This week’s post is a potpourri of writing events and opportunities. Submit an essay to a new publisher or a workshop proposal to a writers’ festival. Arrange a writing retreat in Saskatchewan, attend an online workshop, or live events at the Museum of Vancouver and in Vancouver’s Chinatown.
Note: While we believe that the listings in this post may be of interest to FBCW members and the general writing community, the Federation of BC Writers is not directly affiliated with any of the following organizations or groups.
Submit your event or call-out to our next blog post here, or contact Rachel at rachel@bcwriters.ca.
Book Launch: Emily & Elspeth, by Catherine McNeil
Sunday, March 26, 2023 2:00 PM
Mission Point House in Davis Bay, 4603 Sunshine Coast Highway, Sechelt, BC
From the Coast Reporter: “McNeil’s book Emily & Elspeth is a chronicle of two women anchored by coastal communities, storied Vancouver streetscapes, and a cobblestoned city in Mexico’s central highlands.”
Through poems that flirt with the intersections of desire, art and commitment, McNeil pieces together Emily & Elspeth as playfully as she takes it apart.
For more information, visit catmacmusic.com
Poetry Workshop: Fiona Tinwei Lam
Saturday, April 1, 2023 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Museum of Vancouver, Vanier Park, Vancouver BC
$45 ($35 MOV Members)
To celebrate poetry month and inspired by Poet Laureate Fiona Tinwei Lam’s City Poems Contest – you are invited to come and bring your own memories of your favorite places in the city. With Fiona’s guidance, learn how to shape your memories of place into your very own poem through fun writing prompts and supportive sharing. Writers of all levels welcome! Spaces are limited so register early. Masks, while not required, are recommended.
https://museumofvancouver.ca/poetry-and-place
Call for Submissions: A Space of Our Own
Upcoming Anthology from Trail Creek
Deadline: Monday, May 31, 5:00 PM PT
Trail Creek is currently seeking submissions for an anthology to be a part of their 2024 launch catalogue. A Space of Our Own will feature the stories and perspectives of BC artists reflecting on their studio spaces, lack of studio spaces, fights to maintain artistic spaces in the current housing and rental markets, and joys of finding a space in which to belong.
For more information, visit: https://trailcreek.ca/2023/03/19/call-for-submissions-a-space-of-our-own/
Call for Workshop Proposals: Write on Bowen 2023
Deadline for Submissions: Saturday, April 15, 2023
Festival: September 16 and 17, 2023
Bowen Island
The organizers of Write on Bowen are inviting proposals for stimulating and inspiring writing workshops for their festival in September. The workshop application and further details are available on their website: https://www.writeonbowen.com/
Writer and Artist Retreats
July 7-28, 2023 in Saskatchewan
Application Deadline: May 25, 2023
The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild is accepting applications from writers and artists across Canada for the Writer and Artist Retreats for the weeks of July 7-28, 2023.
These independent week-long retreats for established and practicing writers and artists are held at St. Peter’s Abbey in Muenster, SK, a Benedictine monastery in a serene rural location. Retreat participants are accommodated in private rooms in Scholastica Residence and all meals are provided. The fees are $425 for in-province SWG members, $525 for out-of-province SWG members or SK-based non-members, and $625 for out-of-province non-members, plus studio fees for visual artists at $100 per week.
For full retreat information and application forms, please visit https://skwriter.com/retreats/writer-and-artist-retreats
Online Workshop: How to Write Thrilling Thrillers with Amber Cowie
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 10:00 – 11:30 AM Pacific Time
Sponsored by Sisters in Crime – Canada West
FREE on Zoom
Amber Cowie will cover key elements of writing riveting stories that make readers want to stay up all night. This workshop will focus on the specific expectations of the genre (including the inciting incident, gathering allies and enemies, and the “all is lost moment”) that ratchet up tension and lead to a satisfying conclusion. In the session, participants will develop a story outline that employs twists, tropes, and turns to create thrilling fiction.
Amber Cowie is a novelist living in a small town on the west coast of British Columbia. Her first novel, Rapid Falls, was a Whistler Book Awards nominee, hit number one overall on Amazon, and was a top-100 bestselling Kindle book of 2018. Her next book will be released by Simon and Schuster Canada in February 2024.
Register here: https://sistersincrime-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAlf–oqT0jGtyZw7sSGDGdCfVUAp2RZmi8
Book Launch: Kevin Chong and Lindsay Wong
Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 7:00 – 9:00 PM
The Chinatown Storytelling Centre, 168 East Pender Street, Vancouver, BC
Presented by Word Vancouver and The Asian Canadian Writers Workshop, come celebrate the joint book launches of Kevin Chong, The Double Life of Benson Yu, (Simon and Schuster) and Lindsay Wong, Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality (Penguin Random House). Enjoy readings and talks from both authors, as well as from featured guest author Christine Lai, Landscapes (Penguin Random House).
Books will be available for purchase and signing through the Chinatown Storytelling Centre’s Foo Hung Curios bookstore. Explore the CSC’s permanent exhibition as you mingle, and take a peek at local wares in Foo Hung Curios! Food and beverage available on-site.
Register via Eventbrite here.
