Lunch and Learn with Canada Council for the Arts
2024-11-27 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
Wednesday, November 27, 2024, 12:00-1:30 pm ETFree, open to allOnline—Register for Zoom link

Presenting the Canada Council for the Arts!

The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. Writers can apply to get funding for the creation of their work.

As writers, you would benefit from learning more about the various funding programs that the Canada Council offers and finding how you could potentially apply for one of these grants. Come attend the Quebec Writers’ Federation’s next Lunch and Learn where Program Officers Megan Mabey and Andrew Stenimetz will deliver a short presentation on the various programs the Council offers to writers. Prior to attending the session, participants are encouraged to read the linked document on how to create a portal account.

This session is free and open to all! Please register to get the Zoom link.

One-on-One Consultations

In addition to the 90-minute online session, Megan and Andrew have offered to provide free one-on-one consultations on the Thursday and Friday after the event. Registration is first come, first served. To book a one-on-one consultation, please click on one of the links below:

Bookings with Megan are now full.

Bookings with Andrew are now full.

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Read Quebec at the Salon du livre de Montréal
2024-11-27 08:00 - 2024-12-01 17:00 | Palais des congrès de Montréal, 1001 Jean Paul Riopelle Pl, Montreal, Quebec, H2Z1H5, Canada
Wednesday, November 27-Sunday, December 1, 2024

Read Quebec is returning to the Salon du livre de Montréal!

We’re excited to showcase some of the latest releases and bestsellers from participating local English-language publishers. Find us at kiosk #401 through the week at the hours below:

Wednesday, Nov. 27: 9 am – 6pmThursday, Nov. 28: 9 am – 9 pmFriday, Nov. 29: 9 am – 9 pmSaturday, Nov. 30: 9am – 9 pmSunday, Dec. 1: 9 am – 5 pm

Stay tuned for more information coming soon, and don’t forget to check out salondulivredemontreal.com to discover their full list of exhibitors and programming!

Triple Poetry Launch
2024-11-26 19:00 | Argo Bookshop, 1841A Ste-Catherine St. West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Tuesday, November 26, 20247:00 pm ET

Join us for the launch of three new poetry collections; Manahil Bandukwala’s Heliotropia, A-E Best’s Bad Weather Mammals, and Jake Byrne’s DADDY! There will be readings and time to discuss the poets’ work and ask question, as well as get copies signed. This event is free, but space is limited, so please RSVP on TicketSource.

About the Poets

Manahil Bandukwala is a writer and visual artist based in Ottawa and Mississauga, Ontario. She is the author of Heliotropia (Brick Books, 2024) and MONUMENT (Brick Books, 2022), which was shortlisted for the 2023 Gerald Lampert Award, and was selected as a Writer’s Trust of Canada Rising Star in 2023. See her work at www.manahilbandukwala.com

A-E Best is a disabled poet and essayist from Kingston. Her work can be found in the Capilano Review, New Welsh Review, CV2, Ambit Magazine, Mslexia, and Chatelaine. Her work was longlisted for the 2021 CBC Poetry Prize. Her second collection, Bad Weather Mammals, is now available from ECW Press. Find A-E on Instagram as @capitatelikeahead or her website https://ashleyelizabethbest.com/

Jake Byrne is the author of Celebrate Pride with Lockheed Martin (Wolsak & Wynn, 2023) and DADDY (Brick Books, 2024). In 2019, they won CV2‘s Foster Prize for poetry. They live in Toronto/tka:ronto.

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The Vivid and Continuous Dream: A Short Story Workshop
2024-11-25 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-11-20 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-11-18 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-11-13 20:00 - 22:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
In March, in 1918, an Olympic swimmer accepts a job rehabilitating the Polio-ravaged legs of a rich young woman, not knowing the mess of love and wreckage that await their future selves; in Western Australia, a bullied adolescent watches his high school tormentor drown beneath the surface of an aquifer—he expects reprieve, but all his life he will sense the boy, resinous, in the mist and the warm wet air; in Spokane, a man embarks on a strange, galvanizing quest to reclaim an heirloom headdress that once belonged to his grandmother, and the journey leaves him wondering who he is, or who he used to be, or who he might yet become.

The best stories ask questions but don’t dare give all the answers; they take the reader on a journey and leave them with a brief sliver of enlightenment. Yes: love is worth the cost to body and soul, in 1918 as much as now. No: there is no easy escape from regret, and good people will suffer if they stoop to the level of their abusers. Perhaps what matters is not to complete the task or reclaim our past, but to reassure ourselves that we tried.

This workshop is a guided discussion about the plot, characters, point of view, structure, and language (the mechanics or “craft”) of participants’ short stories, as well as an investigation of each story’s aboutness, patterns, emotional plot, and central question(s)—that is, all those hard-to-define elements that make fiction what it is.

Additionally, the workshop aims to foster community among the attendees, to bring together writers of similar skill and drive, and to encourage the kind of creative energy that crackles between new practitioners.

Some Learning Objectives

Critical reading, and the ability to identify the roots of a story’s problems, particularly with regard to dramatic structure and conflict. Conversely: the ability to identify the roots of a story’s successes, especially when it seems intangible or difficult to pin down.

Close reading, even of your own work, for strongest-possible sentences. (They are, after all, the building blocks of fiction.)

To immerse yourself in, and engage with, literature among a cohort of people who are similarly immersed and engaged in literature; to enjoy it.

In our first meeting, we will establish a schedule, review workshop etiquette, spend some time meeting each other, and do a few writing exercises. From then on, each session will consist of detailed discussion and feedback on participants’ stories. The goal, always, is to offer the writer of each story constructive suggestions to help them improve the story and their craft. We are, I always say, in this together.

In preparation: Please bring a short story of no more than 2500 words to the first session.

D. W. Wilson is the author of Once You Break a Knuckle, a collection of short stories, and Ballistics, a novel. His work has appeared in lit mags across the globe, and in 2011 he won the BBC National Short Story Award for “The Dead Roads.” Since then he has been shortlisted for numerous fiction prizes, and has won the CBC Short Story Prize and the Manchester Fiction Prize. He taught creative writing at the University of Victoria and Brandon University and is currently a fiction mentor for the University of King’s College’s writing MFA.

Gillian Sze's "The Little Green Envelope": Author Storytime!
2024-11-24 11:00 - 12:00 | Jewish Public Library, 5151 Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, Montral, Quebec, H3T 1X9, Canada
Sunday, November 24, 11:00 am ET

Join local author Gillian Sze for a fun-filled storytime and craft activity based on her book The Little Green Envelope. You will be able to meet the author, listen to a story filled with wonder and friendship, and create your very own little green envelope!

Perfect for children aged 2-10. This event is in English.

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Shut Up & Write! with QWF (Virtual)
2024-11-23 10:00 - 12:30 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
Saturday, November 23, 2024, 10:00 am–12:30 pmOnline 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. If there is no option to RSVP, RSVPs are closed.

Book Launch: Subterrane by Valérie Bah
2024-11-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Librairie Saint-Henri Bookstore, 4622 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Friday, November 22, 2024, 7:00-8:30 pm ETLibrairie Saint-Henri Books

Véhicule Press and Librairie Saint-Henri Books invite you to the launch of Valérie Bah’s Subterrane. Hosted by Esplanade Books editor Dimitri Nasrallah, the event will feature Valérie reading from the novel, as well as conversation with special guests Leïka Narcisse and Esi Callender. Refreshments will be served.

***

A speculative comedy comprised of a carousel of Black and Queer voices being pushed further underground by urban prosperity.

New Stockholm, a metropolis like any other across North America, is unofficially divided between two worlds. Its upwardly mobile form the centre of its gleaming eye, but their prosperity and affluence are not the focus of Zeynab’s government-funded abstract documentary. Her lens trails to the city’s margins instead, in polluted industrial wastelands such as Cipher Falls, one of New Stockholm’s last affordable neighbourhoods, where creatives and other anti-capitalist voices increasingly find themselves pushed into demeaning, dead-end jobs. In this growing underground network, Zeynab’s lens focuses on the mysterious demise of Doudou Laguerre, whose death may be related to his activism against a construction project.

Subterrane connects us to a constellation of Black and Queer voices, the hair braiders, tattoo artists, holistic healers, weed dealers, and sidewalk horticulturists struggling to make a life in New Stockholm. Together, they illustrate how in cities across the continent, entire communities are being sidelined in the name of prosperity.

***

Valérie Bah is a multidisciplinary Québécois artist, filmmaker, documentarian, photographer, and writer. Bah’s first collection, The Rage Letters, was translated from the French by Kama La Mackerel and published by Metonymy Press. Subterrane is their first book in English.

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Poetics and Magic: Modernist Verse and Artificial Intelligence with Dr. Orla Polten
2024-11-22 16:00 - 17:30 | Birks Building, 3520 rue University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Friday, November 22, 20244:00-5:30 pm ET

Orla Polten (they/she) is a research affiliate at McGill University working on the relationship between magic and poetics. They earned their Ph.D. in English from the University of Cambridge, specialising in anglophone reception of Ancient Greek and Latin poetry. Polten’s first book, English Verse in Classical Metres, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press. Their current research asks what is at stake in the claim—prevalent in modernist poetic discourse—that poetry is a kind of magic.

Pursuing the Erotic
2024-11-21 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-11-14 20:00 - 22:00 | Online via Zoom
This is an expanded version of the three-hour workshop “Identifying (with) the Erotic” offered in July 2022. It progresses from initial references to erotica by old hands (Anaïs Nin), incidental practitioners (James Baldwin) and newer writers (Ruel Johnson) to consider other select works in prose, poetry, and comics. You do not have to have attended the 2022 workshop to enroll in this one.

The workshop continues the exploration of what makes the erotic not only a sensual genre but a life-affirming one with participants contributing their own writing as well as sourcing that of other practitioners. While creating sexy characters and scenes with stimulating language is part of the process, and knowing your audience is crucial (there is a difference between romance, erotica and pornography), the emphasis remains on craft and telling a story that engages readers’ imagination, exciting not only the body but all of the senses. And this without apology.

Robert Edison Sandiford is the author of several books, among them the award-winning The Tree of Youth & Other Stories, And Sometimes They Fly (a novel) and Sand for Snow (memoir). He has also written graphic novels for NBM Publishing. In 2003, he and the poet Linda M. Deane founded the Barbadian cultural resource ArtsEtc Inc. He has worked as a publisher, teacher and, with Warm Water Productions, producer. His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in journals, magazines and anthologies. Currently working on another novel,his most recent titleis Fairfield from DC Books.

Lawn Chair Soirée Publications Party
2024-11-21 19:00 | Quebec
November 21, 2024, 7:00 pm ET1444 av Union, Montreal, 2nd floor, St. Anselm’s Chapel

We are celebrating the recent publications by these authors.

Ahmad Al-Khatat – The Finest Cigarette (impspired, 2024)

Louise Carson – The Cat Crossed a Line (Signature Editions, 2024)

Mary Dean Lee – Tidal (Pine Row Press, 2024)

Norman Nawrocki – Vancouvered Out (Les Pages Noires, Montréal, QC)

Jim Olwell – The Art of Being Irish in Hell’s Kitchen (FriesenPress, 2024)

Claire Sherwood – Eat Your Words (Turret House Press, 2024)

Carolyn Marie Souaid – Looking for Her (Baraka Books, Montreal, QC)

Neil Whitehouse – The Gospel of Jesus Green: Home for All, Not Just for Humans (Wipf and Stock Publishers, Eugene, OR)

Jan Jorgensen – Birthing Godde (Ekstasis Editions, Victoria, BC)

http://lawnchairsoiree.org/janjorgensen/index.html

Books will be available for purchase.

There will be an Open Mic. 3 minutes max.

Poetry and the Tiny Sea in the Ear
2024-11-21 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-11-14 18:00 - 20:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
The tiny sea in the earand the moth wing in the mind, which wait.— Don McKay, “Early Instruments”

This workshop invites participants to explore our “early instruments” of imagination and experience through the language of poetry.

“The excitement of metaphor,” writes Don McKay, “stems from the injection of wilderness into language.” Add to this idea the excitement of any element of poetic making.

During these eight weeks, we will draft and develop poems that tap the surprise of tension and release, tease out what’s wild in the everyday, refresh expectation and sharpen expression.

In each session, we will respond to each other’s poems and work with one or more prompts. In most sessions we will look briefly at a strong contemporary poem and consider what we might borrow from it as a springboard to our writing.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Susan Gillis (she/her) has taught Creative Writing at Concordia University and John Abbott College, and has led poetry workshops with QWF, Los Parronales (Chile), Blue Met, in schools and in the community. Her four books have been nominated for several awards; Volta (2002) was awarded the A.M. Klein Prize. She is a founding member of the collaborative poetry group Yoko’s Dogs (Whisk, 2013; Rhinoceros, 2016; Caution Tape, 2021). Her most recent book is Yellow Crane (Brick 2018). She works as a freelance editor and mentor.

Hooked: Writing Compelling YA Fiction
2024-11-20 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-11-13 18:00 - 20:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Get ready to unveil the gripping storyteller within you and keep readers turning those pages! Dive into an exciting eight-week workshop focused on techniques to captivate young adult readers. We’ll look at everything from crafting vibrant characters and heart-pounding conflicts to honing structure and pacing in YA fiction.

For our first session, bring along a favorite YA novel to share with the group. By week two, be sure to have the first chapter of your work-in-progress (up to 10 pages) for some feedback exchange. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a roadmap to your story, completed scenes, and an inciting hook for your novel-in-the-making.

Each session will incorporate a mix of writing prompts, critique sessions, exploration of writing techniques, sneak peeks into YA literature, and lively group discussions. We’ll be reading various writing styles, structuring vibrant dialogue, and feeling all the YA vibes. We’ll even take a sneak peek into the Canadian publishing world.

Valuable feedback from both the workshop leader and your fellow writers on your opening chapter will keep you motivated and inspired. Together, we’ll work at captivating readers.

Don’t forget your writing tools for each session. All writers, whether seasoned pros or fresh faces, are welcome! Short story, graphic novel and prose writers, you’re invited too!

The following Suggested readings will sharpen your writing skills, but are not necessary for the workshop:

Corner-Bryant, Helen, and Kathryn Price. On Editing: How to Edit Your Novel the Professional Way. John Murray Learning, 2018.

Prose, Francine. Reading like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. HarperCollins, 2009.

Strunk Jr, William. The Elements of Style: Classic Edition. Spectrum Ink, 2018.

Truby, John. The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. Faber and Faber, 2008.

Lea Beddia is the author of Take Off! (Rebel Mountain Press) and Outta Here (Lorimer). She is also a storyteller, appearing regularly on stage with Confabulation. Born and raised in Montreal, she now teaches in Joliette, Quebec, where she lives with her husband and three children. With a passion for supporting literacy among young adults, especially for striving readers, Lea is releasing two fresh YA novels set to hit bookshelves in 2025 and 2026. Find out more at www.leabeddia.com, or say hi to Lea Beddia on Facebook or Instagram @BeddiaLea.

LANCEMENT | Worldwise: Édouard Roditi’s Twentieth Century
2024-11-20 18:00 | Librairie Le Port de tête, 262 avenue du Mont-Royal Est, Montreal, Quebec, H2T 1P6, Canada
Wednesday, November 20, 6:00 pm ETLibrairie Le Port de tête (269 avenue du Mont-Royal Est, Montreal)

Join Robert Schwartzwald et Sherry Simon for the launch of their new book: Worldwise: Édouard Roditi’s Twentieth Century.

About the Authors

Robert Schwartzwald is a Professor of literature at the Université de Montréal and Chair of the Jewish Public Library’s J.I. Segal Awards Committee. His publications include a monograph on the film C.R.A.Z.Y. and the English translation of Daniel Guérin’s The Brown Plague : Travels in Late Weimar and Early Nazi Germany.

Sherry Simon is Distinguished Professor Emerita, Concordia University. She has published widely on the cultural dynamics of multilingual cities, including Translating Montreal and Translation Sites.

Why We Write
2024-11-20 17:30 - 19:00 | Le Petit Dep – Le Loft, 290 rue de la Montagne, 3rd Floor, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 5:30-7:00 pm ETLe Petit Dep – Le Loft (290 Rue de la Montagne, 3rd Floor, Montreal)

Join Writers Collective of Canada as we explore the social impact of making art. Why We Write brings together established and emerging writers in a celebration of writing and storytelling to transform lives.

This event will feature a panel discussion and audience engagement through a Q&A period and interactive writing workshop experience.

Panelists include Susan Doherty, Josh Freed, Kook Fuqin Hu, and Ann Lambert.

QWF is proud to partner with Writers Collective of Canada to organize this event.

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Lunch and Learn: Video Game Writing
2024-11-20 12:00 - 13:30 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 12:00-1:30 pm ETFree, online onlyRegister for Zoom link

Montreal is one of the world’s top video game production centres, with several AAA and independent studios calling it their home. At the heart of these games are its creators: artists and writers passionate about crafting immersive experiences for players around the world.But how does one get started as a writer in video games? What can a career in the video game industry look like?

Get a glimpse into this challenging world by attending the Quebec Writers’ Federation’s next Lunch and Learn event. Jill Murray, whose video game writing credits include Assassin’s Creed Liberation, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Subnautica: Below Zero, will lead us in a short presentation on the life of a video game writer. You are invited to bring your curiosity and questions!

Come join us on Wednesday November 20th, from 12-1:30pm online via Zoom. Register to get the Zoom link.

This session will be recorded and the recording will be published on YouTube.

About Jill Murray

A veteran game developer, Jill Murray was most recently the creative director for Invincible Presents: Atom Eve. She has been a narrative designer, lead writer for indie and AAA video games, best known for her work on Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Big Con, and a handful of Assassin’s Creed games. In 2013, she won the Writers Guild of America Award for Excellence in Videogame Writing. In 2015, she founded game narrative studio, Discoglobe Interactive. In past lives, Jill studied theatre, worked as a web developer, and published two YA novels about breakdancing teenagers. She has taught game design at Champlain College, given workshops in writing and narrative design in Montreal at the National Theatre School of Canada, Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal, and Quebec Writers’ Federation, and appeared internationally as a speaker at Tribeca Film Festival, GDC, the Perth International Writers’ Festival, East Coast Game Conference, and Montreal International Game Summit.

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Memoir: Turning Yourself into a Character
2024-11-19 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-11-12 20:00 - 22:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
The memoir used to be a large and weighty book, often written by a man of power, once he had stepped out of the limelight (or been cast out of it). Presidents and prime ministers wrote memoirs; the common people did not.

Flash-forward to the present. People have discovered that they had and still have lives worth writing about. The classic memoir was about the exercise of power in times of crisis. The current memoir is often about a period of time during which the writer learned something about themselves. Which should make all of us potential memoirists.

The form contains a number of moral traps and rough spots. How much fiction can you put in a memoir? What happens when you forget something, or misremember? How much can you reveal about yourself and others before you cross a line you might regret?

We’ll look at several examples of memoir, from Harry Crews to Kyo Maclear and others. With Crews, his story begins before his birth; is that still memoir? Mark Abley’s travel story is clearly designed to tell as little as possible about its author. In sociologist mode, Daniel Allen Cox brings in a slew of outside sources to bolster his self-inquiry. Where do we want to situate ourselves?

That, of course, will depend on our inquiries. A memoir can be about someone else – how you did or did not live with that person. Memoirs can spring from a mystery – but not always. All of them involve the writer wanting to achieve greater self-understanding, which means we have to turn ourselves into a character to do it.

The workshop will be a mixture of reading one another’s projects and proposals, and considering excerpts from other books. Participants are free to submit material a week or two before the first workshop. This material will be part of class discussions. Please submit to David.Homel@concordia.ca. For the first submission, please do not go beyond 5 or 10 standard pages. See you there!

David Homel wrote 13 works of fiction – historical novels, murder mysteries and domestic fiction – before his first memoir in 2020, and he has gone on to work in that form since. The experience as a memoirist continues to bear upon his novel-writing, enriching and expanding it. The moral aspects of the art of memory and disclosure continue to attract him, along with the paradox of turning himself into a character in order to get at the truths of his past lives. He has also worked as a journalist and a documentary filmmaker, both assets for memoir writing,

Linguaphile: Book Talk with Julie Sedivy and Gretchen McCulloch
2024-11-19 19:00 | Atwater Library and Computer Centre, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Tuesday, November 19, 2024, 7:00 pm ET

Join author Julie Sedivy, in conversation with Gretchen McCulloch, as they discuss her new book, Linguaphile! This event will be hosted in person at the Atwater Library’s Adair Auditorium. Attendance is free, but space is limited, so please RSVP on TicketSource.

About the Book

A celebration of the beauty and mystery of language and how it shapes our lives, our loves, and our world.

If there is one feature that defines the human condition, it is language: written, spoken, signed, understood, and misunderstood, in all its infinite glory. In this ingenious, lyrical exploration, Julie Sedivy draws on years of experience in the lab and a lifetime of linguistic love to bring the discoveries of linguistics home, to the place language itself lives: within the yearnings of the human heart and amid the complex social bonds that it makes possible.

Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love follows the path that language takes through a human life—from an infant’s first attempts at sense-making to the vulnerabilities and losses that accompany aging. As Sedivy shows, however, language and life are inextricable, and here she offers them together: a childish misunderstanding of her mother’s meaning reveals the difficulty of relating to other minds; frustration with “professional” communication styles exposes the labyrinth of standards that define success; the first signs of hearing loss lead to a meditation on society’s discomfort with physical and mental limitations.

Part memoir, part scientific exploration, and part cultural commentary, this book epitomizes the thrills of a life steeped in the aesthetic delights of language and the joys of its scientific scrutiny.

About the Authors

Julie Sedivy has taught linguistics and psychology at Brown University and the University of Calgary. She is the author of Memory Speaks: On Losing and Reclaiming Language and Selfand Language in Mind: An Introduction to Psycholinguistics, as well as the coauthor of Sold on Language: How Advertisers Talk to Youand What This Says About You. She lives in Calgary, Canada.

Gretchen McCulloch is an internet linguist and author of the New York Times bestselling Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language. She’s been the Resident Linguist at Wired and The Toast and is the co-creator of Lingthusiasm, a podcast that’s enthusiastic about linguistics. She lives in Montreal, but also on the internet.

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The Poet’s Toolbox
2024-11-19 18:00 - 20:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Do you want to write poetry but have trouble getting started? Are you interested in stepping outside of your comfort zone to generate new pieces? This workshop will help you to develop your voice as a poet by kindling your creativity with the support of a variety of writing tools, prompts, poetic forms, and other techniques.

In each session, participants will be presented with some combination of readings, writing constraints, or guided prompts. These will include assignments to write new pieces using different poetic forms including ekphrastic poetry (verse inspired by visual art), erasure/blackout poetry, OULIPO games, centos, prose poems, and haiku. Participants will be encouraged to share their writing results and will have a chance to discuss each other’s poems.

By the end of this 8-week generative poetry writing workshop, participants will have a chance to produce a portfolio of approximately 8 new pieces of creative work.

Greg Santos is a poet, editor, and educator. His most recent book is Ghost Face (2020) and he has published several other poetry collections. His writing has appeared in CBC First Person, The Walrus, Geist, AGNI, The Best American Poetry Blog, and World Literature Today. He has worked with the QWF’s Writers in the Community Program, Vallum Society for Education in Arts & Letters, Poetry in Voice, and the Thomas More Institute to spread the joy of verse and creative writing to diverse communities. He is the Editor in Chief of the QWF’s online literary journal carte blanche. He is an adoptee of Cambodian, Portuguese, and Spanish heritage. Greg lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal with his wife and two children.

Writing the Personal Essay
2024-11-18 18:00 - 20:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
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 course, 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 course 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.

Week 1: What is the personal essay?

Overview of the genre and generating ideas.

Week 2: Structure

Defining the elements of the personal essay and exploring structure.

Week 3: First Drafts, Part I

Getting words on the page.

Week 4: First Drafts, Part II

Employing techniques from creative writing.

Week 5: Revision

A step-by-step guide for revising your own work.

Week 6: Second Drafts

How to polish your essay and turn it into something publishable.

Week 7: Pitching and Publishing

How to find target outlets and write a great pitch.

Week 8: Ask-Me-Anything with a Working Editor

Guest Editor (TBA) and wrap-up.Julie Matlin is a writer with pieces appearing in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chatelaine, The Globe and Mail, Huffington Post, CBC, and other publications. She has one screenplay in development and is currently querying an essay collection, Such a Nice Jewish Girl, about the intersection of faith, grief, and identity, which was supported by a Canada Council for the Arts grant. She has a weakness for puppies, naps, and the music of Jack White. You can follow her on twitter @jmatlin or Instagram and Threads @j.matlin. Portfolio: www.juliematin.com

Event Chambers: A Listening Session and Performance
2024-11-18 08:00 - 17:00 | OBORO, 4001 Rue Berri, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Thursday, November 21, 2024Listening Session: 12:00-4:30 pm ETPerformance: 6:30 pm ET (doors 6:00 pm)

We are thrilled to invite you to a special and unique event around Oana Avasilichioaei and Klara du Plessis’s expansive projects, Chambersonic and Post-Mortem of the Event. From noon to 4:30 pm, stop by to listen and experience the sound installations. In the evening at 6:30 pm, attend a live performance. Books will be available for purchase. Celebratory drinks will be served after the performance.

Venue: OBORO4001 Rue BerriStudio 01 (porte 200, 2nd floor)

Get Published! Writing Picture Books
2024-11-16 12:00 - 13:30 | Online
Saturday, November 16, 202412:00-1:30 pm ETOnline, $75 for CCBC Members, $100 for Non-MembersRegister now

Learn from the experts on how to take your picture book from a dream to a reality.

Hosted by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC).

Register Now

Shut Up & Write! with QWF (In Person)
2024-11-15 12:30 - 15:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Friday, November 15, 2024, 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.

Literary Lunch
2024-11-15 12:00 | Chez Delmo, 275 Notre Dame West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Friday, November 15, 2024, 12:00 pm ET

Please join us for an impromptu writers lunch at Chez Delmo (275 Notre Dame, west, Montreal, QC). All creatives welcome to discuss and share our work in a friendly, relaxed setting. Each person pays their own food/drink; there is no other cost. Just good food/drink, good company—share your work, your dreams, your aspirations, your accomplishments with other writers. 12:00 noon Friday, November 15th, 2024. Organized by Lis McLoughlin/NatureCulture www.nature-culture.net and www.writingtheland.org
