The Ontario Arts Council gives money to writers (and literary festivals, journals, publishers…)

Ontario Arts Council Literature programs encourage the development, publication and presentation of new works of literary significance in the province. The Literature Office funds writers, storytellers and spoken-word artists in all forms (except drama, which is funded under Theatre Programs).

The production of Gordon Miller’s brilliant

book of art and poetry, Kokum's Gift:

Teachings from Ojibway and Cree

Spirituality, Culture and Traditions, 

was funded largely through OAC grants.

For more about Kokum's Gft, see here. 

Publishing programs support book publishers that develop, print, promote and distribute new literary work; the programs also support arts and literary magazines that showcase Canadian writers and provide critical commentary on arts and culture. The Literature Office also funds festivals and reading series that present the work of Ontario’s literary writers and publishers.

Writers' Reserve offers project grants to professional writers of fiction, poetry, literary criticism, commentary on the arts, graphic literature, history, biography, political or social issues, science or travel. Writers apply to book and magazine publishers, who then make recommendations to OAC for funding.

Writers' Works in Progress offers project grants to professional writers in Ontario working on new book-length works of literary merit, including poetry, fiction, non-fiction, young adult and graphic literature.

Works in Progress - Northern Competition is a special deadline to increase applications and success rates for professional writers in Northern Ontario. The Northern deadline is restricted to those writers living in Ontario’s Northern regions.

For more information about OAC funding for literary endeavors, including money for Book Publishers, Literary Festivals and Writers’ Groups, Literary Journals, Story-tellers, performance poets and other oral literary artists and groups, see here.

And check out the OAC’s handy guide to making a grant application here.

See Brian Henry’ schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Toronto, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.