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February 13, 2014
Writer's Block Does Not Exist (Part 4 Final)
Step four: Editing and final draftDo you know the difference between a creative writer and a hobbyist? Editing. Can you handle criticism? Can you give good criticism? Can you critique your own work?So ...
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February 27, 2017
On Racism 2 of 3
Part 2If silence is no longer an acceptable act, we can no longer be silent as publishing houses receive government funding while making little to no efforts to have authors who reflect the nation's diversity. ...
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February 28, 2017
On Racism 3 of 3
Part 3We must speak fearlessly. Hate resonates loudly because it savagely destroys language without concern. Silence is born from the fear of offending others. But we will no longer be silent. We will ...
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February 22, 2017
Poetry vs Prose part 1 of 2
”Why does Dane use words like poetry and prose yet refuse concepts like genre?”I've been accused of citing quotes unnecessarily, so I'll merely remind my readers of a very Canadian statement, “The ...
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February 17, 2014
Profile: David Delisca & Andrea Thompson
David O. Delisca (delisca.com)Poet. Brother. Child of the Haitian Diaspora. Speaker. Stirrer of smiles and thoughts. Author of "I Grew Up Right Beside You". 4-time member of the Toronto Poetry Slam team ...
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February 10, 2014
Writer's Block Does Not Exist (Part 1)
Or it does. But for the sake of this blog it does not. What is writer's block? I don't know, because it does not exist. Here's the thing, whether you are a professional creative writer, a skilled hobbyist, ...
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February 09, 2017
The absurdity of literary prizes part 1 of 2
It's 2016, Stockholm, and Patti Smith is dressed in a black suit, nervously performing Dylan's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall. A hushed crowd listens in celebration of her rendition of a song written by the ...
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February 10, 2017
The absurdity of literary prizes part 2 of 2
“ I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it.”For my most recent book, I had a reviewer who skewered me for quoting Shakespeare, and then citing it in my end notes. Because, everyone who reads ...
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April 01, 2025
Green to Grey: An Environmental Anthology is an Eclectic Collection of Fiction and a Call to Action
There have been some excellent anthologies featured on Open Book, and many of those have had wide-ranging themes and focuses, from terrifying campfire tales by acclaimed Indigenous authors to erotic yarns ...
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July 25, 2017
performance as editing
One night in 2000, I was sitting around the metaphorical campfire with some friends in Regina, Saskatchewan. We were talking about art and writing. We were talking about music and performance. One by ...