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March 12, 2020
On Family Secrets
Why does my writing tend to focus on family secrets? In particular, on children trying to unearth secrets tied to their parents’ pasts? I’m often asked these questions during interviews. The first ...
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March 19, 2020
On Consolation
1.It’s early February, as I write this in my journal. I’m in Hong Kong at the peak of the coronavirus crisis. At least, it may be the peak. A week ago, I saw in the news alerts on my phone that a ...
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March 23, 2020
On Road Maps
Before beginning a project, is it worthwhile to do a detailed outline? Or is it preferable just to dive in? I’ve tried both approaches. In writing my first novel, After the Bloom, I outlined extensively. ...
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October 18, 2023
Eclipsed by the Source
“It’s not all dark.” - Roger Waters, “Eclipse”They say the original is always better. In our era of reboots and revivals, when adaptations or sequels fail to capture the scope of their source ...
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September 28, 2023
Grant writing 101: Writing a budget
Writing a grant budget can be daunting, but I promise it doesn’t have to be! Many writing grants don’t even require budgets (TAC and OAC!), but some grants, including the Canada Council for the Arts ...
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March 01, 2019
"Your Work Will Guide You" March writer-in-residence Shazia Hafiz Ramji Takes Us Behind the Scenes of the Publishing Process
One of 2018's most notable poetry debuts, Shazia Hafiz Ramji's Port of Being (Invisible Publishing) is current, smart, and fresh, pulling vocabulary and tensions from urban environments, social media, ...
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May 15, 2018
Daniel Scott Tysdal & Priscila Uppal on the Strange Magic of Teaching Creative Writing
How best to teach creative writing? It's a question that inspires strong opinions amongst writers, students, and instructors. Many writers acknowledge professors and mentors as instrumental in their success ...
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February 20, 2018
Adam Garnet Jones on Finding the Story in his Powerful New Novel Fire Song
Filmmaker Adam Garnet Jones started writing and making movies in his teen years, and even in those early works, he never shied away from difficult, complex storytelling. So it's no surprise that his ...
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September 03, 2020
My One Week on the Bestseller List
On Saturday, June 21, 2014 I opened the Globe and Mail to the books section (back in the time when newspapers had book sections) and after reading the reviews I began to idly scan the bestseller list. ...
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8 hours ago
Open Book has been down at Harbourfront this week to check out some fantastic OBPO-published writers at the 2024 Toronto International Festival of Authors
The Toronto International Festival of Authors is in full swing now, with the first few days of the fest already in the books. There have been some fascinating readings, discussions, and events throughout ...