Join us for Writing Kid Lit – The Next Level!

Writing Kid Lit – The Next Level!

Graphic books, picture books, middle grade and young adult novels

With guests Erin Silver
       and Rhael McGregor 

Online: Wednesday evenings, 7 – 9 p.m.
October 8 – December 3 (or to Dec 10 if the course fills up). No class Oct 22.

This course is for adults (or teens) interested in writing graphic books (fiction or nonfiction, for very young kids or older kids), picture books, chapter books, middle grade books, or young adult novels. It’s meant for people who have previously taken a kid lit course or who otherwise know the basics of the contemporary market for children’s literature.

For graphic books, we’ll be looking at writing scripts not creating the art, though if you’re a writer-artist, we’ll want to see your work!

The focus of the class will be on your work – picture book manuscripts, proposals for nonfiction books, chapters of longer books for young people – whatever you’re working on, you’ll present to the class for feedback as to how to make your work even better.

We’ll also have discussions, talks from the instructor, and a children’s authors and an illustrator guest speakers:

Erin Silver is an award-winning children’s author and freelance writer. Her books for children include Rush Hour: Navigating Our Global Traffic Jam (Blueberry Award winner) and the picture book Sitting Shiva (Ontario Library Association Best Pick, Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor, Vine Award finalist, and TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award finalist).

She's also the author of: Good Food, Bad Waste: Let’s Eat for the Planet; Mighty Scared: The Amazing Ways Animals Defend Themselves; and Plant Attack! The Fascinating Ways Flora Defends itself; also, In It To Win It: Sports and the Climate Crisis; and All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet. 

Erin’s very first kid’s book was a middle grade novel, Just Watch Me, and her most recent is Resistance and Survivors, part of the series, Remembering History: The Holocaust, from Beech Street Books. Several additional nonfiction books are in the works. 

Visit Erin's website here. 

Rhael McGregor is a Métis and two-spirit/queer comic artist based in Winnipeg. Since 2018, Rhael has been passionately telling stories in which they hope all readers can see themselves. Their work includes illustrations and stories published by Iron Circus Comics, Quindrie Press, and HighWater Press, along with several self-published works. 

Rhael’s also the illustrator for the middle grade novels Touching Grass (launching Sept 9 – see here) and the Governor General Award finalist Mortified both by Kristy Jackson (more here). For the class, Rhael will be talking about graphic novels and will love to take questions.

Visit Rhael's website here.  

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, taught creative writing at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. Brian is the author of a children's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing). But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.  

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

Fee: $257.52 plus 13% hst = $291

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

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