WRITERS WORKSHOP 2018 | PAGE 2

WRITERS WORKSHOP

at the University of Guelph

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2019

WELCOME TO THE 2019 UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

WRITERS WORKSHOP

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

NOTE: Photos will be taken at this public event and may be used for promotional purposes

Welcome, and thank you for attending the University of Guelph’s eighth Annual Writers Workshop.

This two-day event is designed to provide hands-on practical tips and instruction for a wide variety of writing interests and needs. From fiction writing to magazine writing, digital communication to scientific journals, you’ll find it here.

All of the workshop leaders have volunteered their time and talents. We would like to extend a thank you to these presenters, our volunteer staff, and our sponsors because without their dedication and generosity, this event would not be possible.

Thank you again for attending; we hope you enjoy the event.

THE WRITERS WORKSHOP COMMITTEE Jodie Salter – Coordinator Daniel Poulin Juliene McLaughlin Marinette Fargo Sarah Gibbons Amber Allen

We acknowledge that the University of Guelph resides on the ancestral lands of the Attawandaron people and the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. We recognize the significance of the Dish with One Spoon Covenant to this land and offer our respect to our Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Métis neighbours as we strive to strengthen our relationships with them.

Today, this gathering place is home to many First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and acknowledging them reminds us of our important connection to this land where we learn and work.

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PROGRAM SCHEDULESATURDAY MARCH 2, 2019

Room LIB 109 Room LIB 246 Room LIB 360 Room LIB 370 Room LIB 384

8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. REGISTRATION

9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

90 minute sessions

From Monkeys to Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to Copyright

Presenters: Ryan Regier, Matthew Murray, Heather Martin

The Counterintuitive Writer…Continued

Presenter: Joan Flaherty

Joy of Journalling

Presenter: Jennifer Storey

Writing & Mindfulness

Presenter: Melinda Burns

Write Your Life

Presenter: Isobel Warren

10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. BREAK

11:00 a.m. to1:00 p.m.

2 hour sessions

Finding the Right Fit: Structure and Form

Presenter: Marcia Walker

Writing with Pressbooks: Creating Open Content for the Classroom

Presenters: Ali Versluis and Claire Coulter

Publish or Perish: Strategies for Publishing Scientific Papers

Presenter: Ryan Gregory

What to Look for When Editing Fiction and Memoir

Presenter: Maggie Morris

Social Media as Fifth Force in Politics

Presenter: Evren Altinkas

1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. BREAK

1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

90 minute sessions

How to Read Like a Writer

Presenter: Jeremy Luke Hill

Stranger Than Fiction: The Lyric Essay

Presenter: Eufemia Fantetti

The Grammar Geeks’ Gab Session

Presenter: Lenore Latta

The Craft of Travel Writing

Presenter: Aefa Mulholland

Traditional Publisher vs Self Publishing

Presenter: Robert Pavlis

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PROGRAM SCHEDULE CONTINUEDSATURDAY MARCH 2, 2019

to 2:00 p AK

Room LIB 109 Room LIB 246 Room LIB 360 Room LIB 370 Room LIB 384

3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. BREAK

3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

60 minute sessions

The Art of Persuasion: Presenting Innovative Ideas Effectively

Presenter: Naomi Robson

Research and Historical Fiction: What Do You Need to Know, and When Do You Need to Know It?

Presenter: Geoff Micks

Dürer’s Rhino and the Cladistics of Dragons: An Antidote to Dull Scientific Communication

Presenter: Howard Swatland

Writing Aerobics. You’re a Writer Now, So Let’s Write!

Presenter: Robert Cutting

Based on a True Story: How to Write and Resolve your Real Life Experiences

Presenters: Jodre Datu and Melanie Katz

4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. BREAK

5:00 p.m. to8:00 p.m.

3 hour sessions

Writing from Where You Are

Presenter: Nikki Everts

Career Writing: A Narrative Approach to Career Learning

Presenters: Kat McNichol

Tell Me What You See

Presenter: Caroline Topperman

*90 minute session(5:00 to 6:30 p.m.)

Finding Your (Online) Voice: Social Media Basics for Writers and Artists

Presenter: Marian Toledo Candelaria

Destining a World that Your Readers are Convinced is Real

Presenter: Marilyn Kleiber

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“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet,

then you must write it.”

--Toni Morrison

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SATURDAY MARCH 2, 2019

FROM MONKEYS TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: AN INTRODUCTION TO COPYRIGHTSaturday, March 2, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., LIB 109

RYAN REGIER, MATTHEW MURRAY & HEATHER MARTIN

RYAN REGIER

MATTHEW MURRAY

HEATHER MARTIN

Ryan Regier is a Research and Scholarship Librarian at the University of Guelph McLaughlin Library. He provides teaching and expertise on scholarly publishing and measuring research impact. He also deals with questions around copyright and has long been interested in intellectual property law.

Copyright can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you are an author, a musician, an artist, or just an avid consumer of popular culture, this workshop will arm you with the information you need to know to navigate today’s complex copyright environment. The presenters will start out by tackling some of the most common copyright myths, then move on to an overview of the basics of Canadian copyright law. Using case studies from actual copyright disputes, participants will work through problems on subjects such as author rights, piracy, fair dealing, the public domain, moral rights, and rights reversion. The workshop will also explore current copyright hot topics such as the impact of the new NAFTA agreement, contracts vs. copyright, copyright and the Internet, and whether monkeys and robots can own copyright. There will also be time for participants to ask their own copyright questions. By the time the workshop concludes, attendees will have an understanding of copyright as it relates to their own creations as well as to using the works of others, and will be able to apply their knowledge both in the professional sphere and in their personal lives.

Matthew Murray is also a Research and Scholarship Librarian at the University of Guelph McLaughlin Library. When he’s not trying to read all of the comics ever written, Matthew spends his time recording and editing the Book Club for Masochists readers’ advisory podcast, helping to run the Zine Pavilion and the Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table at the American Library Association, making the fiction anthology zine Two-Fisted Library Stories, and playing with technology stuff. He’s also willing to talk about why libraries are bad at cataloguing graphic novels for basically forever (or until they get better at it).

Heather Martin manages the E-Learning and Reserves team at the University of Guelph McLaughlin Library and is also the University’s Copyright Officer. In this role, she provides support to faculty, students, and staff in their use of copyright-protected works. When not fielding copyright questions, she tries to stay on top of the latest developments in copyright, licensing, and open educational resources.

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THE COUNTERINTUITIVE WRITER... CONTINUEDSaturday, March 2, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., LIB 246 | Joan Flaherty

This session continues The Counterintuitive Writer workshop that has been offered in previous years. Same facilitator. Same approach. Different material.

This workshop is intended for anyone who falls into one of these categories:

• Hate writing• Love writing• Hate writing but love having written*

In other words, it’s aimed at a broad audience whose writing skills may vary considerably. The only conditions for registering in this session are a desire to improve your writing and, as the session title suggests, an openness to trying new approaches. In pursuit of those goals, the workshop will cover three main areas: how to get started - including how to deal with writer’s block; how to organize your thoughts quickly; and how to get the reader’s attention. The format will be a combination of mini-lecture, discussion, and individual exercises.

*Dorothy Parker

JOY OF JOURNALLINGSaturday, March 2, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., LIB 360 | Jennifer Storey

This workshop begins with a discussion of past journalling experiences and what participants are hoping to explore. From the opening discussion, we will address some of the causes of resistance to writing, how to overcome blocks, and what tools can be used to journal. There will then be time (15-20 minutes) for each person to write privately using the technique of stream of consciousness. Paper and creative supplies will be provided for participants to explore new approaches to writing. The session will conclude with a group discussion about their experience of using the stream of consciousness technique.

JOAN FLAHERTYJoan Flaherty teaches communications in the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph. She is also the faculty advisor for The Hornblower, the School’s annual student magazine. She completed her BA (English Literature), MA (English Literature), and MSc (Rural Extension Studies) at the University of Guelph. Her research interests centre around SoTL (the scholarship of teaching and learning). She is the recipient of three teaching awards. Her book, The Counterintuitive Writer: A Writing Guide for Students ... and for Others, was published in 2018 (Rock’s Mills Press).

JENNIFER STOREYJennifer Storey began her professional career as a teacher in several communities in Ontario as well as Los Angeles County in California. When working at the University of Guelph McLaughlin Library, she returned to college and was inspired to become sole proprietor of an interior decorating business. Presently, Jennifer continues to awaken her inner truth through her passions for artistic creativity, music, writing, theatre, art, community, travel, meditative practices, and healing arts.

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WRITING & MINDFULNESSSaturday, March 2, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., LIB 370 | Melinda Burns

This workshop will discuss the connection between mindfulness and writing as tools of awareness, and the benefits to creativity of a mindfulness approach. There will be guided meditations and writing exercises to experience the value of mindfulness in creative writing.

MELINDA BURNSMelinda Burns is a writer and psychotherapist in Guelph as well as a teacher of creative writing and a mentor to writers in fiction, poetry, and memoir. She has offered the Writing & Mindfulness workshop for Continuing Education and privately for a number of years.

WRITE YOUR LIFESaturday, March 2, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., LIB 384 | Isobel Warren

This workshop aims to encourage writers at any level to write their own autobiography, starting NOW, emphasizing the satisfaction and the importance of autobiography to families and to local archives intent on preserving local history. The agenda includes tips and tactics for getting started and keeping at it, how to deal with research, photos, family conflicts, and actual publishing. Participants will be asked to make a start on the spot, recounting a dramatic incident in their lives, and, time permitting, reading it back to the class. Take-away materials will include book lists (both how-to books and some outstanding biographies), writing, research, and interview suggestions.

ISOBEL WARRENIsobel Warren is a professional writer with credits in magazines, newspapers, TV and books. She is the author of several travel books and one autobiographical novel. She now lives in Guelph.

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Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light

on broken glass.― Anton Chekhov

WRITERS WORKSHOP 2019 | PAGE 8

Please contact writers.workshop@uoguelph.ca in September 2019

Interested in presenting at theUniversity of Guelph Writers Workshop 2020?

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT: STRUCTURE AND FORMSaturday, March 2, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., LIB 109 | Marcia Walker

What are the different ways you can write a story? Sure you can start at the beginning and tell the tale, but there are many other options.

In this workshop, we’ll examine personal essay, short fiction, memoir, vignette, epistolary, fable, experimental hybrid, and poetry as ways to approach the same material but from different angles. Get to know the options and tools that are available to you as a writer and unlock the potential of each form. Shake up your habits. Try something new. The idea is to explore and experiment to see if the material chooses the form rather than the other way around.

In this two-hour exploratory workshop, we’ll discuss form and structural choices. A variety of exercises will be offered to free up your writing and experiment in new ways.

MARCIA WALKERMarcia Walker’s writing has appeared or is forthcoming in The New York Times, Fiddlehead, PRISM international, Room, Event, Antigonish Review, University of Toronto Magazine, This Magazine, The Globe and Mail, CBC radio and The Broken Social Scene Story Project. She has been shortlisted for PRISM’s fiction and non-fiction prize, the Writers’ Union of Canada short prose competition and the Lascaux fiction award. Her plays have been part of Nightwood Theatre’s Groundswell festival and the F.O.O.T. Festival. She is a graduate of the Guelph MFA program and runs the Emerging Writers Reading Series in Toronto.

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WRITING WITH PRESSBOOKS: CREATING OPEN CONTENT FOR THE CLASSROOM

Saturday, March 2, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., LIB 246 | Ali Versluis and Claire Coulter

In this session, participants will be introduced to Pressbooks as a platform for content creation. Pressbooks is an online open-source publishing tool (built on WordPress) that allows for the easy creation of clean, well-formatted books in multiple file types. In this hands-on workshop, participants will also be introduced to the ways that the Pressbooks platform supports multimedia, math & formulae, social annotation, and other interactive and/or embedded assessment elements. Participants are invited to come with their writing project ideas - whether blue-sky book projects or more discrete content objects - and by the end of the session, they will leave with both a working knowledge of the platform and some concrete ideas for moving their project forward.

ALI VERSLUIS Ali Versluis is an Open Education Librarian at the University of Guelph. In this role, she educates and liaises with the university community on open content, licensing, and student-centred pedagogy. Her current research interests are focused on precarity and labour in academia.

CLAIRE COULTERClaire Coulter is an Instructional Technologist at the University of Guelph. Her work focuses on the development of instruction and student learning at the intersection of pedagogy and all things digital.

Please use #UofGWritersSocial?

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PUBLISH OR PERISH: STRATEGIES FOR PUBLISHING SCIENTIFIC PAPERS

Saturday, March 2, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., LIB 360 | Ryan Gregory

Publication in peer-reviewed journals is a critical component of scientific research. This workshop provides an overview of the process of scientific publication and presents strategies for planning and writing manuscripts, choosing an appropriate journal, and dealing with reviews. It is open to potential authors of peer-reviewed scientific papers at any level.

RYAN GREGORYDr. Gregory completed his B.Sc. at McMaster University in 1997 and earned his Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Guelph in 2002. He then carried out postdoctoral research at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Natural History Museum in London, England, before returning to the University of Guelph. He has been the recipient of several prestigious scholarships, fellowships, and awards for research and teaching. He is the author of 90 peer-reviewed articles, has reviewed 250 manuscripts for dozens of journals, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the journal Evolution: Education and Outreach.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN EDITING FICTION AND MEMOIRSaturday, March 2, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., LIB 370 | Maggie Morris

Learn practical tips and techniques for evaluating your fiction or memoir manuscript through a thorough description of the three stages of editing: substantive, stylistic, and copy editing. This seminar will include a hands-on activity, Q&A, and a handout with seminar notes and cheat sheets to help you bring out the best in your manuscript.

MAGGIE MORRISMaggie Morris, The Indie Editor (www.IndieEditor.ca), is a freelance fiction editor and a mystery writer (www.MaggieFindlay.com) represented by the literary agent Rena Rossner of The Deborah Harris Agency. She has a Certificate in Publishing from Ryerson University, a BA in languages and literature from University of Toronto, and is an active member of Editors Canada.

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SOCIAL MEDIA AS FIFTH FORCE IN POLITICSSaturday, March 2, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., LIB 384 | Evren Altinkas

This workshop aims to show the power of “words” in the digital environment. As people use social media as a channel to express their discontent about the events happening around them (e.g., a decision of University administration, a new policy of local municipality, an act of government, etc.), they start campaigns, engage in social activism and participate in social media groups or forums to express themselves. This generates a “new force” in social media, which can be named as a “fifth political force.” This workshop will look into dynamics of social media as a political space and welcomes sample cases/ studies.

EVREN ALTINKASEvren Altkinkas has a Ph. D. in Comparative History and is a visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Guelph.

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STRANGER THAN FICTION: THE LYRIC ESSAYSaturday, March 2, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., LIB 246 | Eufemia Fantetti

Life, Kierkegaard noted, can only be understood backwards and must be lived forwards. What if we viewed our lived experiences by casting a sideways glance at the situations that stumped us? What if we examined the circumstances that repeatedly circle around our synaptic track through a different lens before we sat down to write our true stories?

This writing workshop is an introduction to the lyric essay, the unique form that breaks all the traditional rules of essay engagement and establishes new, exciting territory for readers and writers alike. An interactive workshop suitable for writers of every level where we will investigate the various possibilities of form available in creative nonfiction. A combination of readings, discussions and writing prompts designed to motivate experimental, non-linear work. Come prepared to write.

CONTENT WARNING: Many writers may be drawn to writing nonfiction about particularly difficult or distressing events. This workshop may invoke discussions about microaggressions, trauma or violence. Any material shared during the workshop must be considerate of your fellow attendees. No graphic descriptions or depictions are permissible.

EUFEMIA FANTETTIEufemia Fantetti holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Her writing was listed as a Notable Essay in The Best American Essays Series and her work has been published in various anthologies including Body & Soul: Stories for Skeptics and Seekers, Love Me True, and Conspicuous Accents. Her short fiction collection, A Recipe for Disaster & Other Unlikely Tales of Love, won the Bressani Prize for short fiction and was runner up for the Danuta Gleed Award. Her memoir, My Father, Fortune-tellers and Me, will be released by Mother Tongue Publishing in Fall 2019.

HOW TO READ LIKE A WRITERSaturday, March 2, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., LIB 109 | Jeremy Luke Hill

This workshop will introduce participants to techniques of reading that will help them learn from the books they read in order to develop their own writing. The workshop will begin with an exploration of the reading practices of various famous authors. It will then work through some close reading exercises. It will conclude with an opportunity for the participants to practice what they have learned through a writing exercise.

Participants should bring a blank notebook to begin their own commonplace book and a favourite work of fiction for use in the exercises.

JEREMY LUKE HILLJeremy Luke Hill is the publisher at Gordon Hill Press, a literary publisher based in Guelph, Ontario. He is also the Managing Director of Vocamus Writers Community, a non-profit community organization that supports book culture in Guelph. He has written a collection of poetry and short prose called Island Pieces, along with several chapbooks and broadsheets. His writing has appeared in The Bull Calf, CV2, EVENT Magazine, Filling Station, Free Fall, The Goose, HA&L, The Maynard, paperplates, Queen Mob’s Tea House, The Rusty Toque, The Town Crier, and The Windsor Review.

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Would you like to write about your travels, whether you’re just back from a trip to a volcano off the coast of Morocco or from an afternoon following the Grand River? This workshop will explore travel writing from blogs to features to full-length travel memoirs. It will delve into the craft involved in taking a trip from pre-departure all the way to the finished page.

This workshop is for writers of all levels, whether you want to break into travel writing for magazines or websites, write essays or travel memoirs, or simply want to write about the trips you’ve taken in a way that will have family and friends clamouring to hear about your next adventure. You will be introduced to the many different types of travel writing. You will then learn practical writing tools and techniques for before, during, and after travel and find out tips for how to get your words to a wider audience.

In the session, you will review examples of the types of pieces you might like to write, create a piece of travel writing or the introduction and outline of a longer piece, and share writing with the course instructor and fellow participants.

AEFA MULHOLLANDAward-winning travel writer and editor Aefa Mulholland has held editorial positions at The Advocate, The Out Traveler, Private Islands Magazine and TripAdvisor. Her work has appeared in/on The Irish Times, The Miami Herald, The Travel Channel, Budget Travel, Yahoo, Fox, MSN, AOL Travel, Hotels.com, RTE, BBC, and dozens more. She has talked about travel writing at conferences, on radio, and on a cruise ship during a hurricane. Her travel memoir The Scottish Ambassador, Learning How To Be Scottish in America is currently being developed for TV by Fuse Films UK. She is an MFA candidate at the University of Guelph.

THE GRAMMAR GEEKS’ GAB SESSION Saturday, March 2, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., LIB 360 | Lenore Latta

Do you consider yourself a grammar geek? If you enjoy proofreading or editing other people’s work and picking out the errors in published articles and signs, attend this session to learn about some of the lesser known or more controversial grammar rules. We’ll discuss the difference between objects and subjective completions, between absolute and appositive phrases, and between gerunds and participles. As well, find out whether you should “feel bad” or “feel badly” about something you’ve said, whether you should be making corrections to that “8 items or less” sign at the checkout, and whether you should answer the door with “It is I” or “It is me.” And finally, how much of a crime is it to end a sentence with a preposition, and is Gene Roddenberry the only one allowed to split an infinitive? Meet a few other grammar fans, and bring your pet grammar peeves to discuss.

LENORE LATTA Lenore Latta is the English as an Additional Language Specialist at the University of Guelph’s Writing Services in the McLaughlin Library. She has an MSc from the University of Guelph and worked for a number of years as a freelance editor and proofreader for textbooks, course manuals, websites, and articles.

THE CRAFT OF TRAVEL WRITINGSaturday, March 2, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., LIB 370 | Aefa Mulholland

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TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER VS SELF PUBLISHINGSaturday, March 2, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., LIB 384 | Robert Pavlis

This workshop will compare the two publishing methods, looking at the process, timelines, sales, profits, and benefits of each. At the beginning of the workshop, a handout will allow participants to self-evaluate on a number of criteria that will help them better understand their goals. The presentation will then refer back to the answers on their evaluation to help participants match the best publishing option with their personal goals. This presentation will provide a realistic look at book publishing and help attendees decide if this is a route that will meet their goals.

ROBERT PAVLISRobert Pavlis has published two books, Garden Myths and Building Natural Ponds, and published two weekly gardening blogs GardenMyths.com and GardenFundamentals.com, as well as a YouTube channel called GardenFundamentals. He is a frequent speaker at gardening events and meetings. He has a science and business background with expertise in sales and on-line marketing and has operated a successful software business for 25 years.

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M THEWRITING ROOMThe Writing Room in the McLaughlin Library is a quiet room to work independently on writing projects – bring your own laptop and notebooks.

Who can use this space? Everyone at U of G (undergradute, graduate, and post-doctoral students, plus visiting scholars, faculty and staff).

Book desks on WC Online.

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THE ART OF PERSUASION: PRESENTING INNOVATIVE IDEAS EFFECTIVELY

Saturday, March 2, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., LIB 109 | Naomi Robson

Do you have an innovative idea that you would like to make happen? This workshop will help those who are looking for ways to present their innovative ideas to others. One of the challenges with innovative ideas is that their innovative nature may make them challenging for others to accept at first. This makes persuasion an important tool for helping others see eye-to-eye with you on these ideas.

In this workshop, you will be given the opportunity to explore different written and verbal (PowerPoint) persuasive tools, and see how they could strengthen your ideas. We will be investigating how research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning points to the success of certain persuasive techniques, and how illustrations, improving slide accessibility, and using more approachable language can make your persuasion more powerful.

NAOMI ROBSONNaomi Robson is a scientific illustrator for Robson Visuals and Designs that Cell. She pioneered the developing/informal Human Anatomy ART Association (HaART) and is a researcher in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Human Anatomy at the University of Guelph. She is a recipient of the Instructional Skills Workshop Certificate and has been teaching human anatomy in the anatomy laboratory for the past three years as a student, teaching assistant, and guest lecturer.

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RESEARCH AND HISTORICAL FICTION: WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW, AND WHEN DO YOU NEED TO KNOW IT?

Saturday, March 2, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., LIB 246 | Geoff Micks

Historical fiction is a genre that appeals to all demographics, and there are many types of historical fiction with different ratios of history to fiction that cater to specific readerships. The thing they all have in common is the desire to tell a story set in the past.

What do writers need to know about their chosen era and setting before starting a work of historical fiction? How deep an understanding of their chosen subject matter do they need before making decisions about plot and character? Is there a danger of getting lost in the facts to the detriment of creating good fiction? As the project evolves, what does additional research look like as writers refine, improve, and polish their projects? At what point should writers feel confident moving forward with their existing understanding of the facts, setting new research to one side to focus on storytelling? Is there such a thing as too much research?

In this interactive workshop, we will explore several examples of historical fiction with varying levels of accuracy and historical fidelity expected by the reading audience. Through group discussion, participants of this workshop will identify where and when research is important, what constitutes good research, and how to translate research into ideas of plot and character and prose effectively and appropriately.

GEOFF MICKSGeoff Micks has written five novels. The New York Times and NPR have interviewed him regarding his writing, and he wrote an animated short for Vice Media that appeared on HBO. For the last eight years, he has worked in content creation positions within the conference production industry. Prior to that he worked in print media at a number of community publications for four years. He has a BA Honours with High Distinction from the University of Toronto in Journalism with a double-minor in History and Classical Studies and a Journalism Diploma from Centennial College. He lives in Toronto.

DÜRER’S RHINO AND THE CLADISTICS OF DRAGONS: AN ANTIDOTE TO DULL SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION Saturday, March 2, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., LIB 360 | Howard Swatland

Science communication has evolved into a deadly boring monotony - a grinding process for those seeking employment, tenure, and promotion. Yet, there are ancient scientific works that read as if they had been written by Indiana Jones, and there are still a few amazing new discoveries that light up libraries on dark nights. So how to write and illustrate an exciting science paper, and how to amuse yourself when reading a dull one are two academic survival skills.

Participants might bring an exciting paper to share and discuss. Otherwise, there will be a deadly boring lecture. No need to bring a boring science paper - the library is full of them.

HOWARD SWATLANDHoward Swatland is a professor emeritus from the Department of Animal Bioscience at the University of Guelph.

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WRITING AEROBICS. YOU’RE A WRITER NOW, SO LET’S WRITE! Saturday, March 2, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., LIB 370 | Robert Cutting

This workshop will focus on exercising the writing muscle for writers of all levels. The most essential step in becoming a writer is to write. There is no way around this. So how do you begin? Where do the ideas for a piece of writing come from?

By using prompts, personal memories, observations, and imagination, you will create short pieces that may lead to expanded writing projects later on. You will have the opportunity to flex your creative writing muscles amongst a community of fellow writers in this intensive and participatory workshop. In addition, there will be an opportunity to read some of what you produce during the workshop, which will help you build confidence in your writing. I will provide the cues, the exercises, and the space for you to just write, rather than being lectured at. Writers need to flex their creative writing muscles. The joy of creative writing is in the actual writing. You’re a writer now, so let’s write!

ROBERT CUTTINGRobert Cutting is an emerging writer of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. A life-long resident of Guelph, he is completing the University of Guelph Creative Writing Certificate through Open Learning and Educational Support. Robert holds a B.A. and a M.A. from the University of Guelph. He is currently working on a collection of poetry, and a manuscript for his first novel tentatively titled, A Dish Best Served Cold. He is passionate about music, the writing life, and passing on the joy of creative writing to others.

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BASED ON A TRUE STORY: HOW TO WRITE AND RESOLVE YOUR REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES

Saturday, March 2, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., LIB 384 | Jodre Datu and Melanie Katz

Part I: How to write your real life experiences

This section will explore the health benefits of expressive and creative writing. Participants will engage in writing exercises that focus on how expressive writing can be used to find meaning in real life experiences.

Part II: How to resolve your real life experiences

This section will discuss strategies on how to create a narrative based on real life experiences. Participants will learn and apply creative writing principles that can be used to impose a structure on real life events, and to recognize and resolve tension in real life conflicts.

JODRE DATU Jodre Datu and Melanie Katz are both Undergraduate Peer Writing Consultants in the University of Guelph McLaughlin Library. Jodre is a fourth-year Biomedical Toxicology student and a science entertainment writer for AsapSCIENCE. He also works at the University of Guelph as a START on Track Facilitator, where he helps undergraduate students develop their wellness and stress management skills.

MELANIE KATZ Melanie is a third-year Psychology student and she also works at the University of Guelph as a Peer Wellness Educator on the mental health team Forward Minds. Jodre and Melanie have each created and presented a workshop on Creative Writing as Catharsis, and Writing for Wellness, respectively.

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TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE Saturday, March 2, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., LIB 360 | Caroline Topperman

Tell Me What You See is the fresh perspective that writers and creatives have been looking for. Rather than trying to work through the same written prompts when you catch a case of writer’s block, this interactive workshop offers photographs from around the world to spark your imagination. More than just providing writing prompts, Tell Me What You See inspires readers to take an extra second to absorb their surroundings.

This workshop covers the core of the visual writing prompts technique, then guides the participants through the process of actually writing for several prompts, and follows with a discussion of each one. As writers, we are always encouraged to “show not tell” and these exercises will teach participants how to see the world around them and examine the descriptive details in their own writing.

CAROLINE TOPPERMAN Caroline Topperman is a European-Canadian writer, entrepreneur, dancer, and world traveler. As the founder of Style on the Side, she writes about her worldly upbringing and shares personal experiences and ultimately give others permission to step outside their boxes and discover their own unique voice. Her new book, Tell Me What You See, is a visual prompt journal to help people see the world through a new lens. For more about Caroline, visit www.carolinetopperman.com.

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MWRITING FROM WHERE YOU ARE

Saturday, March 2, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., LIB 109 | Nikki Everts

This workshop distills the content from my eight week Writing Your Life series into three hours of writing exercises that are designed to prime your creativity, silence your inner critic, and leave you wanting to write more. Using sensory cues, imagination, and memory, participants will produce pieces of writing during the workshop that they can develop further. Repeat attendees will enjoy some new exercises. Based on feedback from last year’s Writing From Where You Are workshop, the number of writing exercises will be fewer so that participants will have more opportunity to share their written work. Feedback, if given, will only be positive because knowing and developing our strengths leads to improvements in all areas.

Who might be interested in this workshop? Those who want to write, but don’t know how to start; those who do write but find themselves currently stuck; those who feel that writing might help them unravel some knots; and anyone who enjoys exploring their creativity through writing.

NIKKI EVERTS Nikki Everts has lived and worked in Guelph for the past 26 years. She has shared her poetry at local Open Mic events, at the Eden Mills Fringe Festival, and through Rhapsody: Anthology of Poetry, published by Vocamus Press and has recently published a chap book of her poetry, “connect dis connect.” Nikki has designed and delivered two writing workshops, Writing Your Life and Writing Your Story, under the auspices of Scripted Images, her writing services business. She is currently working on the manuscript for a novel.

“Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”

--William Faulkner

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CAREER WRITING: A NARRATIVE APPROACH TO CAREER LEARNING

Saturday, March 2, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., LIB 246 | Kat McNichol

Career writing is a method that uses creative, expressive, and reflective writing for narrative career learning. The goal of this approach is to understand and develop a healthy career identity. In this context, identity is defined as the story that gives purpose and meaning to an individual’s life and career. Career writing helps people develop career readiness in an uncertain labour market, have meaningful discussions about jobs and careers, construct meaning in the face of uncertainty, and develop the ability to recognize career opportunities as they arise.

In this workshop, participants will move through a series of writing prompts designed to explore themes connected to their career identity. Using creative non-fiction and fiction, poetry and journaling, participants will learn restorying techniques, review contexts where writing is being used for career development, and share their writing with the course instructor and fellow participants.

CONTENT WARNING: Please be aware that this workshop might invoke graphic personal discussion.

KAT MCNICHOL Kat McNichol is a Director of Marketing-Communications at a high-tech company based in Waterloo, and the Editor-in-Chief of DreamersWriting.com. She has an MAIS in Writing and New Media and Literary Studies, and she is currently taking a PhD in Career Writing where she is using autoethnography and writing as method to research the impact that writing for personal development has on career identity.

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DESTINING A WORLD THAT YOUR READERS ARE CONVINCED IS REAL

Saturday, March 2, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., LIB 384 | Marilyn Kleiber

This interactive three-hour workshop will help you to develop a world for SciFi, fantasy, myth or paranormal novels. This workshop can also help with a novel which takes place in today’s world or even that of historical fiction.

We will cover, via a series of slides plus questions and answers for the instructor, the following:

• the ingredients that are contained in any world, from A to Z• languages and naming of characters• the cadence of speech• the research needed• the scary factors

There will also be an opportunity for the students to begin the development of a world of their own and receive the opportunity for constructive help.

MARILYN KLEIBER Marilyn Kleiber has taught writing workshops for the past ten years and is a prize winning author in her own right. She has written a fantasy novel, The Arrival: The Pridden Saga: Part One, and Book Two, The Healers, both published under the nom-de-plume of J. M. Tibbott. Marilyn has taught students in Guelph, Fergus, Burlington, Orangeville, and surrounding areas. An ex-committee member of the Elora Writers Festival, she is scheduled as a Blue Pencil Expert at a Writing Symposium in the fall of 2019. Novel 2 will be launched at Ad Astra in July of this year.5:

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FINDING YOUR (ONLINE) VOICE: SOCIAL MEDIA BASICS FOR WRITERS AND ARTISTS

Saturday, March 2, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., LIB 370 | Marian Toledo Candelaria

Social media is an exceptional communication and promotion tool. It gives authors and other creatives the opportunity to broadcast their ideas and work to millions of people. However, using and managing social media effectively, and growing your social media following, can be confusing and frustrating if it is not done following the best practices.

This workshop will help writers understand what the best social media practices are and how to make the most out of their social media experience. The workshop will devote itself to two specific modalities of social media use. First, it will explore how to find a personal voice in social media and how to broadcast and adapt that voice to different platforms. Then, the workshop will focus on how to find and grow the target audiences. The workshop will focus on real-life examples, particularly for both personal and institutional social media accounts, to show how writers can use social media to their advantage and how they can develop a unique voice that will stand out from the online crowd. Finally, participants will make a personalized social media plan that takes their needs into consideration and implements best social media practices.

MARIAN TOLEDO CANDELARIA Marian Toledo Candelaria is the Marketing Assistant for Wilfrid Laurier University Press, one of Canada’s oldest university presses. As part of her duties, she manages the Press’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. She holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Guelph, has taught fashion at an undergraduate level, and is the founder of Maid Marian Tarot, an online tarot brand with a growing social media presence.

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THANK YOU! Thank you to our presenters for sharing your time and wisdom.