Emily Southwood is a memoirist, journalist, screenplay, and fiction writer. She’s the author of the memoir Prude: Lessons I Learned When My Fiancé Filmed Porn (Seal Press) and has written for Elle Canada, Time.com, and Huffington Post, among others. Her current projects include the feature-film adapted comedy O Face, the documentary film Clear Round (featuring Olympian Ian Millar) and her first novel: More to Lose. Her passion is for telling thought-provoking and entertaining narratives of resilience. Bonus if she makes you laugh out loud.
Emily is available for readings of Prude with question/answer periods and workshops on creative non-fiction that focus on the following topics:
- Building a book proposal from a magazine article (how Prude was developed from the Elle Canada article: “A Very Lewd Engagement”).
- The difference between autobiography and memoir and structuring the truth into a narrative that tells a good story.
- Using humour and humility to tackle difficult subject matter with examples such as Chelsea Handler, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Gilbert.
- The importance of an enticing hook in pitching and questions to ask for generating your own compelling memoir.
Emily has 20 years of experience as a freelance writer and editor and is a substitute teacher for The New Frontiers School Board. She holds a BA in Honours English Literature and Creative Writing from Concordia and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. She is enthusiastic to share her love of writing with CEGEP students and encourage them to tell their own stories.