Word Vancouver Workshops

Workshops at Word are always very popular, and we’re pleased to say we have another fantastic line-up again this year!

The professional development workshops kick off on Saturday, September 24 at The HiVE. Teacher, editor, and poet Jami Macarty will show you how to “Get It Out” in a session on preparing literary work for submission. You’ll learn about terms, networking, cover letters, submission guidelines, submission-ready work, publications, and sure ways to avoid the slush pile. Join Australian art therapist, facilitator, and master’s candidate in narrative therapy Carmen Ostrander and discover how to “Exoticize the Domestic.” Explore the everyday and uncover compelling stories in everyday life. Discover how rich descriptions of ordinary things can be compelling, intimate, and historically valuable. Be sure to pre-register for these two sessions to ensure your spot!

JJ Lee

Also on Saturday is the Type Up! at Carnegie Community Centre. Do you have handwritten poems, stories, and letters you would like to have typed up, but you don’t have a way to do that? Well come along to Type Up! at the Carnegie Library Learning Centre, and volunteers will be on hand to take your writing materials, help you edit them, and turn them into a typed file.

On Sunday, September 25, the main festival day, professional development workshop facilitators will include JJ Lee as well as Trevor Battye and Suzanne Norman in Perspective Point and Naomi Beth Wakan and Marion Crook in Port of View. Join author JJ Lee for “The Hustle,” where he will talk about his journey to his memoir, The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit, discussing research, community engagement, platforming, and just plain luck. He’ll talk about his current forays into genre fiction and its impact on his profile as a literary writer. Discover how to “Take Control of Your Own Marketing” with Trevor Battye and Suzanne Norman. This workshop will help authors establish what electronic marketing tools are right for them. Whether self-published or with a publisher, you’ll learn tools to assist with your process. Poet and personal essayist Naomi Beth Wakan will teach you about “Writing Close to Home.” Whether you keep a blog or a diary, write personal essays, or are beginning your memoirs, this workshop will give you fresh ideas and may open some personal moments you haven’t visited for a while. Children’s and YA author Marion Crook will show you how to “Start Your Story.” You may have a character in mind, or a setting, or parts of a plot but need a push to start the story. This workshop will give you practical tools to jump into the beginning, tackle the first lines, and create the first chapter. These are only a few of the workshops in these two venues, so be sure to check out our website for a full list!

Marion Crook ©Imaging by Marlis 2012

Comics workshops will be found in The Underground and will include the “Chapbook Races” with Kevin Spenst, where you and your team of up to three will have one hour to make, write, draw, and collage a chapbook. You can also learn to “Draw Autobiographical Comics” with Sean Karemaker. This workshop will focus on the creation of one- to two-page autobiographical comic stories. It will cover the basics of composition, drawing with shapes, and storytelling.

This year, we will also have drawing workshops for kids in The Quay! Kids aged 8-12 can learn how to create a goofy character, how to change expressions, and how to put acting into their work from For Better or For Worse creator Lynn Johnston.

Check out the full program guide or our website for a full listing of workshops and more!