Happy Lunar New Year!

May the Year of the Fire Horse bring you exciting changes, good luck and good fortune!

恭禧發財

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

 

Gong Hey Fat Choy!

(Mandarin and Cantonese, if you're wondering, 
written with the same characters in both, I'm told.)

Note: If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost. Email me at: brain.henry123@gmail.com

 

Hi, Brian.

Arboretum Press has published a collection of my short work, titled Dog Eared World. All the pieces in Dog Eared had been previously published.

Denisha Nadoo

Dog Eared World is available from Arboretum here.

Arboretum Press is a non-profit publisher specializing in print-on-demand book production for “third-age” writers: authors of retirement age (and older) local to Guelph, Ontario, Canada, who have written their first books. See here.

If you’re looking for places to publish your short pieces, see here and scroll down. You’ll find most of the journals where Denisha published her individual pieces before publishing them altogether in this collection.

 

Hi, Brian.

I’ve published my memoir, Full Cycle: A Journey of Growth, Gratitude, and Grit.  

All the best,

Frank Hayes

Full Cycle is available from Amazon here.

Read articles about Frank and Full Cycle in Niagara Now here and in Niagara-on-the-Lake Local here.

Hi, Brian.

I am delighted to let you know that my Italian translations of the published poetry of Carol Shields will be forthcoming this year from my Italian publisher, i Quaderni del Bardo Edizioni di Stefano Donno. It will be a bilingual volume entitle La poesia di Carol Shields. Needless to say, I am honoured and thrilled to bring Carol Shields' poetic voice to Italian readers.  

Warm regards and, as always, thank you for your mentorship,

Nella 

Nella Cotrupi LLB, PhD

Writer, Scholar, Translator

 

Hi, Brian.

NorthWord is a small literary publication from Alberta and it has chosen three of my poems to publish in their winter edition coming out in a few weeks. Canadian Teacher Magazine will have a piece I wrote for their Reflections section also in their Winter Edition.

Marty Rempel

Note: I can't find the winter issue yet, but you can see some of Marty’s work in an earlier issue of NorthWord here.

For information about submitting to NorthWord, see here.

See where else your fellow writers are getting short pieces published here (and scroll down).

See new books by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).

See my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

Join us for and in-person “Intensive Creative Writing” class

Intensive Creative Writing

In-person: Thursday afternoons, 12:30 – 3:00 p.m.
First readings emailed March 5, 2026.
Classes: March 12 – May 28 or to June 11 or June 18 if the class fills up. No class April2, April 23, or June 4
Burlington Anglican Lutheran Church,
3455 Lakeshore Rd, Burlington, Ontario (Map here)

Intensive Creative Writing isn't for beginners; it's for people who are working on their own writing projects. You’ll be asked to bring in several pieces of your writing for detailed feedback. All your pieces may be from the same work, such as a novel in progress, or they may be stand-alone pieces, such as short stories or essays.

You bring whatever you want to work on. Besides critiquing pieces, we’ll have discussions on topics of interest to the class. In addition to learning how to critique your own work and receiving constructive suggestions about your writing, you’ll discover that the greatest benefits come from seeing how your classmates approach and critique a piece of writing and how they write and re-write. This is a challenging course, but extremely rewarding.

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University (now called Toronto Metropolitan University) and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.  

Read reviews and other pieces about, or inspired by, Brian's various courses, workshops and retreats here (and scroll down).

Fee: $256.64 + hst = $290

To reserve your spot, email: brain.henry123@gmail.com

See all upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

 Note: To get new posting delivered to your Inbox as they go up, go to the Quick Brown Fox Substack and subscribe: https://brian999.substack.com/

ProWritingAid contest: $50,000 prize for first 5,000 words of your novel

Submit the first 5,000 words of your work in progress for a chance to win a $50,000 grand prize or one of $5,000 shortlisted awards from ProWritingAid.

The contest is open to all writers, in any genre who are unpublished and unagented.

Submit 5,000 words from the opening of a novel in progress.

They’re not looking for a finished book. They’re looking for a compelling voice, a strong sense of story, and an opening that makes readers want to keep reading.

Deadline: March 31, 2026

Full contest rules and to enter, see here.

See Brian Henry's upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

“Memories of Arowhon Pines” by Lucia Saja

 

It was a hot June day in 1964 and I was crammed inside a crowded bus, full of screaming, singing, excited kids heading to camp.  I wasn’t one of the campers.  I was about to turn 17 and about to start my first fulltime summer job.  I thought I’d be working in the kitchen at Camp Arowhon, but when the bus got there, the kids got off and a small group of us were told to stay on.

The next stop was the sublime opposite of the camp.  Arowhon Pines was a luxury resort nestled among tall pines on a peaceful lake.  The rustic setting was spectacular and completely foreign to me.  I was 100% a city girl.  I’d never even gone camping, and, here I was in the middle of Algonquin Park.  Little did I know, I was about to start the adventure of a lifetime.

We were shown to our quarters in what is now called the “L”.  The girls were on the left side, the boys on the right.  The communal washrooms were in the junction of the two wings.  I was so self-conscious.  I’d never shared space with so many people before.

We got our rooms and assignments.  My first shift was in the laundry at 7am the next day.  The good news was, I would have afternoons off.  The bad news was, I had to earn them by working in the steamy laundry, washing bedding in huge machines, putting sheets through the mangle (a giant set of cloth covered rollers that pressed the sheets and pillowcases flat), and ironing campers’ shirts.  The work was hot and repetitious, but I loved my new-found freedom.

I remember that first morning at Arowhon.  It was 6 a.m.  The air was cool and fresh.  A pale gray mist covered the ground and swirled around my legs as I walked.  The only sound was that of leaves rustling and a lone chickadee somewhere in the woods.  

As the weeks passed friendships formed and the “L” became a community.  Like any community, it was rife with characters.  The matriarch and owner, Lillian Kates, was a small solid woman with tanned skin, snow-white hair and a commanding manner.  She visited on a regular basis, even though she’d passed on most of the responsibilities to her son Eugene.  When she was on the property, we all knew to look smart and look busy.  Her philosophy was that everything should be done correctly at all times.

Then there was Aunt Sarah.  She was as fiery as her bright auburn hair and fire engine red lipstick.  Aunt Sarah ran the snack shop.  She kept everyone supplied with junk food and entertained us with outrageous stories about her life.

My boss in the laundry was Mike, a large man in overhauls, who revelled in the noise and steam let off by the giant machines in his kingdom.

There was also a rotating crew of short-term workers.  They were unshaven, older men who sat behind the staff cabins drinking on Saturday nights.

Lucia and Melinda

My real education came from Melinda.  She was from Altoona, Pennsylvania, and she’d graduated from Penn State.  I thought she was the smartest, most exciting person I’d ever met.  She owned a motorcycle.  She read poetry for pleasure!  

She talked about world affairs and literature and religion.  No one I knew talked about that stuff.  She had joined the Peace Corps and worked in Afghanistan for two years.  In 1964, I didn’t even know where Afghanistan was.  

All I knew was that I wanted to be like her.  I wanted to go to university, read poetry and change the world.

I learned so much that summer.  I learned to be independent, to make beds properly, to mangle sheets, to work collaboratively, to open my mind to ideas and possibilities. I developed a lifelong appreciation for people in the service industry.  

I also learned that meals could be more than overcooked meat, boiled potatoes and limp veggies.  The generous chefs at Arowhon informed my palate,  offering me exotic, delicious foods that sent me into waves of rapture.  I learned to paddle a canoe on my own and discovered that not paddling and just floating on a silent lake could be transformative.

I returned two more summers and became one of the veterans.  I cleaned rooms as chambermaid and eventually worked as waitress.  I remember the giant fireplace that dominated the dining room even then and the linen covered tables filled with guests “dressed” for dinner: men in sports jackets and ties and ladies in cocktail dresses and heels.   

In September 2023, just shy of sixty years later I returned, as a guest, fulfilling a promise I’d made to myself decades earlier.  Wonder of wonders, little had changed.  It was perfect, just as I remembered.  And the food, it still set off waves of rapture.  Instead of getting treats from the chef out the back door of the kitchen, I had my choice of fresh exciting meals with sublime flavours.

The greatest impact was when I walked over to see the former staff quarters.  The building sits on a little hilltop surrounded by trees.  It is now used for storage.  As soon as I saw it, I felt a rush of emotion.  The years disappeared; the cabin doors flew open and the ghosts poured out.  I saw us bustling back and forth to the bathroom, getting ready for work.  In the evening, sitting at the edge of the walkway swinging our legs and joking.  The cabins were alive again, filled with laughter and talk.  We sure did talk and talk and talk.

The summer of ‘64 was a magical time, one that helped shape the adult I became.  I did keep learning and never stopped being curious and open to new ideas and experiences.  I didn’t change the world, but spent most of my life reporting on global events as a news writer.  A few years ago, I searched for and found Melinda.  She is in her eighties and living in Hawaii.  She said she still rides a motorcycle.      

***

Lucia visiting former staff quarters at Arowhon in 2023

Lucia Saja spent most of her professional life with with CTV New. She started in the News Library in 1979 and over the next 30 years she to learn every aspect of news production, including video production, story development, line-up, and script writing. 

She retired as Senior Script Writer for CTV News, which meant she edited scripts for accuracy and grammar before going to air. She also trained new writers and worked on all the news specials over the decades.  

In September 2023, Lucia returned to Arowhon Pines Resort for one of our writing retreats. See upcoming retreats at Arowhon and elsewhere here {and scroll down}.

See more pieces about our writing retreats, or inspired by them, here.

See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

 

“Rolling Thunder” by Matt Sagan

 

Below the Chedoke Rehabilitation Centre lay a whole network of underground tunnels used to transport medical supplies and equipment throughout the facility. Their second purpose was to torture rehab patients. In particular, there was a ramp below the room I stayed in. It was a mere couple metres with a slight incline, though to a Quad (individual with damage or paralysis in all four limbs) it was equivalent to Mount Rushmore. While learning the mechanics of, how to push and maneuver my chair, trying to wheel up that ramp was an intimidating and frustrating experience (Paraplegics, you had it easy! 😁).

I remember one evening in mid-December, I wanted to show my progress to my dad while he was visiting me. Dinner was done, all residents were left to their own devices, and Pops and I were down in the tunnel (a.k.a The Dungeon). I was struggling to get momentum, as it had been a busy day of rehab. Plus, I was getting used to being in a wheelchair for a whole day and fighting exhaustion.

I had made it about a quarter of the way along rehab hill when we heard a noise coming from the tunnel depths behind us. A slowly growing thumping noise, followed by a couple squeaking horns, a flute testing sounds, throats clearing along with cheerful voices. I envisioned the pulsing cup in the mechanical jeep of Jurassic Park as the T-Rex was approaching. “Shit Pops, it’s the Salvation Army Choir. We better haul ass!” 

Instead of my dad helping, he merely smiled. “Better push faster then, shouldn’t you?” 

I will not repeat the words that came across my mind, but I then thought to myself, It’s go time!  

I bit my lip and pushed as bloody hard as I could humanly muster.

And soon … soon I feel like I’m flying through the tunnel at lightspeed – though maybe closer to a fast snails’ crawl. Sweat feels like it’s streaming down my body. But quads don’t sweat due to the nerve damage, so it wasn’t that bad. I’m giving it my all, the music is growing closer, and my dad is laughing his ass off. I can see the top of the hill just as my shoulders start screaming bloody murder. 

I can do it, I can do it. Push, Matt. Push! I’m chanting to myself as the thumping drums start pounding closer and my strength is quickly draining. Almost there, Matt. You can do it! 

I see the elevators as the band starts climbing the ramp towards me and the singers start the chorus.

“Push that button, Old Man!” I yell at my dad, but he’s bent over laughing. He finally stands up, pushes the button and I hear the heavenly ding of the elevator door opening. I see my salvation and push the last few feet in absolute agony while my dad keeps smiling like a grinning idiot. Then we’re in the elevator and doors close. I’ve escaped the terrifying dinosaur (Salvation Army Choir in reality).

“Thanks for your help, Pops,” I say

“Well, you made it didn’t you?” my dad says with a big smile and gives me a hug. “Great work, kid.” 

The elevator dings and lets us out onto the main floor.

And now all panic is past and we’re out of lightspeed. I rolled to the front door with my dad and thanked him for the visit. I watched him stroll to the parking lot before I turned and headed back to the ward where I was staying. I’d rolled into my room and was waving at the guys I was rooming with when I heard a thumping noise from down the hall.

A nurse stepped into our room. “The Salvation Army Choir is here to sing some Christmas carols for us,” she announced joyfully. “Why don’t you all come out to enjoy it?”

I looked up to the ceiling, dropped my head, and started laughing.

“Why not.”

Matt Sagan is a York graduate with a double major in Kinesiology and English despite breaking his neck at 15 and becoming a quadriplegic.    He also suffered an ABI at the age of 27 due to a severe car accident.  Even though he suffered two severe accidents, one taking the life of his mother, he still chooses to find the happier side of life and tends to see the lighter side of life’s foibles then focusing on the sad.

For more essays, short stories, and poetry by you fellow writers see here (and scroll down).

See Brian Henry's upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Kudos to Erin, Jill, Nella, and Melanie, plus a special call-out

Hello, everyone.

This is a special call out: If you have some writing news to share, send me an email. And especially if you’ve already sent me an email and I haven’t posted your news, please send again. Sometimes I miss emails (because I get a lot of them). But one of my new year’s resolutions is to try to keep more on top of things.

So if you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost.

Or if you’re looking for Beta readers – or have anything else you want to get out to your fellow writers, let me know.

In the subject line, put: Writing news

And email me at: brain.henry123@gmail.com

Hi, Brian. 

New book alert! Gone Forever? Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear is out February 17. I took an informative (not literal!) trip around the world to write this book. Thank you @orcabook, @xulinillu and everyone who shared their work and stories with me. So many people and organizations to name:

#torontozoo #elladjbaldé #colinparker #elizabethenglishdesign #drjackiereed #natalieknowles #impossible2possible #earthrangers #galapagosconservancy #culturalfiremanagementcouncil #jessicasantacruz #ecopeacemiddleeast #climateresiliencecentre #TREDJENATUR #antarcticandsouthernoceancoalition @alisoncriscitiello

Yours,

Erin Silver

Read more about Gone Forever? Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear or pre-order your copy from Orca Books here.

For information about submitting to Orca, see here.

Note: If you’re interested in getting published, join our “How to Get Published” workshop on Feb 8, with literary agent Olga Filina of Five Otter Literary (see here), and if you’re especially interested in Kid Lit, join our “Writing for Children and for Young Adults” workshop with literary agent Andrea Cascardi of the Transatlantic Agency (see here).

Hi, Brian. 

I hope you are well. I am writing to tell you about my good news. This year I was one of the two winners in the Picture Book category in CANSCAIP for my children's story "A Bus for Placid Street". The story will be submitted to publishers in the new year. I will let you know if it gets picked up and published. Fingers crossed.

I only knew about this competition because of taking your classes, and several writers I respect were submitting. 

Thank you for your ongoing support of emerging writers.

Best,

Jill Malleck 

(writing as MJ Malleck)

 

Hello, Brian.

I am happy to announce the launch of Nuances of Love, from Guernica Editions. This 40th anniversary anthology (AICW) includes one of my short stories, “The Quiet One,” work-shopped some years ago in your class.

Many thanks for your many years of being there to provide direction, information, support and guidance to so many aspiring writers. 

With my warmest good wishes,

Nella

Nella Cotrupi

Writer, Scholar, Translator

Note: Nuances of Love is an anthology of prose and poetry in celebration of the Association of Italian Canadian Writers' 40th anniversary. The theme of the anthology is love and friendship. It’s available from Guernica Editions here.

For information about submitting to Guernica Editions, see here.

 

Brian,

It's been a while, but I was a frequent attendee at your workshops in North Bay and Sudbury and I remain a subscriber to your newsletter and Substack.

I'd like to share the following news:

First: I’m pleased to announce that my poem "Vasilisa," originally published by Graeme Cameron in Polar Borealis 30 is in the Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction, Volume 3.

I’m deeply honoured to be among such stellar company.

Second: I was on two panels at this year's Can-Con (October 17 to 19, 2025 at the Brookstreet Hotel, Kanata, Ontario)!

The first was “The Art of Rest” and the second was “The Taste of Sadness: Writing Emotional Dysregulation.”

best regards,

Melanie Marttila

https:// melaniemarttila.substack.com/

https:// melaniemarttila.ca/

 

Note: See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

See where else your fellow writers are getting short pieces published here (and scroll down).

See new books by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).