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June 30, 2019
Behind the Title: "Frying Plantain"
This is my last post for Open Book and I’ve been thinking about how I should end my June tenure as Writer in Residence. I landed on writing about the title of my book. I’ve been asked a few times ...
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June 28, 2019
Navigating Microaggressions as a Black Writer in CanLit
Story time! Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of doing a talk with the wonderful and talented Olive Senior and I was excited because it was held in the same neighbourhood where my protagonist, Kara, ...
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June 27, 2019
On Hanging Laundry
I have an obsession with laundry hung on lines. The image literally stops me in my tracks. There’s so much thought put into the way the sleeves of shirts are pinned just close enough to the hem of a ...
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June 27, 2019
"I Wanted to Show What an Ongoing Juggling Act It All Is" Lisa de Nikolits on Her Writer for a Year Video Series
Plenty of writers, emerging and established, have questions about how to handle the professional aspects of the writing life. How to approach social media? Are festivals important? What about reviews? ...
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June 26, 2019
"For Me, Everything That Isn’t Asphalt and Concrete is Part of the Urban Forest" Read an Excerpt from Treed by Ariel Gordon
A walk in the woods is a deceptively simple thing. From the complex ecosystems we pass to the psychological effects of spending time in a natural setting, our simple walks can be something fascinating ...
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June 25, 2019
A Few Key Things Every Newly Published Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators Should Know!
The title says it all, guys! Here’s a roundup of a bunch of things that newly published authors and illustrators should know. Whether it’s resources on negotiating contracts or where to do research ...
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June 25, 2019
"A Title Will Often Jumpstart the Development Process of a Piece" Playwright Kat Sandler on Her Play BANG BANG, Titles, & More
Kat Sandler's newest play BANG BANG (Playwrights Canada Press), features not only a play within a play but a movie within in a play as well. When a playwright writes the story of a Black female cop ...
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June 24, 2019
Advice From Mentors Past
One of the most surprising things I’ve encountered since starting to talk publicly about my writing and my first book is how many people appreciate the fact that I mention the positive influence of ...
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June 20, 2019
On Synchronicity and Writing: The Path Back to Myself
Last month, I had the privilege of going on a road trip across Northern BC as part of an author’s tour organized by the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, for which my book of poems, Port of Being, was a finalist. ...
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June 19, 2019
What Kdramas Taught Me About Storytelling
OK so first I feel like I should explain that literature and TV/film motivate me in different ways. I like to see it as craft vs. content. Books I love or respect teach me about word choice and pacing, ...