Thursday, March 11th, 2010
I’ll be presenting at the Creative Nonfiction Collective’s Annual Conference
Banff, Alberta. Banff Centre for the Arts. Saturday, April 24th, 1:30 - 2:45 pm.
(Open to the public and supported by The Writers’ Union of Canada.)
The personal essay is often identified by its loose and meandering shape and its tolerance, or even requirement, for explicit thought and self-reflection. In contrast, the lyric essay foregrounds structure, with devices such as braided narratives, collage, and juxtaposition; typically, it limits summary reflection. Are these forms really as opposed as they may seem? And why might a writer choose one over the other in the attempt to think on the page? In this workshop we will look at traditional and more experimental essays to discover their distinct and overlapping pleasures and virtues — for writers and for readers.
Tags: Appearances, Essays, Teaching
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Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
I’ll be teaching a course at St. Lawrence College, Kingston Campus, once a week on Thursdays from January 15th until April 24th. Would love to see some of you there! More details below.
Creative Writing II
Students will develop their skills and confidence in their chosen genre (short and long fiction; drama; personal essay or memoir; long poem or poem sequence ) by completing and refining a large project. Participants will be required to first submit a proposal/outline followed by installments of the proposed project. Evaluation of manuscripts will be ongoing. Course includes workshops and in-class writing exercises.
Wed Jan 13-Apr 21, Thurs. Jan. 14 - Apr 22, 6:30-9:30pm,
$257.85
WRIT 298 861
Tags: Teaching
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Monday, September 28th, 2009
Thanks to Merilyn Simonds, Jan Walter, and all the many volunteers at the Kingston WritersFest last weekend. The Festival was an overwhelming success, with huge, enthusiastic audiences for every event and happy writers. The venue is already booked for next year.
With Merilyn Simonds at the helm you can be sure that writers of creative nonfiction were well represented at the Festival. In particular, I enjoyed a panel moderated by Charlotte Gray on Penguin’s Extraordinary Canadians series. Mark Kingwell, Daniel Poliquin, and Jane Urquhart spoke brilliantly on their subjects (Glenn Gould, René Lévesque, and Lucy Maud Montgomery, respectively) but also on the art of biography itself.
The Extraordinary Canadians series, edited by John Raulston Saul, imposes strict length restrictions on its authors. All three at the WritersFest mentioned that early in the process, they began to think of what they were writing as extended essays, and that ultimately, this idea that they were writing essays liberated them from doomed attempts to encapsulate an entire life in forty to fifty thousand words. Instead, the form itself required – but also inspired – non-linear and highly personal interpretations. Structure arose organically from the themes that dominated their subjects’ lives, together with their need to cut through the many myths and presuppositions about these famous people. Each book in the series is therefore a dialogue of sorts between author and subject.
I liked this idea of essay-as-inspiration and look forward to reading the results.
Tags: Biography, Creative Nonfiction, Essays, Kingston WritersFest
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Saturday, September 19th, 2009
Merilyn Simonds recently interviewed me about women and writing for her column in the Kingston Whig-Standard. Find the article here.
Tags: Essays, Interviews, Pathologies: A Life in Essays, Women and Writing
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Monday, August 10th, 2009
Thanks to the energies of Merilyn Simonds, a dedicated band of volunteers, and some generous sponsors, the Kingston WritersFest is bigger and better than ever! Check out the line-up here. Big names include Margaret Atwood, Joseph Boydon, Michael Crummy, Anne Michaels and Jane Urquhart. We’ll also be treated to some wonderful poetry by the likes of Kevin Connolly, Jennifer Londry, David O’Meara, Billeh Nickerson, and Karen Solie. Mark Sinnett launches his latest thriller, and mystery lovers will be pleased to welcome Louise Penny, Howard Engel, and more. Several authors of YA fiction and graphic fiction will also appear, including my Writing Centre colleague, the lovely Maureen Garvie, author of Amy, By Any Other Name.
I’ll be appearing twice at the WritersFest.
Thursday, September 24, 9:30-11:00 am: Telling It Slant: Memoir Writing. This is a master-class on memoir writing, limited to 40 participants. The cost is $25.
Are you struggling to give shape to an experience that eludes your words? Maybe you’re writing about a painful incident from your past, one that’s taboo. Or maybe your story is so familiar it bores even you. Susan Olding will help you reignite your passion and explore the true heart of your material. Discover how adopting strategies from the lyric essay – collage, braided narratives, alternate structures, heightened attention to language, and more – can give your memoir depth and originality, and make your hours at the desk more rewarding and fun.
All in the Family: Friday, September 25, 3:30-4:45 pm
This is an on-stage conversation with Lorna Crozier, author of the forthcoming memoir Small Beneath the Sky (September). The cost is $10.
In a frank and intimate onstage conversation, poet/essayists Susan Olding and Lorna Crozier discuss their memoirs of growing up in Ontario and Saskatchewan, their relationships with difficult parents, the minefield of female friendship, and the complex business of becoming women and writers.
Events (except for Margaret Atwood’s appearance) take place at the Holiday Inn Waterfront.
Tickets
Tickets and Festival Passes are on sale as of August 1, 2009
Tickets for most Onstage Events are $10 each.
Tickets for Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood are $16 in advance and $18 at the door.
Tickets for Master Classes are $25 each.
Tickets for the Book Lovers Box Lunch are $25 each.
The Battle of the Books is a free event. No ticket is required.
Festival Passes cost $75 and provide admission to all Onstage Events, a value of $135.00. (Master Classes and Book Lovers Box Lunch not included.)
All ticket prices include GST.
Seating
There is general seating for all events except the Margaret Atwood performance, The Year of the Flood,at the Grand Theatre. Tickets to this event are reserved seats.
Please arrive a half hour early to assure a good seat. Festival Pass seats will be held until 15 minutes before each event.
Box Office
For Tickets In Advance Of The Festival:
Tickets for all events, both at the Grand Theatre and the Holiday Inn Waterfront are available through the Grand Theatre Box Office. GST is included and a handling fee will be added to the ticket prices above purchased through the Grand Theatre.
You can buy tickets for all Kingston WritersFest events in person at
The Grand Theatre
218 Princess Street,
Kingston, Ontario
Or by phone at 613-530-2050
Or by email at grandtheatre2@cityofkingston.ca
The Grand Theatre box office is open
Monday to Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Tickets and Festival Passes to all Kingston WritersFest onstage events and master classes can be purchased any time online at www.kingstongrand.ca/tickets
For Ticket Sales After September 23:
Unless an event is sold out, tickets will be available at our on-site box office located on the 6th floor of the Holiday Inn Waterfront. Our onside box office will be open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Thursday to Saturday, September 24 to 26. Tickets can be purchased up to 15 minutes before an event.
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