The Grind
Writers
March 2015
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4 Marks of Good Writing Over 50? The Cedric’s for you Royal City Writing Enter the Great BC Novel contest Diana Gabaldon – full speed ahead Grind writers’ goings on Regular literary events around town Word stuff; Resources 7 words you need to stop capitalizing! 2 local book clubs want you And then there’s the new 1924 Book Club Words to befriend Submit. (You know you want to.) LUSH the contest Incite: mind-altering, metaphoric Where we meet What’s making you bonkers? The free write photo prompt
Good article for anyone sending a piece out for feedback, or giving feedback 4 Marks of Good Writing By: Rachel Scheller | February 11, 2015
“How can you tell if a piece of writing is strong? Whether you’re editing for a publishing company, working as a freelancer, or self-editing, correctly assessing the quality of the work is imperative. In this excerpt from The Editor’s Companion, Steve Dunham discusses four marks of good writing and how you can recognize them in every piece you review.” Rest of article here:
Grind Writers has a Facebook page now. Please ‘friend’ us. (Friend is a verb?)
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Royal City WritING Lots going on for writers in New Westminster, courtesy of The Royal City Literary Arts Society. Check out their calendar here.
The Cedric Writing competition launched for unpublished authors age 50+ Deadline: May 1, 2015
Sundays 3-5pm
Poetic Justice The Heritage Grill, Back Room, 447 Columbia St., New Westminster near Columbia Station. Sundays – 7-9 pm
Songwriters’ Open Mic Night for New & Emerging songwriters Join hosts Enrico Renz and Lawren Nemeth at Renaissance Bookstore, 43 – 6th Street, New Westminster.
Writing for Kidz - a writing group created for adult writers in any genre related to children Facilitator: Max Tell. At Renaissance Bookstore, 43 – 6th Street, New Westminster. Info http://rclas.com/events/writing-kidzmax-tell-writing-group-created-adult-writers-any-genrerelated-children Every 2nd Wed. of the month, 7-9 pm
Short Story Open Mic Night Host Margo Prentice. Next session: Feb 11th at Renaissance Bookstore, 43 – 6th Street, New Westminster. Bring your short stories.
The Cedric Literary Awards have been created specifically to attract unpublished BC writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. It's the first of its kind in Canada, the brainchild of Dr. Peter Dale, Chairman of Better Than 50, a web-based initiative created to achieve a more connected world for the 50-plus demographic by building portals to relevant and local information. "Our first project - www.betterthan50.com - is in active use," Dale says. "The Cedric Literary Awards is a natural extension of what we've been doing previously by tapping into the creative talents of BC writers who bring a lifetime of experience to their work."
Poetry Wars: a study group. Host Carol Shillibeer. New Location at 100 Braid Street Studios,100 Braid Street, New Westminster. Info: http://rclas.com/events/poetrywars
Juried writing competition Selection panel members drawn from BC's rich, diverse and established writing community Each of the category winners will receive a monetary prize along with a special memento of their participation in the competition A special prize for First Nations storytelling will also be awarded.
Write On! 2015 Contest – Info here: http://rclas.com/events/rclas-write-contest-2015 More info on any of this - Contact Janet Kvammen - Royal City Literary Arts Society - www.rclas.com
WOR PLAY I N
N E W
W E S T
presented by the Royal City Literary Arts Society Free monthly, poetry-generating drop-in Prompts provided. Not a critique group: “Let’s have some fun!” B.Y.O.T. (bring your own tools) in the Back Room at the Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St.
Executive Director Veronica Osborn says: "We are very excited to give unpublished BC authors in the 50-plus demographic an opportunity to showcase their literary work. There are so many people in BC who have been writing or storytelling all their lives, but perhaps didn't think anyone would want to read their work - let alone publish it." The competition will wrap up with a Gala Awards Dinner to be held in November 2015. Authors interested in taking part in this exciting new writing competition should log on to the website at: www.thecedrics.ca or email Veronica Osborn, at vosborn@thecedrics.ca.
More info: secretary@rclas.com
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BC writers: If you have a manuscript ready to go check out this opportunity! Sept 1 deadline
Avoid disappointment. Read the guidelines: http://www.mothertonguepublishing.c om/great-bc-novel-contest.html
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Full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes: Diana Gabaldon’s writing history has no room for if, ands or buts.
Such fun Is our Grind Writer friend Isabella Mori a diva? Is her husband Glenn Mori a talented wife-dresser? Watch this video and find out. “14x11 Diva Complex” (shared with permission)
Susan Greig’s bucket list And how things sometimes works out in ways we can’t always predict.
Go ahead. Nominate yourself. Nominate yourself? Read about Kobo’s new prize for emerging writers here.
André won the Berfois Poetry Prize And they published 4 more or his poems. “When I return to the Grind sessions--May, I hope—[he wrote] I`ll be returning as a poet. :)”
If you think you can’t do it, read about Diana Gabaldon. She’d never been to Scotland when she wrote the first Outlander book. Yeah. “I didn’t really know anything whatever about Scotland at the time, save that men wore kilts, which seemed plenty to be going on with,” Diana told Jean Brittain in Scottish Memories magazine in May, 2009: “When I began writing, I had no plot, no outline, no characters, and knew nothing about Scotland and the 18th century. All I had was the rather vague images conjured up by a man in a kilt. Which is, of course, a very powerful and compelling image!” Think about the spirit, the guts, the chutzpah of that. You’ve probably heard of the popular TV series The Outlander, based on her books. (“The Outlander series of novels [alone] has over 17 million books in print and is available in 24 countries. ) “Her books average a thousand pages and each takes around two years to complete.” Her books average a thousand pages and each takes around two years to complete.”
In this interview, she talks about how when she started writing those books, she new nothing bout Scotland. Zip. In a workshop of hers I attended at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference a few years ago, she also told us she’d never been to Scotland when she wrote the first book in the series.
She wasn’t going to wait until she had an MFA, or wait until the kids were grown up (she had three underfoot
continued on page 8 5
au/to/no/mous Literary Bran: The Joys of Regularity
Tuesdays Burnaby Writers' Society/Spoken INK 8:00 PM -- 3rd Tuesday of the Month @ La Fontana Caffe 101-3701 East Hastings Burnaby BC
Wednesdays Pandora’s Book Club 2nd Wednesday of the month 6:30–8:30 pm - Britannia Branch Library 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver Bring your favourite passages, points of interest, and share your reading experiences. Drop-ins are welcome. Presented by Pandora’s Collective. Hosts: Mary Duffy & Sita Carboni. More info here. And see page 5.
Twisted Poets Literary Salon - Wednesdays 2nd Wednesday and 4th Thursday of every month at The Cottage Bistro 4468 Main Street, Vancouver More info
BC BOOKS
Thursdays TWS Readings Evening Thurs Feb 5 at 8 pm Chase away the February chill in the warmth of the Cottage Bistro! Come early to ensure a seat, and enjoy the food, refreshments, and top-notch company. Features will be: Candie Tanaka, Her first novel is Tanaka & Co. Graham J. Darling is an industrial scientist. Lately he has taken to writing as fiction. Kelly Ryan has enjoyed Vancouver life for 14 years now; was a CBC Radio’s National reporter covering the Maritimes. Yaana Dancer - Unearthing childhood passions carried her through a 10-year study of art-making that morphed into her being consumed with writing. Alyson Quinn is the author of three books published by Rowman & Littlefield. Meharoona Ghani launched Vancouver Pop-Up-Poets, an on-the-spot poetry and street performance group. Joanne Betzler is an active member of New West Writers, Renaissance Writers and Ink Tank. Carleigh Baker is a Métis/Icelandic writer. A past winner of the subTerrain Lush Triumphant contest.
Twisted Poets Literary Salon – Thursdays 4th Thursday (and 2nd Wed) of every month at The Cottage Bistro 4468 Main Street, Vancouver More info
Creative Expressions Art Nights 7–9pm Check with Editor for dates Rising Star Housing Co-op Common Room, 1556 East 5th Ave., Vancouver A free, inclusive event open to all artistic skill levels, ages, and demographics,. However event participants must identify as having either a mental health and/or addictions issue. A celebration of meeting and making to share your passion for craft, art, and design with your community. Drop in any time, bring anyone, and any creative endeavour you are working on, or come and just check out what everyone else is up to. Attendees will have a chance to partake in hands-on crafting activities. A free event, although please RSVP to attend. (Ed note. You may need to join here to get an invite and be able to RSVP.)
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Resources
s t u f f
Could a shorter or more colloquial word do sometimes? Depends on the genre, the form, and what SFU writing prof Anne Hungerford calls your “discourse community” (i.e. if it’s academic writing, some of these just wouldn’t do).
The 10 of the Best ‘Dear Sugar’ Advice Columns by Wild Author Cheryl Strayed, and she’s starting her column again: # 9. Write Like a Mother####er (Writing advice to a woman who thinks she "writes like a girl") “How many women wrote beautiful novels and stories and poems and essays and plays and scripts and songs in spite of all the crap they endured? How many of them didn’t collapse in a heap of 'I could have
But here’s a list of words that might do instead of other longer (sometimes stuffier and pompous) words:
been better than this,' and instead went right ahead and became better than anyone would have predicted or allowed them to be? The unifying theme is resilience and faith. The unifying theme is being a warrior and a mother####er. It is not fragility. It’s strength. It’s nerve. And 'if your Nerve, deny you –,' as Emily Dickinson wrote, 'go above your Nerve.'
7 words you need to stop capitalizing.
Writing is hard for every last one of us — straight white men included. Coal mining is harder. Do you think miners stand around all day talking about how hard it is to mine for coal? They do not. They simply dig.”
In college, I Majored in Political Science and Minored in Religious Studies. If you think that is okay, read the piece. Please.
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Diana Gabaldon: damn the torpedoes
Read a book. And talk about it. Face to face with real people.
continued from page 5
and a job as a university professor – or not do it because she had never been to Scotland and wasn’t Scottish at all. She grew up in Flagstaff, AZ and is actually Dr. Gabaldon – she has a PhD in Behavioral Ecology. What she had was an interest and a passion. And she just plunged ahead. Nobody was going to tell her she couldn’t do it—least of all her self-talk.
In 1988, Gabaldon decided to write a novel for “practice, just to learn how” and with no intention to show it to anyone. “As a research professor, she decided that a historical novel would be easiest to research and write, but she had no background in history and initially no particular time period in mind. Gabaldon happened to see a rerun episode of the Dr Who science fiction TV series titled “The War Games.” One of the Doctor's companions was a Scot from around 1745, a young man about 17 years old named Jamie McCrimmon, who provided the initial inspiration for her main male character, James Fraser, and for her novel's mid-18th century Scotland setting. Gabaldon decided to have "an Englishwoman to play-off all these kilted Scotsmen," but her female character "took over the story and began telling it herself, making smart-ass modern remarks about everything.” Englishwoman not behaving, she can’t talk 20th C in the 18th? She decided to use time travel!— boom!
BOOK WAREHOUSE BOOK CLUB Wednesday of the month 7-9 pm Featuring BC writers with their books 4118 Main Street at 25th, next to the Grind Café It’s free, but arranger James Irvine asks that you reserve your seat; they need a headcount. RSVP to James: 604-879-7737 or mainstreet@bookwarehouse.ca _________________________________
BOOK TALKS BOOK CLUB 2nd Wednesday of the month 6:30 – 8:30 pm Presented by Pandora’s Collective and Britannia Branch Library - 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver
What she did was adapt and adapt and adapt. Flash of inspiration watching a TV show—boom!
Each month we’ll discuss a preselected book, with the occasional session reserved for a discussion on a theme. Bring your favourite passages, points of interests, and share your reading experiences. Each person is responsible for either borrowing or buying their own copy to read. This is an open book club. Drop-ins are welcome.
Diana didn’t go, ‘Oh I can’t have a wise-cracking 20th century character in this, I can’t write this.’ She molded it to her own lights — boom! Baddaboom!
April 8 May 13 June 10
-- Margo Lamont
with info from Wikipedia.
Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee The Orenda by Joseph Boyden The Diary of Anne Frank
Hosts: Mary Duffy and Sita Carboni More info contacts: booktalks@pandorascollective.com www.pandorascollective.com 8
Sounds like fun The 1924 Book Club
GOOD WORDS FOR
WRITERS TO KNOW Words are your lifeblood. Meet some that may come in handy.
Seeking readers of fiction— 18th century to mid 1900s. “We can meet at a not-too-noisy public venue
cento
PRONUNCIATION: (SEN-to)
MEANING:
reading over a beverage or meal; we can also use
noun : A literary work, especially a poem, composed of parts taken from works of other authors.
the message board on this site as a forum to
ETYMOLOGY:
supplement our discussions.
From Latin cento (patchwork). Earliest documented
Possibilities include: books in translation (Proust,
use: 1605.
Sand, Balzac, etc.); authors such as George Eliot
NOTES: Nobel-prize-winning poet T.S. Eliot's
or Vladimir Nabokov; or focus on an era--or even
observation is relevant to centos:
such as a lounge or pub to discuss what we're
one year-- to explore through its fiction...say... 1924.
"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into
This will be a private Meetup group. Only other
something better, or at least something different. The
book club members will be able to view meetup
good poet welds his theft into a whole of feeling which
locations and the posts on the forums. “
is unique, utterly different from that from which it was
Join us!
torn; the bad poet throws it into something which has no cohesion."
We're 70 Members. Membership is open to everyone. Most recent meetup: Friday, March 27, 2015 "Bachmann," a short story by Vladimir Nabokov, meetup at Hycroft Manor, 5 to 7pm
USAGE: “Louis Zukofsky continued to write ... a play, a novella, a book of criticism, a 500-page cento of philosophy in homage to Shakespeare ...” Words taken from A WORD A DAY WITH ANU GARG -a free email service. You can subscribe here. 9
Submit.
Writing Competitions March/April 2015 – view them here.
(you know you want to)
I don’t get to read all the submission guidelines on all the items to see if Canadians are eligible, so you’ll want to check that out.
CONTESTS AND CALLS FOR SUBMSISIONS Deadlined calls & contests Deadline: March 8, 2015 (International Women’s Day)
Room's Annual Creative Nonfiction Contest is open Room Magazine wants your best essays, memoirs, travel writing, historical accounts, and literary nonfiction. 1st Prize: $500 + publication; 2nd Prize: $250 + publication; Honorable Mention: publication on Room's website. Contest details: www.roommagazine.com/contest Room (established in 1975) is Canada's oldest literary journal by and about women. It accepts all original, unpublished entries from all writers who identify as women, or genderqueer (including trans*persons, gender-variant, two-spirited, and women of non-binary sexual orientation)
Wants essay collections Deadline March 31, 2015 CSU Essay Collection Competition $28 entry fee. Winner receives $1,000, publication, and a standard royalty contract. All essay collections are welcome, regardless of author’s previous publications. Manuscripts should be approximately 100-300 pages in length. The CSU Poetry Center reserves the right to consider all entrants for publication; a listing of all winters and finalists will be posted on the Poetry Center website. Guidelines here. Deadline April 1, 2015 (really) Wants a funny poem Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest - No Fee! 14th annual free contest sponsored by Winning Writers. $2,000 in cash prizes, including a top prize of $1,000. Submit one humor poem by April 1 deadline. No fee to enter. All entries that win cash prizes will be published on WinningWriters.com and announced in the Winning Writers Newsletter, with over 50,000 subscribers. See guidelines, past winners, and enter online here. Deadline April 30, 2015 $$ Freelance market$$ Chicken Soup: Think Possible (using a positive attitude to improve life). We are looking for true stories of no more than 1,200 words about how you changed your life, solved a problem, or overcame a challenge because you used your positive thinking and put your best efforts into achieving your goals. Pays $200 and ten copies of the book. Guidelines here.
Ongoing submissions Wants dark Shock Totem We consider original, unpublished stories within the confines of dark fantasy and horror—mystery, suspense, supernatural, morbid humor, fantasy, etc. Read the guidelines. Wants flash fiction and art text Literary Magazine We’re interested in literature composed with brevity and punch: short, snippy poems, razor-sharp flash fiction, and art and photography that tread the line between purpose and chance, making us see the innate beauty in the world around us. Guidelines for text submissions. All things minimalistic and mindslicing wanted Sassafras Literary Magazine We will frown or smile upon your piece, and reply within 1 week (2 weeks max) with a muffin or a tumbleweed. Multiple submissions are allowed, but single submissions are preferred. All things minimalistic and mind-slicing wanted. The occasional selfless snark and sneer accepted. True wit appreciated, along with foldable grit, pocket-size memoir moments and frame by frame congeniality. Perspective: any, as long as artfully executed and self reflecting; avoid sending ego balloons and unintended mirroring. Mirrors and led wanted. Gates, doors, and attics most appreciated. There’s yet more. Read the submission guidelines. Poems: any subject, any style, any length Great American Poetry Show Submit any subject, any style, any length, any number, any time by email or by mail with SASE. Previously published poems and simultaneous submissions are 10
Submit.
(why not.)
welcome. The Great American Poetry Show, P.O. Box 69506, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Email: info@tgaps.net. Website: www.tgaps.net (Caveat emptor – check it out). Wants stories based on their prompts The Quotable This online magazine wants writerreaders to submit stories based on their monthly prompts. Info here. Rolling submissions year-round Holler Box All submissions are completely free. You may submit in multiple genres. If so, send a separate submission per genre. If your submission does not get accepted you may continue to submit, we encourage it. Read the guidelines here. Geist Emerging Writer-of-theMonth Emerging writers are invited to submit short written works online. Read the FAQ. Wants highest quality literature from talented unpublished writers; experimental pieces Dead Beats The Beats are dead; long live Dead Beats - focused on bringing you the highest quality literature from talented unpublished writers. We are happy to receive submissions from everyone, regardless of experience, of poems, short stories (max. 2000 words), experimental pieces and reviews, the best of which we will publish on the site. If you would like to submit some of your work please
send it in the body of an email to: deadbeats@live.co.uk. We aim to reply to all emails, though this may take some time given the number of submissions we receive. Read the guidelines. Wants stuff from people over 60 Wit and Wisdom of the Sages Have insightful stories you’d like to share with your grandchildren? Great Depression/ WW2/ Vietnam era? Seeking narratives up to 3,500 words. Send manuscripts, or for guidelines email jnjscher@yahoo.com. Wants fiction, nonfic – new voices Anderbo.com -- “Best New Online Literary Journal.” Publishes writers in fiction, creative nonfiction), and poetry. We’re always looking for new voices. We’ll also consider nonfiction features, short memoirs, novellas, published-book excerpts, photography, essays, and photo essays. Now in our 9th year. Read the guidelines. Wants women’s personal essays Changes in Life A monthly online newsletter is seeking personal essays from women of all ages. New writers are encouraged to submit their work. Read the guidelines. They only publish Canadian writers Signature Editions What we do and don't publish: Look through the titles on our website and you'll get a pretty good idea of the kinds of books we're interested in. Where to send your manuscript: We do not accept submissions by fax or email, and do not discuss concepts over the phone. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama check website for submission guidelines.
MARKETS COMPENDIA SITES Aerogramme Writers’ Studio: This site has over 90 competitions, publication opportunities, fellowships Excellent resource Fiction Writing Markets Currently Open for Freelance Submissions (Paid writing opportunities: Fiction stories, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Speculative fiction, Romance, etc.) See more at: http://writingcareer.com/callfor-fiction-submissions How handy is this? Morgan Bailey’s Competitions Calendar Organized by deadline date. Places for Writers Listings for literary magazines of every type, everywhere, for everyone. Interesting resources – e.g., “Places to Publish: Can Lit” and “Publishers – Canada.” Plus continuous updates about who’s looking for what. If you have a piece to place, this might be a good place to start the hunt. Poetry contests roundup here Poets & Writers – an eminently
searchable database (Sent by Isabella Mori) For good leads to contests &
calls check out "Writing Contests Competitions" on Facebook Writing dark. Interview with
Irish writer, Noelle Harrison here. 19 short story
competitions in 2015 Read about them here.
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Submit. (yes.)
Wants prose and poetry The Evening Street Review The ESR is centered on the belief that all men and women are created equal. Reads poetry & prose submissions year-round. Replies in 3 months or less. Sometimes includes comments. Send 4–6 poems or 1–2 prose piece. 7652 Sawmill Rd., #352, Dublin, OH 43016 or editor@eveningstreetpress.com. Read more about contests and guidelines here. Wants original words and New Age art Subterranean Blue Poetry Subterranean Blue Poetry is an Internet Poetry and Art Publishing Café. We thrive on new original words and New Age art. All poets and their poetry are welcome and we are especially looking for homegrown poets from the Canadian First Nations/American Indian community; Quebec; small town Canada; international poets and anyone who was ever considered “the other.” New Age art offerings are for the masthead of each issue. Read all info here. Wants short stories, poetry & performance writing Regime magazine - Not only do they want your work but they offer that you can tack $20 on your submission and they’ll send you back a detailed onepage critique. Note: do your due diligence. Read it all carefully. Full submission info here Wants poems – one a week Coastal Spectator A new arts-based review and commentary site operating independently out of the U. Vic. We want to publish, on our home site, one new poem each week for a year, so if
you have a new piece of work -- that is a haiku or up to 25 lines long -- do submit. Read all about it here. Wants “gutsy narratives” Pithead Chapel We’re looking for engaging stories told in honest voices. Most of all, we want to feel something. We want to reach the last word and immediately crave more. We want your work to leave a brilliant bruise. Send us your gutsiest narrative and we’ll do our best to get your voice heard. Submission guidelines here. Wants creative nonfic 1966 - An online journal of creative nonfiction, seeks pieces of literary nonfiction with a research component—anything from immersion memoir to nature writing to reportage to travel writing to—? Guidelines here. Wants text and audio Escape Pod is a science fiction market. Publishes in both text and audio; you are offering both of those one-time and archival rights to us when you send us your story. Our mandate is fun. We are fairly flexible on what counts as “science” We welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds. We are especially interested in seeing more submissions from people of backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented or excluded from traditional SF publishing, including, but not limited to, women, people of color, LGBTQ or non-binary gender people, persons with disabilities, members of religious minorities, and people from outside the U.S. Guidelines here. Wants unique ideas for earning, saving or investing money The Penny Hoarder? We’re always on the lookout for fun, unique ideas for earning,
saving or investing money. We’d love to hear your personal experience, especially if you can share detailed numbers, strategies and advice. Do you have a story to share or an idea we haven’t covered? Read the guidelines . Wants satirical commentary The Lapine We’re all about poking people and things that deserve to be poked. It is satirical commentary written by all kinds of people from here, there and darned near everywhere. The Lapine is not limited to just trending topics. Our writers will guffaw at anything really. We always welcome new writers, so send us your story idea or article. Minimum 150 words …300 tops. Guidelines here. Wants concrete topics written by emerging and experienced writers in all genres The Writer magazine Our editors are interested in query letters on concrete topics written by emerging and experienced writers in all genres. We are looking for clear takeaway for our readers: What can they learn to improve their writing or advance their careers? What how-to tips and strategies will accomplish this? Read the guidelines and the magazine.
Earn some $$$$ Freelance markets Canada’s History publishes wellwritten, well-researched, and informative articles about Canadian history that focus on all parts of the country and all areas of human activity. Subject matter covers the whole range of Canadian history, from social history, politics, exploration, discovery and settlement, to aboriginal peoples, continued next page
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Submit.
(yes, you)
)
war, culture, business and trade. Articles run various lengths: long features (from 1,500 to 3,000 words) that provide an in-depth look at an event, person, or era; short features (from 600 to 1,200 words) that provide a more narrow focus. Pays up to 50 cents/word. Guidelines here.
Publishers Wants science fiction book mauscripts DAW Books (associated with Penguin) was the first publishing company ever devoted exclusively to science fiction and fantasy. Now more than 30 years and more than a thousand titles later, DAW has a well-deserved reputation for discovering and publishing the hottest talents in the industry. Accepts unsolicited submissions of science fiction and fantasy novels. A literary agent is not required for submission. We do not publish short stories, short story collections, novellas, or poetry. The average length of the novels we
publish varies, but is almost never fewer than 80,000 words. We will not consider manuscripts that are currently on submission to another publisher unless prior arrangements have been made with a literary agent. It may require up to three months or more for our editors to review a manuscript. More information here.
Residencies A haven for painters, poets, sculptors, writers, playwrights, composers, photographers and filmmakers The Helen Wurlitzer Foundation (est. 1954), is one of the oldest artist residence programs in the U.S. A haven for painters, poets, sculptors, writers, playwrights, composers, photographers and filmmakers. Located on 18 acres in the heart of Taos, New Mexico. Fellowship> 3 months of rent-free and utility-paid housing to grantees. 11 guest houses, or casitas, fully furnished and provide residents with a peaceful setting in which to pursue their creative endeavors. International artists can contact us to request approval to submit their applications by email. Website and FAQ here. 13
Mind-altering, metamorphic, twice monthly free readings, interviews & discussions with authors who will change how you see the world.
Annual Vancouver Writers’ Fest Book Sale Are you looking to add to your ever-growing pile of books? Hoping to bulk-up your bookshelf? Or in need of the perfect gift for a loved one?
Click here to say you’re attending 7:30pm, every other Wednesday Alice MacKay Room, VPL Central Library April 8 - Three unique perspectives on Africa. Deni Béchard's The Last Bonobo is a moving account of the last living bonobos and how we can save this endangered species and the rainforest they call home. Human rights activist Lisa J. Shannon tells the story of Congolese expatriate Francisca Thelin and her decision to return to her beloved
The Vancouver Writers Fest's AGM and members-only book sale takes place in April. We'll have many 2014 Festival, Incite and Special Event books for sale, with softcover books starting at $2 and hardcover books starting at $3. We'll also have an assortment of signed books available for purchase.
homeland. Mama Koko and the Hundred Gunmen weaves Francisca's journey with tales from her past to create a vivid, illuminating portrait of a place and its people. And Michael Wuitchik's novel, My Heart is Not My Own, tells the story of John Rourke, a man who is haunted by his days as a relief doctor in Sierra Leone and his lost love, nurse Mariama Lahai, who was captured by rebels on the day he was evacuated from Freetown.
The sale is open to VWF members only, so if you've been thinking of joining, you've now got the perfect opportunity!
More info here.
Grind Writers Group Meeting Schedule WHERE WE MEET The Grind Gallery Café - 4124 Main Street at 25th Ave. In the back room 10 am–12:30 pm WHY WE MEET Nobody knows. HOW WE MEET Thanks to Michelle & Jay Kim, the Grind’s owners. They’ve kindly let us meet in the Back Room for the last 7 years. And cudos to the Kims for their support of the arts in general. The Grind provides gallery space to many local artists. Appreciate if you buy something while you’re there to support the Grind and their support of us
2015 Grind Writers meeting dates We skip holiday long weekends
Sun
Mar 29
Sat
Apr 11
Sun
Apr 26
Sat
May 9
Sun
May 24
Sat
June 6
Sun
June 21
Sat
July 11
Sun
July 26
Sat
Aug 8
Please email before you attend the first time: grindwriters@gmail.com 14
free-write photo prompt Write about what’s making you mad, what’s making you crazy. What’s driving you up the wall, making you bonkers.
THE RULES Set the timer. Don’t think it. Just start writing. Keep going, no stopping. No editing (that comes later). Forget grammar, forget spelling. Forget any “rules” you’ve ever been told Forget everything else and just write. 15 mins. by the timer.
grind writers news ©2015 Margo Lamont
email: grindwriters@gmail.com blog: http://grindwriters.blogspot.ca/ previous issues : http://issuu.com/grindwriters/docs
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