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May 04, 2017
The In Character Interview, with Elise Levine
More than 20 years ago, Elise Levine's Driving Men Mad exploded onto the literary scene, endearing Levine to readers and critics alike. She returned with a highly acclaimed novel, Requests and Dedications, ...
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August 31, 2017
Characters. Emotions. Relationships. Action.
In junior high, my grade seven English teacher taught us about conflict in narrative: man against man; man against nature; man against self; and man against society. To be honest, I never really found ...
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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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August 01, 2017
Oh hey, it’s me. Your old friend, Naseem.
I’ll be your writer-in-residence for August. I’m a first-time author and a former librarian, and I’ve worked in children’s publishing for over ten years. I’m a huge fan of improv, stand-up comedy, ...
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April 25, 2019
What Agents Are Looking For: Interview with Marilyn Biderman
One afternoon, when I was feeling particularly angsty, I tweeted out to my followers, “How do BIPOC writers get agents?” I received some encouraging responses, as well as some that had me questioning ...
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May 25, 2023
Liem, McDonald, & Hernández-Ramdwar: 3 WOTS Guest Authors on What They're Reading at the Festival & Why
This weekend, The Word on the Street will take over Queen's Park in Toronto to bring together over 100 writers and creators for two full days of literary celebrations. There will be panel discussions, ...
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September 16, 2020
"I Couldn’t Type Fast Enough" Phyllis L. Humby on First Drafts and Newfoundland Magic
Phyllis L. Humby's Old Broad Road (Crossfield Publishing) is a story of the complications, joys, and risks of taking an unexpected leap of faith. When Sylvia Kramer leaves her comfortable life on the ...
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June 03, 2019
I Promise You, It's Fiction.
Full disclosure, I had another post planned to kick off my Writer in Residency here on Open Book but I decided to change topics after seeing a write-up/review of my forthcoming short story collection. ...
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March 04, 2022
Late Bloomers
I come from a family of late bloomers.Or at least, that’s the story I tell myself when I try to deal with the disappointment of not having been an outrageous success in my 20s and 30s, when I was precocious ...
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July 20, 2022
To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme
Nothing is as divisive as rhyme in children’s picture books. When it works, it sings, but when it doesn’t, it can turn readers (and editors) right off. Many people have fond memories of their favourite ...