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• Summer Writing Challenge

  • Start
    15 Jul 2024
  •  
    8:30 AM
  • End
    6 Sep 2024
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  The Summer Writing Challenge has been designed in partnership between the Federation of BC Writers, Pulp Literature, and The Writer's Studio at SFU to support long-format writing projects and ongoing writing habits. Join us for a summer of digital learning, support, and community from July 15th to September 6th.

  There is no wrong way to take part and no wrong project to tackle. The idea is simple; We want to help you to start or keep writing this summer. Short story collections, poetry collections, novels, memoirs, works of creative nonfiction, establishing ongoing writing habits, and all other long-form projects are a great fit for this program.

  Price:

  • $99 for Federation of BC Writers Members
  • $120 for Guests
  • A limited number of scholarships are available thanks to the support of The Writer's Studio at SFU for folks where cost or other factors are a barrier to participation. Please e-mail us at hello@bcwriters.ca to get your pass.

  Included with Your Registration:

  • 5x Workshops/Sessions to help you design your project, track goals, and stay motivated
  • 5x Accountability Check-ins
  • Weekly Hour Stories (description below)
  • 4x e-mails a week with writing exercises
  • 2x Writers Socials to connect and chat with other writers
  • a 1 year subscription to the digital edition of Pulp Literature Magazine (valued at $20, print edition available)
  • a digital copy of The Writer’s Friend & Confidante by Mel Anastasiou (which is the basis for many of our activities)

  All events will be held on zoom and workshops will be recorded and available to participants for up to 1 month after the challenge ends.

  The Schedule:

  • July 15th Kick-off

  9:00am welcome and Info Session
  11:00am Goal Setting and Time Management with Mel Anastasiou
  2:00pm Session on Brainstorming with Christina Meyers

  • July 31 at 11am: Research (title to come) with Chris (CC) Humphreys

  • August 14 at 11am: Getting Unstuck with Frances Peck

    Writers often hit a wall partway into a project. Suddenly they’re out of energy, inspiration, or confidence—or all three. Getting stuck is a common, almost unavoidable stage in the creative process. Drawing on her experience as both an author and an editor/instructor/writing coach, Frances Peck will share tips and encourage discussion on how to pull your WIP from the quagmire and get it flowing again.

    Ongoing Sessions
  • Fridays at 10:00 am: Hour Stories Sessions (Starting July 19th)
  • Mondays at 9:00 am: Writing Accountability (Starting July 29th)
    
  • 1 Additional workshops/session (to be announced)
  • A Wrap Up event in September with a focus on "What Next"

  Hour Stories Description

  A writing circle can be one of the most positive and powerful sources of feedback and encouragement in the otherwise solitary occupation of writing.  We invite you to join our circle for a morning of writing and reader response, using the The Hour Stories created by Dale Adams Segal.  In this two-hour workshop you will generate approximately 1000 words of either a new story or a section of your work-in-progress. The Hour Story cards are excellent tools to promote deeper insight, unstick a writing block, or take your story in a new and exciting direction.  (For more about this process, read the review by FBCW President, KT Wagner on page 19 of Wordworks Magazine.)

  
  

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• Sunday Webinar: Great Story: Submitting Your Writing 101

  • When
    28 Jul 2024
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Submitting Your Writing 101

  Member Price: $15

  Non-Member Price is $25

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

  Description: Getting our work out there can feel like an overwhelming task. Where do we even begin? In this presentation, Gail offers an overview of the steps involved in getting your writing published, from finding markets open to submissions to writing a query letter. Whether you're ready to get your short work or your book-length project out there, Gail will offer guidance that will help you find a home for your project.

  Audience: Anyone and everyone.

  Presenter bio: 

  GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ’s first novel, The Cure for Death by Lightning, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the UK’s Betty Trask Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Vancity Book Prize. Her second novel, A Recipe for Bees, was nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. The Spawning Grounds was nominated for the Sunburst Award and the Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award and short-listed for the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Fiction. Her thriller The Almost Wife was a national bestseller in 2021, and The Almost Widow, released in 2023, also hit the Globe and Mail bestseller list. In 2024, The Almost Widow was shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada.

  Gail also writes young adult and hi-lo books for the educational market. Her book Iggy’s World was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily Book Awards. The Ride Home was short-listed for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, as well as the Red Cedar Fiction Award and the Chocolate Lily Book Award. Bigfoot Crossing was a 2023 Junior Library Guild (JLG) Gold Standard Selection and commended as a CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens.

  Gail taught for nearly a decade in the MFA program in creative writing at the University of British Columbia and now mentors writers online. She lives in the Shuswap region of British Columbia.

  
  

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

  
  

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• August Writers' Social

  • When
    6 Aug 2024
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Join us for a Writers' Social on Tuesday, August 6th from 7:00 - 8:15 PM PDT 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 August'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 future discussion topic. See you soon!

  Discussion Groups:

  • Telling the truth in memoir writing

  • Book launches (with a focus on poetry) 

  • Submitting to contests, anthologies, and publications

  • Poets connect

  • Newer Writers Connect (topics like taking courses, sharing resources, dealing with critiques, and developing craft) 

  • General writing discussion

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

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• Roots to Branches Volume 2: Virtual Launch

  • When
    7 Aug 2024
  •  
    7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Roots to Branches Anthology Virtual Launch

  The Federation of BC Writers is thrilled to be launching our second book from the anthology series, Roots to Branches, celebrating the winners, runners-up, and shortlisted writers from past Literary Contests. 

  Join us for our free virtual launch of Roots to Branches: Volume 2 on August 8th from 7:00 to 9:00pm to hear readings from anthology authors. Attendees will also be entered for door prizes!

  Register here 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.

  Digital doors open at 6:55 pm!

  
  

  
  

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• Sunday Webinar: Resilient Writers: Dealing with Rejection, Negativity, and (Inner) Critics

  • When
    25 Aug 2024
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Resilient Writers: Dealing with Rejection, Negativity, and (Inner) Critics

  Member Price: $15

  Non-Member Price is $25

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

  Description:

  Every writer will face rejection, bad reviews, and tough feedback from time to time – not to mention the loudest voice of all: our own inner critic. Join Christina Myers to take a closer look at the challenge of dealing with negativity, both external and internal, and to find inspiration and tools to manage the tough emotions that can go hand-in-hand with artistic endeavours, so we can continue to flourish in our writing.

  Audience: Anyone and everyone.

  Outcomes

  Participants will explore the various ways that writers can experience challenging feedback (from the public, readers, fellow writers, ourselves) and the inevitable rejection that comes with a writing career. More importantly, how can writers respond to, or manage, feedback and rejection so that it helps rather than hurts our confidence and creativity. Through examples, discussion and a few practical exercises, this session should leave writers feeling confident – and reminded that the “tough stuff” is inevitable and an experience shared by the writing community at large.

  Presenter bio: 

  Christina Myers is a writer, editor, and former journalist. Her novel The List of Last Chances was longlisted for the Leacock Medal, shortlisted for the Fred Kerner prize, and won the 2023 Canadian Book Club Award in the fiction category. Her latest book, Halfway Home: Thoughts from Midlife, was published by House of Anansi in spring 2024. She teaches fiction and non-fiction through SFU's creative writing continuing studies, and was the 2023 Ambassador for the Federation of BC Writers. She is a member of Da'naxda'xw First Nation, and lives in Surrey, BC, with her rowdy family: one spouse, two kids and, at present count, four cats.
  

  
  

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

  
  

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• Book Club for Writers: "Resonance" feat. Eileen Cook & Christina Myers

  • When
    12 Sep 2024
  •  
    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’s insights and ask questions.

  Our September pick is Resonance: Essays on the Craft & Life of Writing, edited by Andrew Chesham and Laura Farina (Anvil Press). Contributors Eileen Cook and Christina Myers will be joining us to answer audience questions and 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

  Through forty-three personal essays, Resonance: Essays on the Craft and Life of Writing brings together insights from writers and publishers across Canada on the practices that fuel their work, and invites readers to join the conversation through a series of engaging writing prompts. The essays collected here include strategies for pre-writing, writing and revision, as well as thoughts on the writing life and the world of writing. Resonance is for any writer of fiction, non-fiction or poetry who has ever wanted a helping hand, a quick chat, or a word of encouragement along the lonely road from blank page to published work. Resonance seeks to build community and extend the practice of creativity to writers everywhere. 

  
  

  PRESENTER BIOS:

  
  

  Eileen Cook is a multi-published, award winning author in both non-fiction and fiction. She's a popular speaker/instructor at conferences, with Simon Fraser University's The Writer's Studio, and with The Creative Academy for Writers. Her most recent non-fiction guide is Build Better Settings available now and she will have a historical novel out in 2024.

  
  

  Christina Myers is a writer, editor, and former journalist. Her latest book, Halfway Home: Thoughts from Midlife, was published by House of Anansi in spring 2024, and her debut novel The List of Last Chances (Caitlin Press, 2021) was longlisted for the Leacock Medal, shortlisted for the Fred Kerner prize, and won the 2023 Canadian Book Club Award in the fiction category. She is currently at work on her next few projects, including an anthology on postpartum depression. She is a member of Da’naxda’xw First Nation, grew up all over Canada, and lives in Surrey, BC, with her family: one spouse, two kids, and four (yes, four) cats. 

  
  

  STEPS:

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

  2. Purchase your print or electronic version of the book

     • Find Resonance in at a bookstore near you on Shop Local 

     • Purchase a copy directly from Anvil Press

     • Purchase the ebook on Kindle or Kobo

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

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

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

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• Book Club for Writers: "Immersion & Emotion" by Michelle Barker & David Griffin Brown

  • When
    14 Nov 2024
  •  
    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 willnotbe 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’s insights and ask questions.

  
  

  Our November pick is Immersion & Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling, by Michelle Barker and David Griffin Brown. We are thrilled that both Michelle and David will be joining us to answer audience questions and 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:

  There are two pillars to effective storytelling: immersion and emotional draw. Immersion is what transports readers into your story world. Emotional draw is what keeps them there. This book will take you deep into the craft workshop of the Darling Axe's two senior editors. Michelle and David's core editorial philosophy is simple: every element of a story must serve the reader's experience.

  
  

  PRESENTER BIOS:

  
  

  Michelle Barker is an award-winning author and a senior editor with The Darling Axe. Her most recent publication, co-authored with David Brown, is Immersion and Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling. Her novel My Long List of Impossible Things was a Junior Library Guild gold standard selection. The House of One Thousand Eyes won numerous awards, including the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award, and was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. She is also the author of A Year of Borrowed Men, finalist for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Her poetry, short fiction and non-fiction have been published in literary reviews around the world. Michelle holds a BA in English literature (UBC) and an MFA in creative writing (UBC) and lives in Vancouver on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations.

  
  

  David Griffin Brown is an award-winning short fiction writer and co-author of The Two Pillars of Storytelling. He holds a BA in anthropology from UVic and an MFA in creative writing from UBC, and his writing has been published in literary magazines such as the Malahat Review and Grain. In 2022, he was the recipient of a New Artist grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, which was awarded based on a proposal for his manuscript, Sleeping Cutie and the Destruction of Southgate Mall. As the founder and senior editor of the Darling Axe, David is committed to helping authors bring out the best in their work. He lives in Victoria on the traditional territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.

  
  

  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 Immersion and Emotion in print on Amazon
    
  • Purchase the ebook on Kindle or Epub
    

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

  
  

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

  Show details
• Sunday Webinar: The Mighty (Red) Pen: An Overview of Editing

  • When
    17 Nov 2024
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Perfecting & Subverting Point of View

  Member Price: $15

  Non-Member Price is $25

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

  Description:

  What is editing, exactly? Most of us have an intuitive understanding that editing is the process of making our writing better. But it’s not one singular task or process, but several stages that happen over time. What are the types of editing – for example, what’s the difference between a developmental edit and a copy edit? What kinds of editors are out there to be hired, or that you might encounter at a publishing company in different stages of the publishing process?

  Outcomes:

  articipants will gain a more thorough understanding of the stages of editing, the lingo and language of editing, and get some practical ideas about when to consider hiring an editor (and how to go about choosing someone.) This session does not include instruction about how to edit, but rather is an overview of the role of editing, the types of editing, when they are needed in the writing process, and the definitions and terminology used in editing and by editors. Session will include an intro to a few important tools used by editors (reference books, etc.)

  Intended audience:
  

  All writers who are learning about writing and editing, anyone who has felt unsure about the jargon and shorthand of editing

  Bio:

  Christina Myers is a writer, editor, and former journalist. Her novel The List of Last Chances was longlisted for the Leacock Medal, shortlisted for the Fred Kerner prize, and won the 2023 Canadian Book Club Award in the fiction category. Her latest book, Halfway Home: Thoughts from Midlife, was published by House of Anansi in spring 2024. She teaches fiction and non-fiction through SFU's creative writing continuing studies, and was the 2023 Ambassador for the Federation of BC Writers. She is a member of Da'naxda'xw First Nation, and lives in Surrey, BC, with her rowdy family: one spouse, two kids and, at present count, four cats.

  
  

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

  
  

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• Sunday Webinar: Perfecting & Subverting Point of View

  • When
    24 Nov 2024
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Perfecting & Subverting Point of View

  Member Price: $15

  Non-Member Price is $25

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

  Description:

  What point of view to use is one of the most important decisions a writer has to make. Point of view helps readers connect with the story, changes the tone of the work, and can add depth and richness to a story. Experimenting with point of view can add new levels of skill to your writing. In this workshop, we'll go over the rules of point of view and learn when and how to break them, and practice the different ways to approach POV with guided generative writing exercises.

  Outcomes:

  Participants will leave the session with enhanced understanding of point of view and possibly two first drafts of stories

  Intended audience:

  Writers of every skill level

  Bio:

  Finnian Burnett is a writer whose work explores the intersections of the human body, mental health, and gender identity. They are a recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts grant, a finalist in the 2023 CBC nonfiction prize, and a 2024 Pushcart nominee.

  Their work appears in Blank Spaces Magazine, Reflex Press, The Daily Sci-Fi, and more. Their two novellas-in-flash, The Clothes Make the Man and The Price of Cookies, are available through Ad Hoc Fiction and Off Topic Publishing respectively.

  When not writing or teaching, Finnian enjoys cold weather hiking, Star Trek, and cat memes.

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

  
  

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