Canadian Authors – Toronto programs will take on a mix of art and business concerns. We plan to alternate between two main types of events:
1. themed presentations by writers and other publishing professionals dealing with various aspects of the writing life and the craft of writing, and
2. industry-focused events designed to help writers in the GTA meet agents and publishers, understand publishing contracts, master the ‘authorpreneurial’ demands of social media and marketing, and wend our way through the business side of this writing life.
Poetry 101
A Workshop with Kathryn Mockler
When: Thursday, April 25, 7:30–9:30 p.m.
Where: Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) Spadina, 192 Spadina Ave., Third Floor, Room F
Advance registration is required. Click here to reserve your spot. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants.
Free for Canadian Authors Association members; $10 for all others
Note: This workshop celebrates National Poetry Month, and it takes the place of our regularly scheduled program meeting for April.
Event description:
Poetry is good because it flexes muscles you don’t often use enough. Poetry keeps you aware of your nose, your eye, your tongue, your hand. And, above all, poetry is compacted metaphor or simile.
— Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
In honour of National Poetry Month, Authors–Toronto is delighted to welcome members and non-members to take part in an introductory poetry workshop with popular Toronto writer, editor, and writing teacher Kathryn Mockler.
Much sought-after for her engaging and accessible teaching style, Mockler is the author of four books of poetry and six short films. She is also the Canada editor of Joyland: a hub for short fiction, the publisher of The Rusty Toque, and teaches creative writing at Western University.
Poets and poetry-curious writers in all genres are invited to take this opportunity to practice their craft and/or explore how thinking like a poet can help with prose and creative non-fiction.
Regardless of what type of writing you do or how long you’ve been at it, everyone can benefit from studying how poets play with language, sound, and imagery.
Reserve your spot now for what promises to be a warm, welcoming, and stress-free introduction to the form. Mockler will start by asking, “What is a poem?” and “Why do we write poetry?” By sharing poems and having participants write and respond to them, she’ll explore how poets use language, comparison, ambiguity, ambivalence, and variation to shape the basic elements of a poem into a finished piece. Participants will be guided through writing exercises based on simple prompts, and they will have opportunities to share (or not share) their work with the group.
Poets are welcome to attend! We think it never hurts to go back to the fundamentals, no matter how familiar you are with the form.
We also recommend this workshop for writers in mixed-genre writing groups. Whether or not you intend to start writing your own poems, this workshop will help you provide constructive feedback on other people’s poems.
Click here to read a great blog post on “10 Reasons Why A Prose Writer Should Take A Poetry Course.”
What to bring: Please bring your own writing supplies. We recommend a favourite notebook and a pen or pencil, but if you’re like some of us and can only access your writing brain while working on a computer or other device, please bring it with you, and be prepared to type gently!
Tickets: To reserve your spot, click on the blue GET TICKETS icon on the right side of the event site and follow the prompts. Canadian Authors Association members can reserve one free ticket each by using the first category, for members. Non-members should choose the General Admission ticket in the second category.
Problems booking your ticket? Contact Authors–Toronto co-president Lee Parpart at TOpresident1@canadianauthors.org.
Raffle:
Be sure to bring cash for our raffle! Raffle tickets can also be purchased through this website, underneath the regular ticketing option.
Cost: $2 each; $5/three; $10/seven
Prizes: two books — Swearing is Good for You by Emma Bryne and The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall — donated by House of Anansi Press; a $25 gift certificate to the Scarborough Town Centre, donated by Oxford Properties Ltd.; a $15 Chapters/Indigo gift certificate donated by Authors–Toronto co-president Lee Parpart; and a one-hour mentorship on any aspect of writing or editing with Authors–Toronto vice-president Jennifer D. Foster.
With only 20 participants in this workshop, your chances of winning are high!
Please note that winners must be at the event (or be represented by someone who holds their ticket) to claim their prize.
Kathryn Mockler will bring copies of her books to sell; please support our programming efforts by purchasing work by our featured guest. Cash only, unless you can arrange an e-transfer with the author.
Venue details: Directions, parking, accessibility, and other details about the venue are available here and here (for accessibility information, scroll down to item number nine within the second link).
More about accessibility: Please note that although the third floor of CSI Spadina is fully accessible, the building’s narrow elevator (30 inches wide) may not accommodate all mobility devices. Please contact co-president Lee at TOpresident1@canadianauthors.org with any questions or concerns about accessibility at this meeting.
Trouble getting into the building? Text Lee at 647-607-0416, and we will send someone to open the front door.
We look forward to seeing you there!