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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/2026-04-02/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260402T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260402T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
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/2026-04-02/
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:20260401T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260401T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
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/2026-04-01/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260401T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260401T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190727Z
LAST-MODIFIED: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/2026-04-01/
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:20260331T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260331T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
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/2026-03-31/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/5.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260331T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260331T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190728Z
UID:10004711-1774979100-1774986300@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/2026-03-31/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260331T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260331T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260323T160729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T161107Z
UID:10004877-1774969200-1774976400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:A Crisis of Empathy? Shared Suffering in the Contemporary Moment
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, March 31\, 20263:00–5:00 pm ET\n\n\n\nThis event brings together two thought leaders who will explore how political polarization erodes our capacity for empathy. As public debates become more conflictual\, how do we remain present to one another’s suffering\, even when we fundamentally disagree? Rabbi Lisa Grushcow offers a spiritual perspective on empathy and suffering\, while anthropologist Samuel Veissière examines the social forces driving deepening division. Together\, they invite us to consider how we might listen\, connect\, and heal in fractured times.Organized by Marc Lafrance\, Special Advisor to the Provost on Campus Life\, Provost’s Office and Lisa White\, Executive Director\, Equity Office. \n\n\n\nHow can you participate? Join us in person by filling out the form or online by registering for the Zoom Meeting or watching live on YouTube. \n\n\n\nHave questions? Send them to info.4@concordia.ca \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\nLisa GrushcowSenior Rabbi\, Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom\, Westmount \n\n\n\nSamuel VeissièreProfesseur associé\, Département de psychologie (section psychodynamique) Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM)Clinicien Chercheur\, Recherche Action sur les Polarisations Sociales (RAPS)CLSC Parc Extension\, CIUSS Centre Ouest de MontrealAdjunct Professor\, Department of Anthropology\, McGill University  \n\n\n\nJennifer BourqueChaplain and Coordinator\, Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre\, Concordia University \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nView Event  on Concordia.ca
URL:https://qwf.org/event/a-crisis-of-empathy-shared-suffering-in-the-contemporary-moment/
LOCATION:4TH SPACE\, McConnell Building\, Concordia University\, 1400 de Maisonneuve Boulevard West\, Montreal\, Quebec\, H3G 1M8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Panel,Webinar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1750701945720.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260330T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260330T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190729Z
UID:10004699-1774900800-1774908000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Sustaining Dramatic Tension in Long-form Fiction
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\n1.   Week #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\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 Everything by Elizabeth Strout\, All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews\, and several Shakespearean monologues.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/sustaining-dramatic-tension-in-long-form-fiction/2026-03-30/
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:20260330T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260330T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190729Z
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SUMMARY:Poetic Transformations: Revising as Re-Seeing
DESCRIPTION:Most poets move through a process of honing our work. We draft\, workshop\, revise\, and polish our poems. But what possibilities await if we reframe revision as transformation? \n\n\n\nThis workshop will build a new toolkit for revising poetry—one that valorizes artistic possibility over the idea of a single finished draft. Together\, we will embrace each poem’s power to contain and reveal multiple versions of itself—versions that can stand alone or in conversation. \n\n\n\nThrough generative exercises\, craft wisdom\, and workshop-style feedback\, we will inhabit poet and composition scholar Wendy Bishop’s idea of radical revision. Each week\, we will enact experiments on our work to shake us out of the poems we thought we knew and into new stylistic territory. By embracing revision as an act of re-seeing\, we will confound our own expectations\, deepen into the inherent promise of our work\, and slough off stale writerly habits. A delightful\, productive defamiliarization may result. \n\n\n\nIf you’ve ever felt stuck\, not known how to revise\, or felt too attached to a draft to change it\, this workshop is for you. If you’ve ever wanted to create an inventive sequence of poems stemming from a single impulse\, this workshop is for you. If you’ve ever wanted to turn your linguistic sandcastle into a lexical dragon or syllabic shore bird\, this workshop is for you. \n\n\n\nThe strategies you will learn are designed to serve you both within and beyond the workshop. You can expect to leave the workshop with a newly articulated\, personalized philosophy of revision. You might leave with 8 radically different versions of a single poem. You might leave with a whole new sequence of poems that could scaffold a collection. Regardless\, you will leave with some substantially revised poetry along with the concrete tools and feedback to make future revision a process of expansive growth. \n\n\n\nThe workshop is open to practicing poets of all levels — with the following caveats: \n\n\n\n1) you must already be writing and revising poems; \n\n\n\n2) you must be willing to abandon the idea of single finished version of any given poem; and \n\n\n\n3) you must bring 3 to 5 of your own poems that you are willing to revise beyond recognition.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/poetic-transformations-revising-as-re-seeing/2026-03-30/
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:20260329T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260329T233000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260317T180653Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260317T180658Z
UID:10004868-1774812600-1774827000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Book Launch: Missed Connections with Tall Girls by Gwen Aube
DESCRIPTION:TRAIN HOPPING! PILL POPPING! FUR WEARING! SINK PISSING! TRANS PUNK ODES! \nJoin Montreal poet Gwen Aube at Brasserie Beaubien for the launch of her debut collection\, Missed Connections with Tall Girls\, featuring readings by Tara McGowan-Ross\, Mona Gendron (of Pubertywell)\, and Rebecca Lawrence-Lynch.  \nDoors at 7:30\, Readings around 8\, Party til late.\nCopies will be available for purchase and signing. \nMore on the book:\nTweaking working-class colloquialisms into new forms of elegy and song\, Gwen Aube’s hilarious and uncompromising poems chronicle a precarious\, debaucherous carnival of trailer-trash divas and Discord autistcs\, living and delighting in survival at the edges of technocapital. Missed Connections with Tall Girls establishes Aube as a brash and unstoppable singular voice for a monstrous new world. \n“Bold and brazen and full of heart and downright hilarious at times. It rolls like a memory\, harkening the greats of street poetry. Gwen is my favourite kind of poet\, the kind with clear eyes that truly see other humans\, renders them beautiful.”\n—katherena vermette\, author of procession \n“WOW! Gwen Aube makes a speedway for poems\, racing up your neck and into the mouth of your surprised\, opening face! You think you know what’s coming next? NO! HAHA! There is something incredible waiting for you here.”\n—CA Conrad\, author of Listen to the Golden Boomerang Return \n“Evokes  a city of sound and shifting spaces. Here\, tears “glonk” on the  sidewalk\, mattresses are sometimes a chalice\, sometimes a bowl\,  sometimes a god\, and one’s own body does not always provide a home.  Canny\, understated\, moving\, seeking a passageway for trans lives and  lives in transition\, the poet’s voice creates a haunting stillness in  the noise.”\n—PEN Canada New Voices jury citation \nGwen Aube is a working class writer living in Montreal\, Quebec. She is a 2026 Al Purdy A-Frame Artist-In-Residence & 2025 AiR with the Ontario Heritage Council. She was a finalist for the 2025 PEN Canada New Voices Award\, as well as a Kevin Killian Scholarship recipient for the Jack Kerouac School. Her chapbook pulp necrosis was published by above/ground press.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/book-launch-missed-connections-with-tall-girls-by-gwen-aube/
LOCATION:Brasserie Beaubien\, 73 rue Beaubien Est\, Montreal\, Quebec\, Canada
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260328T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260328T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260318T055402Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T055408Z
UID:10004869-1774724400-1774735200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:The Pit Periodical Issue 7 launch
DESCRIPTION:The Pit is back~ after a much needed hibernation\, their winter issue is finally ready to hit the newsstands! \nJoin them on Saturday March 28th for poetry\, music\, and sooo many margaritas! Give us $20\, buy a cocktail\, and peruse the glossy pages full of this season’s fabulous contributors 🏹💌 \nWith a soulful live performance by @hanorahmusic\, a new wave and rock en español DJ set by Carla Oteiza from @ater.deathcrust\, and a TBA selection of this issue’s poets\, come celebrate the end of this killer winter with The Pit at @avenuepublic in st Henri! \nSend an e-transfer of $20 to thepitperiodical@gmail.com or get your tix at the door 🍒
URL:https://qwf.org/event/the-pit-periodical-issue-7-launch/
LOCATION:4710 St Ambroise #343\, 4710 St Ambroise #343\, Montreal\, QC\, H4C 2C7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Book Launch
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260328T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260328T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260326T213126Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T213131Z
UID:10004882-1774724400-1774731600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Les auteurs s'expriment sur: l'amour et la résilience § Authors Talk On: Love & Resilience
DESCRIPTION:This event is an invitation for Author’s to read passages from their published works\, speak to and participate in question & answer on the subject of love & resilience. Author’s can confirm their attendance and willingness to read and speak from 6pm-7pm\, March 28th\, 2026. Reading and discussion to commence at 7pm\, March 28th. Reading and discussion can be in French or English. All are welcome to read\, support or just listen. \nLes auteurs liront des extraits de leurs ouvrages publiés et participeront à une séance de questions-réponses sur le thème de l’amour et de la résilience. Les auteurs sont invités à confirmer leur présence et leur disponibilité pour lire et intervenir entre 18 h et 19 h le 28 mars 2026. La lecture et la discussion débuteront à 19 h le 28 mars. La lecture et la discussion pourront se dérouler en français ou en anglais. Tout le monde est le bienvenu\, que ce soit pour lire\, apporter son soutien ou simplement écouter.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/les-auteurs-sexpriment-sur-lamour-et-la-resilience-%c2%a7-authors-talk-on-love-resilience/
LOCATION:Phoenix Books\, 5928 Sherbrooke Street West\, 5928 Sherbrooke St W\, Montreal\, QC\, H4A 1X7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Reading
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260328T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260328T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190725Z
UID:10004753-1774693800-1774708200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Illuminated Grant-Writing
DESCRIPTION:This workshop will examine how writers with projects for print\, spoken word\, or storytelling can compose a strong literary arts grant application. From drafting a project description to balancing a budget\, we will also discuss artistic risk\, impact\, and cultural appropriation among many other topics. Focus will be on funding programs at the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec\, and an arts council program officer will join us to answer questions. This series is intended for Quebec-based writers at all stages of their practice: emerging\, mid-career\, or established. There will be tasks to complete between sessions\, and participants must arrive with an original literary arts project in mind. Three half-day workshops will be followed by a one-on-one 30-minute mentoring session for each participant. \n\n\n\nAccess to MS Word or similar writing software will be necessary as well as a willingness to share work and give and receive feedback in a workshop setting. \n\n\n\nImportant: Right after registering for the workshop\, participants must provide a short\, one-sentence description of their envisioned literary arts project. This sentence should be sent to Riley@qwf.org with “Illuminated Grant-Writing” in the subject line.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/illuminated-grant-writing-6/2026-03-28/
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:20260328T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260328T123000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260305T194715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260305T194719Z
UID:10004852-1774692000-1774701000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Shut Up & Write! with QWF (Virtual)
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, March 28\, 2026\, 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. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you are registered but can no longer attend\, please email john@qwf.org.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/shut-up-write-with-qwf-virtual-56/
LOCATION:Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
CATEGORIES:Shut Up & Write!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260326T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260326T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190726Z
UID:10004744-1774555200-1774562400@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/2026-03-26/
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:20260326T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260326T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260107T182233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182237Z
UID:10004782-1774547100-1774554300@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/2026-03-26/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260326T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260326T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190726Z
UID:10004736-1774547100-1774554300@qwf.org
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/2026-03-26/
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:20260325T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260107T181425Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T181429Z
UID:10004774-1774468800-1774476000@qwf.org
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/2026-03-25/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260225T194517Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260225T200825Z
UID:10004842-1774465200-1774465200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Misha Solomon launches MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER DANCED BALLET
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, March 25\, 20267:00 pm ET\n\n\n\nJoin Misha Solomon in launching his highly-anticipated poetry debut\, My Great-Grandfather Danced Ballet at the Centre Culturel Georges-Vanier on March 25th at 7PM! Hosted by Sarah Burgoyne and featuring a performance by Nate Yaffe. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRSVP on Pulpbooks.ca
URL:https://qwf.org/event/misha-solomon-launches-my-great-grandfather-danced-ballet/
LOCATION:Centre Culturel Georges-Vanier\, 2450 rue Workman\, Montreal\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Book Launch,Reading
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190727Z
UID:10004728-1774460700-1774467900@qwf.org
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/2026-03-25/
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:20260324T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260324T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190727Z
UID:10004720-1774382400-1774389600@qwf.org
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/2026-03-24/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260324T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260324T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190728Z
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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/2026-03-24/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260324T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260324T131500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260311T144215Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T140044Z
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SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn: Writing Medicine Authentically in Speculative Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, March 24\, 202612:00–1:15 pm ETFree\, Online via Zoom—Register for Link\n\n\n\nMedicine is an integral part of our lives—and\, often\, our stories. In this presentation\, author and pathologist Kyrie Wang will discuss the importance of authentic representations of medicine in fiction\, including how to incorporate medical content into your writing and avoid common mistakes. Join us as we explore medicine as not only scientific practice but also a cornerstone of society\, culture\, and world-building. \n\n\n\nThis discussion will be focused on medicine in speculative fiction\, but writers of all fiction genres are encouraged and welcome to join. \n\n\n\nAbout the Presenter\n\n\n\nKyrie Wang is a medical mystery detective (fancy words for “pathologist\, MD”) by day and a dreamweaver of historical fantasy by night. Pencil on paper makes her cry and laugh\, and every book she writes is like living another life. She loves writing stories where people discover their true selves\, goodness wins\, and the forgotten and voiceless become heroes. When she isn’t peering through a microscope or building hamster toys with her daughter\, Kyrie is at her keyboard\, chasing the next adventure. \n\n\n\nFor a free novel\, The Thief’s Keeper (An Enemy’s Keeper Prequel)\, please visit www.kyriewang.com. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegister for Zoom link
URL:https://qwf.org/event/lunch-and-learn-writing-medicine-authentically-in-speculative-fiction/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Lunch & Learn,QWF Events,Webinar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260323T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260323T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190729Z
UID:10004698-1774296000-1774303200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Sustaining Dramatic Tension in Long-form Fiction
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\n1.   Week #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\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 Everything by Elizabeth Strout\, All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews\, and several Shakespearean monologues.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/sustaining-dramatic-tension-in-long-form-fiction/2026-03-23/
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:20260323T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260323T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190729Z
UID:10004690-1774287900-1774295100@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Poetic Transformations: Revising as Re-Seeing
DESCRIPTION:Most poets move through a process of honing our work. We draft\, workshop\, revise\, and polish our poems. But what possibilities await if we reframe revision as transformation? \n\n\n\nThis workshop will build a new toolkit for revising poetry—one that valorizes artistic possibility over the idea of a single finished draft. Together\, we will embrace each poem’s power to contain and reveal multiple versions of itself—versions that can stand alone or in conversation. \n\n\n\nThrough generative exercises\, craft wisdom\, and workshop-style feedback\, we will inhabit poet and composition scholar Wendy Bishop’s idea of radical revision. Each week\, we will enact experiments on our work to shake us out of the poems we thought we knew and into new stylistic territory. By embracing revision as an act of re-seeing\, we will confound our own expectations\, deepen into the inherent promise of our work\, and slough off stale writerly habits. A delightful\, productive defamiliarization may result. \n\n\n\nIf you’ve ever felt stuck\, not known how to revise\, or felt too attached to a draft to change it\, this workshop is for you. If you’ve ever wanted to create an inventive sequence of poems stemming from a single impulse\, this workshop is for you. If you’ve ever wanted to turn your linguistic sandcastle into a lexical dragon or syllabic shore bird\, this workshop is for you. \n\n\n\nThe strategies you will learn are designed to serve you both within and beyond the workshop. You can expect to leave the workshop with a newly articulated\, personalized philosophy of revision. You might leave with 8 radically different versions of a single poem. You might leave with a whole new sequence of poems that could scaffold a collection. Regardless\, you will leave with some substantially revised poetry along with the concrete tools and feedback to make future revision a process of expansive growth. \n\n\n\nThe workshop is open to practicing poets of all levels — with the following caveats: \n\n\n\n1) you must already be writing and revising poems; \n\n\n\n2) you must be willing to abandon the idea of single finished version of any given poem; and \n\n\n\n3) you must bring 3 to 5 of your own poems that you are willing to revise beyond recognition.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/poetic-transformations-revising-as-re-seeing/2026-03-23/
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:20260323T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260327T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260217T174247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260217T174253Z
UID:10004830-1774260000-1774620000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Adaptation 101; From Inspiration to Action with Nick Carpenter
DESCRIPTION:Applications are now open for “Adaptation 101; From Inspiration to Action” with Nick Carpenter. \nHave you always been interested in adapting for the stage? In this Exploring Practice\, facilitator Nick Carpenter will take you through the steps of adapting a piece from its original source to a new theatrical shape. Running from March 23-27\, this workshop will be taking place in the PWM Studio and is free of cost. \nOpen to playwrights at all levels of experience. Participants are invited to unlock and explore the theatrical possibilities of a work not originally intended for the stage\, or find a new spin on an already existing play. \nEach session will be built around group discussion\, exercises\, sharing\, and feedback. \nApply by February 25\, 2026!
URL:https://qwf.org/event/adaptation-101-from-inspiration-to-action-with-nick-carpenter/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260321T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260321T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190725Z
UID:10004752-1774089000-1774103400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Illuminated Grant-Writing
DESCRIPTION:This workshop will examine how writers with projects for print\, spoken word\, or storytelling can compose a strong literary arts grant application. From drafting a project description to balancing a budget\, we will also discuss artistic risk\, impact\, and cultural appropriation among many other topics. Focus will be on funding programs at the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec\, and an arts council program officer will join us to answer questions. This series is intended for Quebec-based writers at all stages of their practice: emerging\, mid-career\, or established. There will be tasks to complete between sessions\, and participants must arrive with an original literary arts project in mind. Three half-day workshops will be followed by a one-on-one 30-minute mentoring session for each participant. \n\n\n\nAccess to MS Word or similar writing software will be necessary as well as a willingness to share work and give and receive feedback in a workshop setting. \n\n\n\nImportant: Right after registering for the workshop\, participants must provide a short\, one-sentence description of their envisioned literary arts project. This sentence should be sent to Riley@qwf.org with “Illuminated Grant-Writing” in the subject line.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/illuminated-grant-writing-6/2026-03-21/
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:20260320T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260320T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260220T175942Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260307T152832Z
UID:10004833-1774009800-1774018800@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Shut Up & Write! with QWF (In Person)
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\n\n\n\n\nFriday\, March 20\, 2026\, 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\nThis session is now full. To join the waitlist\, please email john@qwf.org.  \n\n\n\nIf you registered for the session but can no longer attend\, please email john@qwf.org.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/shut-up-write-with-qwf-in-person-57/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Shut Up & Write!
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260319T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260319T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20251211T190726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190726Z
UID:10004743-1773950400-1773957600@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/2026-03-19/
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:20260319T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260319T194500
DTSTAMP:20260403T161352
CREATED:20260107T182233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182237Z
UID:10004781-1773942300-1773949500@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/2026-03-19/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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