Quebec Writers' Federation

Launch: Willow Loveday Little's Poetry Collection "(Vice) Viscera"
2022-07-21 18:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Montreal arts interculturels, 3680, rue Jeanne-Mance, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 2K5, Canada
Join us for the launch party of Willow Loveday Little’s debut collection of poetry, “(Vice) Viscera)” (Cactus Press 2022).
It’s a collection of poems on the theme of the body—blood and guts, vulnerability, performance, illness, ugliness, intuition. Hope to see you there.
Willow Loveday Little is a Canadian writer whose work has appeared in such places as yolk literary, on spec, The Dalhousie Review, and the Selkie’s Very Much Alive: Stories of Resilience. (Vice) Viscera is her first full-length poetry collection.
Thursday, July 21st 6:30pm at the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), 3680 Jeanne-Mance St, Montreal.

Queer & Italian in Montreal
2022-07-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Istituto Italiano di Cultura Montreal, 1200 ave du Docteur-Penfield, Quebec, Canada
July 21 event to celebrate the contributions of

LGBTQ Italian-Canadians on the city’s cultural life and historyMONTREAL, QUEBEC – Join us for a festive celebration of queer Italian-Canadian culture in Montreal on Thursday, July 21, 2022, as Violet Hour, in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Montreal, Fierté Montréal Pride and Accenti Magazine, present the event, “Queer and Italian in Montreal.”

The event, which is an official part of this year’s Fierté Montréal Pride celebrations, will take the form of a screening of the recent documentary short, “Creative Spaces: Queer and Italian Canadian” (2021), followed by a panel discussion about the past, present and future of queer Italian-Canadian culture in the city. Speakers on the panel include Gaspare Borsellino (Gruppo Italiano Gay e Lesbico di Montreal), Vee DG (CIAO – Canadian Italians Against Oppression), and Steve Galluccio. The event will be hosted by author and literary events producer Christopher DiRaddo.

ABOUT THE FILM

“Creative Spaces: Queer and Italian Canadian” (2021)

What does it mean to be queer and Italian Canadian? And what experiences do queer Italian Canadians have when their sexual orientation and gender identity come in contact with their cultural heritage and traditions? Director Licia Canton explores this topic with three Montreal writers—Liana Cusmano, Christopher DiRaddo and Steve Galluccio—and comparative literature professor Domenico A. Beneventi. (Running time: 28 minutes)

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Gaspare Borsellino is the former President of the Gruppo Italiano Gay e Lesbico di Montreal, a one-time social club for LGBTQ folks of Italian origin that played a significant role in queer cultural life in Montreal from the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s.

Vee DG is a nonbinary multimedia artist & writer based on the unceded territory of Tiohtià:ke. Their work focuses on transnationalism, historical revisionism and the personal, and the inconsistencies of memory. They hold a degree in photography as well as a BFA in Film Production from Concordia University and currently work in documentary filmmaking. They are a founding member of CIAO (Canadian Italians Against Oppression).

Steve Galluccio is a playwright and screenwriter. His first major stage play, Mambo Italiano, was turned into a movie which sold in more than fifty-three countries. He is also known for the Gemini award-winning TV series Ciao Bella and the movies Funkytown (2011) and Little Italy (2018). His new play “At The Beginning of Time” will be premiere in February 2023 at The Centaur Theatre.

Christopher DiRaddo is the author of two novels: The Geography of Pluto (2014), and The Family Way (2021), which was recently nominated for the F.G. Bressani Literary Award. Since 2014, he has worked to create a space for LGBTQ literature in Montreal—producing and hosting the Violet Hour reading series and book club, which has to date featured more than 200 writers. He has also curated literary events for Never Apart, and programmed Violet Metropolis, the LGBTQ leg of the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival (2018-2020). In 2018, he co-founded with Blue Metropolis the Violet Prize, Canada’s first LGBTQ literary prize to be awarded to a Canadian writer for their body of work. He is also past president of the Quebec Writers’ Federation (2018-2021).

DETAILS

“Queer & Italian in Montreal” will take place on Thursday, July 21, 2022, at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Montreal, located at 1200 ave du Docteur-Penfield (Peel Metro).

The event will be in English and will run from 7 PM to 9 PM. Entrance is free, but participants are asked to RSVP at:https://iicmontreal.esteri.it/iic_montreal/en/gli_eventi/calendario/2022/07/queer-e-italian-montreal.html

For more information about the film, as well as the Queer & Italian Canadian project, please visit www.queeritaliancanadian.com.

Identifying (with) the Erotic
2022-07-23 10:00 - 13:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
In this three-hour workshop, with references to work by Anaïs Nin, James Baldwin, Martin Amis, M NourbeSe Philip, and Ruel Johnson, among select others in prose, poetry, and comics, we will explore what makes the erotic, well… erotic. Creating sexy characters and scenes with sensual language seems only part of the process. Telling a story that stimulates your reader’s imagination, exciting more than the body, is at least one of the goals of this life-affirming genre.

If birds do it and bees do it, you as a writer should be able to write it. And just as openly. By the end of the session, participants should come away with:

a wider definition of erotica;more confidence in how to approach writing and reading erotica; andless of an urge to apologize to family or friends for what comes naturally and, more significantly, narratively to them.

Robert Edison Sandiford is the author of several books, among them The Tree of Youth, winner of Barbados’ Governor General’s Award of Excellence in Literary Arts; And Sometimes They Fly, recipient of a BMA “Brands of Barbados” Award; and Sand for Snow, shortlisted for the Frank Collymore Literary Award. His erotic graphic novels for NBM Publishing have been called “imaginably simple [yet] also imaginatively complex” by the poet George Elliott Clarke. In 2003, he founded with Linda M. Deane the Barbadian cultural resource ArtsEtc Inc. He has worked as a publisher, teacher and, with Warm Water

Productions, producer. His stories have appeared in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies. Fairfield from DC Books is his most recent title.

This workshop will happen in-person at the QWF Office, with virtual slots available for interested participants living outside Montreal.

Authors in Conversation
2022-07-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom: get info from FB event page
Gina Roitman, author of Don’t Ask (Guernica Editions) meets Janet Calcaterra, author of The Burden of Memories (Latitude 46 Publications) have novels with similar elements and each will each answer questions submitted by the other author

Emancipation Day
2022-07-31 13:00 - 17:00 | Oscar Peterson Park, Rue Chatham, Montreal, Quebec, H3J 1Z5, Canada
Come and enjoy a fun-filled afternoon with Black Community leaders, music, craft vendors, Caribbean food, and performances by local Montreal artists.
Suspense thriller author, Russell Brooks, will be autographing copies of his books as he prepares to launch JAM RUN, his fifth novel. If you enjoy stories with conspiracies, martial arts, sex, betrayal, and revenge, then this is where you need to be.

The Violet Hour at Community Day
2022-08-05 11:00 - 18:00 | The Gay Village, St Catherine Street East, Montreal, Quebec
Violet Hour will have a table as part of this year’s Community Day activities (on Friday, August 5, only).
Christopher Diraddo asked many writers to come and keep him company and sell copies of their books as well. Joining Chris will be Liana Cusmano, Peter Dubé, Prantha Lor, Russell Brooks, and Su J. Sokol. There will also have copies of headmaster magazine and Crooked fagazine for sale.
Their table location is currently unknown.
Come and say hi, learn more about the Violet Hour Reading Series & Book Club, and support queer lit!

Rastafest
2022-08-06 13:00 - 18:00 | Oscar Peterson Park, Rue Chatham, Montreal, Quebec, H3J 1Z5, Canada
Come to a fun-filled afternoon that includes games for children, an open mike, a soccer exhibition match, and arts and crafts.
Suspense thriller author, Russell Brooks, will be autographing copies of his books as he prepares to launch JAM RUN, his fifth novel. If you enjoy stories with conspiracies, martial arts, sex, betrayal, and revenge, then this is where you need to be.

The fine—and fun—art of literary taxidermy!
2022-08-09 18:00 - 19:30 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
Join us for a 90-minute literary workshop where writers create original stories and poems using classic literature’s first and last lines. Editors from the Literary Taxidermy Writing Competition will introduce participants to the concept of taxidermy, then present the group with the challenge. Writers will have fifteen minutes to craft their literary taxidermies, then share them with the group. Finally, the editors will select their favourite three pieces for prizes.

6:00 Welcome, Overview, and Examples of Literary Taxidermy6:15 Prompt Reveal and Writing Begins!6:30 Pencils Down [break, and time to edit]6:35 Readings7:20 Personal Favorites Announced7:25 Closing Remarks

12-person limit. This is a virtual event. To register, please click the “Going” button below. As spots are limited, we ask that you only register if you are indeed planning on attending.

If you’re interested in this year’s Literary Taxidermy Writing Competition, visit www.literarytaxidermy.com.

Mark Malamud is the Principal and Manager of busymonster LLC where he is an inventor and writer. He is the creative force behind Literary Taxidermy, an author interested in the difficult, disturbing, and occasionally defenestratable art of fiction and poetry.

Donna Jean is the board chair of Copper Canyon Press, an avid poetry reader and lover of writing of all kinds. She is the creator and editor of Uncertain Girls in Uncertain Times — an anthology of poetry, wise words, and wisdom for women aiming to set the world on fire.

This workshop is now full. Please email info@qwf.org to be put on the waitlist.

Poetry Evening with Madhur Anand
2022-08-19 18:30 - 20:00 | Quebec
In our endeavour to bring quality poetic activities to town, Kabir Centre Poetry Club warmly invites you to an evening of Poetry Reading followed by a discussion and Q&A by Dr Madhur Anand as per the following details:

Date: Friday, 19th August

Time: 6:30 PM

Venue: Grand Bibliothèque Montréal, Hall M-450

475 Boul. de Maisonneuve E, Montréal, QC H2L 5C4 ; Metro Berri-UQAM

The event is free and snacks will be served. We may kindly advise you to register at the link as seats are limited:

https://thepointofsale.com/tickets/cck220819001

Dr Madhur Anand is an ecology professor and a Governor General’s Literary award-winning writer who will be reading poems from her book: “Parasitic Oscillations” that deals with topics related to the environment, the Indian diaspora and birds. She will also be reading from her memoir “This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart”. Dr Anand’s poems reflect an intriguing combination of living and practicing as both a poet and scientist while her memoir has shades of human emotions about Partition of India and Pakistan, immigration and generational storytelling. The evening is poised to discuss an exciting array of themes that will appeal to you as a poet and an immigrant.

More information about Dr. Anand can be found here:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/authors/259994/madhur-anand

Please note that her books will be available for sale by cash or e-transfer to the email anand.madhur@gmail.com ($20/book).

North Hatley book introduction of "It Was Only a Movie"
2022-08-20 16:00 - 17:30 | Bibliothèque North Hatley, 96 Chemin Hatley Centre, Canton de Hatley, Québec, J0B 2C0, Canada
More than Just a Book! A Major Cultural Event!!
Please mark your calendars for an on-site book reading of “It Was Only a Movie” by John LeBaron at the Gillygooly Gallery in Canton de Hatley, Québec (96 Chemin Hatley Centre) on Saturday, 20th August 2022 at 4:00 PM. John will read excerpts from the book and discuss the adventure of writing humour. Book copies will be available for sale at this event. Light refreshments will be served.
“It Was Only a Movie” propels readers on a roller-coaster ride to secret sites, long suppressed from public view, culled from highly classified dossiers of Eastern Townships diplomatic intelligence. This volume tracks the adventures of Eastern Townshippers from the humble marijuana farmer to some of the region’s most celebrated progeny. By popular demand, the former president of the United States makes a cameo appearance.

Public book reading
2022-08-20 16:00 - 17:30 | Gillygooly Gallery
Please mark your calendars and come to the Gillygooly Gallery for the North Hatley introduction of the book, It Was Only a Movie! — essays and vignettes by John LeBaron

It Was Only a Movie by John LeBaron will be presented at the Gillygooly Gallery in Canton de Hatley, Québec (96 Chemin Hatley Centre) on Saturday, 20th August 2022 at 4:00 PM. John will read excerpts from the book and discuss the adventure of writing humour. Copies will be available for sale at a discount from the listed price.

Accent Open Mic Vol. 52
2022-08-21 20:00 - 23:00 | La Marche à côté, 5043 St-Denis, Montreal, Quebec, H2J 2L8, Canada
Join us as Devon Gallant, curator of the Accent Reading Series, launches his new collection Bootleg Sake from Mosaic Press.
Accent Poetry Series is a bilingual poetry series based in Montreal, Quebec that takes place on the first and third Sunday of the month from 8pm to 11 at ‘La Marche a Cote’ 5043 St. Denis. It was created to give writers in Montreal a platform to share their work on a continual basis.

Book Launch & Art Market
2022-08-26 15:30 - 19:00, 2022-08-27 15:30 - 19:00 | Quebec
Labyrinth Bookstore is launching their second book, the Doom + Bloom Art Book! The book features 22 artists and over 66 artworks, along with over 20 prompts for artists and writers alike to use to inspire their own creativity!
To celebrate Labyrinth Bookstore is hosting a Book Launch & Art Market at Bloomfield Restaurant (1199 Van Horne, MTL) Friday and Saturday August 26 & 27!
Ten artists will be selling their wares, alongside chapbooks, a poetry anthology, the Doom + Bloom art book, and a large variety of used books as well! Come join us for a grand ol’ time!

Shut Up & Write! With QWF
2022-08-27 10:00 - 12:30 | Quebec
Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?

Register below to do all that writing you’ve been meaning to do in the (virtual) company of fellow writers! Using the Pomodoro technique, participants write in 25 minute bursts, with 5 minutes break in between.

This event is for QWF members only. You have to be signed-in to the website in order to see the registration options. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member. (Please contact Riley at riley@qwf.org if you are having difficulties registering)

Please note that these sessions are designed for silent writing, rather than discussing or getting feedback on work.

1000 – 1025: Writing 11025 – 1030: Break1030 – 1055: Writing 21055 – 1100: Break1100 – 1125: Writing 31125 – 1130: Break1130 – 1155: Writing 41155 – 1200: Break1200 -1225: Writing 5

Book launch of "Montreal to Moscow" by Terry Mosher
2022-09-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada
You are invited to the Montreal launch of Montreal to Moscow on Thursday, September 8th 2022, between 7 and 9pm, at the Atwater Library, 1200 Atwater Ave, Westmount, Quebec. This event is being hosted by Librairie Paragraphe (@paragraphebooks). Come out and meet Yvan Cournoyer!

The Gazette hired cartoonist Terry Mosher (Aislin) in 1972. The relationship is still going strong fifty years later. During his first year with the newspaper, Mosher was handed the assignment of a lifetime — to travel to Moscow and bring back sketches of the 1972 Canada-USSR hockey series. He is one of the few journalists still around who attended that historic event.

This collection of cartoons, commentary, and anecdotes draws on Mosher’s previous work as well as that of other Canadian cartoonists, legendary sportswriters of the time, and several important books on the series. It is a timely reminder of the excitement, despair, and exultation Canadian hockey fans experienced in that tumultuous year of 1972.

Lac Cafe Writing Retreat September 9-11
2022-09-09 18:30 | Quebec
A women’s writing weekend (non-binary writers welcome), open to experienced writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and all in-between genres. In a quiet natural setting by a pristine lake, we open ourselves to whatever wants to speak through us, in conscious alliance with both nonhuman and human intelligences. Cost for the weekend is 250$ which includes lodging and meals. Work exchange available. A nonrefundable deposit of $60 is required to hold a spot.
For more information: lweil22@gmail.com
Lise Weil has over thirty years’ experience teaching writing in both academic and alternative settings. She is founding editor of Dark Matter: Women Witnessing www.darkmatterwomenwitnessing.com and teaches in the Goddard Graduate Institute in Plainfield, Vt. www.liseweil.com

Shut Up & Write! With QWF
2022-09-10 10:00 - 12:30 | Quebec
Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?

Register below to do all that writing you’ve been meaning to do in the (virtual) company of fellow writers! Using the Pomodoro technique, participants write in 25-minute bursts, with 5 minutes break in between.

This event is for QWF members only. You have to be signed-in to the website in order to see the registration options. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member. (Please contact Riley at riley@qwf.org if you are having difficulties registering)

Please note that these sessions are designed for silent writing, rather than discussing or getting feedback on work.

1000 – 1025: Writing 11025 – 1030: Break1030 – 1055: Writing 21055 – 1100: Break1100 – 1125: Writing 31125 – 1130: Break1130 – 1155: Writing 41155 – 1200: Break1200 -1225: Writing 5

Note: Only 12 people are admitted per session. Due to high demand, you must reserve your seat in advance. RSVPs will open exactly one week before each session (i.e., every other Saturday).

Little Burgundy Festival
2022-09-10 12:00 - 21:00 | Parc Vinet, 550 Rue Vinet, Montreal, Quebec, H3J 2L5, Canada
The annual festival will have world music, inflatable games, face painting, a photo exhibition, history of Little Burgundy, a quiz on diversity, prizes, food kiosks, and me the book vendor.

Labyrinth Workshops!
2022-09-14 18:00 - 21:00 | Online
Labyrinth Bookstore is launching a series of workshops on what we’re calling “Workshop Wednesdays!” Every second Wednesday starting September 14, Labyrinth Bookstore will be running a workshop in the fields of literature and visual art facilitated by amazing and local Montreal talents. Coming up soon: Queer Poetry (September 28), and, Beginner Embroidery (TBD).

Russell Brooks at the Montreal Afro-Vegan Festival 2022
2022-09-18 13:00 - 23:00 | Quebec
I’ll be a vendor at this year’s Montreal Afro-Vegan Festival. There will be afro-Caribbean vegan food, arts, and me, the book vendor of suspense thrillers.

Shut Up & Write! With QWF
2022-09-24 10:00 - 12:30 | Quebec
September 24, 10:00am-12:30pm

Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?

Register below to do all that writing you’ve been meaning to do in the (virtual) company of fellow writers! Using the Pomodoro technique, participants write in 25-minute bursts, with 5 minutes break in between.

This event is for QWF members only. You have to be signed-in to the website in order to see the registration options. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member. (Please contact Riley at riley@qwf.org if you are having difficulties registering)

Please note that these sessions are designed for silent writing, rather than discussing or getting feedback on work.

1000 – 1025: Writing 11025 – 1030: Break1030 – 1055: Writing 21055 – 1100: Break1100 – 1125: Writing 31125 – 1130: Break1130 – 1155: Writing 41155 – 1200: Break1200 -1225: Writing 5

Note: Only 12 people are admitted per session. Due to high demand, you must reserve your seat in advance. RSVPs will open one week before each session (i.e., every other Saturday).

Book Launch of "Shaf and the Remington" by Rana Bose
2022-09-25 14:00 - 16:00 | Quebec
Readings and Q & A

Refreshments will be served.

“The characters are so full of life, distinct and engaging. The structure is perfect. I loved the artful ending. All is tied up but in a light, electric way. Nothing is heavy-handed. The themes are so prescient. A brilliant exploration of ‘the end of an era’—the post-war truce between races, religions and ideologies. I thank you for restoring my faith in the novel. In addition to being a fiercely intelligent political novel, the prose is luscious.” Marianne Ackerman, novelist, playwright, and journalist, author of Mankind and Other Stories of Women

5 Poets: Omar Musa, Hollie McNish, Rachel McCrum, Michael Pedersen, Dominic Hoey
2022-09-26 18:00 - 22:30 | ursa, 5589 Ave Du Parc, Montreal, Quebec, H2V 4S8, Canada
Five poets, covering Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Australia and New
Zealand. One night only in Montreal. Come revel with us. It’s going to be luscious.
URSA MTL
(5589 Ave Du Parc)
doors 6
show at 7
Admission is $10 at the door.

Book Launch: David Homel's A HOUSE WITHOUT SPIRITS
2022-09-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Salon B, 4231 b boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC, 4231 b boul. St-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Join Véhicule Press to celebrate the launch of David Homel’s latest novel A HOUSE WITHOUT SPIRITS. Hosted by Esplanade Books editor Dimitri Nasrallah, the event will feature a reading by the author and conversation about the novel with special guest Shelley Pomerance.
***
When Paul is hired to write a monograph of the Montreal photographer John Marchuk, he assumes he’ll be able to turn over the eccentric project in a matter of weeks. Little does he know that over the next few months his visits with Marchuk, in a house stuffed with boxes stacked floor to ceiling with his life’s archive, will expose an emptiness in his own home.
In A House Without Spirits, Homel delivers some of his most memorable characters to date—reclusive artists, disaffected life partners, wandering ghosts, cult-affiliated nuns—in a contemporary Montreal noir that reveals how much we learn about ourselves when we begin to ask questions of others.
***
David Homel is the author of nine novels and a memoir, as well as a series of books for younger readers co-written with Marie-Louise Gay. A prize- winning writer and translator, he has worked in documentary film, print and radio journalism. He lives in Montreal.

Atwater Poetry Project Online: Alexei Perry Cox & Hoa Nguyen
2022-09-29 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Crowdcast
The Atwater Poetry Project returns for our Fall season with poets ALEXEI PERRY COX, author of the new collection PLACE (Noemi Press 2022), and 2017 Griffin Award nominee HOA NGUYEN, who will read from recent work and dialogue on lineages of women’s experimental writing, moderated by APP Curator Faith Paré. REGISTER with your email for the event via Crowdcast! https://www.crowdcast.io/e/app-online-cox-nguyen

Emerging Writers Residency 2022 | Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
2022-10-03 02:00 - 2022-10-16 01:59 | Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, 107 Tunnel Mountain Drive, Banff, Alberta, T1L 1H5, Canada
This workshop-based program focuses on providing structured support for new Young Adult (YA) & Children’s Literature writers wanting to improve their writing skills. Two faculty, Katherena Vermette and Tanya Boteju will work closely with 7 participants each, offering new writers the opportunity to work on a portion of a manuscript in a workshop setting with editorial faculty.
The program will help writers build their critical vocabulary, making them better critics of their own and others’ work. Participants will also learn more about the craft of writing, and about the conventions and possibilities for innovation in YA and Children’s Literature.
What does the program offer?
This 13-day residency provides thematic teaching from faculty members, Q&A sessions, public events, and one-on-one workshopping. Instructors will discuss ideas, experiences, and obstacles that participants may be encountering with their new manuscripts and emerging practices.
In addition to a single room, and a small private studio, you will be surrounded by a community of artistic peers with the opportunity to attend inspiring talks, performances, and meet with guest faculty to consult on your work.
Who should apply?

Any new writer of YA or Children’s Literature interested in structured feedback from faculty and fellow participants will benefit from this program. The program is open to writers with no publications, a few publications, or even a first book.
Writers from all backgrounds, and all gender identities and expressions are encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline: July 06, 2022
*Financial Aid of up to 100% of tuition fee and 50% of meal and accommodation fee is available for this program.

Writing About Trauma (Without Being Super Annoying)
2022-10-03 20:00 - 22:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Open to all.

Limited to 12 participants

We plan to hold this workshop in person at the QWF office, with up to two virtual slots available for people who are unable to come to our office. If public health conditions necessitate it, this workshop may transition to a purely online model.

There was a time when bad things would happen to me, and I would be like, this is so terrible, my life is so awful. Then, I became a writer. Now, when bad things happen to me, I think: this kind of thing is so awful… for people who are not writers. This is going to make such a good essay.

Being a writer is a superpower. Writers are often uniquely sensitive, which can make us vulnerable — but that sensitivity, when channelled appropriately, can turn into our greatest strength. When we learn to transmute our challenging, painful, and even traumatic experiences into art, we learn a very real kind of invulnerability: a capacity to spin agony into gold, a way in which we are always safe, always on top, and can always have the last word. At its best, this skill can allow us to wrest power back from our worst experiences and literally pave a road to fame, fortune, healing, and transcendence. There are, however, a few essential skills we must learn along the way.

In this eight-week workshop, Montreal-based poet and nonfiction writer Tara McGowan-Ross will take the participants on a journey through their shadows, mistakes, betrayals, and heartbreaks, towards the end of creating a powerful and transformative piece of work. She will cover subjects ranging from basic critical thinking and how to apply it, to how to create a safe container for your difficult feelings, to the ethics of writing nonfiction, which inevitably includes other people with opinions and boundaries — to injecting the kind of skill, humour, and humanity required of a work so that it may avoid the most common pitfall of writing trauma narratives: being, like, super annoying.

Tara McGowan-Ross is an urban Mi’kmaw multidisciplinary artist and writer. She graduated from Concordia University’s philosophy program with a minor in Creative Writing in 2016. She is the author of poetry collections Girth and Scorpion Season, and the memoir Nothing Will Be Different. She has served on numerous editorial boards, including Goose Lane’s Icehouse imprint, and has been anthologized in Best Canadian Poetry and Anthologie de la poésie actuelle des femmes au Québec. She lives in Montreal, where she is a theatre critic, a rebel educator, a Substack columnist, and the host of Drawn & Quarterly’s Indigenous Literatures Book Club.

girthgirl.ca

taramcgowanross.substack.com

@girthgirl (Instagram/Twitter)

NOTA: Next on the Agenda - Writing Futures in Quebec
2022-10-04 10:00 - 17:00 | 4th SPACE, Concordia University, 1400 De Maisonneuve Ouest, Montreal, Canada
A conference for English-language writers, publishers, event organizers, and literary professionals to discuss the changing context for literature and to explore how writing careers are developed, supported, and sustained in Quebec in 2022. The in-person conference is sold out, but you can still register to participate virtually at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/nota-next-on-the-agenda-writing-futures-in-quebec-tickets-400555300687

Your Story, Embodied
2022-10-05 18:00 - 20:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Open to storytellers of all levels of experience.

Limited to 12 participants.

We plan to hold this workshop in person at the QWF office, with up to two virtual slots available for people who are unable to come to our office. If public health conditions necessitate it, this workshop may transition to a purely online model.

Have you ever sat captivated by a stranger standing on a stage recounting true events from their life? Did you get caught up in the tension of the room, waiting with everyone else to find out what would happen next? Ever wonder what it would be like to hold an audience’s breath in the palm of your hand?

You can. You already have everything you need: your body.

Join Lukas and Emma, two seasoned and engaging storytellers, for eight weeks of exploration into using your body to craft and perform your own true-life stories.

The objectives of this workshop are to:

Equip participants to prepare and perform a five-minute true story with no notes and no props.Facilitate and support exploration of emotionally charged material in search of unique stories.Harness the inherent strength of your body – the vessel for sharing your stories.Examine the tenets of storytelling, including finding your narrative, conflict, and other essential elements of storycraft.

These intimate sessions will involve a mixture of group discussion, critical analysis of stories, and workshopping participants’ own stories with the goal of embodying an original five-minute story for invited guests at the final session. Stories will be workshopped in groups as well as one-on-one with facilitators and fellow workshop participants.

Each week will focus on a particular theme with a corresponding body part, with story examples to support each theme and illustrate the foundations of storytelling. By week 3, participants should have a story in mind that we will work on for the final presentation.

Lukas Rowland is a writer, storyteller, and bodywork practitioner. He has told many stories with Confabulation, where he is producer and communications coordinator. He was selected for the QWF Mentorship Program in 2020, where he studied under Carousel author April Ford as a fiction mentee. He curated and produced an evening of queer stories for the Violet Hour. Though he has lived in and around Montreal these past 14 years, he comes from Southern Louisiana, where storytelling is part of every Cajun’s life. You can find him on Twitter @lukaslikeswords and on Instagram at @luka2ndfloor and at lukasrowland.com.

Emma Lanza is a born-and-bred Montrealer with a background in storytelling, theatre performance, and arts management. She earned her Master’s degree in Library Science and currently works in medical research administration. A self-proclaimed fat bisexual babe, Emma is a staunch believer in fat liberation and radical self-love and she wants you to know you look fabulous in that outfit! She has performed at Confabulation, YARN, The Wiggle Room, Concordia University, and Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids. She founded the bi-monthly Fattie Book Club @fattiebookclub and can be found on Instagram @emma_lanza and on Twitter @emmalanza.
