I'm starting an occasionally series of posts in which I can wax sappily about some of my favourite books. Kenton, before you ask me what a book is, I'll point out that the one below, at least, is public domain and I've already downloaded it for free on my iPod,…
Read MoreI wrote and posted this on the last day of The May Day Poetry Project this year, but I think it bears reposting here to herald the end of summer. It takes on a few new meanings at this time of year. The poem's a bit of a short-liner, which…
Read MoreThis coming long weekend is the venerable 3-Day Novel Contest. It started with a group of Vancouver writers in 1977 who wondered if it were possible to write a novel over a weekend. And they found out that yes, it is. The contest has been handled by a number of…
Read MoreHow does anyone get anything done when they have children? While preparing to join the not-very-elite club of people who have reproduced, I was told repeatedly that my standards would have to slide. If those people were referring to housework, then they were certainly right, and I’ve got to say…
Read MoreThis past week I took a fairly enjoyable class in "Instructional Methods" along with 19 other instructors, mostly from Red River College. We spent most of the week listening to each other teach. We were a class of guinea pigs, testing out our colleagues' lessons. I now know only a…
Read MoreAudio content at Aqua Books you should check out. This page has several Red River creative writing connections--recordings of readings by last year's first-year students in Sally Ito's class, by the students from last year's writing retreat, and even one by me back in December.
Read MoreMay Day is over -- does that mean I have to blog in prose again? I did great at the beginning of the month, by the second week I just couldn't write on the weekends, and any day post-Victoria Day was hit or miss. Today I posted my last, "Petering…
Read MoreFor the month of May I'll be blogging poetically at Ariel Gordon's sixth annual May Day Project blog. It's a challenge to write and post a new poem every day. They may only be first drafts, but it's a fantastic motivation to write. I'll be trying not to cheat with…
Read MoreGraduating Students of the Awesome Writer Variety! You should apply for this if you haven't already been snapped up in gainful employment for the summer: Call: Aqua Books Emerging Writer-in-Residence Aqua Books' successful Writer-in-Residence program has included such local luminaries as writer/thespian Carolyn Gray, film writer Kier-La Janisse, and, most…
Read MoreAfter circling umpteen incorrectly swapped instances of "your" and "you're" in my first-year students' screenplays recently, I engaged in water-cooler ranting with other instructors about spelling. Now, creative writing may not be the class where spelling counts the most, but don't think that I don't notice. Oh, I notice. As…
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