I’m so excited to announce the inaugural Words on Fire Open Mic and Social for writers starting this Thursday, January 30th from 6-7:30 pm! I’ll be hosting this event on behalf of the Delta Literary Arts Society, at the Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre in Ladner.
My friend Rosemary and I were brainstorming about ways we could make more community-building events for writers, we we could all feel more connected and encouraged in our creative work. We thought a spoken word open mic would be perfect! All forms of writing are welcome, from poetry and fiction to memoir and essay—the mic is yours for five minutes!
This event is free for anyone to share their writing and connect with other local writers. Speakers can register at the door. Listeners are also most welcome! We will have time for snacks and socializing after the performances so we can have a chance to chat.
I’ve been reading poetry at the North Delta Centre for the Arts Open Mic for about two years and it’s been such a wonderful and confidence-building experience. I’m so happy to now be able to encourage others to share their creative writing! The world is a more beautiful place with all our voices in it!
Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 19th, the new online writing course of the Habit Community writer’s group begins! We will be writing with James Herriot, beloved British country vet and author of many books, including “All Creatures Great and Small.” We will be reading his stories and learning form his talent to see what techniques we can use in our own storytelling. It’s not too late to join us if you are looking for a warm, supportive community of writers, enjoy lively discussions about writing and engaging weekly writing assignments.
Some of the topics to be covered are:
Anecdotal Storytelling
Quick Strokes for Minor Characters
Narration and Point of View
Managing Time and Space
Writing Landscape
Dialogue and Dialect
Description and Imagery
Action and Movement
Narrative Pacing
Moving from Experience to Fiction
You can join either just for this class, or purchase a yearly membership, which includes several more writing classes, monthly lectures, interactive office hours, and a place to share your writing and give and seek constructive feedback from people passionate about their craft. A great bonus is also the video archives of all previous courses, such as Writing with Hobbits, Writing with Jane Austen, Writing with C.S. Lewis, etc. Here’s a few:
I joined the Habit last year when our lovely teacher, Jonathon Rogers, offered the class Writing with Anne of Green Gables. How I could I resist rereading my favourite book and nerding out about all things Anne? The various writing prompts have stretched me as a writer and helped me explore new genres and ways of expressing myself. The feedback in the forums has helped me learn so much, and the support of small subgroups on the Habit has given me the courage to submit my work for publication, with two very happy results I look forward to sharing with you in the future.
As for reading James Herriot again, it’s awfully fun—that dry British humour, eccentric characters and farm stories too crazy to be made up. Come join us tomorrow on zoom! Sign up to get the link, and keep in mind your time zone. On the west coast, class is Tuesday at 1-2:30pm, but if you’re central or Eastern time it will be earlier.
Oh, yeah, and if you’ve got teen homeschoolers, there’s a lively student cohort, too, in the morning, with their own zoom session and online platform to share their work. Don’t worry if you miss the first class, it will be recorded!
Hope to see you there virtually! Here’s a little video by Jonathon Rogers about the course:
Just East Of Crazy Land 