Evolving schedule of writing classes, workshops, and retreats

2026

Writing Retreats

Fall Colours Writers' Retreat at Sherwood Inn on Lake Joseph in Muskoka Sunday, Oct 18 – Thursday, Oct 22. If you want a spot, sign up as soon as possible!
Details here. 

Spring Writers' Retreat at Elm Hurst Inn and Spa in Ingersoll (southwest Ontario) Friday, April 23 – Monday, April 26, 2027. Details here.

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Writing Workshops

Online: “How to Get Published” with Gabby Sheiner, of Creative Artists Agency. Sunday, September 27. Details here.

In-person: Writing Kid Lit – a free workshop
Saturday, Oct 3, Merritt Branch Library, St. Catharines, Ontario. Details here. 

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Fall Writing Courses

In-person “Intensive Creative Writing”
Thursday afternoons 12:30 – 3:00 p.m.
First readings emailed September 10
Classes: Sept 17 – Nov 26 (no class Oct 22) and we'll extend it to Dec 3 or 10 if the course fills up. 
Burlington Anglican Lutheran Church
3455 Lakeshore Rd, Burlington, Ontario.
Details here. Full, but email if your interested.

Online “Intensive Creative Writing”
Your choice of two different classes:
Tuesday evenings, Sept 15 – Dec 1 (or to Dec 8 if the class fills up)
First readings emailed September 8
Wednesday afternoons, Sept 16 – Dec 2 (or to Dec 9 if the class fills up)
First readings emailed September 9
     Details here.  Full, but email if your interested.

Online “Advanced Creative Writing”
Friday mornings, Sept 18 – Dec 3 (or to Dec 11 if the class fills up).
First readings emailed September 11.
  Details here.  Full, but email if your interested.

Online “Writing Personal Stories”
Tuesday afternoons, Sept 29 – Nov 17 (or to Nov 24 if the class fills up). Details here.
Still space available in this course!

Online “Welcome to Creative Writing”
Monday evenings, Oct 26 – Dec 7 (or to Dec 14 if the class fills up). Details here. 
Still space available in this course!

Email me for details at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

To reserve a spot or for more details about any course, workshop or retreat, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

You're invited to Writing Kid Lit, a weekly class for grown-ups

“Writing Kid Lit” 

~ Picture Books to Young Adult Novels

Online: Wednesday evenings, 7 – 9 p.m.,
July 2 – August 13 {or to Aug 20 if it fills up}
Offered online and accessible from anywhere there's internet 

This course is for adults {or teens} interested in writing picture books, Chapter Books, Middle Grade books, or Young Adult novels. This course is accessible for beginners and meaty enough for advanced writers. Through lectures, in-class assignments, homework, and feedback on your writing, we’ll give you ins and outs of writing for younger readers. If you want to write for kids, this is the course you need to make sure you’re on the right track.

We’ll also have a published children’s author as a guest speaker (TBA).

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 pieces about ~ or inspired by ~ Brian's retreats, courses and workshops here (and scroll down).

Fee: $220.35 plus 13% hst = $259

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

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

Winner of Pottersfield Prize for nonfiction to be guest speaker for "Writing Personal Stories & Other Nonfiction"

Writing Personal Stories & Other Nonfiction

~ Join us for eight afternoons of writing, learning, and   sharing

Online: Tuesday afternoons, 1 – 3 p.m.
October 8 – December 3 (or to Dec 10 if the class fills up. No class Oct 22.)

If you want to write any kind of true story, this course is for you. Personal stories will be front and centre – we’ll look at memoirs, travel writing, personal essays, family history – but we’ll also look at writing feature articles, creative nonfiction and other more informational writing. Plus, of course, we’ll work on creativity and writing technique and have fun doing it. 

Whether you want to write a book or just get your thoughts down on paper, this weekly course will get you going. We'll reveal the tricks and conventions of telling true stories, and we’ll show you how to use the techniques of the novel to recount actual events. Weekly writing exercises and friendly feedback from the instructor will help you move forward on this writing adventure. Whether you want to write for your family and friends or for a wider public, don't miss this course.

Guest speaker Jennifer M. Smith is the author of Green Ghost, Blue Ocean. This story of Jennifer’s 40,000-mile nautical adventure won the 2019 Pottersfield Prize for nonfiction and was published by Pottersfield Press in 2020.  

Jennifer has also written five articles for Canadian Yachting magazine and has been published numerous times on Quick Brown Fox. For more on Green Ghost, Blue Ocean visit the distributor, Nimbus Publishing,  here, to read one of Jennifer’s articles, see here, and visit her 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, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.  

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

Fee: $220.35 plus 13% hst = $259

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

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

You're invited to "How to Get Published," an online workshop with literary agent Gordon Warnock

The Off Season by Amber Cowie
represented by Fuse Literary

How to Get Published

An editor & a literary agent tell all

Sunday, July 21, 2024
1:15 – 5:00 p.m. Toronto time
Online and accessible wherever there's Internet

If you've ever dreamed of becoming a published author, this workshop is for you. We’ll focus on the process of submitting to an agent or publisher, and show you exactly how to write a query letter that will get a “yes.” Bring all your questions. Come and get ready to be published!

Special Option: Participants are invited to prepare a draft of a query letter you might use to interest an agent or publisher in your book. You don't need to prepare anything, but if you like, email me a draft of your query prior to our workshop. Gordon and I will critique several queries, perhaps half a dozen, so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t and how to improve your query. Do remember that agents come to these events wanting to hear what you’ve got. ~Brian

Guest speaker Gordon Warnock is a founding partner at Fuse Literary, a full-service literary agency based in the Silicon Valley, with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Dallas, and Halifax. Fuse has seven agents, four of whom are currently accepting queries.

Gordon represents New York Times bestsellers and debut authors alike, seeking to amplify historically marginalized voices and grow sustainable, long-term writing careers with an eye on actively creating change in the publishing industry and the culture as a whole. 

He's interested in both fiction and nonfiction for adults, young adults, and middle grade.  He’s looking for fresh concepts that excite him before he even starts reading and tension-filled prose that won’t let him stop. 

His fiction list focuses on high-concept suspense, book club women’s fiction, and literary fiction for adults as well as graphic novels for adults, teens, and tweens. He’s interested in a variety of nonfiction and wants projects in which the book is part of something larger, of which you are the expert, the one best fit to bring it to the page.

Workshop leader 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, and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Windsor to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors.  

See reviews & reflections on Brian's classes, workshops, and retreats here.

Fee: $45.13 + 13% hst = $51 paid in advance by mail or Interac

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

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

You're invited to a “How to Get Published” workshop in Niagara-on-the-Lake

“How to Get Published”

~ Everything you need to know

Note: We have a revised time and place:

Saturday, May 11. 2024
12:00 – 2:30 /4:00 p.m.
Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library, 10 Anderson Lane, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. (Map here.)

If you've ever dreamed of becoming a published author, this workshop is for you. We’ll focus on the process of submitting to an agent or publisher, and show you exactly how to write a query letter that will get a “yes.” Bring all your questions. Come and get ready to be published!

Special Option: Participants are invited to bring a draft of a query letter you might use to interest an agent or publisher in your book. You don't need to prepare anything, but if you like, email me a draft of your query prior to our workshop (and bring 2 hard copies to the workshop).

I’ll critique several queries, perhaps half a dozen during the workshop so that we can all see what works, what doesn’t, and how to make it better. Also, after the formal workshop ends at about 2:30, I’ll stay afterwards to help one-on-one with more queries. ~Brian

Workshop leader 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, and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Windsor to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors. 

See reviews & reflections on Brian's classes, workshops, and retreats here.

Fee: $31.86 + 13% hst = $36 if you pay in advance by mail or Interac
or $35.40 + 13% hst = $40 cash on the day of the workshop

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

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

Online "How to Get Published" workshop, Sunday, Feb 25, with literary agent Jacqui Lipton

How to Get Published

An editor & a literary agent tell all

Sunday, February 25. 2024
1:15 – 5:00 p.m. Toronto time
Online and accessible wherever there's Internet

If you've ever dreamed of becoming a published author, this workshop is for you. We’ll focus on the process of submitting to an agent or publisher, and show you exactly how to write a query letter that will get a “yes.” Bring all your questions. Come and get ready to be published!

Special Option: Participants are invited to prepare a draft of a query letter you might use to interest an agent or publisher in your book. You don't need to prepare anything, but if you like, email me a draft of your query prior to our workshop. Jacqui and I will critique several queries, perhaps half a dozen, so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t and how to improve your query. Do remember that agents come to these events wanting to hear what you’ve got. ~Brian

Jacqui Lipton is a senior literary agent with The Tobias Literary Agency. Tobias is a full-service agency headquartered in New York with satellite locations in Los Angeles, Boston, and Dallas/Fort Worth. There are seven literary agents on the team, plus one agent who’s looking for scripts. 

Jacqui joined The Tobias Agency in 2022 after helming her own literary agency, Raven Quill Literary, for a number of years previously. She holds an M.F.A. in Fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts and regularly teaches classes on writing and on legal aspects of publishing around the country.

Jacqui represents authors of fiction and nonfiction from middle grade through to adult, as well as selected projects for younger readers (picture books, chapter books etc.)

Jacqui is currently focusing on developing her adult fiction and nonfiction lists and particularly enjoys mystery/crime, romance, how-to books, and compelling contemporary novels. She is not currently seeking high fantasy, and considers science-fiction selectively.

Workshop leader 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, and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Windsor to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors. 

See reviews & reflections on Brian's classes, workshops, and retreats here.

Fee: $45.13 + 13% hst = $51 paid in advance by mail or Interac

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

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