Category Archives: Canadian Writers

CAA-NCR Biweekly Literary Notices to Oct. 12, 2015

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Elgin Street in downtown Ottawa, looking north...

Elgin Street in downtown Ottawa,(Photo Wikipedia)

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION BRANCH (NCR)

Bi-Weekly Notices for the two weeks: Sept. 28 to Oct. 12, 2015

MEETINGS

 OCTOBER MEETING

 TOPIC: Marketing in the Digital/Social Media World – Differentiating yourself in the online marketplace

PRESENTER: Laurel Anderson
DATE: Tuesday, October 13, 2015
TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
LOCATION:  McNabb Recreation Centre, 180 Percy St. east of Bronson Ave.

With the Internet and proliferation of blogs and online publications, everyone’s a writer these days. How do you set yourself apart when it comes to your brand and your audience? What should you be doing on social media to engage your audience and market your work?

 BIO: Laurel is a freelance writer and Social Media and Communications Strategist. When not working on her collection of Shorts (really short stories) she provides digital marketing and communications consulting services to individuals, companies, brands and other organizations that need help telling their story.

As a writer, Laurel has covered everything from daily news stories, people profiles, entertainment, lifestyle, gossip, fashion, trends, movie reviews and more for both print and online publications. She has been known to tackle both serious issues and lighthearted topics during her column run with a local newspaper. Her years of entertainment work allowed her to experience both sides of the industry while working on and writing about shows like Canadian Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and Canada’s Walk of Fame. 

CAA WEBINARS UPCOMING:

 Fall 2015 Webinar Series

We’ve partnered with  the Association of Publishers for Special Sales (APSS-Canada) to bring you a series of six webinars focusing on either the business or the craft side of writing.

Can’t make a webinar? Register anyway, and we’ll send you a recording of the live session.

Cost per Webinar

Members: Free (promotion code required; log in and find it on your account management page then click on the register link )

Regular rate: $36.00

Affiliates: $25.20 (promo code required; contact us at admin (at) canadianauthors.org or 705 325 3926 for details)

To register: Visit the Canadian Authors Association National website: CAA Webinars

 Publish Your eBook Today, Part 1

Date: Tuesday, September 29, 7:00–8:15 pm EDT

Presenter: Matthew Bin, Past Chair, Canadian Authors & author

Why and where should you e-publish? There are some great markets for e-publishing. Participants in this webinar learn which formats typically sell better than others by analyzing the big publishing platforms as well as secondary markets. Matthew gives an overview of platforms, e-book manuscripts, layout and cover design, publishing and pricing. He includes tips for success, as well as new sales opportunities from redistributors.

 Publish Your eBook Today, Part 2

Date: Thursday, October 1, 7:00–8:15 pm EDT

So you’ve got your manuscript, your cover, and you’re ready to publish… what next? Building on the information covered in the previous session, Matthew Bin will show what you need to what to prepare in order to publish your book, and will walk step-by-step through the publishing process, live on the world’s biggest e-book store. Plenty of time will be set aside for questions and discussion.

 Plan to Sell More Books in 2016

Date: Wednesday, October 7, 7:00–8:30 pm EDT

Presenter: Brian Jud, Executive Director, APSS

Make 2016 your year for success! During this webinar you will discover unique and practical ways to increase your sales through marketing planning. Brian Jud will show you how to create innovative strategies for selling more books, and plan the actions you can take to make them happen. Find out practical things you can do immediately to arrange distribution into retail and non-bookstore markets. See easy ways to promote your books economically in a competitive environment. By the end of the webinar you will have a step-by-step, customized plan to sell more books throughout 2016.

 MEMBER NEWS:

 CAA-NCR MEMBER, JC Sulzenko to curate The Glebe Report’s “Poetry Corner”

 The Glebe Report monthly community newspaper will publish poems four times a year, beginning fall 2015. The feature, “Poetry Quarter”, will be curated by JC Sulzenko, Glebe poet, author and educator. They’d like submissions of poetry from: adults, teens 14 to 17 (high school students), or children 9 to 13 (about grades 4 to 8). We are open broadly to submissions from poets who live, work, study or volunteer in the Glebe or its close neighbouring communities. We are looking for poems with qualities that reflect the people in the Glebe, their sensibilities and their lives –– poetry of any kind, on any topic (within the bounds of public discourse). Poems should be original work, unpublished previously in any medium, and not exceed 30 lines in length. Email submissions to editor@glebereport.ca . Up to 7 poems at a time as a WORD .doc or .docx attachment. Include your contact information. http://www.glebereport.ca/2015/08/glebe-report-poetry-quarter/

OTTAWA SUBMISSION CALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

BYWORDS.CA SUBMISSION CALL                         

DEADLINE: The 15th 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            

 MALAHAT REVIEW OPEN SEASON AWARDS 2016 deadline Nov. 1, 2015

***Prize payment increase: all genres now pay $1500 instead of $1000!

OS2016

The Malahat Review, Canada’s premier literary magazine, invites entries from Canadian, American, and overseas authors for our annual Open Season Awards. An exciting spring showcase of literary excellence, Open Season bestows a prize of $1500 in each of three marquee categories: poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Entries may be sent by regular mail or email. When submitting by email, please ensure you include a cover letter with relevant contact details (more below under Enter by Email); do not simply put this information in the body of the email. We also ask that no personal or contact information is written anywhere on submission itself.

Pay only $15 for each additional entry after the first.

Deadline

The deadline for the 2016 Open Season Awards is November 1, 2015.

Read about the winners of our 2015 Open Season Awards.

 RESOURCES FOR SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES                 

 A list of UK submission calls/contests:

http://greyhenpress.com/index.php?id=1

http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/index.htm

http://www.flarestackpoets.co.uk/

http://www.goblinfruit.net/

http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/

http://www.mslexia.co.uk/index.php 

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/

 OUT AND ABOUT IN TOWN

 BOOK LAUNCHES AND POETRY READINGS ABOUT TOWN

 OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FESTIVAL EVENTS writers festival logo

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

Your Guide to Fall 2015 Magazine Writing Contests

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A great list of magazine contests with Fall 2015 deadlines, from the National Magazine Awards Foundation blog, as well as a link to A Writer’s Guide to Canadian Literary Magazines.

National Media Awards Foundation's avatarNational Magazine Awards

Welcome to autumn, at least in the celestial sense, for tonight in the northern hemisphere is the autumnal equinox and whether or not the leaves are changing colour yet in your neighbourhood, there’s no denying that the anticipation of a new season is an inspirational moment.

We asked our Twitter followers how the changing seasons inspired them to get in a writing mood.

Our thrice-annual magazine contest guide is back with the Fall 2015 edition (see Winter/Spring and Summer, too). These contests are presented by Canadian magazines or magazine-related associations, and open to Canadian writers and photographers. Unless otherwise indicated, these contests are open to unpublished works only.

As always, the list below may be incomplete. Leave a comment here or hail us on Twitter

View original post 660 more words

Leo Brent Robillard: A Poetic Apprenticeship

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Brent Robillard

A Poetic Apprenticeship

I cut my teeth on poetry. Sitting in the silent lobby of the MacDonald Building on Slater Street in Ottawa, ostensibly watching over the midnight mortuary as an agent for Metropole security, I penned my first published poem. I was nineteen. Box 77 was the name of the literary journal which would eventually accept it – a saddle-stapled, photocopied chapbook printed by the English Literature Society of Carleton University. I have a copy of it still.

A year later, I joined the editorial board and eventually went on to edit three issues, before graduating with a degree in English literature. I had by then moved on to the Jackson building on Bank Street, scribbling ambitiously into notebooks; firing missives off into the literary hives of small press Canada. I became a regular at TREE and Sasquatch (both long-time Ottawa reading series), and a frequent supporter of the Dusty Owl, which operated out of the musty annals of Café Wim on Sussex. May it Rest in Peace.

I rubbed elbows with the founding members of the nascent omni-gothic-neofuturists: Sean Johnston, Michelle Desbarats, Jim Larwill, Craig Carpenter, and Malcolm Todd. I still call the poetry guru, rob mclennan, a friend.

And then slowly, amidst the reams of rejection letters, my own work began to appear in some of Canada’s best journals – Queen’s Quarterly, Grain, The Fiddlehead, Prairie Fire, CV2.

I launched the Backwater Review in 1994. Like these other journals, it offered a mix of poetry and prose. Publishers from across Canada sent us books to review. I wrote fervent editorials. To my eternal surprise, we had the opportunity to publish poems from the likes of Tim Bowling, Stephanie Bolster, D.C. Reid, and John B. Lee. It was a great run while it lasted.

A few years later I published my first novel with Turnstone Press. And then I published two more. My fourth, most recent novel, The Road to Atlantis, was released this week. It would seem that the last two decades of my life have been full of fiction, if you will.

Or have they?

The Globe & Mail said my first novel, Leaving Wyoming, was “a case of the word transcending a 1, 000 pictures.” They said Houdini’s Shadow achieved “a keen-edged grace that is almost mesmerizing.” And The Winnipeg Free Press said that Drift left “a strong sensory impression.”

Perhaps in some ways, I have never left poetry at all. For what is poetry but that aesthetic intensity that comes from wielding language for purposes beyond the semantic?

An early review of The Road to Atlantis in Quill & Quire called the prose “surgically precise.” And somehow, if you punch my name into Google, the search engine will announce emphatically: “Leo Brent Robillard, poet.”

Is it possible that the algorithms see through me, after all? It’s tough to argue with Google. I take it as a compliment.

— Leo Brent Robillard

 

AtlantisFNLweb

ISBN: 9780888015556 Turnstone Press

Synopsis, The Road to Atlantis, Turnstone Press ISBN: 9780888015556

Following the coast on their summer vacation, the Henrys stop at the beach to break up the monotony of their road trip. Matty and Nat build castles in the sand as Anne and David take turns minding the children. A moment of distraction, a blink of the eye, and the life they know is swept away forever.

Like shipwrecks lost at sea, each member of the family sinks under the weight of their shared tragedy. All seems lost but life is long. There are many ways to heal a wound, there are many ways to form a family, and as the Henrys discover, there are many roads to Atlantis.

 

Leo Brent Robillard is an award-winning author and educator. His novels include Leaving Wyoming, which was listed in Bartley’s Top Five in the Globe and Mail for Best First Fiction; Houdini’s Shadow, which was translated into Spanish; and, most recently, Drift. In 2011, he received the Premier’s Award for Teacher of the Year. He lives in Eastern Ontario with his wife and two children.

CAA-NCR BIWEEKLY LITERARY NOTICES SEPT. 14 TO 27, 2015

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NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION BRANCH (NCR)

Parliament Hill in Ot...

Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. ( Wikipedia)

 

Bi-Weekly Notices for the two weeks: Sept. 14 to Sept. 27, 2015

MEETINGS

TOPIC: A BEETHOVEN-LOVER’S GUIDE TO WRITING WITH PASSION

 Note: Due to renovations being undertaken at Mcnabb, we had to bump the normal meeting date to the 22nd of the month. Hope to see you then!

 PRESENTER: Dr. Francois Mai   DATE: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 pm

LOCATION: McNabb Recreation Centre, 180 Percy St. east of Bronson Ave.

 Dr. Mai’s presentation is based on his book Diagnosing Genius: The Life and Death of Beethoven (McGill-Queen’s UP 2007). Beethoven’s passionate nature was wonderfully reflected in his music and, through narration of some of Beethoven’s life experiences and playing recordings of selections of his music, the presentation will illustrate how Beethoven expressed those emotion in his music. Dr. Mai will recount stories about Beethoven or read extracts from his book and then play a selected piece of Beethoven’s music that expresses the emotion or feeling that goes with the story described, and discuss how he was able to translate that into the written word.

BIO: Dr. François Mai is a medical graduate of the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He obtained specialty qualifications in General Medicine and Psychiatry in Great Britain and spent most of his working life as an academic psychiatrist. Music has also been his passion, in particular the music of Beethoven. A competent amateur pianist, in the 1990’s he produced two CD recordings were used to raise funds for the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario. (His late brother David suffered from schizophrenia.) In 2007 McGill-Queen’s University Press published his book “Diagnosing Genius: The Life and Death of Beethoven” which describes the many medical and psychiatric problems Beethoven experienced, and the effects they had on his creativity. Dr. Mai’s website link is: www.francoismai.com. 

MEMBER NEWS:

 CAA-NCR MEMBER, Nerys Perry at OIW September meeting

Date: Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m. LOCATION: Good Companions Seniors Centre, 670 Albert St. Ottawa

Nerys Perry, author of “Man and Other Natural Disasters” will present Story Management – Getting it down and getting it done, on Thursday, September 24th. Meeting starts at 6:30 pm for socializing, coffee and nibbles, presentation at 7:00 pm. Members free, guests $10, discountable on purchase of a year’s membership.

 CAA-NCR MEMBER, JC Sulzenko to curate The Glebe Report’s “Poetry Corner”

 The Glebe Report monthly community newspaper will publish poems four times a year, beginning fall 2015. The feature, “Poetry Quarter”, will be curated by JC Sulzenko, Glebe poet, author and educator. They’d like submissions of poetry from: adults, teens 14 to 17 (high school students), or children 9 to 13 (about grades 4 to 8). We are open broadly to submissions from poets who live, work, study or volunteer in the Glebe or its close neighbouring communities. We are looking for poems with qualities that reflect the people in the Glebe, their sensibilities and their lives –– poetry of any kind, on any topic (within the bounds of public discourse). Poems should be original work, unpublished previously in any medium, and not exceed 30 lines in length. Email submissions to editor@glebereport.ca . Up to 7 poems at a time as a WORD .doc or .docx attachment. Include your contact information. http://www.glebereport.ca/2015/08/glebe-report-poetry-quarter/

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:

 GRANT-WRITING WORKSHOP FOR QUEBEC ARTISTS & WRITERS

 DATE: Friday, Sept. 18 1:00 – 4:45pm
LOCATION; La Fab – Arts, Culture and Heritage Centre of Chelsea, 212 Old Chelsea Road, Chelsea
ELAN is pleased to present a series of grantwriting workshops and networking events for artists throughout Quebec this fall. Our aim is to provide English-speaking artists of all disciplines, at all stages of their careers, with the information, tools, and resources to create and deliver the most impactful and persuasive grants possible.

The 4-hour afternoon session is a comprehensive, hands-on workshop, designed to guide you and/or your organization to formulate clear, concise and compelling grants to maximize your chances of success. Learn how to structure and write a grant that will present your artistic project in the strongest light to potential funders. Clarify the articulation of your artistic vision, increase your understanding of what is required to help a grant application succeed, and learn about the resources available to help you reach your goals. Hands-on exercises using your own project will allow you to hone your grantwriting skills as they relate to your specific needs. We will also review past successful grant applications to the Canada Council for the Arts, CALQ and foundations. A resource package will be provided to participants. MORE INFO

ALGONQUIN COLLEGE SCRIPTWRITING PROGRAM 

English: Taken by SimonP

(Wikipedia)

 Algonquin’s graduate certificate Scriptwriting program still has some places available for this September. This exciting, 8-month program will teach you to write fantastic features, short films, television, play and digital media scripts.  All our courses are taught by professionals who are working writers, actors, directors and more. You’ll learn how the media and film industries work, how to flourish as a freelance writer, and how to pitch, network, and promote yourself.

You’ll have the opportunity to pitch your original TV series and feature film to top players in Toronto; all the major broadcasters, HBO/The Movie Network, EOne TV, Comedy, Space, DHX Media – and important film producers, distributors and screenwriters. Part of your one-act play will be read by professional actors in front of a paying audience in our Hothouse Play Reading Series.

In your field placement, you’ll get invaluable on-set and/or production experience that might land you a paying job after graduation. Besides the people you meet on your placement, you’ll personally meet most of the major forces in Ottawa film, television and new media when they come to visit our class. More info: contact Lynn Tarzwell at tarzwel@algonquincollege.com and/or check out our site at http://www3.algonquincollege.com/mediaanddesign/program/scriptwriting/ our FAQs:
http://www3.algonquincollege.com/mediaanddesign/program/scriptwriting/faqs/

OTTAWA SUBMISSION CALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

BYWORDS.CA SUBMISSION CALL

DEADLINE: The 15th 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                 

 A list of UK submission calls/contests:

http://greyhenpress.com/index.php?id=1

http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/index.htm

http://www.flarestackpoets.co.uk/

http://www.goblinfruit.net/

http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/

http://www.mslexia.co.uk/index.php 

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/

 OUT AND ABOUT IN SEPTEMBER

 POETRY READINGS ABOUT TOWN

 Sept 16 – 7 pm, The Sawdust Reading Series Anniversary Showcase, Pour Boy, 495 Somerset St. W. Ottawa featuring Vivian Vivassis & Kiera Sandrock   MORE INFO

 Tuesday, Sept. 22 Tree Reading Series, Black Squirrel Books, 1073 Bank St. treereadingserieslogo

 Friday, Sept. 25 The Factory Reading Series, The Carleton Tavern, 223 Armstrong Street (at Parkdale; upstairs) doors 7pm; reading 7:30pm, presents: Ryan Pratt (Hamilton), Roland Prevost (Ottawa) Cameron Anstee (Ottawa) + Monty Reid (Ottawa) MORE INFO

OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FESTIVAL EVENTS writers festival logo

 Saturday Sept. 19 7:00pm • Centretown United Church • 507 Bank St., Power in the Blood:  A Conversation with Buffy Sainte-Marie

Thursday Sept. 24 5:30pm • Metropolitain • 700 Sussex Drive Book Launch: You Will Wear a White Shirt with Senator Nick Sibbeston

 Wednesday Sept. 30 7:00pm • Centretown United Church • 507 Bank St., Unaccountable with Kevin Page

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