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August 15, 2017
Interview with Ashley Spires
Today we’re talking to ASHLEY SPIRES! Writer and illustrator of best-selling, award-winning, kid-approved books such as Penguin and the Cupcake, Small Saul, Larf, the Binky the Space Cat series, The ...
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June 05, 2021
When Research Influences Life
In my novel The Quiet is Loud, tarot cards form an integral part of the life of the novel's main character Freya Tanangco, a tarot reader. They serve as a career choice and legitimate outlet for her prophetic ...
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June 23, 2021
5 Tips For a DIY Writing Retreat
Now that we're peeking around the corner at a post-pandemic world, I've been starting to crave a DIY writing retreat. I don't get to do them as often as I'd like, but there's something magical about blocking ...
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June 29, 2021
How a Filipino Breakfast Changed My Writing
June is Filipino Heritage Month, and to close out the month and my time here as writer-in-residence, I wanted to talk about Filipino breakfast. Specifically, one that influenced both my novel and my life.The ...
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October 05, 2021
Poetry Should "Be Surprised By What it Says": David O'Meara on Why Poems Shouldn't Try to Be Poems
Canadian writers know Ottawa-based poet David O'Meara not only for his acclaimed collections but also his contributions to the community. From serving as the founding Artistic Director for VERSeFest ...
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October 21, 2021
Read the Late, Great Don Domanski's Poem "Homeworld" from His Final, Posthumous Collection
Governor General's Literary Award winning poet Don Domanski, who passed away in 2020, is remembered for his ability to combine epic themes of environmentalism and metaphysics with his trademark intimate, ...
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February 02, 2022
Hajimemashite
Hello, Open Book reader. Welcome to my first post! I had big, overachieving plans to create a perfect post, then realized how weird it will sound without any context about myself and who I am as a writer. ...
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March 09, 2022
Rejection
No one likes rejection. I’ve been told that some people handle it better than others. It depends on your baggage.I had my first official manuscript rejection when I was nine years old. I received a ...
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May 19, 2022
Frances Koncan on How Playwrighting Gets Her "Closest to the Truth"
Frances Koncan's play, Women of the Fur Trade (Playwrights Canada Press) is the antidote to dull historical renditions of early Canada. Set in "eighteen hundred and something something", it follows three ...
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October 31, 2022
November Writer in Residence Helen Walsh on Gardening, Edinburgh, & Eating Dinner with Hans Gruber
Helen Walsh's Pull Focus (ECW Press) has something for everyone: thrilling intrigue, social commentary, film industry glamour, and a tough protagonist facing crises both personal and professional. The ...