Grind Writers News by GRIND WRITERS **

Grind Writers

News BEFORE OCTOBER 28, 2012

 2012 Grind sched pg 2  TWISTED POETS pg 3  Places to go, people to see pg 3  giller prize bash pg 5  Submit. pg 6  research & historical fiction pg 7  Free-write prompt pg 8

“The news we see is just a collection of negative stories. The world is a much better place than people assume.”

Yes! this day you could write— with Robert Dugoni

– says German traveller Michael Wigge who travelled for 5

The Write Place Presents New York Times best-selling author Robert Dugoni - In a full-day workshop November 10, 2012 | Spokane Washington $100 ($85 for seniors and students)

months – from Berlin to Antarctica, for free. His story from The Georgia Straight, here.

Don't miss this acclaimed national seminar on fiction writing. Gain a nuts & bolts approach to writing the novel from initial idea to final edit from a master writer and teacher. * Story structure and development, including outlining * Maintaining and increasing suspense * Self-Editing methods * Creating memorable characters, including dialogue techniques

Workshop description continued, pg. 4

What Grind Writers are up to Matea Kulic is starting The Writer’s Studio at SFU in January ’13, but meanwhile she’s headed out on a twowheeled journey to San Francisco. You can follow her adventures at: http://writingthe101.wordpress.com/

Grind Writers 2012 schedule

Sita-Rani Macmillan has transferred Writing Central (her life) to the Okanagan where she hopes to eventually open a retreat centre for writers.

Sunday, Oct 28

Margaret (far right) with Margo Lamont and Susan Greig when Grind Writers met at LitFest New West. Lunch in a pub made from the old BC Penitentiary. Chilling.

Saturday, Nov 17

Margaret Simpson – has gone back Toronto, her home town, after living for 8 years in Vancouver. She took the train across Canada.

Send your news: wonderwords@shaw.ca

Sunday, Dec 2 (last one for 2012)

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10am til 12:30pm Grind Gallery Café 4124 Main Street at King Edward Ave. In the back room

Share a piece of your writing on the Grind Writers’ blog. Send submissions to margolamont@gmail.com

Places to go, people to see, things to ….

1st & 3rd Thursdays, 7–10pm

Twisted Poets Literary Salon Sept. 6 - Features: Wayde Compton and Warren Dean Fulton + Open Mic. Suggested donation at the door: $5. At Café Montmartre on Main St. More info here. Or there

Writing Meeups at Meetup.com Just search the group name to get details of what they do and where they meet.  The Vancouver Independent Writers Group 110 members “Writers in their Natural Enivronment i.e., a pub…”  Just Write Vancouver  New Westminster Writers’ Group 65 members  Presentation Excellence Group & Writing Salons  Technical Writing Vancouver 45 members

thanks to the VIF enews for these items:

 Vancouver Novel Writers group 6 novelists

The Writer’s Studio Thurs, October 25, 7-10 pm – free Participants in The Writer's Studio 2012 (@ SFU Harbour Centre) are pleased to announce the launch of emerge 2012, an anthology of new work -- fiction, poetry, monfiction -- at the W2 Media Cafe, Woodward's Atrium, 111 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC. (Doors open at 6:30 pm) -- Come early to secure a seat!!

 Plain Language Writers & Editors 13 members  Publishing Success 51 members  Journal to the Self Vancouver 14 members  Vancouver Writers Group 286 Vancouver writers  Oracle Vancouver Wirters’ Group 38 members

The Sky is Falling Tues., October 30, 10am Meet Caroline Adderson, the author of A History of Forgetting, Sitting Practice and The Sky is Falling. City Centre Library, 10350 University Drive, Surrey. To register, phone 604.598.7426.

Nov 10 • Finding Stories in Public Documents: Intro to Investigative Journalism Instructor: Sean Holman Nov 17 • How to Beat the Odds: Low-Budget Campaigns that Win Instructor: Bill Tieleman Put a few of this season's rainy days -- because you know they're coming -- to good use by mastering something new. Space is limited. Need more information about master classes? Ready to register? Go here:

Chinese Blue reading Tues., October 30, 3:30pm - free Reading by Weyman Chan, author of Chinese Blue. Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 East Mall, Point Grey campus, UBC. More info here. Robson Reading Series Thurs., Nov 1, 7pm – free Readings by Michael Kenyon (A Year at River Mountain) and Grant Lawrence (Adventures in Solitude). UBC Bookstore at Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, plaza level. More info here.

Share a piece of your writing on the Grind Writers’ blog. Send submissions to margolamont@gmail.com

continued

If you’re considering self or e-publishing

Sex, identity politics & the myth of genius - on stage Piatigorsky's fascinating, award-winning play Eternal Hydra (looks for the truth about the origins of a long lost literary masterpiece) will open Touchstone Theatre’s 2012/13 season. All info here.

In-Design for beginners 2 Saturdays: Oct 27 and Nov 3, 2012 9:30 am–4:30 pm SFU Vancouver at Harbour Centre

Journey with no maps Wed., November 7, 7pm – free Author Sandra Djwa presents her biography of poet and artist P.K. Page. Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye rooms, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St. More info here.

Add to your portfolio of skills by taking InDesign: An Introduction.  Create eye-catching designs for print, screen and mobile using key principles of design and typography.  Learn the basic functions of InDesign to create your own designs and work well with graphic designers.  Understand how design changes can affect printing choices or screen viewing. You should have a basic knowledge of word processing programs like Word and Open Office and be comfortable working on a Mac. No prior experience with InDesign is necessary. Detailed course info here: Course outline. Register.

111 West Coast literary portraits Wed., November 7, 7pm – free Photographer Barry Peterson discusses his new book that featuring rare portraits of writers who have lived in BC, accompanied by excerpts of their writing. Guest writers will also speak at the event. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library, 4595 Albert St. More info and to register: 604.299.8955. Surrealist & spec fiction – reading Wed., November 14, 7pm – free Writer Garry Thomas Morse reads from his new book of fiction Minor Episodes/Major Ruckus, concerning surrealist and speculative genres. Peter Kaye room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St. More info here. Dead Poets Reading Series Sun., November 11, 3pm – by donation Readings of works by Robin Blaser, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Hayden, Glyn Hughes and Roy Kiyooka. Project Space, 222 East Georgia St. More info here. Teen author Carrie Mac reads Wed., November 14, 7pm - free Reading by the award-winning author of teen novels 'The Opposite of Tidy', 'The Beckoners', 'The Gryphon Project', the Triskelia trilogy, and others. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library, 4595 Albert St. More info: 604.297.4803. More Robson Reading Series Thurs., November 22, 7pm - free Readings by Dani Couture (Algoma) and Julie Wilson (Seen Reading). UBC Bookstore at Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, Plaza level. More info here. 

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Yes! this day you could write—with Robert Dugoni * Pitfalls to avoid that result in rejection or reader disappointment * Support to remove any obstacles in the path to publication * The writer's life, including overcoming writer s block * Lecture, in-class writing, examples of Bob's other best-sellers Who: All writers who want to improve their writing and storytelling from beginning to published novelists and memoirists When: Sat., November 10, 8 am to 5 pm (meet & greet 8-9 am) Where: Red Lion at the River, Division Street at the ridge, Spokane, Washington Register now at gunnerbob@comcast.net More info: W: www.robertdugoni.com T: Bob Manion 509.999.4332

Share a piece of your writing on the Grind Writers’ blog. Send submissions to margolamont@gmail.com

The Giller Light Bash celebrates the Giller Prize, Canada’s richest literary award for Canadian fiction. It raise s money for Frontier College, Canada’s original literacy organization.

Getting It Into Print with Billeh Nickerson

2012 is the 11th anniversary of what began as a house party in Toronto 10 years ago. So far it’s raised $350,000+ for Frontier’s literacy programs. It rotates around Canadian cities: this year the Giller Light Bash in Vancouver will be taking place at the CBC Broadcast Centre.

Saturday, October 27, 2012 10 am to 1 pm SFU Harbour Centre 515 West Hastings, Room #400 See pricing stucture below: there’s a twofer deal. Celebrated author and editor reveals

key secrets to getting published in literary journalsExpect to learn submission process do's and don'ts, cover-letter tips, marketing tactics and how to use rejection letters to your advantage (believe it!). This workshop is as fun as it is instructional! Billeh Nickerson is a long-time contributing editor to Geist as well as the former editor of Event and PRISM International. His books include The Asthmatic Glassblower and McPoems.

Frontier College A Canada-wide, volunteer-based, literacy organization. Teaches people to read and write and nurtures an environment favorable to lifelong learning. Frontier College operates a variety of literacy programs in locations across Canada. FC recruits and trains volunteers to work with children, youth and adults in a great array of settings. They also help other community-based organizations set up and run literacy programs for their own participants.

The Art of the Sentence with Stephen Osborne, editor Geist

The poetry of witness: a 3-month online course

Saturday, October 27, 2012 2 – 5 pm – same place

November 19, 2012 to February 19, 2013 Contact: Lorraine Gane: info@lorrainegane.com or www.lorrainegane.com

The art of crafting strong sentences—how to identify them and how to write them so that they

cut straight to the heart of the story. Osborne offers practical tips, handouts &

In a state of poetic attention, we have eyes to see and ears to hear the deeper truths of our experiences, with all their joys, pains, triumphs, and losses. We become a witness to our lives expressing what we’ve gone through with greater insight and sensory nuance.

copious examples on how to liven up your writing by using strong verbs and precise language, and how to spot trouble by rooting out excessive modifiers, insalubrious emphasis and weak constructions. You're guaranteed to leave the workshop with at least one great sentence.

This 3-month online course will help you cultivate this state through practices to open awareness and a flow of writing from buried memories, feelings, and images. Deep listening will help you attune to the most vivid writing and shape poetry into a completed form.

Price structure  $50 for Getting It Into Print  $50 for The Art of the Sentence  $75 for Getting It Into Print AND The Art of the Sentence Workshop Bundle

You’ll have the chance to let go of deeply held resistances, write beyond your limitations, and speak in your truest voice. The program includes an introductory consultation; bi-monthly email packages, with lectures and exercises; feedback on 15 pages of poetry; answers to questions by email; how to submit poetry for publication; and a markets’ list. Lorraine Gane is the author of several collections of poetry, among them Beauty and Beyond: Songs of Small Mercies, a chapbook published recently by Leaf Press. Lorraine mentors writers worldwide through online courses, coaching, workshops, and manuscript editing.

For more info or to register by phone: Jocelyn Kuang at 604-681-9161.

Share a piece of your writing on the Grind Writers’ blog. Send submissions to margolamont@gmail.com

Submit.

Mental Health Inside/Out Deadline: January 31st, 2013 For issue 7 of Poetry Is Dead, we have 2 guest editors Nikki Reimer and Kevin Spenst working on a collaborative issue. To submit, please email your submissions to ***Lots more description about this contest. Please read it all before you submit here.

you know you want to.

Ascent Aspirations Magazine (Nanaimo) Poetry & Flash Fiction Contest Deadline: March 9th, 2013 All info here.

Calls for submissions CBC’s Canada Writes Contest Deadline: November 1, 2012

Leaf Press is gathering poems for an anthology to, for, about or by newborn humans. We are interested in thresholds and liminal states; in moments that transcend global cultures.

Open Season Awards Deadline: every Nov 1 (postmarked) Read full guidelines for the 2012 Open Season Awards.

Roundup of poetry contests here Geist Emerging Writer-of-the-Month Emerging writers are invited to submit short written works online. FAQ.

The Search for the Great BC Novel Deadline: November 1, 2012 Your BIG chance. Get that manuscript out of the bottom drawer. Dust it off. Polish it up: All the details here.

The Quotable This online magazine wants writerreaders to submit stories based on their monthly prompts. Info here.

Prose and Poetry Prizes 2012 from The New Writer magazine Deadline: November 30, 2012 Now in its 16th year, one of the major annual international competitions for short stories, microfiction, single poems, poetry collections, essays and articles; offers cash prizes as well as publication for the prize-winning writers in The Collection, special edition of The New Writer magazine each July. Further info, including guidelines and entry fees.

Plenitude Magazine is currently accepting submissions for ISSUE 2. Contributors to Issue 1 included Betsy Warland, Alex Leslie, and 2012 Journey Prize nominees, Trevor Corkum and Nancy Jo Cullen, among others. What We Publish Plenitude aims to complicate expressions of queerness through the publication of diverse, sophisticated literary writing, graphic narrative and short film, from the very subtle to the brash and unrelenting. We are not interested in genre writing, political essays, or rants. We are only interested in literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic narrative and short film at this time. If you are interested in writing political essays, or other critical analyses, please contact us about contributing to our blog - we would love to hear from you.

Briarpatch magazine 2nd annual Creative Writing Contest Deadline: December, 2012 Briarpatch wants original, unpublished writing – categories sshort fiction and creative nonfiction. Awardwinning writers Zoe Whittall and Carmen Aguirre judging. $750 in cash prizes. Read all the rules here. Newborn anthology Guidelines Deadline: January 13, 2013

Share a piece of your writing on the Grind Writers’ blog. Send submissions to margolamont@gmail.com

Call for submissions

Canadian Poetry Magazine Deadline: Novmber 10, 2012

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Guidelines: • Poems can be any length, subject or style  

• No more than 3 unpublished poems per submission

Fiction: up to 2 stories per submission, maximum 8,000 words per story. Nonfiction: up to 2 pieces per submission, maximum 8,000 words per piece.  Poetry: up to 10 pages of poetry, single spaced.  Graphic Narrative: up to 10 pages of graphic narrative.  Film: We take a curatorial approach to film at this time; please send us links to your short film(s) (up to four) of no more than 10 minutes each.

• Email submissions only • Limit length of poems to under 200 words or 35 lines (including stanza breaks) • Include your name, address or city and confirm you are a Canadian Citizen • Include a short 40 word biography written in 3rd person starting with the author’s name • Include a short copyright allowance for Quills to publish your poem. Any submitted works will be deemed to include copyright usage.

Read all about it: The full call for submissions is available at plenitudemagazine.ca.

• We encourage submissions from all poets; young or old, published or unpublished

Andrea Routley - Editor, Plenitude Magazine

• No one is charged to submit and no submissions are paid.

       Workshop

Guest Editors: Vancouver’s Bonnie Nish and Daniela Elza

Research – The Key to Writing Historical Canadian Authors’ Association Fiction A(CAA) Vancouver Branch Workshop

Submit by email only to: blnish@pandorascollective.com with "QUILLS SUBMISSION" in the subject line. Please send only text messages (we can’t accept document files or attachments).

with Robert W. Mackay and Margo Bates Sat., November 24, 2012 1 to 4 pm

Call for applications

Canadian Women in the Literary Arts

@Alliance for Arts and Culture Suite 100, 938 Howe Street Vancouver, BC (Between Nelson and Smithe)

Deadline: November 1, 2012 CWILA is seeking a female Canadian writer (poet, novelist, storyteller, scholar) as its resident critic for a calendar year. The aim of the residency is to foster vital criticism that promotes public awareness of women’s literary and critical presence in Canadian letters. Specifically, the critic-inresidence will work on critical essays and/or book reviews and submit them to one or more Canadian review venues (print or web).

In this 3-hour workshop, participants learn how to develop their ideas, characters, storyline, and story outcome based on research, which is important to any fiction.

Applications can be sent to info@cwila.com Stipend: $2,000. Read all about it here.

More info here, or email: vp@canauthorsvancouver.org

Share a piece of your writing on the Grind Writers’ blog. Send submissions to margolamont@gmail.com

writing prompt write a spooky story It’s All Hallows’ Eve…… A knock on the door. To be expected, but… ......but it’s not necessarily little trick or treaters……

Free-writes 1 easy rule

Write for 15 mins., without stopping –without lifting your pen off the paper, without thinking. Just let it flow ad write. Don’t edit, don’t go back, don’t rewrite (you can edit later). Write whatever comes to mind, doesn’t matter what: even if it’s, “This is a crappy prompt and…….” Just write that down and keep on going.

Share a piece of your writing on the Grind Writers’ blog. Send submissions to margolamont@gmail.com