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T184850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164645Z
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SUMMARY:Narrative Non-Fiction: Creating Scenes
DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. \nMarch 16 to May 4 \n  \nThis 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. \n  \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nNarrative non-fiction took off in the 1960s\, when writers like Tom Wolfe\, Joan Didion\, and Gay Talese started using the techniques of fiction writers to tell true stories. Sometimes called New Journalism\, the genre exploded when fiction writers like Truman Capote and Norman Mailer switched over to non-fiction\, attaining major critical and popular praise. The ever-increasing demand for non-fiction writing highlights readers’ desire to connect with stories that make sense of their surroundings. \n  \nNarrative non-fiction blends reporting\, research\, and storytelling. In this workshop we’ll learn about how to write scenes that are true to life. Instead of simply stating what happened\, we’ll explore how to create a scene\, as a screenwriter or novelist might. Your task will be to impose a narrative on reality – and make it interesting to readers. We’ll talk about the techniques behind writing about your own experience\, and about documenting other people’s lives. We’ll discuss what constitutes non-fiction – and what doesn’t. We’ll speak about how to get access to places off-limits to most civilians\, how to approach interesting characters\, and how to interview them. We’ll also speak about mining rich veins of source material from dusty old books\, or weird scientific studies\, or unusual academic treatises. \n  \nEach of you will be asked to present one piece of writing to the group\, which will be workshopped by the group. (Participants will read and discuss each other’s writing.) I will also hand out some examples of narrative non-fiction to illustrate what it is we’re speaking about. These will also inform and inspire your own work in the workshop. No advance work is required for the workshop\, but do have an idea of what you’d like to work on in our time together. In our second session\, we’ll be discussing what each student plans on workshopping.  \n  \n  \nAdam Leith Gollner is the author of The Book of Immortality\, The Fruit Hunters\, and Working in the Bathtub: Conversations with the Immortal Dany Laferrière. The former editor of Vice Magazine\, his writing has appeared in The New York Times\, Vanity Fair\, The Paris Review\, Travel + Leisure\, and The New Yorker online.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/narrative-non-fiction-creating-scenes/2022-03-16/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220317T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220317T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T185735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164637Z
UID:10002843-1647540000-1647547200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Write to Thrill
DESCRIPTION:8 Thursdays\, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. \nMarch 17-May 5 \n  \nOpen to all. \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nHave you always wanted to write a thriller? Need help completing one you’ve already started? This is the workshop for you! Whether it’s a domestic noir or the CIA is chasing down your main character\, we’ll spend eight weeks together working on plot\, characterization\, twists\, dialogue\, prose\, and pacing. By the end of the workshop you’ll have a solid foundation for your novel. Participants should come to the workshop with a premise for their thriller in mind. After the first session\, two participants a week\, if they’re comfortable\, will receive feedback on their writing from the instructor and the other class participants \n  \nCatherine McKenzie is the Globe & Mail Bestselling author of 13 novels\, including I’ll Never Tell\, Fractured\, and The Good Liar. She lives in Montreal\, Quebec\, where she writes full time after having retired from practicing law after twenty years.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/write-to-thrill/2022-03-17/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220317T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220317T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20220222T155455Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220222T155455Z
UID:10002886-1647543600-1647552600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:The Lawn Chair Soirée
DESCRIPTION:A Night of Mystery and Suspense with Invited Guests: Russell Brooks\, Louise Carson\, Anne Fotheringham\, Patricia Raybon\, and Robin Philpot presenting a reading from Richard King’s last novel. We will honour the memory of Richard King at this time. Open Mic\, too.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/the-lawn-chair-soiree-5/
LOCATION:Zoom: get link at lawnchairsoiree@gmail.com\, Montreal\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Open Mic
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220317T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220317T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211209T215328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164634Z
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SUMMARY:Forms and Frames – A Poetry Workshop
DESCRIPTION:8 Thursdays\, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. \nMarch 17-May 5 \n  \nOpen to all. \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \n  \nWhat’s the difference between poetry and prose? One big difference is form—the shapes and sounds a poem makes using line breaks\, rhyme\, alliteration\, and a whole host of other devices. But while it’s a defining component of poetry\, form can seem complex and intimidating. Even the most experienced poets may still struggle to distinguish a Pantoum from a Villanelle or accurately parse the metre of a poem. \n  \nThankfully\, a complete mastery of form is not necessary to enjoy—or write!—poetry. A basic understanding of form\, however\, can give the poet a whole new set of tools with which to make their meaning clear. \n  \nFor many poets\, the artificial and sometimes arbitrary rules of formal poetry signal a loss of choice. This workshop aims to show that\, on the contrary\, the adoption of a form reveals several private decisions around values\, preferences\, and intent. The “rules” of a form can be followed faithfully\, but they can also be rejected\, subverted\, or broken completely. Those decisions are matter of personal expression\, not unlike subject or image\, and allow the poet another layer of individuality and disclosure. \n  \nForms and Frames focuses on artificial forms as a means of expression\, subversion\, and creative generation. Particpants will discuss and practice a small selection of artificial forms from a diverse range of traditions\, including the Pantoum\, the Haibun\, and the Pas-de-Deux. These forms have been chosen specifically because they have (in the Anglo-Canadian context\, at least) no set metre. While some small discussion of metre may be necessary during the course of the workshop\, no prior knowledge of\, or experience with\, forms or metres is necessary! Through discussion of these and other artificial forms\, guided exercises\, free-writing\, and voluntary critique\, participants of all experience and skill-levels will discover how to make the frame work for them. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nPatrick O’Reilly is a writer from Renews\, NL\, now living in Montreal. A former poetry editor of The Antigonish Review\, his poetry and criticism has appeared in Numéro Cinq\, untethered\, Maisonneuve and others\, as well as In/Words Press’s 30 under 30 anthology. Patrick’s first chapbook\, A Collapsible Newfoundland\, was released by Frog Hollow Press in 2020.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/forms-and-frames-a-poetry-workshop/2022-03-17/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220320T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220320T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211209T213756Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164808Z
UID:10002858-1647781200-1647792000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Insider Tips on How to Promote Your Book
DESCRIPTION:Sunday March 20\, 2022 from 1 to 4  \n  \nThis workshop is open to all. \n  \nThe goal of this three-hour online workshop is to boost writers’ confidence in their own ability to promote their work while having fun and avoiding expensive and time-consuming pitfalls. \nYou’ll discover that promoting a book does not have to be tedious—it can actually be fun.  And you’ll learn why it’s usually a bad idea to send out a press release. \nTommy will provide one very valuable tip on a great way to instantly attract the attention of a journalist or radio show producer. Having been on the receiving end of many pitches as a journalist\, reviewer\, and talk-show host for many years Tommy knows what works and what doesn’t. \nYou’ll also get tips on how to avoid spending money on advertising that doesn’t give you enough bang for your buck\, and how to easily overcome procrastination using the  “Five-by-five” method. \nMore Insider Tips: \n\nthe life-saving napkin\nthe Double-E method of always using examples and emotions\nfour crucial words to guide you in any interaction with the media\, and\nthree magic words you can use to improve the quality not only of your publicity but of your writing itself.\n\n  \nTommy Schnurmacher is an award-winning radio talk-show host and raconteur. The Quebec regional rep for the The Writers Union of Canada\, he is the author of Are We on Yet? Insider Secrets of How to be Interviewed and other Essential Media Skills. His latest book\, a post-Holocaust memoir titled Makeup Tips from Auschwitz: How Vanity Saved My Mother’s Life\, was shortlisted for the 2021 Whistler Independent Book Award. Tommy covered the Academy Awards in L.A. thirteen years in a row\, and Meryl Streep once stepped on his toes in Beverly Hills. He spent eight days babysitting for John and Yoko and narrowly avoided a war over the lyrics to Give Peace a Chance. \n  \nWebsite: talkradiotommy.com \nFacebook.com/talkradiotommy \nTwitter@talkradiotommy \nInstagram@talkradiotommy
URL:https://qwf.org/event/insider-tips-on-how-to-promote-your-book/
LOCATION:Online – Please RSVP
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220321T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220321T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T175547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164628Z
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SUMMARY:Intermediate Memoir: The Art of Truth
DESCRIPTION:8 Mondays\, 6 to 8 p.m. \nMarch 21 to May 9\, 2022 \nOpen to those who have taken at least one writing workshop \nLimited to 12 participants. \n  \nMemoir\, a sub-specialty of autobiography\, is a hugely popular form of personal writing. Whereas autobiography is the preserve of celebrities and public figures\, memoir usually highlights one period or theme from the life of an ordinary individual\, someone with little or no claim to fame. Its special currency is the universality of human experience; its value is what may be learned from a so-called ordinary person. \nThis workshop on memoir is designed for people who already have some experience of workshop settings and would like to embark or have already begun to embark on a memoir project of their own. Don’t be daunted by the “intermediate” label: you need not necessarily be working on a book-length narrative. If you’re open to learning from a professional practitioner of the genre as well as from your peers\, you will almost certainly find this workshop helpful and motivating. \nAs in any workshop\, there is a great emphasis on student input. Participants will not only be presenting their own work to the group but will also be expected to give careful reading of each other’s pieces in order to provide vital critical feedback. This element of the program is equally important to the writing. About half of each session will be devoted to in-class exercises and discussion of selected material from the text named below. The rest of the time will be spent discussing participants’ submissions. \nThe text for the course is This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett\, a work that operates both as a how-to book on writing and as an exemplary series of linked memoirs/personal essays. I expect you to have purchased it ahead of time and to come to the first session prepared to discuss “Nonfiction\, an Introduction\,” and “How to Read a Christmas Story\,” the first two chapters. \nI also encourage participants to buy my Bible of clear writing: William Zinsser’s On Writing Well\, to which I refer all the time. \nTo apply\, please send an email with the following components to workshops@qwf.org no later than February 24\, 2022: \n1)      a 3-5-page double-spaced writing sample (non-fiction or fiction) that you feel is representative of your abilities. \n2)      a paragraph introducing yourself and your writing history. \nThe subject line of the message should read “For Elaine Kalman Naves.” \nQWF will notify you whether you’ve been accepted into the workshop the week of March 7. \nElaine Kalman Naves is a long-time literary journalist and the author of seven non-fiction titles\, and of a novel.  She is a two-time recipient of the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction\, the winner of two Canadian Jewish Book Awards\, and of a Canadian Literary Award for Personal Essay. Her memoir Journey to Vaja: Reconstructing the World of a Hungarian-Jewish Family has been made into a documentary film. Elaine’s novel\, The Book of Faith\, was nominated for the Leacock Prize for Humour. She has led workshops at the QWF since their inception in 1998.  To find out more about Elaine\, visit her website at http://www.elainekalmannaves.com/
URL:https://qwf.org/event/intermediate-memoir-the-art-of-truth/2022-03-21/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220321T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220321T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T180847Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164712Z
UID:10002814-1647892800-1647900000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Translating Quebec
DESCRIPTION:8 Mondays\, 8 to 10 p.m. \nMarch 14 to May 2\, 2022 \n  \nOpen to all. \nLimited to 12 participants. \n  \nThis workshop is aimed at anyone interested in exporting Quebec French to an English audience. Using the translator’s own experiences in the field as a springboard\, the workshop will address the challenges—and fun!—of translating both a language and a culture. Participants will be encouraged to draw on their own well of cultural knowledge\, and discussions are expected to be lively. We’ll tackle translation theory with a comparative reading of published translations; we’ll talk about the role of the church in contemporary Quebec French; we’ll take a look at media content and dip into the art of subtitling. Each week\, participants will be given short selections to translate and workshop together. The focus of the workshop will be on translating what people speak\, so don’t be afraid to make yourself heard! \n  \nParticipants will be asked to reflect upon their own relationship to English and Quebec French as they develop the linguistic flexibility to navigate the challenges of translating from one to the other. Knowledge of both languages is mandatory\, but participants are not required to have any formal translation experience. \n  \nArielle Aaronson has published nine translations including titles of fiction\, nonfiction\, young adult fiction\, and children’s literature. Her translation of Marie-Renée Lavoie’s Autopsy of a Boring Wife was longlisted for the 2021 Canada Reads book of the year. She has subtitled feature films shown across Quebec as well as content currently available on Netflix. She lives in Montreal with her husband and three children. \n  \nFacebook: Arielle Aaronson \nhttps://www.arielleaaronson.com/
URL:https://qwf.org/event/translating-quebec/2022-03-21/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220322T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220322T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211209T214629Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164708Z
UID:10002860-1647972000-1647979200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:A Journey into Spoken Word
DESCRIPTION:8 Tuesdays\, 6 to 8 p.m. \nMarch 15 to May 3 \n  \nOpen to all \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \n  \nIn this workshop\, participants will step out of their comfort zones and onto the stage. \n  \nObjectives include learning about the history of spoken word and its place within the wider world of poetry\, understanding some of the stigma surrounding spoken word and slam\, and increasing appreciation for the craft of writing for performance. \n  \nResource materials include but will not be limited to text\, audio\, and video from some of the best known and most beloved poets in Canada and the U.S. Participants will be expected to watch and/or listen to poems\, discuss form and poetic devices\, create original work\, and share with the group. \n  \nPoetry as creative catharsis\, democratization\, and act of rebellion will be examined. \n  \nPerformance tips such as mic use and engagement with the audience will also be discussed. \n  \n  \nDeanna (DNA) Smith is a poet\, performer\, teaching artist\, and social-justice advocate. Her artistic work is rooted in her experience as a fifth-generation Canadian who thinks in two languages and her exploration of identity as the descendent of kidnapped and exploited Africans. Deanna is a former Montreal Slam Champion and is currently the VP of the Throw Poetry Collective. She is eagerly anticipating a return to the stage with the Kalmunity Vibes Collective. Deanna has a background in Linguistics and Speech-Language Pathology. She has a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing\, and is currently pursuing another in Social Justice\, Diversity\, and Inclusion.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/a-journey-into-spoken-word/2022-03-22/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220322T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220322T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T183207Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164703Z
UID:10002822-1647979200-1647986400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Mining Personal History to Enrich Our Short Fiction
DESCRIPTION:8 Tuesdays\, 8 to 10 p.m. \nMarch 15 to May 3 \n  \nOpen to all \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \n“Some of these stories are closer to my own life than others are\, but not one of them is as close as people seem to think.” — Alice Munro\, from her Introduction to The Moons of Jupiter \n  \nWhen we write fiction\, it seems inevitable that we will\, at one point or another\, be asked a certain\, probing question: How much of that story is true? \nOften\, we deflect rather than answer\, and make some great show of asserting our story is fiction and\, therefore\, not true. But by this time we are already squirming inside\, feeling caught out. But caught out at what? That we have committed some sort of fraud? As if writing fiction from personal experience were cheating\, like peeking at the answers we’ve scrawled on the palm of our hand in advance of the test? \nIn this workshop\, seeking out kernels of truth from our own lives will be encouraged. We will embrace personal history for what it is: a fruitful mine for our short fiction. This is not\, however\, a study in autobiography. Personal experience can be a jumping-off point\, the spark that sets our fictional stories in motion. It can also serve as adornment; a place from which to extract vivid details that enhance our fiction\, to help our made-up stories feel alive. Yes\, sometimes we write about what happened\, but we strive to write about what could have happened. \nWe will explore writing exercises that\, through examination of objects\, activities\, places\, and time\, can help us draw from our personal experiences and observations for the enrichment of our stories. We will also workshop one another’s short fiction in a respectful and supportive environment. \nRecommended reading: Prior to our first session\, please read “The Turkey Season” by Alice Munro\, from her short story collection The Moons of Jupiter. The story can also be found online with a Google search\, on the website of The New Yorker. \n  \nMark Paterson is the author of the short story collections Dreamers and Misfits of Montclair\, A Finely Tuned Apathy Machine\, and Other People’s Showers\, all from Exile Editions. His work has won the 3Macs carte blanche Prize\, Geist magazine’s Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest\, and the Atwater Library’s 150 Words for 150 Years contest. In 2020\, his story “To Disappear Around Here” was runner-up for The Puritan’s Thomas Morton Prize. \nwww.markpaterson.ca \nhttps://twitter.com/apathymachine \nhttps://www.instagram.com/paterson.mark/ \nhttps://www.facebook.com/mark.paterson
URL:https://qwf.org/event/mining-personal-history-to-enrich-our-short-fiction/2022-03-22/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220323T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220323T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T184013Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164759Z
UID:10002830-1648058400-1648065600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Pitching on Paper: Creating a TV Series Proposal
DESCRIPTION:Six Wednesdays\, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. \nMarch 16 to April 20 \n  \nOpen to all \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nYou’re armed with a great elevator pitch for a new television\, documentary or digital series idea\, and your friends\, family and colleagues have encouraged you to pitch it to a broadcaster. The challenge is to move that idea from the confines of your creative imagination and into a well-structured and detailed concept. \n  \nIn this 6-week workshop participants will expand\, develop\, structure\, break down\, and build up show ideas into full-blown proposals\, ready to present to a network or production executive. \n  \nFor those who don’t have a show idea at the ready\, the first workshop will help you get those creative juices flowing to take a concept through the development process. \n  \nWeek 1 – Elevator Pitch \nThe idea. \n  \nWeek 2 – First Page \nThe beginning is crucial. \n  \nWeek 3 – Structure  \nHow it works. \n  \nWeek 4 – Writing  \nGiving it life. \n  \nWeek 5 – Rewriting \nThe perfect life. \n  \nWeek 6 – The Full Pitch \nIt’s showtime. \n  \n  \nJennifer McAuley has produced and written hundreds of hours of television for over 30 years and developed new series and concepts for production companies throughout North America. Her most recent credits include Restoration Garage\, My Worst Nightmare and Million Dollar Genius. She is currently working with Cineflix Montreal on Patrick Ayree’s Wild World for Love Nature. \n  \nAs past head of production and development with various companies in Toronto\, and executive producer with CBC and TVO\, Jennifer has received and evaluated hundreds of pitches\, and consulted on numerous TV show ideas. She has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism. \n  \nwww.filltheframe.org
URL:https://qwf.org/event/pitching-on-paper-creating-a-tv-series-proposal/2022-03-23/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220323T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220323T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T184850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164645Z
UID:10002836-1648065600-1648072800@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Narrative Non-Fiction: Creating Scenes
DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. \nMarch 16 to May 4 \n  \nThis 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. \n  \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nNarrative non-fiction took off in the 1960s\, when writers like Tom Wolfe\, Joan Didion\, and Gay Talese started using the techniques of fiction writers to tell true stories. Sometimes called New Journalism\, the genre exploded when fiction writers like Truman Capote and Norman Mailer switched over to non-fiction\, attaining major critical and popular praise. The ever-increasing demand for non-fiction writing highlights readers’ desire to connect with stories that make sense of their surroundings. \n  \nNarrative non-fiction blends reporting\, research\, and storytelling. In this workshop we’ll learn about how to write scenes that are true to life. Instead of simply stating what happened\, we’ll explore how to create a scene\, as a screenwriter or novelist might. Your task will be to impose a narrative on reality – and make it interesting to readers. We’ll talk about the techniques behind writing about your own experience\, and about documenting other people’s lives. We’ll discuss what constitutes non-fiction – and what doesn’t. We’ll speak about how to get access to places off-limits to most civilians\, how to approach interesting characters\, and how to interview them. We’ll also speak about mining rich veins of source material from dusty old books\, or weird scientific studies\, or unusual academic treatises. \n  \nEach of you will be asked to present one piece of writing to the group\, which will be workshopped by the group. (Participants will read and discuss each other’s writing.) I will also hand out some examples of narrative non-fiction to illustrate what it is we’re speaking about. These will also inform and inspire your own work in the workshop. No advance work is required for the workshop\, but do have an idea of what you’d like to work on in our time together. In our second session\, we’ll be discussing what each student plans on workshopping.  \n  \n  \nAdam Leith Gollner is the author of The Book of Immortality\, The Fruit Hunters\, and Working in the Bathtub: Conversations with the Immortal Dany Laferrière. The former editor of Vice Magazine\, his writing has appeared in The New York Times\, Vanity Fair\, The Paris Review\, Travel + Leisure\, and The New Yorker online.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/narrative-non-fiction-creating-scenes/2022-03-23/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220324T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220324T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T185735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164637Z
UID:10002844-1648144800-1648152000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Write to Thrill
DESCRIPTION:8 Thursdays\, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. \nMarch 17-May 5 \n  \nOpen to all. \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nHave you always wanted to write a thriller? Need help completing one you’ve already started? This is the workshop for you! Whether it’s a domestic noir or the CIA is chasing down your main character\, we’ll spend eight weeks together working on plot\, characterization\, twists\, dialogue\, prose\, and pacing. By the end of the workshop you’ll have a solid foundation for your novel. Participants should come to the workshop with a premise for their thriller in mind. After the first session\, two participants a week\, if they’re comfortable\, will receive feedback on their writing from the instructor and the other class participants \n  \nCatherine McKenzie is the Globe & Mail Bestselling author of 13 novels\, including I’ll Never Tell\, Fractured\, and The Good Liar. She lives in Montreal\, Quebec\, where she writes full time after having retired from practicing law after twenty years.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/write-to-thrill/2022-03-24/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220324T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220324T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211209T215328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164634Z
UID:10002868-1648152000-1648159200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Forms and Frames – A Poetry Workshop
DESCRIPTION:8 Thursdays\, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. \nMarch 17-May 5 \n  \nOpen to all. \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \n  \nWhat’s the difference between poetry and prose? One big difference is form—the shapes and sounds a poem makes using line breaks\, rhyme\, alliteration\, and a whole host of other devices. But while it’s a defining component of poetry\, form can seem complex and intimidating. Even the most experienced poets may still struggle to distinguish a Pantoum from a Villanelle or accurately parse the metre of a poem. \n  \nThankfully\, a complete mastery of form is not necessary to enjoy—or write!—poetry. A basic understanding of form\, however\, can give the poet a whole new set of tools with which to make their meaning clear. \n  \nFor many poets\, the artificial and sometimes arbitrary rules of formal poetry signal a loss of choice. This workshop aims to show that\, on the contrary\, the adoption of a form reveals several private decisions around values\, preferences\, and intent. The “rules” of a form can be followed faithfully\, but they can also be rejected\, subverted\, or broken completely. Those decisions are matter of personal expression\, not unlike subject or image\, and allow the poet another layer of individuality and disclosure. \n  \nForms and Frames focuses on artificial forms as a means of expression\, subversion\, and creative generation. Particpants will discuss and practice a small selection of artificial forms from a diverse range of traditions\, including the Pantoum\, the Haibun\, and the Pas-de-Deux. These forms have been chosen specifically because they have (in the Anglo-Canadian context\, at least) no set metre. While some small discussion of metre may be necessary during the course of the workshop\, no prior knowledge of\, or experience with\, forms or metres is necessary! Through discussion of these and other artificial forms\, guided exercises\, free-writing\, and voluntary critique\, participants of all experience and skill-levels will discover how to make the frame work for them. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nPatrick O’Reilly is a writer from Renews\, NL\, now living in Montreal. A former poetry editor of The Antigonish Review\, his poetry and criticism has appeared in Numéro Cinq\, untethered\, Maisonneuve and others\, as well as In/Words Press’s 30 under 30 anthology. Patrick’s first chapbook\, A Collapsible Newfoundland\, was released by Frog Hollow Press in 2020.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/forms-and-frames-a-poetry-workshop/2022-03-24/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220328T124500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220328T131500
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20220325T151551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220325T171736Z
UID:10002890-1648471500-1648473300@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Announcing the Max Margles Fiction Prize Winner
DESCRIPTION:The Max Margles Fiction Prize will be awarded to a writer of prose fiction who is a resident of Quebec and whose writing practice is primarily in English. The winner will receive $8\,500\, the largest such prize to be awarded by any Canadian provincial writers’ organization.\n\n\nThe award is designed to enable one writer to work on a specific solo writing project between April 1 and October 31\, 2022. Join us on Monday\, March 28 at 12:45 as we introduce the winner!
URL:https://qwf.org/event/announcing-the-max-margles-fiction-prize-winner/
LOCATION:YouTube
CATEGORIES:Community Events,QWF Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220328T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220328T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T175547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164628Z
UID:10002806-1648490400-1648497600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Intermediate Memoir: The Art of Truth
DESCRIPTION:8 Mondays\, 6 to 8 p.m. \nMarch 21 to May 9\, 2022 \nOpen to those who have taken at least one writing workshop \nLimited to 12 participants. \n  \nMemoir\, a sub-specialty of autobiography\, is a hugely popular form of personal writing. Whereas autobiography is the preserve of celebrities and public figures\, memoir usually highlights one period or theme from the life of an ordinary individual\, someone with little or no claim to fame. Its special currency is the universality of human experience; its value is what may be learned from a so-called ordinary person. \nThis workshop on memoir is designed for people who already have some experience of workshop settings and would like to embark or have already begun to embark on a memoir project of their own. Don’t be daunted by the “intermediate” label: you need not necessarily be working on a book-length narrative. If you’re open to learning from a professional practitioner of the genre as well as from your peers\, you will almost certainly find this workshop helpful and motivating. \nAs in any workshop\, there is a great emphasis on student input. Participants will not only be presenting their own work to the group but will also be expected to give careful reading of each other’s pieces in order to provide vital critical feedback. This element of the program is equally important to the writing. About half of each session will be devoted to in-class exercises and discussion of selected material from the text named below. The rest of the time will be spent discussing participants’ submissions. \nThe text for the course is This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett\, a work that operates both as a how-to book on writing and as an exemplary series of linked memoirs/personal essays. I expect you to have purchased it ahead of time and to come to the first session prepared to discuss “Nonfiction\, an Introduction\,” and “How to Read a Christmas Story\,” the first two chapters. \nI also encourage participants to buy my Bible of clear writing: William Zinsser’s On Writing Well\, to which I refer all the time. \nTo apply\, please send an email with the following components to workshops@qwf.org no later than February 24\, 2022: \n1)      a 3-5-page double-spaced writing sample (non-fiction or fiction) that you feel is representative of your abilities. \n2)      a paragraph introducing yourself and your writing history. \nThe subject line of the message should read “For Elaine Kalman Naves.” \nQWF will notify you whether you’ve been accepted into the workshop the week of March 7. \nElaine Kalman Naves is a long-time literary journalist and the author of seven non-fiction titles\, and of a novel.  She is a two-time recipient of the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction\, the winner of two Canadian Jewish Book Awards\, and of a Canadian Literary Award for Personal Essay. Her memoir Journey to Vaja: Reconstructing the World of a Hungarian-Jewish Family has been made into a documentary film. Elaine’s novel\, The Book of Faith\, was nominated for the Leacock Prize for Humour. She has led workshops at the QWF since their inception in 1998.  To find out more about Elaine\, visit her website at http://www.elainekalmannaves.com/
URL:https://qwf.org/event/intermediate-memoir-the-art-of-truth/2022-03-28/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220328T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220328T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T180847Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164712Z
UID:10002815-1648497600-1648504800@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Translating Quebec
DESCRIPTION:8 Mondays\, 8 to 10 p.m. \nMarch 14 to May 2\, 2022 \n  \nOpen to all. \nLimited to 12 participants. \n  \nThis workshop is aimed at anyone interested in exporting Quebec French to an English audience. Using the translator’s own experiences in the field as a springboard\, the workshop will address the challenges—and fun!—of translating both a language and a culture. Participants will be encouraged to draw on their own well of cultural knowledge\, and discussions are expected to be lively. We’ll tackle translation theory with a comparative reading of published translations; we’ll talk about the role of the church in contemporary Quebec French; we’ll take a look at media content and dip into the art of subtitling. Each week\, participants will be given short selections to translate and workshop together. The focus of the workshop will be on translating what people speak\, so don’t be afraid to make yourself heard! \n  \nParticipants will be asked to reflect upon their own relationship to English and Quebec French as they develop the linguistic flexibility to navigate the challenges of translating from one to the other. Knowledge of both languages is mandatory\, but participants are not required to have any formal translation experience. \n  \nArielle Aaronson has published nine translations including titles of fiction\, nonfiction\, young adult fiction\, and children’s literature. Her translation of Marie-Renée Lavoie’s Autopsy of a Boring Wife was longlisted for the 2021 Canada Reads book of the year. She has subtitled feature films shown across Quebec as well as content currently available on Netflix. She lives in Montreal with her husband and three children. \n  \nFacebook: Arielle Aaronson \nhttps://www.arielleaaronson.com/
URL:https://qwf.org/event/translating-quebec/2022-03-28/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220329T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220329T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211209T214629Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164708Z
UID:10002861-1648576800-1648584000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:A Journey into Spoken Word
DESCRIPTION:8 Tuesdays\, 6 to 8 p.m. \nMarch 15 to May 3 \n  \nOpen to all \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \n  \nIn this workshop\, participants will step out of their comfort zones and onto the stage. \n  \nObjectives include learning about the history of spoken word and its place within the wider world of poetry\, understanding some of the stigma surrounding spoken word and slam\, and increasing appreciation for the craft of writing for performance. \n  \nResource materials include but will not be limited to text\, audio\, and video from some of the best known and most beloved poets in Canada and the U.S. Participants will be expected to watch and/or listen to poems\, discuss form and poetic devices\, create original work\, and share with the group. \n  \nPoetry as creative catharsis\, democratization\, and act of rebellion will be examined. \n  \nPerformance tips such as mic use and engagement with the audience will also be discussed. \n  \n  \nDeanna (DNA) Smith is a poet\, performer\, teaching artist\, and social-justice advocate. Her artistic work is rooted in her experience as a fifth-generation Canadian who thinks in two languages and her exploration of identity as the descendent of kidnapped and exploited Africans. Deanna is a former Montreal Slam Champion and is currently the VP of the Throw Poetry Collective. She is eagerly anticipating a return to the stage with the Kalmunity Vibes Collective. Deanna has a background in Linguistics and Speech-Language Pathology. She has a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing\, and is currently pursuing another in Social Justice\, Diversity\, and Inclusion.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/a-journey-into-spoken-word/2022-03-29/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220329T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220329T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T183207Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164703Z
UID:10002823-1648584000-1648591200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Mining Personal History to Enrich Our Short Fiction
DESCRIPTION:8 Tuesdays\, 8 to 10 p.m. \nMarch 15 to May 3 \n  \nOpen to all \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \n“Some of these stories are closer to my own life than others are\, but not one of them is as close as people seem to think.” — Alice Munro\, from her Introduction to The Moons of Jupiter \n  \nWhen we write fiction\, it seems inevitable that we will\, at one point or another\, be asked a certain\, probing question: How much of that story is true? \nOften\, we deflect rather than answer\, and make some great show of asserting our story is fiction and\, therefore\, not true. But by this time we are already squirming inside\, feeling caught out. But caught out at what? That we have committed some sort of fraud? As if writing fiction from personal experience were cheating\, like peeking at the answers we’ve scrawled on the palm of our hand in advance of the test? \nIn this workshop\, seeking out kernels of truth from our own lives will be encouraged. We will embrace personal history for what it is: a fruitful mine for our short fiction. This is not\, however\, a study in autobiography. Personal experience can be a jumping-off point\, the spark that sets our fictional stories in motion. It can also serve as adornment; a place from which to extract vivid details that enhance our fiction\, to help our made-up stories feel alive. Yes\, sometimes we write about what happened\, but we strive to write about what could have happened. \nWe will explore writing exercises that\, through examination of objects\, activities\, places\, and time\, can help us draw from our personal experiences and observations for the enrichment of our stories. We will also workshop one another’s short fiction in a respectful and supportive environment. \nRecommended reading: Prior to our first session\, please read “The Turkey Season” by Alice Munro\, from her short story collection The Moons of Jupiter. The story can also be found online with a Google search\, on the website of The New Yorker. \n  \nMark Paterson is the author of the short story collections Dreamers and Misfits of Montclair\, A Finely Tuned Apathy Machine\, and Other People’s Showers\, all from Exile Editions. His work has won the 3Macs carte blanche Prize\, Geist magazine’s Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest\, and the Atwater Library’s 150 Words for 150 Years contest. In 2020\, his story “To Disappear Around Here” was runner-up for The Puritan’s Thomas Morton Prize. \nwww.markpaterson.ca \nhttps://twitter.com/apathymachine \nhttps://www.instagram.com/paterson.mark/ \nhttps://www.facebook.com/mark.paterson
URL:https://qwf.org/event/mining-personal-history-to-enrich-our-short-fiction/2022-03-29/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220330T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220330T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T184013Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164759Z
UID:10002831-1648663200-1648670400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Pitching on Paper: Creating a TV Series Proposal
DESCRIPTION:Six Wednesdays\, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. \nMarch 16 to April 20 \n  \nOpen to all \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nYou’re armed with a great elevator pitch for a new television\, documentary or digital series idea\, and your friends\, family and colleagues have encouraged you to pitch it to a broadcaster. The challenge is to move that idea from the confines of your creative imagination and into a well-structured and detailed concept. \n  \nIn this 6-week workshop participants will expand\, develop\, structure\, break down\, and build up show ideas into full-blown proposals\, ready to present to a network or production executive. \n  \nFor those who don’t have a show idea at the ready\, the first workshop will help you get those creative juices flowing to take a concept through the development process. \n  \nWeek 1 – Elevator Pitch \nThe idea. \n  \nWeek 2 – First Page \nThe beginning is crucial. \n  \nWeek 3 – Structure  \nHow it works. \n  \nWeek 4 – Writing  \nGiving it life. \n  \nWeek 5 – Rewriting \nThe perfect life. \n  \nWeek 6 – The Full Pitch \nIt’s showtime. \n  \n  \nJennifer McAuley has produced and written hundreds of hours of television for over 30 years and developed new series and concepts for production companies throughout North America. Her most recent credits include Restoration Garage\, My Worst Nightmare and Million Dollar Genius. She is currently working with Cineflix Montreal on Patrick Ayree’s Wild World for Love Nature. \n  \nAs past head of production and development with various companies in Toronto\, and executive producer with CBC and TVO\, Jennifer has received and evaluated hundreds of pitches\, and consulted on numerous TV show ideas. She has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism. \n  \nwww.filltheframe.org
URL:https://qwf.org/event/pitching-on-paper-creating-a-tv-series-proposal/2022-03-30/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220330T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220330T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T184850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164645Z
UID:10002837-1648670400-1648677600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Narrative Non-Fiction: Creating Scenes
DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. \nMarch 16 to May 4 \n  \nThis 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. \n  \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nNarrative non-fiction took off in the 1960s\, when writers like Tom Wolfe\, Joan Didion\, and Gay Talese started using the techniques of fiction writers to tell true stories. Sometimes called New Journalism\, the genre exploded when fiction writers like Truman Capote and Norman Mailer switched over to non-fiction\, attaining major critical and popular praise. The ever-increasing demand for non-fiction writing highlights readers’ desire to connect with stories that make sense of their surroundings. \n  \nNarrative non-fiction blends reporting\, research\, and storytelling. In this workshop we’ll learn about how to write scenes that are true to life. Instead of simply stating what happened\, we’ll explore how to create a scene\, as a screenwriter or novelist might. Your task will be to impose a narrative on reality – and make it interesting to readers. We’ll talk about the techniques behind writing about your own experience\, and about documenting other people’s lives. We’ll discuss what constitutes non-fiction – and what doesn’t. We’ll speak about how to get access to places off-limits to most civilians\, how to approach interesting characters\, and how to interview them. We’ll also speak about mining rich veins of source material from dusty old books\, or weird scientific studies\, or unusual academic treatises. \n  \nEach of you will be asked to present one piece of writing to the group\, which will be workshopped by the group. (Participants will read and discuss each other’s writing.) I will also hand out some examples of narrative non-fiction to illustrate what it is we’re speaking about. These will also inform and inspire your own work in the workshop. No advance work is required for the workshop\, but do have an idea of what you’d like to work on in our time together. In our second session\, we’ll be discussing what each student plans on workshopping.  \n  \n  \nAdam Leith Gollner is the author of The Book of Immortality\, The Fruit Hunters\, and Working in the Bathtub: Conversations with the Immortal Dany Laferrière. The former editor of Vice Magazine\, his writing has appeared in The New York Times\, Vanity Fair\, The Paris Review\, Travel + Leisure\, and The New Yorker online.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/narrative-non-fiction-creating-scenes/2022-03-30/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220331
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220409
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20220329T144112Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220329T144112Z
UID:10002893-1648684800-1649462399@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Fempocalypse 2022 Neo-Stalgia: Imagining Better Futures Together
DESCRIPTION:The Nightwood Innovators are producing a week-long digital cabaret-style show\, virtual art gallery\, and silent auction\, with all proceeds donated to Water First\, exclusively working with Indigenous communities. Different artists’ work explores how they are dreaming of the past and envisioning new futures.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/fempocalypse-2022-neo-stalgia-imagining-better-futures-together/
LOCATION:Digital
CATEGORIES:Festival
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220331T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220331T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211208T185735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164637Z
UID:10002845-1648749600-1648756800@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Write to Thrill
DESCRIPTION:8 Thursdays\, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. \nMarch 17-May 5 \n  \nOpen to all. \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nHave you always wanted to write a thriller? Need help completing one you’ve already started? This is the workshop for you! Whether it’s a domestic noir or the CIA is chasing down your main character\, we’ll spend eight weeks together working on plot\, characterization\, twists\, dialogue\, prose\, and pacing. By the end of the workshop you’ll have a solid foundation for your novel. Participants should come to the workshop with a premise for their thriller in mind. After the first session\, two participants a week\, if they’re comfortable\, will receive feedback on their writing from the instructor and the other class participants \n  \nCatherine McKenzie is the Globe & Mail Bestselling author of 13 novels\, including I’ll Never Tell\, Fractured\, and The Good Liar. She lives in Montreal\, Quebec\, where she writes full time after having retired from practicing law after twenty years.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/write-to-thrill/2022-03-31/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220331T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220331T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20220224T152404Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220224T152404Z
UID:10002887-1648753200-1648760400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:SpeakUp: The Body and its Discontents
DESCRIPTION:SpeakUp: The Body and its Discontents\nThe Montreal Inter-Active Poetry Exchange\nPoets: Lauren Turner\, Willow Loveday Little\, Alana Dunlop \nA POETRY READING WITH A DIFFERENCE: AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT\nEach audience member receives a copy of the poems by email. The poems are also displayed on screen.\nPoet reads their poem\, followed by 15 to 20-minute discussion.\nPoet reads their poem a final time. \nFREE EVENT online via Zoom\nVisit our Facebook page for more details.\nContact us to register and receive the Zoom link: MTLSpeakUp@gmail.com
URL:https://qwf.org/event/speakup-the-body-and-its-discontents/
LOCATION:Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
CATEGORIES:Performance
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220331T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220331T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20211209T215328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211215T164634Z
UID:10002869-1648756800-1648764000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Forms and Frames – A Poetry Workshop
DESCRIPTION:8 Thursdays\, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. \nMarch 17-May 5 \n  \nOpen to all. \nLimited to 12 participants \n  \n  \nWhat’s the difference between poetry and prose? One big difference is form—the shapes and sounds a poem makes using line breaks\, rhyme\, alliteration\, and a whole host of other devices. But while it’s a defining component of poetry\, form can seem complex and intimidating. Even the most experienced poets may still struggle to distinguish a Pantoum from a Villanelle or accurately parse the metre of a poem. \n  \nThankfully\, a complete mastery of form is not necessary to enjoy—or write!—poetry. A basic understanding of form\, however\, can give the poet a whole new set of tools with which to make their meaning clear. \n  \nFor many poets\, the artificial and sometimes arbitrary rules of formal poetry signal a loss of choice. This workshop aims to show that\, on the contrary\, the adoption of a form reveals several private decisions around values\, preferences\, and intent. The “rules” of a form can be followed faithfully\, but they can also be rejected\, subverted\, or broken completely. Those decisions are matter of personal expression\, not unlike subject or image\, and allow the poet another layer of individuality and disclosure. \n  \nForms and Frames focuses on artificial forms as a means of expression\, subversion\, and creative generation. Particpants will discuss and practice a small selection of artificial forms from a diverse range of traditions\, including the Pantoum\, the Haibun\, and the Pas-de-Deux. These forms have been chosen specifically because they have (in the Anglo-Canadian context\, at least) no set metre. While some small discussion of metre may be necessary during the course of the workshop\, no prior knowledge of\, or experience with\, forms or metres is necessary! Through discussion of these and other artificial forms\, guided exercises\, free-writing\, and voluntary critique\, participants of all experience and skill-levels will discover how to make the frame work for them. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nPatrick O’Reilly is a writer from Renews\, NL\, now living in Montreal. A former poetry editor of The Antigonish Review\, his poetry and criticism has appeared in Numéro Cinq\, untethered\, Maisonneuve and others\, as well as In/Words Press’s 30 under 30 anthology. Patrick’s first chapbook\, A Collapsible Newfoundland\, was released by Frog Hollow Press in 2020.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/forms-and-frames-a-poetry-workshop/2022-03-31/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220401T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220402T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T193053
CREATED:20220315T155205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220315T155205Z
UID:10002888-1648839600-1648909800@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Springboards 2022
DESCRIPTION:This year’s conference will take place on Zoom on April 1st and 2nd and will have the theme\, Creative Conversations: Connecting Teachers With Local Writers\, Poets and Storytellers. \nThis year’s conference is all about connecting teachers to local authors. Here are the sessions scheduled for Springboards 2022 (full session descriptions in the program): \nKeynote Address\nPoetry\, Life & Purpose – Connecting the Dots with Jason Selman and Deanna Smith \nDeanna Smith & Jason Selman are teaching artists\, poets\, writers\, and spoken word artists. They are also a married couple who work together\, on occasion. In their presentation\, they will perform their work\, showing how it connects to both process and pedagogy. They will examine their individual approaches to teaching poetry\, how they differ from one another and where they intersect. They will address the purpose of their work beyond poetry and their life journeys into becoming artists. \nElementary:\nConnecting Text and Image in the Elementary ELA Classroom with Matthew Forsythe. Matthew’s presentation will focus on writing and illustrating picture books and the energies involved and on the connections between image\, text\, page turns\, character and colour. \nFania’s Heart: Writing About the Holocaust for Young Readers with Anne Renaud. For Anne’s presentation\, participants will be introduced to the pedagogical tools developed by the Montreal Holocaust Museum for elementary level students relating to the Heart of Auschwitz artefact\, as well activities to do with students\, depending on their grade level\, which correlate with Anne’s books\, Fania’s Heart\, and the teaching of the Holocaust. \nReader Come Home: Our Book Club with Barbara Kurtzman\, Mary Stewart and Elizabeth Walcot. Barbara\, Mary and Elizabeth will speak about their involvement in an educator’s book club and the enrichment and mutual support that teachers can draw from such an experience. \nIndigenous Historical Fiction Novel Study with Nadine Neema. Nadine will speak about her historical fiction youth novel Journal of a Travelling Girl aimed at 9-12 year olds. She will explain how teachers are already using the book as a novel study in several schools\, and show what the teacher’s guide contains. Nadine’s book is a coming of age story of a young girl who goes on the annual Tłįchǫ canoe trip retracing the trails of their ancestors on their way to the celebrations for the effective date of the Tłįchǫ Agreement. \nRainbow Story Hour with Melissa-Ann Pereira Ledo\, HercuSleaze and Uma Gahd. Melissa\, HercuSleaze and Uma Gahd will discuss Montreal’s Rainbow Story Hour\, which began as a study that followed elementary teachers’ creation and implementation of an age-appropriate arts curriculum focused on Queering Curriculum. Their presentation will focus on: practices that ensure a safer environment for 2SLGBTQ+ students in the classroom; how teachers can best practice allyship; the ways in which children’s literature can be used to create more intersectionality and inclusive classrooms; and the importance of live interactions with a community member! \nSecondary:\nUsing the novel Zee to Explore Empathy\, Difference\, and Finding your Own Path in Life with Su J Sokol. Su’s presentation will show how her novel\, Zee\, can be used in the classroom to discuss empathy\, both its power and its limitations; non-traditional and chosen family; issues related to gender\, sexuality\, and racialization; and resisting social and peer pressure to conform. The presentation will also address\, with examples from the book\, the use of literary tools such as point-of-view and “breaking the fourth wall” to help underline certain thematics\, and speculative fiction as a fun and interesting way to talk about serious issues. \nTeaching Teenagers About Poetry with Sarah Venart. Sarah will discuss teaching and writing poetry and share writing exercises she uses in her own classroom. She will share a writing exercise she has created called\, “To My Fallen Soldier” and another based on an essay titled: “Teenagers are not Exempt from Poetry” by Kara Jackson. Sarah will also read from her book of poetry I AM THE BIG HEART. \nExploring Digital Reading Tools with Emily Mannard\, Selma Hammad\, Nicole Waldie and Josh Cross. Emily\, Selma\, Nicole and Josh will share final projects completed in McGill University’s EDES 461 Teaching Secondary English 2 course\, which consist of teaching guides centered upon critical\, activist approaches to digital new media texts like videogames\, podcasts\, online fanfiction\, and coding. \nThose Who Can Do\, Teach with Dani Jensen. In this presentation\, YA author and high school English teacher Dani Jansen will prove the old adage “those who can’t do\, teach” is absolutely wrong. Teachers will have the opportunity to reflect on how their own reading and writing practices can help shape their teaching. \nSpeak Up! with Anne Beamish and Maria Raskin. With spoken word\, students get the chance to fall in love with poetry and develop their sense of identity through the words they themselves write. Consultants Anne Beamish and Maria Raskin share the history of the Speak Up EMSB\, an annual spoken word poetry competition. \nSpringboards is our annual\, flagship conference held in the spring and so-named because the ideas shared are a springboard to either end-of-year planning\, or beginning of next year creativity. A grass-roots conference\, with an over 40-year tradition\, it is held by teachers for teachers. Presenters are practicing teachers sharing what works for them\, what has confounded them\, and how they have attempted to solve some of the daily challenges of life as an ELA teacher. It is an opportunity to share best practices with each other in an informal\, supportive setting. Join the conversation!
URL:https://qwf.org/event/springboards-2022/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Community Events,Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Springboards-Carousel-image-1-1-600x250-1.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR