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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250523T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250524T235959
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250513T154446Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T213712Z
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SUMMARY:Festival Montréal Mystère / Montréal Mystery Festival
DESCRIPTION:Montréal is gearing up for the Montréal Mystery book festival\, slated for May 23-24\, 2025. For the second year\, this trailblazing festival of mystery and thriller literature will be held at the Grande Bibliothèque\, located in the vibrant heart of Montréal. \n\n\n\nOver 20 distinguished authors from Quebec\, the rest of Canada\, the United States and Europe will converge for this two-day festival\, bringing with them a myriad of tales filled with intrigue\, suspense\, and mystery. Montreal Mystery is a bilingual event\, accommodating both English and French-speaking audiences\, reflecting the rich linguistic diversity of the city.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/festival-montreal-mystere-montreal-mystery-festival-2/
LOCATION:Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal\, 475 Boul. de Maisonneuve E.\, Montréal\, Quebec\, H2L 5C4\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/orange-montreal-mystery-1.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250522T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250522T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250416T145655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T145658Z
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SUMMARY:World Premiere of Michaela Di Cesare's play Mickey & Joe (Good. Bad. Ugly. Dirty)
DESCRIPTION:150 years (give or take) after the “unification” of Italy\, a forgotten player finds herself trapped in limbo with her sworn enemy. Dirty Mickey\, hailing from the dark Southern underbelly of an otherwise glorious country\, was a soldier in the resistance. Joe was the golden boy of the Risorgimento (literally\, resurrection)\,  forever remembered as a political hero. What will happen when Mickey\, an outlaw who was silenced\, murdered and erased for his benefit\, comes after his legacy today?  This contemporary spaghetti western challenges our collective memory\, or collective amnesia.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/world-premiere-of-michaela-di-cesares-play-mickey-joe-good-bad-ugly-dirty/2025-05-22/
LOCATION:Mirella & Lino Saputo Theatre\, 8370 boul lacordaire\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H2K 4K2\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/email-duel.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250522T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250522T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250326T201452Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250328T154704Z
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SUMMARY:Poetry Launch: Christine Wu and Jessica Bebenek
DESCRIPTION:Thursday\, May 22\, 2025\, 7:00–9:30 pm ETmai/son (DM hosts for address)\n\n\n\nJoin Christine Wu and Jessica Bebenek for the Montreal launch of their poetry collections\, Familial Hungers by Wu (Brick Books) and No One Knows Us There by Bebenek (Book*hug Press). \n\n\n\nFeaturing guest reader Liz Howard and musical guest Andrew Whiteman.  \n\n\n\nBYOBAdmission is free. All are welcome to attend. \n\n\n\nMessage Jessica Bebenek at @notyrmuse or Christine Wu at @homemadepoem on Instagram for the address. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout No One Knows Us There\n\n\n\nIn this stunning debut collection\, Bronwen Wallace Award finalist Jessica Bebenek presents two distinct and moving portraits of early womanhood. The first is that of the devoted\, caregiving granddaughter navigating hospital hallways and the painful realities of palliative care. The second is that of a woman a decade older\, compassionately looking back on her younger self. In this second half\, Bebenek rewrites poems from the first\, honouring unimaginable loss and turning it into genuine healing. \n\n\n\nJessica Bebenek is a queer interdisciplinary poet and educator from Tkaronto (Toronto) who now splits her time between Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) and an off-grid shack on unceded Anishinaabeg territory. She works as a risograph printer and bookmaker at Concordia University’s Centre for Expanded Poetics\, where she organized the international Occult Poetics Symposium. In 2021\, Bebenek was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust of Canada RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. Her writing has been nominated for the Journey Prize and Pushcart Prize\, and she is the author of eight poetry chapbooks\, including I Remember the Exorcism. No One Knows Us There is her first book of poetry. \n\n\n\nAbout Familial Hungers\n\n\n\nBittersweet\, numbingly spicy\, herbal and milky\, Familial Hungers is a lyric feast. Ginger scallion fish\, Sichuan peppercorns\, ginseng tea\, Chinese school and white chefs – the reader’s appetite is satiated with these poems’ complex palate. There are the bubbling expectations for immigrant daughters\, the chewy strands of colonial critique\, and dissolving crystals of language loss. Wu relentlessly searches the grocery shelves for the hard-to-digest ingredients of identity and belonging\, offering us her nourishing honesty and courage pulled from the marrow. \n\n\n\nChristine Wu is a Chinese-Canadian poet who was born and raised on the territories of the Musqueam\, Squamish\, and Tsleil-Waututh (Vancouver\, BC). She has a BFA in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria\, a MLIS from Dalhousie University\, and a MA in English from the University of New Brunswick. In 2023\, she was the winner of the RBC PEN Canada New Voices Award and in 2022\, she was shortlisted for the RBC Writers’ Trust Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. She now lives and writes in Kjipuktuk (Halifax\, NS) in Mi’kma’ki.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/poetry-launch-christine-wu-and-jessica-bebenek/
CATEGORIES:Book Launch
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250522T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250522T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250514T181301Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T181304Z
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SUMMARY:Soliloquies Launch\, 29.2
DESCRIPTION:Soliloquies Anthology is launching their 29.2 issue!\nHear readings by contributors\, as well as our featured readers Morgan Gordon and Jade Palmer.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/soliloquies-launch-29-2/
LOCATION:Cardinal Tearoom\, 5326 St Laurent Blvd\, Montreal\, Quebec\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/29.2-Launch.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250522T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250522T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250507T162623Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250507T182729Z
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SUMMARY:"The Sustainability Class" - book launch / lancement du livre
DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Vijay Kolinjivadi & Aaron Vansintjan to Pulp Books on May 22 for an enlightening conversation about their book The Sustainability Class\, building an ecological future\, and how “lifestyle environmentalism” has made cities more unsustainable and inaccessible to the working class. Hosted by Quebec Solidaire’s MNA for Verdun\, Alejandra Zaga Mendez\, this will not be an evening to miss!  // Nous vous invitons au lancement de Vijay Kolinjivadi et Aaron Vansintjan le 22 mai prochain pour une conversation enrichissante sur leur livre\, The Sustainability Class. Les auteurs discuteront de la construction d’un avenir écologique avec l’honorable Alejandra Zaga Mendez\, députée pour Verdun. Bref\, une soirée à ne pas manquer! Début de l’événement à 19h / ouverture des portes à 18h45
URL:https://qwf.org/event/the-sustainability-class-book-launch-lancement-du-livre/
LOCATION:Librairie Pulp Books & Cafe\, 3952 Wellington Street\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H4G1V3\, Canada
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250521T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250521T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250416T145655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T145658Z
UID:10004304-1747857600-1747864800@qwf.org
SUMMARY:World Premiere of Michaela Di Cesare's play Mickey & Joe (Good. Bad. Ugly. Dirty)
DESCRIPTION:150 years (give or take) after the “unification” of Italy\, a forgotten player finds herself trapped in limbo with her sworn enemy. Dirty Mickey\, hailing from the dark Southern underbelly of an otherwise glorious country\, was a soldier in the resistance. Joe was the golden boy of the Risorgimento (literally\, resurrection)\,  forever remembered as a political hero. What will happen when Mickey\, an outlaw who was silenced\, murdered and erased for his benefit\, comes after his legacy today?  This contemporary spaghetti western challenges our collective memory\, or collective amnesia.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/world-premiere-of-michaela-di-cesares-play-mickey-joe-good-bad-ugly-dirty/2025-05-21/
LOCATION:Mirella & Lino Saputo Theatre\, 8370 boul lacordaire\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H2K 4K2\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/email-duel.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250521T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250521T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250114T174700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250114T174708Z
UID:10004184-1747849500-1747856700@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Craft Meets Magic: The Alchemy of Short Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Is there an art form more maddening than the short story? Demanding the complexity of a novel\, the lyricism of a poem\, and the economy of a joke\, the work is tedious and the rewards  (for most of us) are slim. Still\, for us cursed few\, the short story is an addictive nut to crack. After all\, there’s little more thrilling than the prose of a writer who can do more with a handful of pages than most can do with 300. The complexity of a novel! The lyricism of a poem! The economy of a joke! \n\n\n\nJoin us\, if you dare\, for an 8-week workshop where participants will share and critique each other’s work with an eye towards craft. Specifically\, we will ask ourselves questions like\, “What are characters made of?” “How is a plot built?” “Do I really need to describe everything?” \n\n\n\nEqually important to studying these questions will be putting them aside\, as we celebrate and cultivate the magic that makes art artin the first place–that intangible whatever that defines our passion for fiction. After all\, what else do we have to keep us warm as we trudge through draft to draft? \n\n\n\nAs time allows\, we’ll also read stories by published authors like ZZ Packer\, Donald Barthelme\, Jhumpa Lahiri\, Joy Williams\, and George Saunders. Participants will be asked to read and prepare responses to a short story (distributed from me by email) prior to our first meeting. \n\n\n\nFrankie Barnet is the author of Mood Swings (McClelland & Stewart)\, which was a finalist for the Grand prix du livre de Montréal; Kim: A Novel Idea (Metatron); and An Indoor Kind of Girl (Metatron). Her work has appeared in places such as PRISM International\, EVENT\, Joyland\, The Erotic Review\, and Biblioasis’ Best Canadian Short Stories Anthology. She has an MFA from Syracuse University and lives in Montreal.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/craft-meets-magic-the-alchemy-of-short-fiction-2/2025-05-21/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250520T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250520T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250416T145655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T145658Z
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SUMMARY:World Premiere of Michaela Di Cesare's play Mickey & Joe (Good. Bad. Ugly. Dirty)
DESCRIPTION:150 years (give or take) after the “unification” of Italy\, a forgotten player finds herself trapped in limbo with her sworn enemy. Dirty Mickey\, hailing from the dark Southern underbelly of an otherwise glorious country\, was a soldier in the resistance. Joe was the golden boy of the Risorgimento (literally\, resurrection)\,  forever remembered as a political hero. What will happen when Mickey\, an outlaw who was silenced\, murdered and erased for his benefit\, comes after his legacy today?  This contemporary spaghetti western challenges our collective memory\, or collective amnesia.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/world-premiere-of-michaela-di-cesares-play-mickey-joe-good-bad-ugly-dirty/2025-05-20/
LOCATION:Mirella & Lino Saputo Theatre\, 8370 boul lacordaire\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H2K 4K2\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/email-duel.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250519T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250519T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20241212T160000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241212T163158Z
UID:10004156-1747677600-1747684800@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Novel Essentials: The Art & Craft of Long-Form Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Have you had an itch to write a novel\, but haven’t known how to tackle such a large project? Now is the perfect time to dust off your ideas! This workshop is a boot camp for budding writers eager to turn their novelistic dream into a reality. From iron-clad structures and story tropes to the ins-and-outs of how character motivation pushes a great plot\, this 10-week intensive workshop will impart professional tips and tricks-of-the-trade essential to bringing long-form fiction to life. \n\n\n\nThe workshop will focus on practical knowledge not covered in a typical writing workshop: initial idea development; a deep dive on novelistic structure; how to build the perfect plot; character development and motivation; scene development; and how to handle secondary and tertiary characters\, to name a few. Each week\, you will learn one or more essential techniques and/or theories\, as well as participate in short\, practical exercises that will help you build your novel. As you master the elements\, you will have opportunities to develop and workshop your original novel concepts. \n\n\n\nWhile an emphasis will be placed on long-form writing\, all writers looking to master essential elements of fiction writing are encouraged to attend. You do not require prior workshop experience or an idea for a novel to take this workshop. Participants interested in developing fiction of all kinds are more than welcome! \n\n\n\nL. E. Sterling (Erin Vollick\, also published under L. E. Vollick) is the author of numerous novels spanning contemporary\, Young Adult\, fantasy\, science-fiction\, dystopian and romance genres. Her hit series\, the True Born Trilogy\, was optioned for television\, and True Born\, the first novel in the trilogy\, was recognized internationally with the 2017 Athena Award® in Young Adult literature. With a B.A. and M.A. in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Literature\, Sterling taught creative writing and literature for many years. She has appeared at BookCon NYC\, the LA Times Festival of Books\, and Ad Astra.  
URL:https://qwf.org/event/novel-essentials-the-art-craft-of-long-form-fiction/2025-05-19/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250518T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250518T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250416T145655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T145658Z
UID:10004302-1747598400-1747605600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:World Premiere of Michaela Di Cesare's play Mickey & Joe (Good. Bad. Ugly. Dirty)
DESCRIPTION:150 years (give or take) after the “unification” of Italy\, a forgotten player finds herself trapped in limbo with her sworn enemy. Dirty Mickey\, hailing from the dark Southern underbelly of an otherwise glorious country\, was a soldier in the resistance. Joe was the golden boy of the Risorgimento (literally\, resurrection)\,  forever remembered as a political hero. What will happen when Mickey\, an outlaw who was silenced\, murdered and erased for his benefit\, comes after his legacy today?  This contemporary spaghetti western challenges our collective memory\, or collective amnesia.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/world-premiere-of-michaela-di-cesares-play-mickey-joe-good-bad-ugly-dirty/2025-05-18/
LOCATION:Mirella & Lino Saputo Theatre\, 8370 boul lacordaire\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H2K 4K2\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/email-duel.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250518T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250518T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250430T141333Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250430T151356Z
UID:10004329-1747573200-1747578600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Poetry Launch with Terese Mason Pierre
DESCRIPTION:Join us on May 8th at 7pm in launching Terese Mason Pierre’s poetry collection\, Myth! Local poets Faith Paré and Misha Solomon will also be reading some of their work for us. Please register to let us know you’ll be attending.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/poetry-launch-with-terese-mason-pierre/
LOCATION:Halifax Central Library\, 5440 Spring Garden Road\, Halifax\, Nova Scotia\, B3J1E9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Book Launch,Reading
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250518T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250518T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250428T204744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250430T141007Z
UID:10004327-1747573200-1747578600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:UNMET Book Launch Halifax
DESCRIPTION:The book launch for the poetry collection UNMET (Biblioasis) by stephanie roberts at the Halifax Central Library with Annick MacAskill.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/unmet-book-launch-halifax/
LOCATION:Halifax Central Library\, 5440 Spring Garden Road\, Halifax\, Nova Scotia\, B3J1E9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Book Launch
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250518T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250527T235959
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20231120T153141Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231120T153144Z
UID:10003590-1747526400-1748390399@qwf.org
SUMMARY:2025 Ireland Writing Retreat
DESCRIPTION:May 18-27\, 2025 join a small group (12 maximum) of writers focused on making a connection with Land. This retreat\, in Rural Ireland (Doolin\, County Clare) is at a UNESCO geopark and a town that has created a cooperative to promote ecotourism that contributes to their way of life rather than destroys it. Retreat is 10 days with 4 writing workshops with Irish writers\, 2 meals/day included (with 1 left out so you can explore the village’s farm-to-table and sea-to-table offerings)\, and more. Please see: https://www.nature-culture.net/ireland-retreat-2025preview (note prices of $1500-$2500 are in USD). Co-led by QWF member Lis McLoughlin\, and Irish Rural Writing Collective founder and director Ryan Dennis.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/2025-ireland-writing-retreat/
LOCATION:Doolin\, Ireland\, Doolin\, County Clare\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Ireland-postver2-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250517T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250517T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250416T145655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T145658Z
UID:10004301-1747512000-1747519200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:World Premiere of Michaela Di Cesare's play Mickey & Joe (Good. Bad. Ugly. Dirty)
DESCRIPTION:150 years (give or take) after the “unification” of Italy\, a forgotten player finds herself trapped in limbo with her sworn enemy. Dirty Mickey\, hailing from the dark Southern underbelly of an otherwise glorious country\, was a soldier in the resistance. Joe was the golden boy of the Risorgimento (literally\, resurrection)\,  forever remembered as a political hero. What will happen when Mickey\, an outlaw who was silenced\, murdered and erased for his benefit\, comes after his legacy today?  This contemporary spaghetti western challenges our collective memory\, or collective amnesia.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/world-premiere-of-michaela-di-cesares-play-mickey-joe-good-bad-ugly-dirty/2025-05-17/
LOCATION:Mirella & Lino Saputo Theatre\, 8370 boul lacordaire\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H2K 4K2\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/email-duel.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250516T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250516T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250424T194952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250424T194956Z
UID:10004321-1747398600-1747407600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Shut Up & Write! with QWF (In Person)
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, May 16\, 2025\, 12:30 pm–3:00 pmFree\, In PersonQWF Office (Room 3\, 1200 Atwater Ave.\, Westmount)\n\n\n\nRegister for the session by filling out the RSVP form below. \n\n\n\nLooking for some dedicated\, quiet writing space? \n\n\n\nJoin us for an in-person Shut Up & Write session at the QWF office! \n\n\n\nDo 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. \n\n\n\nThis event is for QWF members only. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member.  \n\n\n\nPlease note that these sessions are designed for silent writing\, rather than discussing or getting feedback on work. \n\n\n\n12:30–12:55: 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 \n\n\n\nTo register\, RSVP below. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGetting to the QWF Office\n\n\n\nOur office is located on the top floor of the Atwater Library and Computer Centre\, in Room 3. \n\n\n\nAddress: 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3Westmount\, QC H3Z 1X4 \n\n\n\nClosest Metro: Atwater Station \n\n\n\nClosest Bus lines: 24\, 63\, 90\, 104\, 138\, 144\, 150 \n\n\n\nAccessibility:\n\n\n\nThe 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. \n\n\n\nLearn more about the office location and accessibility. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you registered and can no longer attend\, please email john@qwf.org to notify us.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/shut-up-write-with-qwf-in-person-36/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Shut Up & Write!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250515T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250515T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250430T152005Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250430T182152Z
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SUMMARY:Book Launch: Quietly\, Loving Everyone by Curtis John McRae
DESCRIPTION:Véhicule Press invites you to the launch of Curtis John McRae’s debut short story collection Quietly\, Loving EveryoneJoin us for an evening of readings and conversation with the author and Dimitri Nasrallah. The event is free and open to all. \n\n\n\nQuietly\, Loving Everyone\, Curtis McRae’s debut collection of stories\, assembles a meditative and often profound cycle of portraits pulled from everyday Canadian life. A young boy raises James Dean from the dead\, only to find out the cult icon is not the playmate he’d hoped for. A university student riddled with ulcers silently spirals after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. A young girl takes a road trip with her older sister to Cape Cod\, and years later reconstructs the tragic circumstances behind what she remembers. A couple goes on a date at an old porn theatre that is the last remaining vestige of a neighbourhood that has moved on. McRae plays witness to characters at those crucial beginnings or ends of relationships\, with lovers\, friends\, family\, and most importantly themselves. \n\n\n\nCurtis John McRae is editor-in-chief at Yolk Literary Journal. His fiction has appeared in The New Quarterly\, Prairie Fire\, Chronicling the Days anthology (Guernica Editions\, 2021)\, and others. He lives in Montreal.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/book-launch-quietly-loving-everyone-by-curtis-john-mcrae/
LOCATION:Cardinal Tearoom\, 5326 St Laurent Blvd\, Montreal\, Quebec\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Book Launch,Reading
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/LaunchPoster.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250514T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250514T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250114T174700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250114T174708Z
UID:10004183-1747244700-1747251900@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Craft Meets Magic: The Alchemy of Short Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Is there an art form more maddening than the short story? Demanding the complexity of a novel\, the lyricism of a poem\, and the economy of a joke\, the work is tedious and the rewards  (for most of us) are slim. Still\, for us cursed few\, the short story is an addictive nut to crack. After all\, there’s little more thrilling than the prose of a writer who can do more with a handful of pages than most can do with 300. The complexity of a novel! The lyricism of a poem! The economy of a joke! \n\n\n\nJoin us\, if you dare\, for an 8-week workshop where participants will share and critique each other’s work with an eye towards craft. Specifically\, we will ask ourselves questions like\, “What are characters made of?” “How is a plot built?” “Do I really need to describe everything?” \n\n\n\nEqually important to studying these questions will be putting them aside\, as we celebrate and cultivate the magic that makes art artin the first place–that intangible whatever that defines our passion for fiction. After all\, what else do we have to keep us warm as we trudge through draft to draft? \n\n\n\nAs time allows\, we’ll also read stories by published authors like ZZ Packer\, Donald Barthelme\, Jhumpa Lahiri\, Joy Williams\, and George Saunders. Participants will be asked to read and prepare responses to a short story (distributed from me by email) prior to our first meeting. \n\n\n\nFrankie Barnet is the author of Mood Swings (McClelland & Stewart)\, which was a finalist for the Grand prix du livre de Montréal; Kim: A Novel Idea (Metatron); and An Indoor Kind of Girl (Metatron). Her work has appeared in places such as PRISM International\, EVENT\, Joyland\, The Erotic Review\, and Biblioasis’ Best Canadian Short Stories Anthology. She has an MFA from Syracuse University and lives in Montreal.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/craft-meets-magic-the-alchemy-of-short-fiction-2/2025-05-14/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250513T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250513T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250430T193404Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250507T152146Z
UID:10004333-1747137600-1747141200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn with the Montreal Review of Books
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, May 13\, 2025\, 12:00–1:00 pm ETOnline via Zoom\, Registration Required\n\n\n\n\nRegister for Zoom link\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow does an author get their book reviewed? How can an aspiring book reviewer get started? \n\n\n\nIf you’re asking yourself these sorts of questions\, don’t miss this Lunch & Learn with the Montreal Review of Books (mRb)! \n\n\n\nmRb is a free\, nationally distributed journal of reviews\, features\, and essays on English-language books by Quebec writers and publishers. They cover literature\, non-fiction\, poetry\, memoirs\, history\, graphic novels\, children’s books\, and more. \n\n\n\nIn this iteration of our Lunch & Learn series\, we will be joined by mRb Editor-in-Chief Malcolm Fraser. Malcolm will give us an overview of the journal\, including how they select the books they cover and how they assign reviewers to these titles. \n\n\n\nCome join us on May 13\, from 12nn to 1pm ET to learn more about the work Malcolm and the team do. Feel free to bring questions! \n\n\n\nRegister for the session to get the Zoom link. For inquiries\, please reach out to QWF at riley@qwf.org. \n\n\n\nThis session will be recorded and posted on QWF’s YouTube channel. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegister on Zoom
URL:https://qwf.org/event/lunch-and-learn-with-the-montreal-review-of-books/
LOCATION:Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
CATEGORIES:Lunch & Learn,QWF Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250512T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250512T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250505T181743Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250505T182016Z
UID:10004339-1747076400-1747083600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Lecture Logos Readings 10-Year Anniversary
DESCRIPTION:The Lectures Logos Readings team invites you to celebrate with us our tenth anniversary on Monday May 12\, 2025 at 2741 Notre-Dame West\, Montréal\, QC H3J 1N9\, 7-9 pm. The guest readers are: Deanna Smith\, Alice Zorn\, Fabrice Vil\, and Magalie Lefebvre Jean.  \n\n\n\nExceptionally\, there’ll be 16 open-mic spaces.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/lecture-logos-readings-10-year-anniversary/
LOCATION:Unia Hall\, 2741 Notre Dame Street West\, Montreal\, Qc H3J 1N9\, 2741 Notre Dame Street West\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H3J 1N9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Open Mic,Reading,Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/image1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250512T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250512T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20241212T160000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241212T163158Z
UID:10004154-1747072800-1747080000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Novel Essentials: The Art & Craft of Long-Form Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Have you had an itch to write a novel\, but haven’t known how to tackle such a large project? Now is the perfect time to dust off your ideas! This workshop is a boot camp for budding writers eager to turn their novelistic dream into a reality. From iron-clad structures and story tropes to the ins-and-outs of how character motivation pushes a great plot\, this 10-week intensive workshop will impart professional tips and tricks-of-the-trade essential to bringing long-form fiction to life. \n\n\n\nThe workshop will focus on practical knowledge not covered in a typical writing workshop: initial idea development; a deep dive on novelistic structure; how to build the perfect plot; character development and motivation; scene development; and how to handle secondary and tertiary characters\, to name a few. Each week\, you will learn one or more essential techniques and/or theories\, as well as participate in short\, practical exercises that will help you build your novel. As you master the elements\, you will have opportunities to develop and workshop your original novel concepts. \n\n\n\nWhile an emphasis will be placed on long-form writing\, all writers looking to master essential elements of fiction writing are encouraged to attend. You do not require prior workshop experience or an idea for a novel to take this workshop. Participants interested in developing fiction of all kinds are more than welcome! \n\n\n\nL. E. Sterling (Erin Vollick\, also published under L. E. Vollick) is the author of numerous novels spanning contemporary\, Young Adult\, fantasy\, science-fiction\, dystopian and romance genres. Her hit series\, the True Born Trilogy\, was optioned for television\, and True Born\, the first novel in the trilogy\, was recognized internationally with the 2017 Athena Award® in Young Adult literature. With a B.A. and M.A. in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Literature\, Sterling taught creative writing and literature for many years. She has appeared at BookCon NYC\, the LA Times Festival of Books\, and Ad Astra.  
URL:https://qwf.org/event/novel-essentials-the-art-craft-of-long-form-fiction/2025-05-12/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250510T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250510T123000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250416T140819Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T140823Z
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SUMMARY:Shut Up & Write! with QWF (Virtual)
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, May 10\, 2025\, 10:00 am–12:30 pm ETOnline via Zoom—RSVP below to receive the Zoom link\n\n\n\nLooking for some dedicated\, quiet writing space? \n\n\n\nRegister 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. \n\n\n\nThis event is for QWF members only. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member.  \n\n\n\nThe Zoom link will be sent out a day or two before the session. \n\n\n\nPlease note that these sessions are designed for silent writing\, rather than discussing or getting feedback on work. \n\n\n\n10:00–10:25: 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 \n\n\n\nTo receive the Zoom link\, RSVP below. You will receive the Zoom link a few days before the session. \n\n\n\nNote: RSVPs for virtual Shut Up & Write! sessions close 24 hours before the session begins. If there is no option to RSVP\, RSVPs are closed.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/shut-up-write-with-qwf-virtual-34/
LOCATION:Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
CATEGORIES:Shut Up & Write!
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Shut-Up-Write.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250506T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250506T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250414T162326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250422T152528Z
UID:10004297-1746558000-1746563400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Writers Out Loud: A Night of Trans Joy
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, May 6\, 2025\, 7:00-8:30 pm ETPulp Books & Cafe (3952 Wellington Ave\, Verdun)RSVP on Facebook\n\n\n\nThe Quebec Writers’ Federation invites you to Writers Out Loud: A Night of Trans Joy—an evening of literary conversation and community celebration.  \n\n\n\nJoin us as we hear from four exciting and talented Quebec writers. Author and moderator Chris Bergeron will sit down with writers Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay\, Blxck Cxsper\, and Lenore Claire Herrem to discuss their work\, their experiences of trans joy\, and how those experiences colour their writing. A Q&A with the audience will follow the panel discussion.  \n\n\n\n\nRSVP on Facebook\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhoto by Geneviève Charbonneau\n\n\n\nChris Bergeron is diverse and fluid: after beginning a career in journalism and eventually winding up at the helm of the weekly cultural magazine Voir\, she now dedicates her artistic vitality to Cossette\, a leading global marketing agency. She offers speaking engagements on leadership\, diversity\, inclusion\, and trans rights. Chris lives in Montreal. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhoto by Julie Langenegger\n\n\n\nGabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay lives in Montreal (Tiohtià:ke) and is a writer\, poet\, actress\, and advocate for trans rights. She published a poetry collection\, Les secrets de l’origami and has written for several magazines and publications\, including Lettres Québécoises\, Estuaire\, XYZ\, Moebius and Le Devoir as a columnist. Her children’s book La voix de la nature was nominated for the Prix du Livre Jeunesse des Bibliothèques de Montréal. Her first novel\, La fille d’elle-même\, won the Prix des Libraires du Québec 2022 and is distributed in Europe with JC Lattès and in English as Dandelion Daughter with Véhicule Press. The translation was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award ’24. This year\, the book will be translated into Spanish. She is currently working on the sequel to the novel. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBlxck Cxsper is a multidisciplinary artist\, storyteller\, and cultural disruptor based in Montréal. Known for their genre-bending music that blends hip-hop\, R&B\, and Afro-Caribbean influences\, Cxsper uses sound as a tool for emotional transformation and political resistance. They are the founder of Trans Trenderz\, a record label dedicated to uplifting transgender musicians and building equity in the music industry. Blxck Cxsper is also a writer\, actor\, and director and is currently working on a novel that expands the fictional universe of Blxck Cxsper—a former superhero turned vigilante fighting against institutional corruption to protect the marginalized.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLenore Claire Herrem is a transdisciplinary artist from Saskatoon and has been working in Tio’Tia:Ke (Montréal) since 2013. Formally trained in theatre performance\, she also works in studio arts\, animation\, digital art\, video art\, and performance art. She works under the character name Sandy Bridges for cabaret and web series\, and Precious Puppies is the name of her humble animation & merchandising empire. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRSVP on Facebook
URL:https://qwf.org/event/writers-out-loud-a-night-of-trans-joy/
LOCATION:Librairie Pulp Books & Cafe\, 3952 Wellington Street\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H4G1V3\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Panel,Writers Out Loud
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Writers-Out-Loud-2025.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250505T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250505T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20241212T160000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241212T163218Z
UID:10004157-1746475200-1746482400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Craft Meets Magic: The Alchemy of Short Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Is there an art form more maddening than the short story? Demanding the complexity of a novel\, the lyricism of a poem\, and the economy of a joke\, the work is tedious and the rewards  (for most of us) are slim. Still\, for us cursed few\, the short story is an addictive nut to crack. After all\, there’s little more thrilling than the prose of a writer who can do more with a handful of pages than most can do with 300. The complexity of a novel! The lyricism of a poem! The economy of a joke! \n\n\n\nJoin us\, if you dare\, for an 8-week workshop where participants will share and critique each other’s work with an eye towards craft. Specifically\, we will ask ourselves questions like\, “What are characters made of?” “How is a plot built?” “Do I really need to describe everything?” \n\n\n\nEqually important to studying these questions will be putting them aside\, as we celebrate and cultivate the magic that makes art artin the first place–that intangible whatever that defines our passion for fiction. After all\, what else do we have to keep us warm as we trudge through draft to draft? \n\n\n\nAs time allows\, we’ll also read stories by published authors like ZZ Packer\, Donald Barthelme\, Jhumpa Lahiri\, Joy Williams\, and George Saunders. Participants will be asked to read and prepare responses to a short story (distributed from me by email) prior to our first meeting. \n\n\n\nFrankie Barnet is the author of Mood Swings (McClelland & Stewart)\, which was a finalist for the Grand prix du livre de Montréal; Kim: A Novel Idea (Metatron); and An Indoor Kind of Girl (Metatron). Her work has appeared in places such as PRISM International\, EVENT\, Joyland\, The Erotic Review\, and Biblioasis’ Best Canadian Short Stories Anthology. She has an MFA from Syracuse University and lives in Montreal.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/craft-meets-magic-the-alchemy-of-short-fiction/2025-05-05/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250505T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250505T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20241212T160000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241212T163158Z
UID:10004153-1746468000-1746475200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Novel Essentials: The Art & Craft of Long-Form Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Have you had an itch to write a novel\, but haven’t known how to tackle such a large project? Now is the perfect time to dust off your ideas! This workshop is a boot camp for budding writers eager to turn their novelistic dream into a reality. From iron-clad structures and story tropes to the ins-and-outs of how character motivation pushes a great plot\, this 10-week intensive workshop will impart professional tips and tricks-of-the-trade essential to bringing long-form fiction to life. \n\n\n\nThe workshop will focus on practical knowledge not covered in a typical writing workshop: initial idea development; a deep dive on novelistic structure; how to build the perfect plot; character development and motivation; scene development; and how to handle secondary and tertiary characters\, to name a few. Each week\, you will learn one or more essential techniques and/or theories\, as well as participate in short\, practical exercises that will help you build your novel. As you master the elements\, you will have opportunities to develop and workshop your original novel concepts. \n\n\n\nWhile an emphasis will be placed on long-form writing\, all writers looking to master essential elements of fiction writing are encouraged to attend. You do not require prior workshop experience or an idea for a novel to take this workshop. Participants interested in developing fiction of all kinds are more than welcome! \n\n\n\nL. E. Sterling (Erin Vollick\, also published under L. E. Vollick) is the author of numerous novels spanning contemporary\, Young Adult\, fantasy\, science-fiction\, dystopian and romance genres. Her hit series\, the True Born Trilogy\, was optioned for television\, and True Born\, the first novel in the trilogy\, was recognized internationally with the 2017 Athena Award® in Young Adult literature. With a B.A. and M.A. in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Literature\, Sterling taught creative writing and literature for many years. She has appeared at BookCon NYC\, the LA Times Festival of Books\, and Ad Astra.  
URL:https://qwf.org/event/novel-essentials-the-art-craft-of-long-form-fiction/2025-05-05/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250503T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250511T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250430T182435Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250430T182520Z
UID:10004332-1746273600-1746979200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Subverting the Canon: Writing Plays As Though Race\, Class\, Gender and Sexual Orientation Mattered
DESCRIPTION:With Corrina Hodgson\n\n\n\nSubverting the Canon: Writing Plays as if Race\, Class\, Gender and Sexual Orientation Mattered is an innovative workshop designed to challenge conventional storytelling and enable playwrights to craft narratives that reflect the diversity of human experience. Focusing on perspectives historically marginalized in traditional theatre\, participants will explore how inclusivity and authenticity can enhance the impact of their work.  \n\n\n\nThis workshop is essential to fostering a vibrant artistic community. At a time when audiences demand stories that resonate with the complexities of contemporary life\, it’s essential that playwrights are able to address themes of identity and social justice. By offering writers a space where they can hone their craft while exploring these crucial issues\, the workshop cultivates voices capable of engaging\, educating and inspiring.  \n\n\n\nIn this workshop\, participants will learn theory in the first two sessions with the trainer\, receive a writing assignment to complete during the week\, then return to theory and practice in week 2. \n\n\n\nDates: May 3\, 4 + 10\, 11 2025Location: In person location TBD & Over Zoom upon requestTime(s): 12-4 PMRegistration Fee: $45Number of Participants: 8
URL:https://qwf.org/event/subverting-the-canon-writing-plays-as-though-race-class-gender-and-sexual-orientation-mattered/
CATEGORIES:Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250502T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250502T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250321T161237Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250321T202147Z
UID:10004264-1746189000-1746198000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Shut Up & Write! with QWF (In Person)
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, May 2\, 2025\, 12:30 pm–3:00 pmFree\, In PersonQWF Office (Room 3\, 1200 Atwater Ave.\, Westmount)\n\n\n\nRegister for the session by filling out the RSVP form below. \n\n\n\nLooking for some dedicated\, quiet writing space? \n\n\n\nJoin us for an in-person Shut Up & Write session at the QWF office! \n\n\n\nDo 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. \n\n\n\nThis event is for QWF members only. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member.  \n\n\n\nPlease note that these sessions are designed for silent writing\, rather than discussing or getting feedback on work. \n\n\n\n12:30–12:55: 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 \n\n\n\nTo register\, RSVP below. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGetting to the QWF Office\n\n\n\nOur office is located on the top floor of the Atwater Library and Computer Centre\, in Room 3. \n\n\n\nAddress: 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3Westmount\, QC H3Z 1X4 \n\n\n\nClosest Metro: Atwater Station \n\n\n\nClosest Bus lines: 24\, 63\, 90\, 104\, 138\, 144\, 150 \n\n\n\nAccessibility:\n\n\n\nThe 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. \n\n\n\nLearn more about the office location and accessibility. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you registered and can no longer attend\, please email john@qwf.org to notify us.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/shut-up-write-with-qwf-in-person-35/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Shut Up & Write!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250501T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250501T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250326T185742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250326T185745Z
UID:10004267-1746118800-1746126000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:A LITERARY HARVEST: CANADIAN WRITING ABOUT WINE AND OTHER LIBATIONS – BOOK LAUNCH by Longbridge Books\, Blue Metropolis
DESCRIPTION:A LITERARY HARVEST: CANADIAN WRITING ABOUT WINE AND OTHER LIBATIONS – BOOK LAUNCH\nby Longbridge Books\, Blue Metropolis \nWith A LITERARY HARVEST\, editors Licia Canton\, Giulia De Gasperi and Decio Cusmano present the writing of 42 authors\, giving us diverse perspectives on drinking (and making) wine. Imbibed with humour and tragedy\, the unique drinking voices fermenting in A LITERARY HARVEST form a potable Canadian literature. The volume includes prose and poetry by Quebec writers Carmine Starnino\, Carolyne Van Der Meer\, Veena Gokhale\, Heather McGuire\, Penelope Laurence\, Renée Cohen\, Domenic Cusmano\, Victoria Dickenson\, Amanda Feder\, Earl Murphy\, Mariam S. Pal\, Laura Sanchini.\nJoin us for the Blue Met launch hostd by Liana Cusmano. Thursday\, May 1 at 5 p.m. at Paragraphe Bookstore. https://bluemetropolis.org/event/a-literary-harvest-canadian-writing-about-wine-and-other-libations-book-launch-lancement/
URL:https://qwf.org/event/a-literary-harvest-canadian-writing-about-wine-and-other-libations-book-launch-by-longbridge-books-blue-metropolis/
LOCATION:Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore\, 2220 McGill College Ave\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H3A 3P9\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Book Launch
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250430T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250430T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20241212T160000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241210T174534Z
UID:10004104-1746039600-1746046800@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Don’t Quit Your Day Job…Yet: Freelance Writing for Print and Internet
DESCRIPTION:The Internet has boosted demand for articles\, photo features\, website text\, and niche content for both online and print outlets. The technical skills to post\, blog\, tweet\, and upload are common – especially amongst the younger generation! \n\n\n\nLess common\, however\, is the combination of these skills with the ability to write clear\, concise\, targeted\, interesting\, and well-structured prose suitable for small screens\, short attention spans\, F-pattern skim reading\, and search engines. \n\n\n\nConducted by a professional journalist\, author\, freelance writer and PR lecturer\, this workshop is designed to enhance the communications skills of freelancers\, publicists\, bloggers\, and other writers. It will also help you acquire the business and survival smarts you’ll need if you want to earn money from your writing. \n\n\n\nVariations of this workshop have been delivered online and live\, for credit and non-credit purposes at McGill University\, UCLA\, Shaanxi University\, and various arts groups. \n\n\n\nThrough discussions\, examples\, simulation exercises\, and peer review\, workshop sessions are conducted in a “real-life” context that aims to get participants published after the course. \n\n\n\nExercises are written and reviewed during sessions to mediate feedback and prepare participants to work within time limits. The instructor will set a main homework assignment\, to be reviewed before it’s submitted for publication: \n\n\n\n\nA third-person profile\, based on an interview\, which describes an interesting person\, their occupation and achievements.\n\n\n\n\nor \n\n\n\n\nA researched\, first-person narrative analyzing a subject of topical interest.\n\n\n\n\nSessions will cover all aspects of choosing\, planning\, pitching\, writing\, and editing the article. \n\n\n\nParticipants enrolling in this workshop should have a clear idea why they want to write\, what they want to write\, and for whom. They should also consider whether they intend to sell their writing to external outlets\, give it away\, or use it for personal\, career/business development. \n\n\n\nWorkshop schedule \n\n\n\nWeek 1 \n\n\n\n\nCourse introduction\n\n\n\nOvercoming writer’s block and generating story ideas\n\n\n\nChoosing the right topic at the right time\n\n\n\nDifferences between print and online writing\n\n\n\n\nWeek 2 \n\n\n\n\nAnalysis of techniques\, tone\, and content of publications\n\n\n\nInverted pyramid writing\n\n\n\nResearching and selecting relevant material\n\n\n\nSearch engine optimization\n\n\n\nOnline vs print reading patterns\n\n\n\n\nWeek 3 \n\n\n\n\nWriting catchy leads\, headings\, and subject lines\n\n\n\nBasic writing structures\n\n\n\nShow don’t tell – writing for the senses\n\n\n\nSimiles\, metaphors\, allusions\, and other writing devices\n\n\n\nCutting jargon and superfluous words\n\n\n\n\nWeek 4 \n\n\n\n\nInterviewing techniques and psychology\n\n\n\nTurning an interview into a profile\n\n\n\nUse of quotations\n\n\n\nChoosing a publication for your article\n\n\n\nPitching stories\n\n\n\n\nWeek 5 \n\n\n\n\nWorking with editors\n\n\n\nBuilding your network\n\n\n\nCaption writing\n\n\n\nSourcing\, choosing\, and editing pics\n\n\n\nTravel writing\n\n\n\n\nWeek 7 \n\n\n\n\nWriting as a business\n\n\n\nQuoting for jobs\n\n\n\nTax and invoice issues\n\n\n\nMarketing\n\n\n\nSelf-publishing\, hybrid publishing\n\n\n\n\nWeek 8 \n\n\n\n\nCourse review \n\n\n\nPreparation to submit workshop article for publication
URL:https://qwf.org/event/dont-quit-your-day-jobyet-freelance-writing-for-print-and-internet/2025-04-30/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250430T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250430T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20241212T160000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241210T184729Z
UID:10004128-1746036000-1746043200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Listening for the Poem
DESCRIPTION:This workshop engages poetry through a listening practice. \n\n\n\nListening shifts attention away from prosaic sense-making and toward poetic meaning-making. Through listening\, we can quiet our inner editorial voice\, make unexpected leaps of thought\, create new patterns of association\, and attune to the fullness—the timbre\, tone\, and sway—of any given moment. \n\n\n\nDeveloping a listening practice also carves out dedicated time\, space\, and attention for writing. Listening permits an encounter between you and your voice\, which emerges when you do not self-consciously construct it. Listening halts self-critical chatter\, allowing you to tune in to your natural rhythms\, embodied knowledge\, and inner language. \n\n\n\nYou will be invited to engage in a directed listening experience\, on your own time\, before each workshop. During this experience\, you will compose the poems that will be brought into workshop\, which will be spent reading new poems aloud and providing feedback on one another’s writing. The idea is that you will bring in new work during each session to share\, with writing taking place on your own time. Consequently\, this is a writing-intensive workshop. Short readings and audio files will be assigned\, and participants will need a recording device for one exercise (phone is OK). \n\n\n\nThe workshop will fully engage the intellect and life experiences of all the writers in the room as we talk shop about craft\, poetics\, and more. New work is privileged to demonstrate the limitless potential we have within us to create poetry—the potential to hear poetry in everyday life. \n\n\n\nJay Ritchie is an English PhD candidate at McGill University and holds an MFA in Poetry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the author of Listening in Many Publics (Invisible Publishing\, 2024)\, which was a finalist for the QWF’s A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry\, and Cheer Up\, Jay Ritchie (Coach House Books\, 2017). He has taught creative writing at UMass and Bishop’s University. His writing and music have appeared in Maisonneuve\, SAND\, on CBC Radio One\, WMUA Amherst\, Frozen Section Radio\, at the PHI Centre\, and he performs expanded poetry readings using portable cassette players and field recordings.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/listening-for-the-poem/2025-04-30/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250430T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250430T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160839
CREATED:20250326T190114Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T154804Z
UID:10004268-1746014400-1746018000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Lunch & Learn with QWF
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, April 30\, 2025\, 12:00–1:00 pm ETOpen to all—register for Zoom link\n\n\n\nLooking to learn more about QWF\, what we do\, and how we can help you as a writer? \n\n\n\nJoin us for the next Lunch & Learn with QWF! \n\n\n\nIn this quarterly online orientation session\, we provide a deep dive into our many programs and services and how we can help you in your writing journey. Whether you’re new to QWF\, want to learn about a particular program\, or simply want to meet the team\, we welcome you to join us. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRiley Palanca (Membership Services Coordinator) will discuss QWF programs and services for emerging and aspiring writers\, including our mentorship program\, Shut Up & Write writing sessions\, and writing workshops. \n\n\n\nLori Schubert (Executive Director) will explain QWF programs and services for more established writers\, including the Writers in the Community program\, the Hire a Writer Directory\, and the QWF Awards. \n\n\n\nJohn Wickham (Communications Officer) will provide a brief tour of the website\, highlighting sections and resources that are particularly useful to QWF members. \n\n\n\nFree and open to all. We hope to see you there! \n\n\n\nTo get the Zoom link: Fill out the registration form. You’ll receive the Zoom link by email shortly thereafter. \n\n\n\nIf you have trouble registering or joining the meeting\, contact John at john@qwf.org. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLunch & Learn with QWF is our quarterly orientation series to welcome new members and provide an overview of QWF’s activities. The next one after April 30 will be on July 15. Learn more about our Lunch & Learn series. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nREGISTER NOW
URL:https://qwf.org/event/lunch-learn-with-qwf-6/
LOCATION:Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
CATEGORIES:Lunch & Learn,QWF Events
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