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SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay? \n\n\n\nTheme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nIntroductions & course goals\n\n\n\nDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essay\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory fails\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and Fragment \n\n\n\nTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)\n\n\n\nMaggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscussion: how fragment builds resonance\n\n\n\nExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memory\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and Confession \n\n\n\nTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nAlicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)\n\n\n\nLeslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nConfessional vs. performative honesty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it to\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional Register \n\n\n\nTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nZadie Smith\, “Fail Better”\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of view\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitance\n\n\n\nExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and Form \n\n\n\nTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso replaced here to avoid repetition →NEW reading:\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)\n\n\n\n\n\nEula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss braiding personal + cultural history\n\n\n\nExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as Character \n\n\n\nTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)\n\n\n\nJames Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nCompare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertainty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POV\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and Responsibility \n\n\n\nTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, trauma\n\n\n\nAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDebate: what’s “too much” to share?\n\n\n\nWorkshop 2–3 student essays\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and Compression \n\n\n\nTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nRevision strategies (How to “write coldly”)\n\n\n\nPrompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essence\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic Excavation \n\n\n\nTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on student manuscripts.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nHalf-class workshop\n\n\n\nIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”\n\n\n\nDiscuss strategies for expansion vs. contraction\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication Paths \n\n\n\nTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on participant work.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nFinal peer workshop\n\n\n\nDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)\n\n\n\nClosing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practice\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay/2026-04-28/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20251211T190727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190727Z
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SUMMARY:Creative Play for Writers (Online)
DESCRIPTION:This workshop is designed for writers from any genre but artists from other mediums are welcome to join. \n\n\n\nYou can’t use up creativity. The more you use\, the more you have.~ Maya Angelou \n\n\n\nMany writers have other creative outlets. Maya Angelou danced. D.H. Lawrence painted. Miranda July makes films. Creativity thrives across disciplines and when writers tap into other art forms\, surprising things can happen on the page. \n\n\n\nCreative Play for Writers is an online exploratory workshop that uses visual art\, music\, movement\, film\, and more to spark new writing. Each session invites you to engage with a different form of creative expression—not to master it\, but to play with it—and discover how it can fuel your storytelling. \n\n\n\nYou’ll respond to rich\, sensory prompts\, collaborate with others\, and experiment freely\, both during the Zoom sessions and with set exercises in between classes. Whether you’re feeling stuck\, looking for new inspiration\, or simply aiming to reconnect with the joy of making things\, this workshop offers a playful and supportive online space to expand your creative practice. \n\n\n\nWe will explore exercises and readings from Syllabus by Lynda Barry\, Workbook by Steven Heighton\, and The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad. We will also touch on the ideas and art of Rebecca Belmore and Elizabeth Zvonar\, among others\, as inspiration. Weekly exercises and homework will be given.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/creative-play-for-writers-online/2026-04-28/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20251211T190727Z
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SUMMARY:Translating Quebec Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Curious about literary translation? This eight-week workshop is an opportunity to experiment with translating contemporary French-language fiction from Quebec in a supportive setting where we will discuss the challenges and possibilities of different texts in translation together as a group. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will take home a short excerpt from a work of fiction to translate from French to English. We will then discuss and workshop our translations together during the following session. We’ll work on texts that pose a variety of different challenges in translation\, such as cultural references; jokes; regional slang and Québécismes; the inclusion of other dialects\, accents\, or languages; period-specific dialogue in historical fiction; experimental prose; and rendering voice in a first-person narrative. \n\n\n\nThroughout the workshop\, we will also think together about audience\, adaptation\, research\, and the role and responsibility of the translator\, and we’ll look at examples of existing translations to see what we can learn from different approaches. In our final session\, we’ll take a look at the process of translating a book for publication\, from choosing a project to writing a pitch to working with a reviser. \n\n\n\nNo previous translation experience is necessary for this workshop\, but participants should be comfortable reading and analyzing texts in French in order to write their own English translations.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/translating-quebec-fiction/2026-04-29/
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:20260429T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260331T212009Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T182757Z
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SUMMARY:2026 Annual General Meeting
DESCRIPTION:The 2026 Quebec Writers’ Federation Annual General Meeting will be held \n\n\n\nWednesday\, April 29\, 2026\, 7:00 pm ETatAdair Auditorium\, Atwater Library1200 Atwater Avenue (top floor)and online via Zoom\n\n\n\nAt the meeting\, the President will review the year’s activities\, and the Executive Director will present the financial report. An election will be held for the Board of Directors for the coming year\, April 2026 to April 2027. \n\n\n\nIf you wish to nominate someone for a position on the Board\, or to put your own name forward\, please contact Riley Palanca (riley@qwf.org) and request the Introduction for Potential Board Members document and a nomination form. Completed nomination forms\, including the signatures of two other QWF members\, must be submitted to Riley by Friday\, April 17\, 2026. \n\n\n\nPlease note that you must be a member in good standing to be eligible to run for the board\, nominate someone for the board\, or vote at the AGM. \n\n\n\nAgenda\n\n7:00–7:15: Schmoozing\n7:15: Call to order\nApproval of Agenda\nAdoption of Minutes of the AGM held on April 22\, 2025\nReport from the outgoing QWF President\, Crystal Chan\nFinancial report\, presented by QWF Executive Director\, Lori Schubert\nAppointment of accountant for 2026 audit\nElection or acclamation of Board of Directors for 2026–2027\nParting words from the incoming President\, Rachel McCrum\nAdjournment\n\nRegistration\n\n\n\nTo register\, fill out the RSVP form at the bottom of this page. Please indicate whether you will be attending in person or online via Zoom. If attending online\, you’ll receive the Zoom link a day or two before the meeting takes place. \n\n\n\nRegistration will close on Wednesday\, April 29\, at 5:00 pm ET. If you would like to register to attend after registration has closed\, please contact John Wickham at john@qwf.org to be put on the attendance list. Please also indicate whether you will attend in person or on Zoom. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\nOnline attendees will receive the Zoom link 1–2 days before the meeting is scheduled to take place.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/2026-annual-general-meeting/
LOCATION:Adair Auditorium\, Atwater Library\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, top floor\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H3Z 1T4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Events
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260107T181425Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T181429Z
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SUMMARY:Sustaining Dramatic Tension in Long-form Fiction (Wednesdays)
DESCRIPTION:The feeling of losing an audience is one of the most terrifying experiences a theatre actor can have. With fiction writing\, the relationship to the reader is far less immediate but\, I would argue\, no less important. The energy created in the first pages of a novel begins a relationship between an author and her reader and must be tended throughout for the relationship to flourish. \n\n\n\nStories were spoken aloud long before they were written down. The ability to convey information in compelling packets is innate to all of us\, as important to human survival as hunting or farming. From the 911 call to a teen’s excuse for why their homework is late\, we are in a near constant state of story-making. But how to hold your reader’s attention for 300+ pages? \n\n\n\nThis workshop proposes to look at long-form fiction’s rules of craft through the lens of theatre to breathe new and exciting life into familiar concepts. It is open to writers at all levels; all aspects will be explained and explored in depth. Writing exercises and selected reading will supplement in-class discussions. \n\n\n\n\nWeek #1: Dramatic Tension – What is it? How is it created?  How is it sustained? From the actor’s toolkit: actions\, objectives\, obstacles\, tactics\, and super-objectives.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #2: Unity of Action – We will look at Aristotle’s definition of action and Shakespeare’s use of verbs to see how every action in every chapter of your novel is contributing to the larger overarching action of the novel.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #3: Causality – How to discern if a chapter or scene is following the scene before it out of necessity. When a novel is propulsive\, you can be sure the author understands causality.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #4: Character and the importance of contrast of characters.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #5: Show Don’t Tell and the actor’s version of this famous writing rule: acting is visual first.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #6: Language\, Diction\, and Tone – Style choices\, syntax\, and the nitty gritty at the line level.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #7: Writing Constraints as maps. How writing constraints allow you to access the buried treasures of your subconscious and still find your way back to your core ideas.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #8: Know Your Writing– Michael Crummey\, Toni Morrison\, and Louise Erdrich are three very different writers\, but they are each completely and consistently themselves. Who are you as a writer? Participants will be asked to bring in a longer sample of writing than for previous workshops. Through positive constructive feedback\, we will use the elements we have learned as a guideline to get a sense of where each writer’s strengths lie\, and what in their voice or style makes them uniquely themselves. \n\n\n\n\nExcerpts (2-4 pages) from the following works will be provided: The Poetics by Aristotle\, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch\, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell\, Self-Help by Lorrie Moore\, A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders\, Beloved by Toni Morrison\, Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich\, True Grit by Charles Portis\, Foster by Claire Keegan\, Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood\, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\, Room by Emma Donahue\, Tell Me Everythi
URL:https://qwf.org/event/sustaining-dramatic-tension-in-long-form-fiction-wednesdays/2026-04-29/
LOCATION:QC
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20251211T190726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190726Z
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SUMMARY:Creative Play for Writers (In Person)
DESCRIPTION:This workshop is designed for writers from any genre but artists from other mediums are welcome to join. \n\n\n\nYou can’t use up creativity. The more you use\, the more you have. \n\n\n\n~      Maya Angelou \n\n\n\nMany writers have other creative outlets. Maya Angelou danced. D.H. Lawrence painted. Miranda July makes films. Creativity thrives across disciplines; when writers tap into other art forms\, surprising things can happen on the page. \n\n\n\nCreative Play for Writers is a hands-on\, exploratory workshop that uses visual art\, music\, movement\, film\, and more to spark new writing. Each session invites you to engage with a different form of creative expression—not to master it\, but to play with it—and discover how it can fuel your storytelling. \n\n\n\nYou’ll respond to rich\, sensory prompts\, collaborate with others\, and experiment freely. Whether you’re feeling stuck\, looking for new inspiration\, or simply aiming to reconnect with the joy of making things\, this workshop offers a playful and supportive space to expand your creative practice. \n\n\n\nWe will explore exercises and readings from Syllabus by Lynda Barry\, Workbook by Steven Heighton\, and The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad. We will also touch on the ideas and art of Rebecca Belmore and Elizabeth Zvonar\, among others\, as inspiration. Weekly exercises and homework will be given.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/creative-play-for-writers-in-person/2026-04-30/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260107T182233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182237Z
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SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay (Thursdays)
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay?Theme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings:Sarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)Joan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”In-Class:Introductions & course goalsDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essayPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory failsHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and FragmentTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings:Sheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)Maggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)In-Class:Discussion: how fragment builds resonanceExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memoryHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and ConfessionTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings:Alicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)Leslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)In-Class:Confessional vs. performative honestyPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it toHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional RegisterTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings:Zadie Smith\, “Fail Better”Katherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of viewIn-Class:Discuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitanceExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)Homework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and FormTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)Eula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”In-Class:Discuss braiding personal + cultural historyExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)Homework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as CharacterTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings:Sheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)James Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)In-Class:Compare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertaintyPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POVHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and ResponsibilityTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings:Katherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, traumaAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”In-Class:Debate: what’s “too much” to share?Workshop 2–3 student essaysHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and CompressionTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)Joan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”In-Class:Revision strategies (How to “write coldly”)Prompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essenceHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic ExcavationTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings:None — focus on student manuscripts.In-Class:Half-class workshopIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”Discuss strategies for expansion vs. contractionHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication PathsTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings:None — focus on participant work.In-Class:Final peer workshopDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)Closing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practiceHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay-thursdays/2026-04-30/
LOCATION:QC
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20251211T190726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190726Z
UID:10004749-1777579200-1777586400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Slantwise: Writing the Prose Poem
DESCRIPTION:For poets\, prose writers\, and curious in-betweeners. All levels welcome. \n\n\n\nWhat happens when a poem refuses the line? Or when a paragraph shifts under the influence of rhythm\, repetition\, and associative logic? The prose poem claims a wonderfully hybrid space between genres. It’s written using sentences as units of meaning but driven by compression\, imagery\, voice\, and lyric intensity. What actually differentiates poetic prose from a prose poem? The ambiguity itself can be useful creative fuel. \n\n\n\nOur workshop will invite poets to explore possibilities beyond the line break\, and prose writers to loosen their attachment to traditional narrative. Each week\, we will: \n\n\n\n\nRead and discuss a prose poem and/or short craft-focused text\n\n\n\nRespond to a generative writing prompt meant to inspire new writing\n\n\n\nWorkshop participants’ pieces in a supportive and inclusive environment\n\n\n\n\nWe’ll also explore a range of prose poem variations such as the haibun\, list poems\, persona poems\, collage-based prose\, constraint-driven pieces\, and more. \n\n\n\nExpect some reading and drafting to happen outside of the workshop. Our shared time will be devoted to generative discussion and thoughtful feedback. Prior workshop experience is helpful but not necessary. Either way\, participants should come ready to both receive and offer critique in the spirit of curiosity and care.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/slantwise-writing-the-prose-poem/2026-04-30/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/8.png
GEO:45.4886431;-73.5864377
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=QWF Office 1200 Atwater Avenue Room 3 Westmount QC H3Z 1X4 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3:geo:-73.5864377,45.4886431
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20251211T190728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190728Z
UID:10004716-1778003100-1778010300@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay? \n\n\n\nTheme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nIntroductions & course goals\n\n\n\nDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essay\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory fails\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and Fragment \n\n\n\nTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)\n\n\n\nMaggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscussion: how fragment builds resonance\n\n\n\nExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memory\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and Confession \n\n\n\nTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nAlicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)\n\n\n\nLeslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nConfessional vs. performative honesty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it to\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional Register \n\n\n\nTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nZadie Smith\, “Fail Better”\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of view\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitance\n\n\n\nExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and Form \n\n\n\nTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso replaced here to avoid repetition →NEW reading:\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)\n\n\n\n\n\nEula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss braiding personal + cultural history\n\n\n\nExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as Character \n\n\n\nTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)\n\n\n\nJames Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nCompare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertainty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POV\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and Responsibility \n\n\n\nTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, trauma\n\n\n\nAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDebate: what’s “too much” to share?\n\n\n\nWorkshop 2–3 student essays\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and Compression \n\n\n\nTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nRevision strategies (How to “write coldly”)\n\n\n\nPrompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essence\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic Excavation \n\n\n\nTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on student manuscripts.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nHalf-class workshop\n\n\n\nIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”\n\n\n\nDiscuss strategies for expansion vs. contraction\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication Paths \n\n\n\nTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on participant work.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nFinal peer workshop\n\n\n\nDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)\n\n\n\nClosing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practice\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay/2026-05-05/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260507T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260507T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260107T182233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182237Z
UID:10004788-1778175900-1778183100@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay (Thursdays)
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay?Theme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings:Sarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)Joan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”In-Class:Introductions & course goalsDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essayPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory failsHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and FragmentTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings:Sheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)Maggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)In-Class:Discussion: how fragment builds resonanceExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memoryHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and ConfessionTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings:Alicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)Leslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)In-Class:Confessional vs. performative honestyPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it toHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional RegisterTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings:Zadie Smith\, “Fail Better”Katherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of viewIn-Class:Discuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitanceExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)Homework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and FormTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)Eula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”In-Class:Discuss braiding personal + cultural historyExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)Homework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as CharacterTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings:Sheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)James Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)In-Class:Compare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertaintyPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POVHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and ResponsibilityTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings:Katherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, traumaAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”In-Class:Debate: what’s “too much” to share?Workshop 2–3 student essaysHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and CompressionTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)Joan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”In-Class:Revision strategies (How to “write coldly”)Prompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essenceHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic ExcavationTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings:None — focus on student manuscripts.In-Class:Half-class workshopIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”Discuss strategies for expansion vs. contractionHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication PathsTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings:None — focus on participant work.In-Class:Final peer workshopDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)Closing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practiceHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay-thursdays/2026-05-07/
LOCATION:QC
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20251211T190728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190728Z
UID:10004717-1778607900-1778615100@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay? \n\n\n\nTheme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nIntroductions & course goals\n\n\n\nDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essay\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory fails\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and Fragment \n\n\n\nTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)\n\n\n\nMaggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscussion: how fragment builds resonance\n\n\n\nExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memory\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and Confession \n\n\n\nTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nAlicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)\n\n\n\nLeslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nConfessional vs. performative honesty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it to\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional Register \n\n\n\nTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nZadie Smith\, “Fail Better”\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of view\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitance\n\n\n\nExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and Form \n\n\n\nTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso replaced here to avoid repetition →NEW reading:\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)\n\n\n\n\n\nEula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss braiding personal + cultural history\n\n\n\nExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as Character \n\n\n\nTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)\n\n\n\nJames Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nCompare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertainty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POV\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and Responsibility \n\n\n\nTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, trauma\n\n\n\nAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDebate: what’s “too much” to share?\n\n\n\nWorkshop 2–3 student essays\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and Compression \n\n\n\nTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nRevision strategies (How to “write coldly”)\n\n\n\nPrompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essence\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic Excavation \n\n\n\nTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on student manuscripts.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nHalf-class workshop\n\n\n\nIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”\n\n\n\nDiscuss strategies for expansion vs. contraction\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication Paths \n\n\n\nTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on participant work.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nFinal peer workshop\n\n\n\nDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)\n\n\n\nClosing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practice\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay/2026-05-12/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260514T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260514T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260107T182233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182237Z
UID:10004789-1778780700-1778787900@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay (Thursdays)
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay?Theme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings:Sarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)Joan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”In-Class:Introductions & course goalsDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essayPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory failsHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and FragmentTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings:Sheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)Maggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)In-Class:Discussion: how fragment builds resonanceExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memoryHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and ConfessionTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings:Alicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)Leslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)In-Class:Confessional vs. performative honestyPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it toHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional RegisterTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings:Zadie Smith\, “Fail Better”Katherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of viewIn-Class:Discuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitanceExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)Homework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and FormTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)Eula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”In-Class:Discuss braiding personal + cultural historyExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)Homework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as CharacterTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings:Sheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)James Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)In-Class:Compare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertaintyPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POVHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and ResponsibilityTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings:Katherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, traumaAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”In-Class:Debate: what’s “too much” to share?Workshop 2–3 student essaysHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and CompressionTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)Joan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”In-Class:Revision strategies (How to “write coldly”)Prompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essenceHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic ExcavationTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings:None — focus on student manuscripts.In-Class:Half-class workshopIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”Discuss strategies for expansion vs. contractionHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication PathsTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings:None — focus on participant work.In-Class:Final peer workshopDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)Closing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practiceHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay-thursdays/2026-05-14/
LOCATION:QC
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260516T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260525T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20250717T141455Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250718T182743Z
UID:10004425-1778929200-1779710400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Writers' Retreat: Doolin\, Ireland May 2026
DESCRIPTION:Join a small group of writers in various genres for our second retreat to Doolin\, Ireland. 10 days\, 9 nights with writing workshops with memoir and prose writer Kerri Ní Dochartaigh\, poet Nikki Griffin\, poet Grace Wells\, and creative nonfiction writer Ryan Dennis; field trips to the largest Aran Island\, the Burren\, and the cliffs of Moher. Depending on room type\, prices range from $2400USD-$2900USD (and USD are not as far off from CAD as they used to be). Includes lodging\, 2 meals per day (except first day (welcome dinner) and last day (breakfast); and all activities. Does not include alcohol\, or airfare. Limited to 10 participants at any stage of their writing career. \n\n\n\nRetreat website: https://www.nature-culture.net/ireland-retreat-2026 \n\n\n\nWe had a great time this year; see photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/X2E2ATaUNz4EQ2Zw6 \n\n\n\nHope you can join us! \n\n\n\n\n\nStart:May 16\, 2026\, 4:00 pm UTC/London Time \n\n\n\nEnd:May 25\, 2026\, 10:00 am UTC/London Time \n\n\n\n\n\nVenue: Doolin\, Ireland — Doolin\, County Clare Ireland\, View Venue Website
URL:https://qwf.org/event/writers-retreat-doolin-ireland-may-2026/
LOCATION:QC
CATEGORIES:Retreat
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Ireland-2026-ver1-landscape.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260519T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260519T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260323T215647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T215652Z
UID:10004876-1779215400-1779220800@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Smaller Animals Book Launch
DESCRIPTION:Join us for an evening of discussion on Smaller Animals\, the debut novel by Canadian author Carter Vance\, in conversation with Doug Vidal-Hernandez. \nAdam Brinkert was raised a world apart from the lights of Ottawa and the din of politics\, in a small city in Northern Ontario. Pursuing justice and a way to make things better for the people he grew up with\, he became an assistant to a Member of Parliament\, living his youth in the offices and hallways of power. But\, as he grows towards his 30s\, he begins to doubt what it was all for; were his experiences all merely for self-aggrandizement and not the greater good? Twists of fate and slights of political hand will test Adam’s belief in himself\, and what he believes is right\, while he navigates the landscape of a country\, and a world\, that is changing rapidly. All the while\, he struggles to define his relationships with the people around him\, including his erstwhile friend-cum-political rival Truss and his ex-girlfriend and co-worker Kathleen. Adam’s journey will take him across the county and back to his home\, searching for a spark to guide him where he truly belongs. Smaller Animals is a story of living\, loving and growing up on Parliament Hill that introduces a powerful new voice in Canadian literature. \nCarter Vance is a writer and poet originally from Cobourg\, Ontario\, currently a resident in Gatineau\, Quebec. His work has appeared in such publications as The Smart Set\, Contemporary Verse 2 and A Midwestern Review\, amongst others. Smaller Animals is his first novel\, following two poetry collections. Carter has worked as a researcher and policy analyst with government and non-profit organizations in Canada\, the United Kingdom\, Dominica and Indonesia. He was a staffer for several members of Parliament\, including the Opposition House Leader in 2014 and also worked in the Senate of Canada. \nDoug Vidal-Hernández was a political staffer at the National Office of the Liberal Party of Canada and worked through the 2015 national campaign as part of a rapid response team providing local candidates with policy support. He then became part of the caucus services team at the Liberal Research Bureau\, supporting parliamentarians and their political staff. Now\, as a recovered staffer he works at Code for Canada\, a national non profit focused on creating strong digital public services\, accessible and inclusive design and responsible AI use.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/smaller-animals-book-launch/
LOCATION:QC
CATEGORIES:Book Launch
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/unnamed.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260530T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260530T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260323T223131Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T223136Z
UID:10004878-1780147800-1780158600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Borderlands: A QWF Springtime Writing Workshop in the Eastern Townships
DESCRIPTION:Borderlands are in-between places\, neither here nor there\, yet shot through with newness\, variability\, and change. Borders can be physical or spiritual. They can feel exciting or uncomfortable. They hold an element of uncertainty. \n\n\n\nThis writing workshop takes place over two three-hour Saturday sessions in Sutton\, Quebec. Sutton is a few minutes from the US border\, whose troubled or untroubled status has known eras filled with bloodshed\, sorrow\, and filial love and has experienced complex tensions today. Those of us who once crossed that border for an ice cream cone and a joyful waterfall swim may have a very different relationship with it now. \n\n\n\nSimilarly\, our own interior border crossings are fertile with meaning: perhaps you are navigating a border between youth and age\, or between health and frailty. Maybe you are in a process of losing or seeking something that profoundly affects how you are positioned in the world. Or maybe the past and the future have begun to feel intertwined instead of delineated\, thus altering time itself. \n\n\n\nThis writing workshop will give you space and time to think and write about borderlands—interior or exterior—in your current experience. We will use conversation\, art supplies\, writing prompts\, and writing materials to compose fluid-genre writing that helps us inhabit the uncertainty of the in-between places in our lives\, with curiosity and hope rather than resistance or fear. Please bring coloured pens or pencils and something on which to write\, such as paper or a notebook. \n\n\n\nOnce you have registered\, please send a brief description of no more than 250 words of a place you know or remember—a place that makes you feel something—to riley@qwf.org. The subject line should read “For Kathleen Winter.” \n\n\n\nKathleen Winter writes novels\, short stories\, memoir\, and essays. These include the novel\, Annabel\, and the Arctic memoir\, Boundless (Anansi)\, both of which won or were shortlisted for multiple Canadian and international awards. Her latest novel\, Undersong (Knopf Canada)\, is inspired by Dorothy Wordsworth’s late unpublished diaries. She is currently working on a book of poetry about a local mountain and its non-human voices. Winter was born in the U.K.\, grew up in Newfoundland\, and in 2010 moved with her family to Montreal. For the past five years she has lived in Sutton\, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/borderlands-a-qwf-springtime-writing-workshop-in-the-eastern-townships/2026-05-30/
LOCATION:QC
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Spring-2026-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260323T223131Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T223136Z
UID:10004879-1780752600-1780763400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Borderlands: A QWF Springtime Writing Workshop in the Eastern Townships
DESCRIPTION:Borderlands are in-between places\, neither here nor there\, yet shot through with newness\, variability\, and change. Borders can be physical or spiritual. They can feel exciting or uncomfortable. They hold an element of uncertainty. \n\n\n\nThis writing workshop takes place over two three-hour Saturday sessions in Sutton\, Quebec. Sutton is a few minutes from the US border\, whose troubled or untroubled status has known eras filled with bloodshed\, sorrow\, and filial love and has experienced complex tensions today. Those of us who once crossed that border for an ice cream cone and a joyful waterfall swim may have a very different relationship with it now. \n\n\n\nSimilarly\, our own interior border crossings are fertile with meaning: perhaps you are navigating a border between youth and age\, or between health and frailty. Maybe you are in a process of losing or seeking something that profoundly affects how you are positioned in the world. Or maybe the past and the future have begun to feel intertwined instead of delineated\, thus altering time itself. \n\n\n\nThis writing workshop will give you space and time to think and write about borderlands—interior or exterior—in your current experience. We will use conversation\, art supplies\, writing prompts\, and writing materials to compose fluid-genre writing that helps us inhabit the uncertainty of the in-between places in our lives\, with curiosity and hope rather than resistance or fear. Please bring coloured pens or pencils and something on which to write\, such as paper or a notebook. \n\n\n\nOnce you have registered\, please send a brief description of no more than 250 words of a place you know or remember—a place that makes you feel something—to riley@qwf.org. The subject line should read “For Kathleen Winter.” \n\n\n\nKathleen Winter writes novels\, short stories\, memoir\, and essays. These include the novel\, Annabel\, and the Arctic memoir\, Boundless (Anansi)\, both of which won or were shortlisted for multiple Canadian and international awards. Her latest novel\, Undersong (Knopf Canada)\, is inspired by Dorothy Wordsworth’s late unpublished diaries. She is currently working on a book of poetry about a local mountain and its non-human voices. Winter was born in the U.K.\, grew up in Newfoundland\, and in 2010 moved with her family to Montreal. For the past five years she has lived in Sutton\, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/borderlands-a-qwf-springtime-writing-workshop-in-the-eastern-townships/2026-06-06/
LOCATION:QC
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Spring-2026-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261109T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261109T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260319T172720Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T183236Z
UID:10004874-1794250800-1794261600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:2026 QWF Awards Gala
DESCRIPTION:Monday\, November 9\, 2026\n\n\n\nSave the date! On the evening of November 9\, the Cabaret Lion d’Or in Montreal will transform into a spellbinding celebration of literary excellence in Quebec. Join us as reveal the winners of the 2026 QWF Literary Awards in the categories of fiction\, non-fiction\, poetry\, first book\, translation\, playwriting\, spoken word\, and children’s and young adult literature. \n\n\n\nDetails to come.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/2026-qwf-awards-gala/
LOCATION:Cabaret Lion d’Or\, 1676 Ontario St East\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H2L1S7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Bilingual/Multilingual,QWF Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Black-And-Gold-Luxury-Save-The-Date-Wedding-Reception-Card.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20271105T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20271112T060000
DTSTAMP:20260403T155702
CREATED:20260212T160407Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260212T160413Z
UID:10004825-1825416000-1825999200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Ireland Castle Writing Retreat 2027
DESCRIPTION:Join CMarie Fuhrman (workshop leader) for a week in an Irish castle\, November 5-12\, 2027. Details: https://www.nature-culture.net/ireland-castle-retreat-2027
URL:https://qwf.org/event/ireland-castle-writing-retreat-2027/
LOCATION:Drumcollogher\, County Limerick\, Ireland\, Springfield Castle\, Drumcollogher\, County Limerick\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Retreat
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/big-castle.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR