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• Sunday Webinar: Escaping Writers' Ruts

  • When
    4 May 2025
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Escaping Writers Ruts

  Member Price: $18

  Non-Member Price is $28

  **This event will be recorded. Registrants can access the recording for 30 days.
  

  Description:

  Join us for a session to break through writers' block. Using activities and tools applicable to all writers, Tara Avery will empower you to break free of your ruts and move forward with your writing and creativity.

  
  

  Intended audience:

  Writers of every skill level

  Bio:

  Tara Avery is a writer, editor, and writing coach. After graduating from UBC with a BFA in Theatre, Film, and Creative Writing, she spent many years living abroad — that is, collecting material for future writing. Tara believes words have the power to unite, entertain, and teach us. Mostly, she's just thrilled she's achieved her childhood dream of working with them for a living.

  Digital doors open at 1:55 pm, event starts at 2:00 pm

  
  

  Show details
• May Writers' Social

  • When
    13 May 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Join us for a Writers' Social on Tuesday, May 13 from 7:00 - 8:15 PM Pacific by registering here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a Zoom link for the event will be sent to you. When it’s time for the event you can click on the Zoom link to join the event.

  
  

  Many of us strive for a connection with our fellow writers. This members-only monthly event is designed to bring us together for casual chats with breakout rooms. Join us to talk craft, career, and connection for about 75 minutes over Zoom. Meet new people and get the most out of being a part of a provincial organization! Below are the proposed discussion groups for April's meeting (subject to change). Please consider which discussion group you would like to join before you arrive, and email meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you would like to suggest a discussion topic. See you soon!

  
  

  Discussion Groups:

  • Memoir/CNF writers connect
  • Writing in the age of AI
  • Agents and publishers
  • All about poetry
  • Shorts stories and flash fiction
  • Connecting writers with chronic illnesses
  • Self-editing and revising your own work
  • General writing discussion

  
  

  Digital Doors Open at 6:55 pm, Event Starts at 7:00 PM Pacific

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• Book Club for Writers: "Writing the Breakout Novel" with special guest Frances Peck

  • When
    15 May 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Member Price: Free (with donation options)

  Non-Member Price: $10

  **Digital doors open at 6:55 pm; event starts at 7:00 pm

  **Portions of this event will be recorded and made available to registrants to view for 30 days. Breakout room discussions will not be recorded.

  
  

  The Federation of BC Writers invites you to participate in our newest programming initiative: Book Club for Writers! This online book club for writers offers an opportunity to read and discuss books related to the craft of writing. Book Club events are 75 minutes long and feature a combination of small group discussion using breakout rooms, large group discussion in the main room, as well as an opportunity to hear the author, contributor, editor, or special guest’s insights and ask questions.

  
  

  Our May 2025 pick is Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. We are thrilled that award-nominated writer and FBCW Ambassador Frances Peck will join us to share her insights and lead the conversation. Register here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) to receive the event link, discussion questions, and reminders. Purchase the book, review the discussion questions, and when it's time for the event, click on the link to join the live Zoom event. We look forward to seeing you there!

  
  

  BOOK BLURB:

  
  

  Maybe you're a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you've already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel - one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists.
  

  
  Maass details the elements that all breakout novels share - regardless of genre - then shows you writing techniques that can make your own books stand out and succeed in a crowded marketplace.
  
  You'll learn:
     • establish a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place
     • weave subplots into the main action for a complex, engrossing story
     • create larger-than-life characters that step right off the page
     • explore universal themes that will interest a broad audience of readers
     • sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish
     • develop an inspired premise that sets your novel apart from the competition
  
  
  Then, using examples from the recent works of several best-selling authors - including novelist Anne Perry - Maass illustrates methods for upping the ante in every aspect of your novel writing. You'll capture the eye of an agent, generate publisher interest and lay the foundation for a promising career.

  
  

  PRESENTER BIO:

  
  

  Frances Peck worked as an editor, ghostwriter, and instructor of editing and writing for three decades. Then she returned to her childhood preoccupation, creative writing. Her debut novel, The Broken Places, about a major earthquake rocking Vancouver, was a Globe and Mail best book of 2022 and a finalist for the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. Her second novel, Uncontrolled Flight, about the death of a BC firefighting pilot, made 2023 book-of-the-year lists at 49th Shelf and Consumed by Ink. Frances grew up in Cape Breton, lived in Ottawa, and in 2005 moved to North Vancouver. She is at work on a new novel.
  

  
  

  STEPS:

  1. Register here to receive the discussion questions and event link

  2. Purchase your print or electronic version of the book

  3. Read the book and consider the discussion questions (emailed two weeks before meeting)

  • Find Writing the Breakout Novel at your local bookstore 
    
  • Find on Kindle
    

  4. Join the Book Club meeting using the Zoom link to discuss your responses and hear from the authors!

  
  

  Please email Meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you have any questions, or would like to suggest a book.

  Show details
• Writing for Revenge: A Comedic Fundraiser

  • When
    22 May 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  On April 1^st, the Federation of BC Writers sent out an email advertising a prank event called Writing for Revenge. The feedback was amazing. Many folks asked to register. The result of that feedback is this event!

  As writers, that urge, that tickle to write people we know into our works, resonates. Many of us also know this practice can be fraught. Let’s scratch that itch by taking part in this comedic fundraiser.

  We will be hosting a 50/50 draw in conjunction with this online, ticketed event.

  Get your tickets here as of April 25th

  
  

  The team and guests of the Federation of BC Writers will present short workshop segments exploring the topics we presented as part of our faux Writing Intensive.

  Some ideas you might see are:

  • Exes: Writing the Ultimate Humiliating Death

  • Hiding the Bodies: A Murder Mystery Guide

  • Novel Fodder: People Who Have Wronged You

  • Laments and Elegies: Songs for the Dead or Soon to Be

  • Researching Crime Without Ending Up on a List

  • Not Getting Sued: How Far You Can Go in Prose

  • The Art of Disguise: The Devil’s in the Details

  • Keyboard Testing: Putting Today’s Top Tech Through Rage Typing

  Join us for some laughs as we come together and explore a truly unique quality of writing community.

  
  

  Show details
• Sunday Webinar: Journey of a Book

  • When
    25 May 2025
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Journey of a Book

  Member Price: $18

  Non-Member Price is $28

  **This event will be recorded. Registrants can access the recording for 30 days.
  

  Description:

  In this session, Bryan will guide you through the steps between first idea and marketing a published work. We'll unpack the process of publishing long-format projects from beginning to end. Using concrete examples and pointing out the choices you need to make about your creative projects, this session will enable you to set your own writing path.

  "He pretty much covered an entire semester on publishing" Participant Quote

  
  

  Intended audience:

  Writers of every skill level

  Bio:

  Bryan Mortensen is a writer, traveller, and arts administrator. He is the Executive Director of the Federation of BC Writers. He has extensive experience programming and facilitating workshops for writers of all genres and levels, having earned a degree in English from the University of Alberta with a minor in Philosophy. His recent work, ‘Ambition’, was long-listed in the 2023 Three-Day Novel Writing contest. Bryan has assumed numerous leadership roles in non-profits as he is passionate about advocacy, especially for and with equity-seeking peoples. Nine out of ten of Bryan’s friends describe him as fun and/or exhausting.

  Digital doors open at 1:55 pm, event starts at 2:00 pm

  
  

  Show details
• June Writers' Social

  • When
    10 Jun 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Join us for a Writers' Social on Tuesday, June 10th from 7:00 - 8:15 PM Pacific by registering here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a Zoom link for the event will be sent to you. When it’s time for the event you can click on the Zoom link to join the event.

  
  

  Many of us strive for a connection with our fellow writers. This members-only monthly event is designed to bring us together for casual chats with breakout rooms. Join us to talk craft, career, and connection for about 75 minutes over Zoom. Meet new people and get the most out of being a part of a provincial organization! Below are the proposed discussion groups for April's meeting (subject to change). Please consider which discussion group you would like to join before you arrive, and email meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you would like to suggest a discussion topic. See you soon!

  
  

  Discussion Groups:

  • Summer writing goals 
  • Favourites books! Share the literature that has shaped your writing, and grow your booklist with recommendations
  • Starting your first novel
  • All about poetry
  • Self publishing
  • Connecting writers with chronic illnesses
  • General writing discussion

  
  

  Digital Doors Open at 6:55 pm, Event Starts at 7:00 PM Pacific

  Show details
• July Writers' Social

  • When
    8 Jul 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Join us for a Writers' Social on Tuesday, July 8th from 7:00 - 8:15 PM Pacific by registering here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a Zoom link for the event will be sent to you. When it’s time for the event you can click on the Zoom link to join the event.

  
  

  Many of us strive for a connection with our fellow writers. This members-only monthly event is designed to bring us together for casual chats with breakout rooms. Join us to talk craft, career, and connection for about 75 minutes over Zoom. Meet new people and get the most out of being a part of a provincial organization! Below are the proposed discussion groups for April's meeting (subject to change). Please consider which discussion group you would like to join before you arrive, and email meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you would like to suggest a discussion topic. See you soon!

  
  

  Discussion Groups:

  • All about poetry 
  • Resources share: which writing resources (websites, books, newsletters, apps, etc.) have you found useful? Share and learn from others experience.
  • All about poetry
  • Memoir writing and the importance of self-care
  • Connecting writers with chronic illnesses
  • General writing discussion

  
  

  Digital Doors Open at 6:55 pm, Event Starts at 7:00 PM Pacific

  Show details
• Book Club for Writers: "In / Appropriate" with special guests Kim Davids Mandar & Chelene Knight

  • When
    10 Jul 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Member Price: Free (with donation options)

  Non-Member Price: $10

  **Digital doors open at 6:55 pm; event starts at 7:00 pm Pacific Time

  **Portions of this event will be recorded and made available to registrants to view for 30 days. Breakout room discussions will not be recorded.

  
  

  The Federation of BC Writers invites you to participate in our newest programming initiative: Book Club for Writers! This online book club for writers offers an opportunity to read and discuss books related to the craft of writing. Book Club events are 75 minutes long and feature a combination of small group discussion using breakout rooms, large group discussion in the main room, as well as an opportunity to hear the author, contributor, editor, or special guest’s insights and ask questions.

  
  

  Our July 2025 pick is In | Appropriate: Interviews with Canadian authors on the writing of difference. We are thrilled that Kim Davids Mandar (editor) and Chelene Knight (interviewed in the collection) will join us to share their insights. Register here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) to receive the event link, discussion questions, and reminders. Purchase the book, review the discussion questions, and when it's time for the event, click on the link to join the live Zoom event. We look forward to seeing you there!

  
  

  BOOK BLURB:

  In | Appropriate is a collection of interviews with Canadian authors, exploring how they work through questions of difference, identity, and appropriation in their writing.

  Edited by Kim Davids Mandar, and introduced by Daniel Heath Justice, the collection features interviews with Ian Williams, Ayelet Tsabari, Sanchari Sur, Eden Robinson, Jael Richardson, Waubgeshig Rice, Amanda Leduc, Chelene Knight, Mahak Jain, Wayne Grady, Alicia Elliott, Farzana Doctor, Michael Crummey, Arif Anwar, and Angie Abdou.
  
  The interviews address questions of appropriation that go beyond race and culture, extending also to gender, sexuality, ability, age, and other categories of difference. They ask how writers work to represent an increasingly diverse and complex culture in ways that avoid falling into appropriation.

  
  

  PRESENTER BIOS:

  
  

  Kim Davids Mandar: In | Appropriate was published by Gordon Hill Press in 2020 (pandemic release) concurrent with completion of an MSc in Capacity Development (topic: Intercultural Competence) at the University of Guelph. Kim works full-time at Wilfrid Laurier University in Accessible Learning while completing her PhD at the University of Toronto (Leadership in Higher Education). Kim primary learning continues in transformative community development through the Association for Baha'i Studies and with the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition in her home town of Guelph, Ontario alongside furry four-leggeds, friends, family and neighbours. Published creative writing includes: a flash CNF piece in Sustenance, Anvil Press; A CNF essay entitled My First Non-White Christmas, Prairie Fire.

  Chelene Knight is the author of five books including Safekeeping: A Writer’s Guided Journal For Launching a Book With Love (Anansi 2025), and Let It Go: Free Yourself From Old Beliefs and Find a New Path To Joy (HarperCollins Canada 2024). She is founder of her own creative studio, Breathing Space Creative through which she’s launched the BSC Writing Mentorships which are thoughtfully designed to help writers elevate their craft, shape and develop their manuscripts, and deepen their connection to who they are as creatives. www.breathingspacecreative.com

  
  

  STEPS:

  
  

  1. Register here to receive the discussion questions and event link

  2. Purchase your print or electronic version of the book

  3. Read the book and consider the discussion questions (emailed two weeks before meeting)

  • Find In | Appropriate at your local bookstore
  • Purchase from Gordon Hill Press (paperback, Epub, PDF)

  4. Join the Book Club meeting using the Zoom link to discuss your responses and hear from the authors!

  
  

  Please email Meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you have any questions, or would like to suggest a book.

  Show details