Langevin Block, Ottawa, . (Photo Wikipedia)

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION BRANCH (NCR)

Bi-Weekly Notices for the two weeks: Nov 9 to Nov. 22, 2015

Need more information on CAA-NCR? Visit us at http://canadianauthors.org/nationalcapitalregion/

TO ALL READERS: Please send all submissions & event notices to Carol Stephen at cstephen0@gmail.com

CAA WRITING CIRCLES (WCS) HAVE STARTED FOR THE 2015-16 SEASON

The Circle at McNabb Community Center (Percy Street just north of Gladstone) held its first meeting on Tuesday, October 13^th at 6:00 in the meeting room, and we have space for a couple of new members.

This is an opportunity to receive feedback from a knowledgeable group of writers; many participants have published the very material critiqued in their circle.

Participation is FREE to CAA members. Non-CAA-members may join for $75 for the year. For more information or to join a writing circle, please contact the Coordinator.

MEETINGS

NOVEMBER MEETING

TOPIC: TAPPING YOUR INNATE CREATIVITY
PRESENTER: Bobbi Florio Graham
DATE: Tuesday, November 10, 2015 TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
LOCATION: McNabb Recreation Centre, 180 Percy St. east of Bronson Ave.

One of Barbara Florio Graham’s most popular workshops has been Tapping Your Innate Creativity, which she has taught to national organizations and corporations across Canada, in the U.S. and abroad. It is now offered as an online tutorial. Barbara will give a small sample in her presentation to CAA, and explain how to use many of these principles to improve our creative writing.

BIO: Barbara Florio Graham has won awards for fiction, non-fiction, humour and poetry, and has written for magazines and newspapers across North America. The author of three books, Five Fast Steps to Better Writing, Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity, and Mewsings/Musings, she served as Managing Editor for Prose to Go: Tales from a Private List. A popular mentor and publishing consultant, Bobbi’s website contains a wealth of free information. Go to: http://SimonTeakettle.com

29TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CAPITAL WRITING CONTEST

 Short Story • Poetry $300 • $200 • $100 NEW! Open to all residents of Ontario and Quebec. NEW!

• Short Story, max. 2500 words. Poetry (not Haiku), max. 60 lines including title & blank lines.
• Must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant.
• In English, typed, double-spaced (but not for poems), on 8 1/2 × 11″ paper, one side only, page-numbered consecutively on bottom right of pages. No extra-large type, please! Indicate category and title on top left corner of every page.
• Contest is blind judged which means the Contest Coordinator will assign a number to your entry that will correspond to what she sends off to the judge. (Don’t put your name on it anywhere!)
• Don’t forget to include your entry fee.*
• Please understand that we can’t acknowledge receipt or return your entries.
• CAA–NCR reserves the right to withhold any prize should entries fail to meet expected standards.
• We will need a separate page with your information on it: category, story/poem title, name, address, phone number, e-mail address. Cheques payable to Canadian Authors Association–NCR.

 I’m in! How do I do this? Entry fees* are $15 per story; $15 for up to three (3) poems. Poems will be judged individually.  

MAIL ENTRIES TO: CAA National Capital Writing Contest, 163 Bell St., N., Box 57081, Ottawa ON K1R 7E1. Attention: Sherrill Wark

Awards Night

We hope that all finalists and their friends and families will attend the always-exciting Awards Night, Tuesday, May 10, 2016, 7 PM, AUDITORIUM, MAIN BRANCH, OTTAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY. Finalists may be invited to read their entries. Winning entries will be published in CAA–NCR’s e-mag Byline. (Copyright will remain with you.)

Deadline Midnight FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2016. (Get it postmarked if you’re close). QUESTIONS? Contact Sherrill Wark, Coordinator, NCWC at ncwc@crowecreations.ca

*“One Free Entry” for CAA–NCR members no longer available.

MEMBER NEWS

 CAA-NCR MEMBER A. COLIN WRIGHT WILL LAUNCH HIS NEW NOVEL, VERONICA’S PAPERS

DATE: Tues. Nov. 24^th, 2015 at The Novel Idea, 156 Princess Street, Kingston, 7 to 9 p.m.

Everyone within range of Kingston is invited to attend. Copies of this and other of my works will be available, or may be ordered at any Amazon site and at fine bookstores everywhere.

    “Gerald Claygton, suffering from amnesia, receives a package os papers from Veronica, a former clinical hypnotist. She tells him they accomplished his fantasy of gathering together, on a ship, his past loves with the two of them present, but in disguise. In hopes of discovering his own past, Gerald invites the passengers to guess what, or who, they have in common.”

CAA NATIONAL NEWS:

UPCOMING WEBINARS THIS FALL

Self-Editing 101: Taking your manuscript to the next stage
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 7:00–8:30 pm EDT
Presenter: Anita Purcell, Executive Director, Canadian Authors

No matter how wonderful your first draft seems, it is no more than a work-in-progress full of plot holes, gaps in logic, and character inconsistencies. Yes, traditional publishers have their own editors and proofreaders—but to be even considered for publication, your manuscript must be better than thousands of other submissions. And if you’re self-publishing, you’ll need to stand out among an ever-growing number of competitors with crisp, clean, and professional writing. During this session you’ll learn about the 3-tier editing process that will save your sanity as well as your muse. Register Today!

 Launch Your Book Successfully
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 7:00–8:30 pm EDT
Presenter: Brian Jud, Executive Director, APSS USA

Did you know you can start marketing your book long before it launches? In this webinar you’ll be shown creative, yet practical tactics to increase your book’s chances of success before you publish and after it goes on sale. Early in the publishing phase, you can begin arranging sponsorships and media events, generating pre-publication sales, preparing your title for reviews and awards, building your prospect list, and more. Once your book is available for sale, the stage of perpetual promotion begins. Brian will show you innovative, low-cost, and proven marketing actions you can immediately take to sell more books. Register Today!

Worldbuilding for Writers
Date: Wednesday, December 9, 7:00–8:30 pm EDT
Presenter: Sandra Stewart, author

Are you working on a story that just doesn’t feel full enough? Award-winning author Sandra Stewart will show you how to bring depth to your story by answering questions on culture, science and technology, economics, and more. Whether the world you’re writing about is real or imagined, you’ll learn how to make it come to life and fully engage your audience. Register Today!

OTHER WORKSHOPS

ROB MCLENNAN WILL OFFER WORKSHOPS BEGINNING IN JANUARY 2016

DATES: WEDNESDAYS FROM JAN. 13 2016 THROUGH MARCH 9, 2016
LOCATION: Alta Vista Drive (just south of Randall Avenue). Address and directions to be provided.
$200 for 8 sessions. For information, contact rob mclennan at rob_mclennan@hotmail.com or 613 239 0337

 THE BANFF CENTRE SPRING/SUMMER PROGRAMS:

We are excited to announce that our Spring/Summer 2016 programs are now open for applications. In addition to Writing Studio, BILTC (our unique literary translation program), Literary Journalism, Digital Narratives and our Self-Directed writing residency, our upcoming programs include a five-day intensive on Historical Fiction with Lawrence Hill, and Frontline: Environmental Reportage, a two-week residency focused on environmental writing. Read more

Upcoming Program Deadlines https://www.banffcentre.ca/programs/all/literary-arts

• Nov. 12, 2015 Crime Writing Residency
• Jan. 13, 2016  Historical Fiction with Lawrence Hill
• Jan. 20, 2016  Digital Narratives
• Jan. 20, 2016  Writing Studio
• Jan. 27, 2016  Frontline: Environmental Reportage
• Feb. 10, 2016 Banff International Literary Translation Centre
• Mar.16, 2016 Literary Journalism
• Apply Now   Self-Directed Writing Residency

OTTAWA SUBMISSION CALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

BYWORDS.CA SUBMISSION CALL                        

DEADLINE: The 15^th of every month for the following month’s issue

Bywords.ca considers previously unpublished poetry from emerging and established poets for our online monthly magazine. We consider work by current and former residents, students and workers of Ottawa. We also publish poems by contributors to our predecessor, the Bywords Monthly Magazine. FOR SUBMISSION INFORMATION VISIT www.bywords.ca and click on Guidelines. Amanda Earl, Managing Editor. Check out Bywords.ca’s literary events calendar here: http://www.bywords.ca/calendar/index.php with up-to-date info on NCR readings, book signings, writers’ circles, literary festivals, spoken word showcases & slams. Event submissions can be sent to events@bywords.ca              

 
RESOURCES FOR SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES                 

• Additional links to contests and submission calls visit Canadian Authors National Capital Region website here: http://canadianauthors.org/nationalcapitalregion/contests/writing-contests-calls-for-submission/

TREE PRESS CHAPBOOK CONTEST

• Tree Press Chapbook Contest

HOW TO ENTER FOR 2016: This contest is for those who come to keep the seats warm at The Tree Reading Series, those who come to the Seed workshops, or are regulars at the Tree open mic readings.

The prize is now $250 and ten copies of your chapbook! (The winner may order more copies if he/she wishes.) There is no fee to enter. Send 1 hard copy, up to 30 pages of poems, to the co-ordinator by December 30, 2015: Claudia Radmore, 49 McArthur Ave., Carleton Place, On. K7C 2W1 

OUT AND ABOUT IN TOWN

MEETINGS, BOOK LAUNCHES AND POETRY READINGS ABOUT TOWN

• Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015 Tree Reading Series presents: Damian Rogers + Jessica Bebenek, 6:45 pm Workshop – The craft of the poetry reading with Jessica Bebenek 8:00 pm Readings – Open Mic and Featured Readers, Black Squirrel Books, 1073 Bank St. Ottawa http://www.treereadingseries.ca/

• Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015 7:30 p.m. RailRoad presents A Three Launch Night featuring: Brenda Leifso Launching Barren the Fury; Maureen Hynes Launching The Poison Colour & Ruth Roach Pierson Launching Realignment at Pressed Café 750 Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa http://railroad-ottawa.ca/page7.html#Maureen

• Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015 3:00 PM, Kate Braid, Peter Richardson & Rod Pederson at Railroad, Pressed Café, 750 Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa http://railroad-ottawa.ca/page9.html

• Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Urban Legends Poetry Slam #5 feat. CauseMo LIVE on Elgin, 220 Elgin St., Ottawa, Ontario K2P1L7 https://www.facebook.com/events/408973002641292/

• Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015 4:00pm – 7:00pm Ottawa Youth Poetry Slam Featuring Kay Kassirer, Pressed, 750 Gladstone, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 6X5 https://www.facebook.com/events/174095789597973/

OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FESTIVAL EVENTS

• Monday, Nov. 16 7:00pm • Southminster Church • 15 Aylmer Ave, The Heart Goes Last with Margaret Atwood Info & Tickets
• Tuesday, Nov. 17 12:00pm • Empire Bar + Restaurant • 47 Clarence St.Literary Luncheon with Margaret Atwood Info & Tickets
• Thursday Nov.19 12:00pm • Empire Bar + Restaurant • 47 Clarence St. Literary Luncheon with Ian Rankin Info & Tickets
• Thursday, Nov. 19 7:00pm • Centretown United Church • 507 Bank St. Even Dogs in the Wild with Ian Rankin Info & Tickets
• Saturday Nov. 21 7:00pm • Centretown United Church • 507 Bank St. Making a Difference with Dalton McGuinty Info & Tickets

Info & Tickets More info and later events: http://www.writersfestival.org/events