This week’s blog features events and workshops in Sidney, Campbell River, Victoria and Whitehorse, a call for short fiction submissions from writers on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, and an Artist-in-Residence program in Kelowna.
Are you hosting a book launch or an open mic? Are you a member of an in-person writing group looking for new participants, or a writer looking for a local writing group? Let us know what’s happening in your community!
Submit your blog post here, or contact Rachel at rachel@bcwriters.ca.
Okanagan
Kelowna (Open to All)
Call for Applicants:
Woodhaven Artist in Residence Program
Deadline for Applications: March 1, 2023
Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, Kelowna, BC
The FCCS Woodhaven Artist in Residence Program provides a paid residency for a diverse variety of visiting artists, including writers, visual artists, digital media artists and performance artists. Artists will stay between 4 – 8 weeks at our Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre in the summer months.
For more information, visit https://fccs.ok.ubc.ca/about/events-workshops/artist-in-residence
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands
Call for Submissions
2023 Islands Short Fiction
Nanaimo Arts Council
Deadline: March 31, 2023
Islands Short Fiction Review is seeking Short Fiction submissions of up to 2,000 words. Writers of all ages from Vancouver Island and the surrounding Gulf Islands are eligible to submit their work. There are three categories: Juniors (12 and under; up to 2 submissions; no fee), Youth (13-18; up to 2 submissions; no fee) and Adults (19+; $20.00 per submission; unlimited submissions.
For more info, visit https://nanaimoartscouncil.ca/isfr/isfr-entry-rules/
Campbell River
Writing Workshop Series
Workshop #2: Environment and the Body
Saturday, March 4, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Museum at Campbell River, Boardroom
470 Island Highway at 5th Avenue, Campbell River
Cost: $45
“We are the Earth being conscious of itself.” – Henryk Skolimowski, Eco-Philosophy: Designing New Tactics for Living (1981)
Much literature in English reinforces colonial conceptions of humans as separate from the natural world, using the environment only as symbolic backdrop. But the environments we inhabit also inhabit us. How do our environments—and the stories we tell about them—shape us and our writing? How do we write this relationship? In this workshop, we draw on the work of Toni Morrison, Joshua Whitehead, and Chen Ran to explore approaches to writing about land and ourselves/characters in relationship with that land. The workshop includes short presentations, writing exercises/prompts and discussion. Open to both poets and prose writers. Please bring a lunch.
https://crmuseum.ca/2023/01/04/writers-workshop-series/
Workshops in this series presented by Andrea Routley, the 2022/23 Writer in Residence at Haig-Brown House.
Sidney
Sidney LitFest
April 20-22, 2023
Mary Winspear Centre
2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney, BC
Featuring 15 celebrated Canadian authors at 8 different events, the Sidney LitFest will include author readings, panel discussions and workshops. Bob McDonald, author and host of CBC’s Quirks and Quarks, will open the festival on April 20. The other participating authors are Caroline Adderson, Kamal Al-Solaylee, Yvonne Blomer, Dede Crane, francesca ekwuyasi, Danielle Geller, Michael Harris, Brian Thomas, Bruce Kirkby, Annabel Lyon, Frances Peck, Danny Ramadan, Rachel Rose, and Joan Thomas.
For further information, visit https://www.sidneyliteraryfestival.ca/ or https://www.facebook.com/sidneyliteraryfestival
Tickets go on sale on March 1 online at the website above, or in person March 3 at Tanner’s Books in Sidney.
Victoria
“Read Locally” Book Fair
Saturday, March 18, 10am to 3pm.
First Metropolitan United Church Hall, 923 Balmoral, Victoria
Read Locally and help support independent writers and book publishers in the Victoria area. Admission is by donation.
Writers and publishers may rent a table ($20) or half a table ($10). Contact Edeana Malcolm at dnmlclm3@gmail.com or (250) 412-7682 for more information.
https://www.firstmetvictoria.com/events/read-locally-book-fair/2023-03-18
Yukon
Whitehorse
Workshop: Short Form Poetry – Haiku 101
With Katherine Munro (kj)
April 17, 2023, 6:00-8:00 pm
Canada Games Centre Boardroom
200 Hamilton Blvd, Whitehorse, YT
A short form poetry that originated in Japan, haiku poems are often seasonal, depicting a moment of perception with concrete sensory images. This workshop begins with a history of English-language haiku, definitions and tips for both reading and writing haiku; it then moves on to a writing exercise. Pen, paper and encouragement provided.
For more information or to register, click here, or visit Katherine J. Munro’s website at https://kjmunro1560.wordpress.com/.
Registration opens March 2.
