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June 23, 2020Five Tips for Writing About Tough Topics for Children and Teens
The best comedy often comes from life’s darker moments. Read up on any comedian and you’ll likely learn about their tumultuous beginnings, middles and ends. (Especially, on Twitter. Literally. At ...
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May 24, 2018
In Praise of … Reading Widely
I wonder if other writers feel a particular dread I sometimes get when I’m working on a new story or poem. It happens when an idea, or an approach, or a certain trope comes into my mind, one that suddenly ...
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April 23, 2021Unstuck: what writers can learn from artists in other disciplines
What can writers learn from burlesque performers, chefs, choreographers, and designers? What advice do established artists in other disciplines have for emerging writers? Let's find out. I'm so excited ...
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November 04, 2021‘AMELIA THANK YOUS.docx’: The single Word document that kept me going
The first thing I do when I start reading a book is read the acknowledgments. I like to know where the book I’m about to read came from, and all the people who helped the author along the way. I love ...
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April 09, 2019Read an Excerpt from the Late Joe Rosenblatt's Final Collection, Bite Me!
Joe Rosenblatt's final book, Bite Me! Musing on Monsters and Mayhem (Porcupine's Quill), published shortly before he passed away in March 2019, is a delight of Rosenblatt's fantastical imagination. Born ...
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August 19, 2020Dirty Dozen: Sarah Howden on Thunderstorms, Dairy-Free Sweets, and Bad Jokes
Author Sarah Howden's debut picture book, Cone Cat (Owlkids), is all about adapting to new situations.Jeremy the cat wakes up in the vet's office feeling a little off. It doesn't take him long to figure ...
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April 18, 2017The In Character Interview, with Leslie Shimotakahara
Leslie Shimotakahara's After the Bloom (Dundurn Press) has been praised as "personal and entrancing, unflinchingly shining a light on [a] difficult part of history" and "a sweeping page turner". The ...
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April 29, 2021Your life is yours: a future wish for emerging writers
Today’s the day, friends! This will conclude my residency with Open Book and the Careful Inventory skillshare. I’m very grateful to each of you who have read along and shared your thoughts with me. ...
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August 26, 20202020 Journey Prize Finalists Announced
The Writers' Trust has announced finalists for the 2020 McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize, honouring new and developing writers for the best short story published in a Canadian literary journal ...
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March 05, 2026KidLit Convos! Jean E. Pendziwol & Risa Hugo Dig Into THE QUIET HUNT: A POEM FOR YOUNG FORAGERS
In The Quiet Hunt (Groundwood Books), the search for food doesn't begin in a grocery store, but rather outdoors, where patience and attention matter most. The story invites young readers to notice what ...