Quebec Writers' Federation

Writing for Young(er) Readers, age 12 to 20
2025-10-18 10:30 - 16:30, 2025-10-25 10:30 - 16:30, 2025-11-01 10:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Three Saturdays, Oct 18-Nov 1, 10:30am-4:30pm Open to allLimited to 12 participantsIn-Person Workshop*

This workshop is designed to provide a supportive framework for discussing and engaging in the process of writing for middle grade and young adult readers. (We will not be covering picture books or chapter books for younger kids.) Participants will be encouraged to bring a work-in-progress or idea-in-progress and optionally share up to 20 pages of their writing. We will cover topics such as…

the author’s responsibility when writing for young readers

assessing the target audience

choice of material

technical tricks of the trade

popular genres

pitfalls

difficult subject matter

editing

illustrations / graphic novels

individual goals.

Though not the main focus of the workshop, information about publishing will be included. I will also send out a suggested reading list as soon as registration closes and will be interested in hearing about everyone’s favourite books.

*This workshop will take place exclusively in-person at the QWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec).

Edeet Ravel has written twelve novels for adults and young readers. She has been a Governor General’s Award and Giller finalist and has won various prizes for her work. Her book A Boy is Not a Bird and its sequel, A Boy is Not a Ghost, are based on the true story of an East European boy who is exiled to Siberia during World War II. Her most recent book, Miss Matty, tells the story of a Montreal teenager in the post-Depression years who dreams of being a Hollywood star.

Embodied Writing - Deep Red Fall Edition
2025-10-18 14:00 - 17:00 | QC
~Writing, breathwork, meditation & optional sharing circle~
Saturday, October 18, 2-5pm
Espace BE, 2240 Beaconsfield (NDG)
Deep Red Fall Edition
***
The Deep Red Fall
Writing stirs first in the body. The more you let your senses unfurl, the more vivid and alive your language becomes. Each word you release has lived in you already—etched into your muscles, your breath, your bones.
So often we contort ourselves into stiff, dislocated shapes to summon language. Yet the body is our oldest keeper of truth, carrying both our wounds and our wildness. What shifts when we loosen instead—when we let the spine curve, the hips sway, the breath deepen? What words break open in the space where trauma is met with tenderness, where movement tips toward dance, where surrender becomes possible?
This season, we lean into the deep red fall: into descent, shadow, ripeness, and the sensual weight of presence. To write from here is to risk being altered, to risk being undone, to risk being set aflame. Our flesh and blood holds stories that ache to be broken open, scrawled aloud. Birthing them into words can be grounding, freeing, and profoundly healing.
Whether you come as a seasoned writer, a beginner, or simply someone longing to abandon yourself to the pulse that carries you, this workshop opens the door to the charged and intimate meeting ground of body and language.
Our practice will interweave:
-Kundalini breathwork
-Stretches & light movement
-Creative writing prompts & exercises
-Meditation
-An optional sharing & discussion circle
-Homemade chai & a sweet treat
What to bring:
Your journal, a pen, comfy clothes & an open mind.
What to know:
Pens & paper will be available, as will yoga mats/blocks/blankets/bolsters if needed. Seating options will include: chairs, mats, back jacks, etc. There will be space to move around and shift positions as needed.
About the facilitator:
Maya Khamala is a lifelong writer of many stripes. From poetry to grassroots journalism to creative nonfiction, word is her bond. She has collaborated with visual artists at a loss for words, and has worked as a freelance copywriter and editor for the last decade. She has a shiny little MA in Creative Writing to list among her credentials, and is an emerging novelist to boot. Maya has an extensive background in feminist, anti-racist, climate justice and Indigenous solidarity movements—work that has deeply informed the way she wields words. Aside from being a writer, she is also a Kundalini Yoga teacher and Embodied Writing facilitator offering regular Montreal classes and workshops in Montreal. She got into Kundalini as a way of healing from childhood trauma and its many lifelong manifestations in her body, as well as to counteract being a writer who sometimes forgets to step away from the keyboard…and just breathe.
Cost: $80
All are welcome! Limited spots.
Book here: linktr.ee/heartfire.kundalini
Questions? Please email maya.khamala@gmail.com to discuss.

Deep Story Design: Story-Craft Essentials for Longer Form Narratives
2025-10-20 17:45 - 19:45, 2025-10-27 17:45 - 19:45, 2025-11-03 17:45 - 19:45 | Online via Zoom
Ten Mondays, Oct 6-Dec 15, 5:45-7:45pm (No session on October 13) Open to allLimited to 12 participantsOnline Workshop*

This workshop delves into the five fundamental elements of story-making—structure, plot, character, theme, and scene building. Whether you’re writing a novella, novel, screenplay, or memoir, the skillful use of these elements allows all writers to create powerful stories that are meaningful and satisfying.

After introducing a basic three-act story structure that’s foundational for most stories, the workshop will progress through aspects of character, theme, and plot so that you can feel confident about completing fiction or nonfiction of any kind or length. We also touch on scene construction so your stories feel dynamic and alive on the page.

Weekly homework exercises help writers at different stages of your story-making process, whether you’re gathering material for a new story, drafting an existing work, or revising a project that is nearly ready to share with others. (Completed homework will receive instructor feedback and some in-class discussion.)

In addition to the focus on craft essentials, this workshop invites writers to make personal discoveries about what matters most deeply to them and how this connects with their writing. This connection between self and story is integral to Deep Story Design, because writers who know who they are, and what they care about most, are better able to access their unique creative voice.

Weekly meetings will look something like this:

a 90-minute lesson, including 15-30 mins of in-class exercises

a 10-minute break

20 minutes for Q&A/homework discussion

Completed homework assignments will be due 4 days after the meeting at which they are assigned.

*This workshop will take place online via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants a week or so prior to the first session.

April Bosshard is a respected workshop facilitator and story coach who’s helped hundreds of writers develop and complete their projects. Sometimes called a “story whisperer” or “story genie,” she has a background in film and television and has written fiction and non-fiction for traditional and independent markets, which include publications in the US, UK, and Canada. April teaches at conferences and leads workshops internationally and online, while also working with individual clients as a story coach and developmental editor.

QWF-ERA E-Waste Collection Drive
2025-10-21 10:30 - 2025-10-28 17:30 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
October 21–October 28, 2025 (see hours below)

Do you have old electronics lying around?

Donate them to a good cause! QWF is partnering with the Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) to collect used electronics, which ERA will refurbish and distribute to organizations helping people in need.

Our Writers in the Community program has directly benefited from ERA’s past collection drives, and this time is no exception. Stop by the QWF office and drop off your old devices (working or not) so we can continue to provide the young writers who pass through the program with access to technology. All personal data is destroyed before devices are refurbished.

Accepted items include:

Desktops

Laptops/notebooks

Printers

Tablets

Computer peripherals (keyboards, mice, accessories)

Phone systems

Physical software (operating systems, editing or design software, etc.)

…and more!

See the full list of accepted items on ERA’s website.

If you or anyone you know is interested in donating used electronics, then please feel free to drop them off at the QWF office in the Atwater Library: 1200 Atwater Ave, Room 3 Westmount, QC H3Z 1X4 (top floor). Consult the schedule below to see when we’re accepting drop-offs.

Drop-Off Hours

DateHoursTuesday, October 2111:00 am–4:00 pmWednesday, October 2210:30 am–5:30 pmThursday, October 2311:00 am–4:00 pmFriday, October 2410:30 am–5:30 pmSaturday, October 2510:30 am–4:30 pmSunday, October 26CLOSEDMonday, October 2710:30 am–5:30 pmTuesday, October 2811:00 am–4:00 pm

If you’d like to drop off an item but can’t make any of those times, contact john@qwf.org to arrange an alternative time.

About ERA

The Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2004 to address the growing problem of e-waste and the increasing “digital divide.” For over fifteen years, ERA has offered simple solutions to help individuals and organizations prevent operational equipment from premature destruction. With a focus on recovery, refurbishment and reuse, ERA continuously supplies charitable groups with donated IT equipment while securely managing the retiring IT assets of organizations and individuals across Canada. Learn more.

Poetry in Concert: Composition, Voice, Performance
2025-10-21 17:45 - 19:45, 2025-10-28 17:45 - 19:45, 2025-11-04 17:45 - 19:45 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Eight Tuesdays, Oct 7-Nov 25, 5:45-7:45pm Open to poets and writers with some writing experienceLimited to 12 participantsHybrid Workshop*

The workshop Poetry in Concert: Composition, Voice, Performance is intended for poets or writers with some writing experience who are interested in pushing their poetic imagination and expanding their vocal and performative abilities. No previous public performance experience is required, but participants need to be willing to experiment and vocalize their work in front of each other. As everyone will be producing new writing, no advance submission is necessary.

In this poetry workshop, participants will focus on composing a poetic work or suite that draws inspiration from the oral and performing arts, including forms such as theatrical dialogue, prose monologue, performance art, sound poetry, spoken word, and vocal improvisation. In the first half of the workshop, participants will engage in various writing and listening exercises in order to generate work, listen to diverse poets and sound artists, discuss and respond to each others’ writing, and gradually compose a poetic work inspired by various aspects of performance that are not only translated onto the page but also imagined for the stage. Ideas related to composition, movement, pacing, and embodiment will be explored.

The second part of the workshop will focus on the vocalization and performance of this work. Participants will learn about range, volume, dynamics, timing; how to warm up their voices and prepare for a performative reading; how to properly use a microphone; and how to explore multiple ways that their unique voices can embody their work. Depending on interest, the workshop could culminate in a performance event of the work produced.

*This workshop will take place at the QWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec) with up to 2 virtual spots for participants who are unable to attend in-person because of distance or disability. By default, all workshop registrations are for in-person spots. If you would like to request a virtual slot, contact Riley at riley@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you.

Oana Avasilichioaei has created many performance/sound works that mix electronics, ambient textures, noise, and vocal play, published seven collections of poetry hybrids, including Chambersonic (Talonbooks, 2024) and award-nominated Eight Track (Talonbooks, 2019), and written a libretto for the one-act opera Cells of Wind (FAWN Chamber Collective, 2022–24). Based in Montreal, she has been a writer- or artist-in-residence at Green College, UBC (Vancouver, 2009), University of Calgary (2010–11), Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, 2018), OBORO (Montreal, 2021), and Rhizome (Quebec City, 2024), and is currently nominated for the Bernard Heidsieck Centre Pompidou International Literature Prize for her intermedia work.

Turning Your Story Into a Book
2025-10-21 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-10-28 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-11-04 20:00 - 22:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Five Tuesdays, Oct 7-Nov 4, 8-10pm Open to allLimited to 12 participantsHybrid Workshop*

You have a great story, maybe something you published in a magazine or a newspaper. But how can you turn that into a book? A book is not just a much longer version of what you have already written, it’s a different beast altogether. Over five weeks, this workshop with Julian Sher, investigative journalist and author of nine books, takes you through the steps to make your next project a success. From making sure you have the right topic to building the best narrative arc, developing your characters, the best techniques for writing, and how to do research. Not to forget the agents, publishers, and legal issues.

You don’t have to have published anything to take this workshop, and you can come with any ideas, proposals, or dreams of that book you want to write. To prepare, think of a book (or movie, TV show, song, or poem) that really moved you. Write down two things: what made it such good story-telling and what journey did the characters go on that made them so compelling.

Though based on non-fiction writing, this course is also suitable for fiction writers since the basic principles of story-telling are the same.

*This workshop will take place at the QWF Office (Room 3, 4023 Tupper Street, Westmount, Quebec) with up to 2 virtual spots for participants who are unable to attend in-person because of distance or disability. By default, all workshop registrations are for in-person spots. If you would like to request a virtual slot, contact Riley at riley@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you.

Julian Sher is an award-winning story-teller as the author of nine books, a documentary writer, a director, and an accomplished trainer around the world. His film Ghosts of Afghanistan won the top Canadian Screen Award for Best Documentary. He was also the Senior Producer of CBC’s the fifth estate, Canada’s premier investigative TV program for five years. Julian also works to tell the stories of people fighting for human rights. He has written numerous articles for the Montreal Gazette, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail and he is a Senior Fellow with the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Stage-Worthy: How to Write a Play
2025-10-22 17:45 - 19:45, 2025-11-05 17:45 - 19:45 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Seven Wednesdays, Oct 8-Nov 26, 5:45-7:45pm (No session on October 29; double-session [5:45-9:45pm] on November 26)Open to allLimited to 12 participantsIn-Person Workshop*

Dialogue, characters, plot, setting! This will be a learn-by-doing-as-you-go, anecdotal (in a theatre history way), ease-you-into-it experience that’s not scary or overwhelming. If you have always wanted to write a play or already have a play idea in the works, this is the workshop for you. I’m quite motivational, coach-like, and pushy in a good way. I will get that play out of you if you are willing to try. I am all for deadlines, discipline, and contests. Since I have more of a comic bent, there could be more emphasis on comedy. The workshop will evolve as it goes, based on what everyone hopes to accomplish. I am often surprised and quite happy to see what happens when I throw ideas and writing games at writers in a workshop. I am very careful about how feedback is given because everything is so new. This does not mean that there won’t be opportunities to share your work or prove that you are indeed writing. Participants will have something dramatic to show for it at the end of the workshop. A past QWF workshop resulted in Picturesque: Voices From Beaver Hall, which saw productions at Redpath Museum, Dawson Theatre, as well as museums in Hamilton and Calgary.

*This workshop will take place exclusively in-person at the QWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec).

Colleen Curran is an award-winning playwright, novelist, actor, and teacher. Her comedy Cake-Walk premiered at the Blyth Festival in 1984 and has had more than 50 productions across North America. It was brought to the attention of Showtime Network by Whoopi Goldberg. Curran’s many plays include Villa Eden, Sacred Hearts (winner of the International Gabriel Award and most recently done by Zeitgeist Stage in Boston) Maple Lodge (Winner Best Canadian Play, Samuel French Inc. Competition), Another Labour Day (Best New Play, QDF, 1984), El Clavadista, A Brave Girl, Sibyl and Sylvia, Casa de Mary, Ceili House, and Ireland’s Own Carmel O’Reilly Tonite! Her three novels about Montreal singing waitress Lenore Rutland are Something Drastic, Overnight Sensation, and Guests of Chance. Her stage adaptation of Something Drastic premiered in 2002 and has been seen in Winnipeg, Toronto, Athens, and Melbourne. Her True Nature launched the 2011-2012 season at Centaur Theatre. Her latest novel, Out for Stars, made the long list for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.

Deep Story Design: Story-Craft Essentials for Longer Form Narratives (Wednesday Cohort)
2025-10-22 17:45 - 19:45, 2025-10-29 17:45 - 19:45 | Online via Zoom
Ten Wednesdays, Oct 8-Dec 17, 5:45-7:45pm (No session on October 15) Open to allLimited to 12 participantsOnline Workshop*

This workshop delves into the five fundamental elements of story-making—structure, plot, character, theme, and scene building. Whether you’re writing a novella, novel, screenplay, or memoir, the skillful use of these elements allows all writers to create powerful stories that are meaningful and satisfying.

After introducing a basic three-act story structure that’s foundational for most stories, the workshop will progress through aspects of character, theme, and plot so that you can feel confident about completing fiction or nonfiction of any kind or length. We also touch on scene construction so your stories feel dynamic and alive on the page.

Weekly homework exercises help writers at different stages of your story-making process, whether you’re gathering material for a new story, drafting an existing work, or revising a project that is nearly ready to share with others. Completed homework will receive instructor feedback and some in-class discussion.

In addition to the focus on craft essentials, this workshop invites writers to make personal discoveries about what matters most deeply to them and how this connects with their writing. This connection between self and story is integral to Deep Story Design, because writers who know who they are, and what they care about most, are better able to access their unique creative voice.

Weekly meetings will look something like this:

a 90-minute lesson, including 15-30 mins of in-class exercises

a 10-minute break

20 minutes for Q&A/homework discussion

Completed homework assignments will be due 4 days after the meeting at which they are assigned.

*This workshop will take place online via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants a week or so prior to the first session. Please note that this is the Wednesday iteration of the workshop; there is also a group meeting on Mondays. The material covered will be the same, but note that due to limited spots, we cannot facilitate transfers between groups.

Short Fiction: Plot and the Inner Life
2025-10-22 20:00 - 22:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Eight Wednesdays, Oct 8- Dec 3, 8-10pm (No session on October 29) Open to allLimited to 12 participantsHybrid Workshop*

This eight-week workshop will explore how deepening a character’s inner life can generate new possibilities for a short story’s plot. One premise of this workshop is that fiction’s power lies in its capacity to depict with a high degree of detail an individual’s consciousness: the realm of perceptions, feelings, desires, memories, and thoughts. How one consciousness bumps up against another—and against the external world of norms, things, economic and cultural forces, etc.—is what makes a story possible. We will investigate story as, in George Saunders’s words, “a system for the transfer of energy.”

Plot and interiority are broad categories that encompass other topics such as point of view, dialogue, backstory, and deepening the role of setting and/or of the body, all of which can be studied and discussed, depending on the group’s interest and the story drafts that are submitted for workshopping. Note that the workshop leader’s focus is realist literary fiction, but all genres are welcome. The larger goal of the workshop is to support writers in uncovering the best possible versions of their stories.

Most of the workshop will be devoted to reading and discussing participants’ stories (two per week over seven weeks, up to 5000 words each). However, for the first meeting, participants will discuss Yiyun Li’s story, “Prison,” a jarring tale about surrogate birth. Please read the first 23 pages before the first session, but do not read farther than that. We will read the final 5 pages together, tracking how the plot ultimately unfolds.

*This workshop will take place at the QWF Office (Room 3, 4023 Tupper Street, Westmount, Quebec) with up to 2 virtual spots for participants who are unable to attend in-person because of distance or disability. By default, all workshop registrations are for in-person spots. If you would like to request a virtual slot, contact Riley at riley@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you.

Michelle Syba is the author of the story collection End Times (Freehand Books, 2023), a finalist for the QWF Concordia University First Book Prize. End Times explores the lives of people variously entangled with evangelical culture, including immigrants, the elderly, the burned-out, and the lonely, examining our hidden anxieties and longings. Michelle’s shorter works have been published in The New Quarterly, Cosmonauts Avenue, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and elsewhere.

You can find out more about her at www.michellesyba.com.

Writing the Personal Essay
2025-10-23 17:45 - 19:45 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Eight Thursdays, Oct 9-Dec 4, 5:45-7:45pm (No session on October 30) Open to allLimited to 12 participantsHybrid Workshop*

Have you ever wanted to see your words on the pages of your favourite newspaper, magazine, or website? The personal essay is a subgenre of creative nonfiction that focuses on unique stories with universal appeal told from a first-person perspective. In this 8-week workshop, you’ll learn everything from how to generate ideas to how to structure your first and second drafts to how to pitch your completed piece.

The workshop will consist of teacher-led instruction, at-home readings, generative in-class writing exercises, and guided peer feedback. You will also be expected to work on your essay at home, between classes. By the end of this session, you will have one completed personal essay.

*This workshop will take place at the QWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec) with up to 2 virtual spots for participants who are unable to attend in-person because of distance or disability. By default, all workshop registrations are for in-person spots. If you would like to request a virtual slot, contact Riley at riley@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you.

Julie Matlin is a writer with several areas of concentration, including screenwriting, personal essays, novels, and reported articles. Previously, Julie worked at the National Film Board of Canada as a writer and social media strategist. Prior to that, she spent 15 years as a producer’s assistant and production coordinator in feature film.

Building a Better Short Story Collection
2025-10-23 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-10-30 20:00 - 22:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Eight Thursdays, Oct 9-Nov 27, 8-10pmOpen to allLimited to 12 participantsOnline Workshop*

This workshop takes as its premise that any writer can throw together a bunch of good or even great stories to publish as a collection, but questions whether great stories alone make a great manuscript, a great book.

In looking at what binds a story collection, we’ll consider:

a few writers (like Alice Munro, Raymond Carver, Edward P. Jones, Amy Sands Brodoff, Zalika Reid-Binta, and Kaie Kellough)

critiques/reviews of their collections/books

participants’ own work/stories.

We’ll also look at excerpts from a journal that participants will be asked to keep during the workshop (and hopefully beyond). The journal will contain thoughts, such as story ideas, outlines for their collections, story order and contents, frustrations, and illuminations, on the evolution of their manuscript.

*This workshop will take place online via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants a week or so prior to the first session.

Robert Edison Sandiford is the author of several books, among them the story cycle Fairfield, the novel And Sometimes They Fly, and graphic novels with NBM Publishing. He has been shortlisted for The Frank Collymore Literary Award and is a recipient of Barbados’s Governor General’s Award of Excellence in Literary Arts. In 2003, he founded with the poet Linda M. Deane the Barbadian cultural resource ArtsEtc Inc. He has worked as a publisher, teacher, and producer with Warm Water Productions. His stories have appeared in journals, magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. Currently, he’s busy with another novel, this time about fathers, sons, and dementia.

Literary Oktoberfest
2025-10-24 19:00 - 23:00 | QC
Friday October 24th, 2025, 7pm-11pm. L’Ambroisie et L’Espace Canal (4020 Rue Saint-Ambroise)

Pre-sale tickets have sold out. We will be selling tickets at the door.

Yolk is excited to announce its third annual Literary Oktoberfest! Join us for a night inspired by the atmospheric outdoor beer gardens of Oktoberfest and designed to connect writers, agents, publishers, booksellers, and literary support organizations in the city of Montreal. The evening will begin with three keynote speakerssharing insights about their publishing journeys, and conclude with two readings by prominent authors Tara McGowan-Ross and Christopher DiRaddo. Throughout the evening there will be time to meet new writers, industry professionals, and discover what this city and country has to offer. Tickets are 10$. Limited spots available! This is an 18+ event.Keynote Speakers:‍‍Pamela Mulloy (Editor-in-Chief, The New Quarterly)‍Paige Sisley (Agent, CookeMcDermid)‍Mikhail Iossel (Concordia Professor, Literary Retreat & Festival Organizer)‍

When: Friday October 24th, 2025, 7pm-11pm. Where: L’Ambroisie et L’Espace Canal (4020 Rue Saint-Ambroise)

Participating organizations tabling at the event include:Ace of Swords PublishingAhoyAssociation of English Language Publishers of QuebecCactus Presscarte blancheDiscordia ReviewD.W. Wilson Creative Writing WorkshopsEncore Poetry ProjectGrapeseed BooksHeadlight Anthology‍Linda Leith PublishingMaisonneuveMaybe MagMetonymy PressMontreal International Poetry PrizeMontreal Review of BooksPasticheThe PitPow Pow PressTurret House PressQuebec Writers’ FederationQuist Literary JournalRODAISUNScrivener Creative ReviewSoliloquiesSquid LiteraryVéhicule PressYiara

Shut Up & Write! with QWF (Virtual)
2025-10-25 10:00 - 12:30 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:00 am–12:30 pm ETOnline via Zoom—RSVP below to receive the Zoom link

Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?

Register below to do all that writing you’ve been meaning to do. Using the Pomodoro technique, participants write in 25-minute bursts, with 5-minute breaks in between.

This event is for QWF members only. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member.

The Zoom link will be sent out a day or two before the session.

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

10:00–10:25: Writing 110:25–10:30: Break10:30–10:55: Writing 210:55–11:00: Break11:00–11:25: Writing 311:25–11:30: Break11:30–11:55: Writing 411:55–12:00: Break12:00–12:25: Writing 5

To receive the Zoom link, RSVP below. You will receive the Zoom link a few days before the session.

Note: RSVPs for virtual Shut Up & Write! sessions close 24 hours before the session begins. If there is no option to RSVP, RSVPs are closed.

Note: We are aware of a glitch rendering our RSVP forms unresponsive for some users. If you encounter difficulties registering for this session, email John Wickham at john@qwf.org, who will register you manually.

Two Rebeccas, Two Books!
2025-10-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Argo Bookshop, 1841A Ste-Catherine St. West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Thursday, October 30, Argo Bookstore, 1841-A Saint-Catherine St W, Montreal, 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Two Rebeccas, Two Books! Rebecca Păpucaru will read from her novel As Good a Place as Any (Guernica Editions) in conversation with Rebecca Morris, author of Other Maps (Linda Leith). Wine and goodies and books for sale!

Fun Halloween Social Event in Montreal | 20s–30s Meet & Mingle Night
2025-10-31 07:30 - 21:00 | Deer Garden, 2087 Saint-Catherine St West, Montreal, Quebec, H3H 1M6, Canada
Looking for things to do in Montreal on Halloween? Meet other fun, open-minded people at this 20s–30s social mixer. Costumes, cocktails, and icebreakers make this the perfect night to laugh, connect, and celebrate Halloween in style…
☑️ No pressure, high-energy social format
🧟 Curated 20s–30s crowd
🗣️ Conversation prompts & group activities
🎶 Music + great atmosphere

Shut Up & Write! with QWF (In Person)
2025-10-31 12:30 - 15:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Friday, October 31, 2025, 12:30 pm–3:00 pmFree, In PersonQWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Ave., Westmount)

Register for the session by filling out the RSVP form below.

Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?

Join us for an in-person Shut Up & Write session at the QWF office!

Do all that writing you’ve been meaning to do, and meet a few of your fellow QWF members. Using the Pomodoro technique, participants write in 25-minute bursts, with 5-minute breaks in between.

This event is for QWF members only. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member.

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

12:30–12:55: Writing 112:55–1:00: Break1:00–1:25: Writing 21:25–1:30: Break1:30–1:55: Writing 31:55–2:00: Break2:00–2:25: Writing 42:25–2:30: Break2:30–2:55: Writing 5

To register, RSVP below.

Getting to the QWF Office

Our office is located on the top floor of the Atwater Library and Computer Centre, in Room 3.

Address: 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3Westmount, QC H3Z 1X4

Closest Metro: Atwater Station

Closest Bus lines: 24, 63, 90, 104, 138, 144, 150

Accessibility:

The QWF Office is fully accessible by wheelchair from the side entrance on Tupper Street. Once inside, there is an elevator to the second floor, where the QWF office is.

Learn more about the office location and accessibility.

If you registered and can no longer attend, please email john@qwf.org to notify us.

Book Launch for Gillian Sze, Stephanie Bolster, and Ronna Bloom
2025-11-02 14:00 - 15:30 | Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore, 2220 McGill College Ave, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 3P9, Canada
Sunday, November 2, 20252:00–3:30 pm ET

Join us for a poetry book launch, celebrating the release of An Orange, a Syllable by Gillian Sze, Long Exposure by Stephanie Bolster, and In a Rip Tide by Ronna Bloom.

RSVP on Eventbrite

NOIA Launch Party: Absurd Rituals
2025-11-04 20:00 - 23:30 | Le Système, 7119 rue Saint-Hubert, Montreal
Join NOIA’s first ever launch event in Canada, celebrating the fourth issue of NOIA Magazine: Absurd Rituals.
NOIA Launch: Absurd Rituals
We’re pleased to announce our first ever launch event in Canada, celebrating the fourth issue of NOIA Magazine: Absurd Rituals.
About this issue:
This issue investigates the tension between the internal logic and external perception of (absurd) rituals. A daughter, raised within her father’s conspiratorial rituals, experiences the tragic gap between belief and consequence. Computer overclockers engage in elaborate cooling ceremonies, transforming functional necessity into obsessive craft. Presidential golf outings, presented as leisure, serve as carefully choreographed performances of power, conducted across manicured landscapes with arcane codes of access.
About this launch:
Issues 2-4 will be available for purchase along with limited edition rings made by Ran.Den.Metal x NOIA.
DJ sets brought to you by @mekashaaaa along with a custom cocktail menu by Jo Kolb. Hosted by Foster Gareau.

The Words & Music Show: The 2025 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize Finalists
2025-11-05 14:00 - 15:30 | 4TH SPACE, McConnell Building, Concordia University, 1400 de Maisonneuve Boulevard West, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1M8, Canada
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 2:00–3:30 pm ET4TH SPACE, Concordia University (1400 Maisonneuve Blvd W, Montreal)Free, Open to All

Co-sponsored by SpokenWeb and the Quebec Writers’ Federation

Join us for an afternoon of spoken word, storytelling, and literary performance featuring the eight finalists of the 2025 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize and hosted by Alexis O’Hara.

The following Monday, one to three of these finalists will be awarded the prize at the 2025 QWF Awards Gala. Before the prize is bestowed, let us cheer on the top-notch work done by the shortlisted finalists in this special iteration of QWF’s Words and Music Show!

How can you participate? Join us in person at Concordia’s 4TH SPACE or online by registering for the Zoom Meeting or watching live on YouTube.

Accessibility: 4TH SPACE is located on the ground floor and is accessible by wheelchair.

Have questions? Send them to info.4@concordia.ca

The Spoken Word Prize Finalists

Photo: Erica Steeves

Liana Cusmano (Luca/BiCurious George) is a three-time Montreal Slam Champion and 2019 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship runner-up. Their novel Catch & Release was published by Guernica Editions in 2022. They were a finalist for the 2022 QWF Spoken Word Prize and winner of the 2024 Society Pages Poetry Contest.

Photo: Brooklyn Melnyk

Octavie Doherty-Haigh is a poet, actor, and tree planter. Her work explores topics of neurodivergence, eating disorder recovery, and mental illness through the lens of love. Based in Montreal, she is currently earning her BFA in theatre acting at Concordia University.

Photo: Vadim Daniel

A self-titled Jamhaitianadian, Kym Dominique-Ferguson is a Montreal spoken word artist. Through Madpoetix Productions’ curated events like Inside Madpoetix Studios, Ferguson shines a spotlight on Montreal Artists. He has been a slam team member at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word multiple times, and his poetry appears in The Great Black North anthology.

Photo: Nine Desbaillet

Rachel McCrum’s debut collection The First Blast to Awaken Women Degenerate was translated by Jonathan Lamy and published in a bilingual edition with Mémoire d’encrier in 2020. With Amélie Prévost, she is the co-author and co-performer of La Belle-mère / The Stepmother (L’Hexagone, 2024). Rachel is the vocalist for Pigs&Wolves.

Photo: @jozef_photoz

Robin Warren (aka Rusty) is a spoken word artist in Montreal, educated at Concordia University in Aerospace Engineering. He represented Montreal at the 2024 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam, ranking as a finalist. Recently, he performed at the 2025 Fringe Festival and is now a co-host at the Throw Poetry Collective.

Photo: Johanna Stosik

Claire Sherwood is a Montreal writer, visual poet, and oral storyteller. Her poetry has appeared in Kola Magazine, carte blanche, Helios, and Lantern. Her chapbook Eat Your Words was published in 2024 by Turret House Press. She has appeared at Confabulation and the storytelling edition of QWF’s Words and Music Show.

Photo: Noc Photography

Romel Sylne Jr, Haitian-American poet and author of five collections, writes at the crossroads of identity, resilience, and belonging. His words echo with heritage and heart, offering readers both solace and strength while transforming adversity into art that lingers long after the page is turned.

Photo: Annie Rousseau

Svens Telemaque is an author, spoken-word artist, and social entrepreneur whose literary work and community leadership illuminate the power of narrative to heal and elevate. His debut book, Pen of a Ready Writer Vol. 1 (2014), challenges conventional perceptions of circumstance, faith, and emotion, inviting readers to explore nuance from cradle to grave.

Now in its fourth year, the Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize celebrates the excellence of Quebec-based artists working in English in any form of performative writing, including poetry, story, monologue, hip hop, dub, sound poetry, and experimental or interdisciplinary work. The prize will be awarded to one to three winners, to be announced at the 2025 QWF Awards Gala on Monday, November 10.

Tickets to the gala are now available for purchase. A cocktail reception with the finalists will precede the gala, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Tickets to the reception are $60 ($40 for full-time students) and include two glasses of wine, beer, or non-alcoholic drink; hors d’oeuvres; and admission to the awards ceremony, which begins at 8:00 pm. Tickets for the ceremony alone are $25 ($10 for full-time students). Doors for the ceremony open at 7:30 pm.

GEt GALA tickets

The Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize is named in honour of the inimitable Ian Ferrier. Widely considered a pillar of literary performance in Montreal, Ian was a past president of QWF and the founder of the Words and Music Show, Montreal’s longest-running spoken word, poetry, literature, performance, and music show.
