Archive for the ‘Appearances’ Category
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
If I’ve been sadly absent here—and I have been—it’s partly because this summer I’ve been extremely busy putting together the content for Kingston WritersFest’s web site. More than sixty-three authors are coming to share their work with us this season, including novelists Steven Heighton, Lisa Moore, Joan Thomas, Kathleen Winter, and Michael Winter; memoirists Karen Connelly and Iain Reid, and poets Joanne Page and John Steffler. Find the complete list on our Authors Page.
One of the perks of my job was that in composing profiles for each of our authors I got to know quite a lot about them and their upcoming books, as well as their reading habits. Fascinating stuff.
I’ll be appearing at Kingston WritersFest as moderator of an event called In Search of Memory, a conversation with Judy Fong Bates about her beautiful memoir, The Year of Finding Memory. I loved Judy’s novel, Midnight at the Dragon Café, and I’m just about to dive into the memoir now. Tickets to this event, and all others, are available at the Grand Theatre Box Office. Prices are very reasonable, but tickets are selling fast, so get yours soon!
Those of you who love to write should check out the Writers Studio—ten master classes with some of Canada’s best writers. I plan to attend as many of these as I can get into!
If you’re in Kingston or anywhere near it in late September, join us!
Tags: Appearances, Kingston WritersFest
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Monday, May 31st, 2010
I’ve just come back from the annual Prince Edward County Authors’ Festival, where I hosted a panel discussion with Dani Couture, Colin Frizzell, Sarah Selecky, and Paul Vermeersch. We’d been asked to talk about the writing life, so our conversation ranged widely, from questions about genre, to thoughts about revision (including Sarah Selecky’s interesting idea about revision as translation), to Paul Vermeersch’s eerily exact Al Purdy imitation.
As editor of the Al Purdy A-Frame Anthology, Paul also spoke to the audience about the Purdy A-Frame Trust. Spearheaded by the indefatigable Jean Baird, the Trust aims to purchase, restore and preserve the poet’s house on Roblin Lake as a permanent writers’ retreat. For more information, see Marnie Woodrow’s piece about this in The County Grapevine.
The PEC festival must be one of the best small-town festivals in Canada. Audiences are enthusiastic and well-informed, the venue is spacious, yet intimate, organizers are exceptionally welcoming, and the setting is spectacular. Yesterday, I heard brilliant readings by Steven Heighton, Sarah Selecky, Mariann Ackerman, and Cordelia Strube as well as Catherine Gildiner and Helen Humphreys. What a pleasure to be exposed to new work by these authors and to talk with several fine poets and fiction writers about their process.
Tags: Anthologies, Appearances
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Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
On Saturday, May 29 at 4 pm, I will be moderating a panel on the writing life, with guests Roz Bound, Colin Frizzell, Sarah Selecky and Paul Vermeersch.
Books and Company, 289 Main Street, Picton, Ontario.
As a participant in last year’s festival, I can attest that it’s an intimate and inspiring occasion in one of the most beautiful parts of the province! Come for one event or better yet, come for them all!
For tickets or information, call: 613 476 3037
Tags: Appearances, Festivals
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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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