Exploring Creative Writing course, Tuesday afternoons, April 17 – June 12 in Mississauga

Nine weeks of fun and discovery
Tuesday afternoons, 12:45 – 2:45 p.m.
April 17 – June 12, 2012
Unity Church, Unit 8, 3075 Ridegeway Drive, Mississauga (Map here.)
Just north off Dundas Street, east of Hwy 403, west of Winston Churchill Blvd in a business mall.

In this course you'll explore all kinds of creative writing. We’ll visit short story writing and personal writing, children’s writing, memoir writing, and just for fun writing. You’ll get a shot of inspiration every week and an assignment to keep you going till the next class. Best of all, this class will provide a zero-pressure, totally safe environment, where your words will flow and flower.

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing teacher for more than 25 years. He teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he's helped many of his students get published.

Fee: $115.04 plus 13% hst = $130
Advance registration only. Number of attendees strictly limited.

To reserve your spot now, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Note: Brian's weekly writing classes tend to fill up, to avoid disappointment, register early.

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Ascent Aspirations Yearly Anthology Contest & a Children's Story Contest

Yearly Anthology Contest for poetry (60 lines maximum) and flash fiction (maximum 800 words).

Our theme is disorders. These disorders can be for example alcohol/substance abuse, anxiety, bipolar, depression, eating disorders, OCD, PTSD, schizophrenia, disociative disorders, sexual disorders, sleep disorders and on and on.

We are looking for poetry and flash fiction that touches on this theme in any way and comments on the human condition. The writer can interpret the theme very broadly and come at it from whatever direction he or she wishes.

Deadline: January 31, 2012
Entry fee: $5 for one poem or $10 for 3; $10 for flash fiction
Prizes in each category: $100 for 1st place, $50 for 2nd, $25 for 3rd, and six $10 honorable mentions, plus all thrity-two winners and honorable mentions will receive a free copy of the anthology.
Entry information and complete contest rules here.

Children's Story Contest
Stories should be directed to ages 9 to 12 and be approximately 1,500 words. Ten stories will be published in a special anthology with a prize of $200 for the best entry.

Deadline March 31, 2012. Entry fee: $10

After selection, artists-in-residence from T.O.S.H. (The Old School House) will create fine art works to represent the stories. Our goal is to produce a special book that will give children great stories and exposure to a range of contemporary and original artistic styles. All profits will go to support T.O.S.H., a non-profit community arts centre in Qualicum Beach, BC.
Entry information and full contest rules here.

Submissions
In addition to publishing an annual print anthology, Ascent Aspirations publishes a monthly journal on-line. Ascent Aspirations accepts unsolicited manuscripts of:

Short Fiction, 1,000 words or less, on literary, science fiction, fantasy and horror or dark main stream
Poetry, preferably short enough to fill a page. (We do not publish long multi-page poems
Short Essays (1000 words or less) on life and the human condition
Reviews of current published works
Visual Art, (Paintings or Photographs) Send 8 jpgs for an exhibit with a bio and a photo.

Submit by email to: ascentaspirations@shaw.ca.   Full submission guidelines here.

For information about all the annual writing contests in Canada, order the Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar. Just $23.50 including all taxes and shipping. For details email brianhenry@sympatico.ca
More about the Contest Calendar here.

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Love Letters and Writer to Writer

Hi, Brian:
I have some great news: Canadian Stories magazine will be publishing my memoir of Weyburn ("A Pretty Little Town With a River Running Through It") that I read in the Tuesday afternoon class in Oakville. They’re also publishing a pen and ink sketch that I did of a grain elevator to go with the story.

I'm so happy!!! Thanks for telling us about that magazine and for encouraging us to submit.

Kind Regards,
Oksanna Crawley

For information on submitting to Canadian Stories, a literary folk magazine, see here.
For information about upcoming weekly creative writing courses, see here.


Hi, Brian.

I’ve had another short story, "Entertaining Stranger" published on CommuterLit.com, and I’ve also published another short story, "Afterwards," on Chapter and Verse.

I love writing short stories and because as a writer I often feel that I work alone in a vacuum. To have someone else like what has been written feels just like receiving a breath of fresh air, a pat on the back, encouragement to continue.

Your encouragement and support means the world to me. Thank you. :-)
Audrey Austin

To read Audrey's stories on CommuterLit, see here. To read her story on Chapter & Verse, see here.For information about submitting to CommuterLit, see here.

Writer to writer:

Attention Writers Aged 16-25:
Open Call for Diaspora Dialogues Shorthand Zine

Diaspora Dialogues is inviting young writers between 16 and 25 to submit original short-form writing (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, graphic fiction, or drama) to publish in Shorthand, our new online zine.

Submission deadlines for Shorthand will be rolling. Each submission must be in by 5pm on the 10th of the month previous to the month of publication. (February 10th for the March issue, March 10th for April issue, etc.)

Please send submissions electronically to jordan@diasporadialogues.com
with ‘Shorthand Open Call Submission’ in the subject line.

Diaspora Dialogues supports the creation and presentation of new stories, poetry and drama that reflect the complexity of Toronto through the eyes of its richly diverse writers. For more information, please visit us here.

Hi, Brian.
I’m looking for test readers for feedback on my recently completed adult literary novel about 2 writers; working title, "Rough Draft." Anyone interested should please email me at: thierrypapineau@hotmail.com

I'm compiling a list of publishers to submit my work to as well, thanks to your blog. Some want cover letters, some want synopsis, some want 10 pages, some want 30... it's madness!

Thanks for the support!
Thierry
thierrypapineau@hotmail.com
P.S. I might come down and see you in Kingston in April for the Bestseller Seminar.

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

"Invisible" by Jeanne Bannon

A coming-of-age story that will warm the heart.

Lola’s not pretty. Lola’s not popular. Lola wishes she could disappear, and then one day she does....

For seventeen-year-old Lola Savullo, life is a struggle. Born to funky parents who are more in than she could ever be, Lola’s dream of becoming a writer makes her an outsider even in her own home. Bullied and despised, Lola still has the support of her best pal Charlie and Grandma Rose.

Not only is she freakishly tall, Lola’s a big girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a camp counselor, Lola’s only escape from deep embarrassment seems to be to literally vanish. Soon after, she discovers the roots of her new “ability”.

Slowly, with Charlie’s help, Lola learns to control the new super power. The possibilities are endless. Yet power can be abused, too…

Then, when tragedy strikes, Lola must summon her inner strength, both at home and at school. She has to stand up for herself, despite the temptations and possibilities of her newfound super power.

You can buy Invisible in various formats for just $2.99 here. Check out Jeanne's blog here.

See Brian Henry's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Performance poet Charlene Jones will appear February 5, at Portobello Restaurant & Bar in Toronto

"Bliss Pig" poetry by
Charlene Jones & Linda Stitt

Charlene Jones has been a performance poet for eight years. She'll join forces with her performance partner, Linda Stitt...

Sunday, February 5th, 2012,
Between 1:30 and 4:30
at Portobello Restaurant and Bar
995 Bay Street, Toronto (map here)
(where Linda hosts a monthly reading and music series)

Everyone welcome!


"For My Cat," Charlene Jones 

I will miss the one body
soft light
in the cold upper air

I will
miss the snout, paw, maw
warmth of you/us/all

how one hand reaches
might be mine one heart beats
or sweat trickle down an arm
I long ago once thought I owned

this gift-ing, this give-ing
one morning I will remember, smile
and into the top side
rain a single sliver of gold.


See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Book launch for "After Philosopy" and for "Pressure to Sing" this Sunday, January 22

Dear Brian,
I am honoured to invite you to the official book launch of my third book of poetry, After Philosophy, published by bojit press in Toronto. I hope you can join me for this long-awaited (at least for me!) launch of a book of which I am so proud.

The book launch, which is a joint one with Brandon Pitts, who is launching his own book of poetry, Pressure to Sing, will be held at the Masonic Lodge, 11 Thomas Street, Streetsville, Ontario, from 2 to 4 pm on Sunday, January 22, 2012.

Please pass this invitation on to others, as well. Everyone's welcome.

I hope you'll be able to join me. If not, you can order After Philosophy, as well as my previous books, from my website at here.
Sincerely,
Saskia van Tetering

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Farley Chase forms new literary agency, actively seeking clients



"Your Dog is Your Mirror"
by Kevin Behan
represented by Farley Chase

Farley Chase recently founded Chase Literary Agency after nearly eight years with the Waxman Literary Agency. Before becoming an agent he worked in magazines; at both The New Yorker and Talk magazine, and at publishing companies; both The New Press and Miramax Books.

Interests: "I'm excited to hear about new ideas in memoir, journalism, science, natural history, military history, food, sports, international affairs, current events, business or biography. I’m drawn to voice-driven and original content written by authors distinguished by an expertise and passion for conveying what is new, interesting and/or entertaining about their subject matter.

"I'm interested in humor books and pop culture projects.

"I’m interested in photo, graphic, and otherwise illustrated books.

"I'm interested in books that can be adapted out of blogs or websites.

"My fiction list is selective and I concentrate on plot driven novels with a strong sense of voice, place and character. I do not represent young adult, romance, or science fiction.

"I'm actively looking for new clients."

Query Farley Chase at: farley@chaseliterary.com
"I prefer straightforward query letters that get right to the point about what the project is and which show the author to be familiar with the marketplace. If you're submitting fiction please include the first few pages of the manuscript with the query. I do not represent young adult, romance, or science fiction."

Farley Chase's website isn't up and running yet. (His agency is that new.) But his page at Publisher's Marketplace includes a list of books he's represented in various genres. See here.

Brian Henry will lead a "How to Get Published" workshop on Saturday, June 9, in Brampton with guest Monica Pacheco of The Anne McDermid literary agency (see here).

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Exploring Creative Writing course, Monday afternoons, March 26 – June 4, in Oakville

Nine weeks of fun and discovery
Monday afternoons, 12:45 – 2:45 p.m.
March 26 – June 4, 2012
(No class Easter Monday or Victoria Day)
St Cuthbert's Anglican Church
1541 Oakhill Drive, Oakville. (Map here.)

In this course you'll explore all kinds of creative writing. We’ll visit short story writing and personal writing, children’s writing, memoir writing, and just for fun writing. You’ll get a shot of inspiration every week and an assignment to keep you going till the next class. Best of all, this class will provide a zero-pressure, totally safe environment, where your words will flow and flower.

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing teacher for more than 25 years. He teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he's helped many of his students get published.

Fee: $115.04 plus 13% hst = $130
Advance registration only. Number of attendees strictly limited.
To reserve your spot now, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca  
Note: Brian's weekly writing classes tend to fill up, to avoid disappointment, register early.

See Brian Henry's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Freedom Bound by Jean Rae Baxter

This is the final instalment of Jean Rae Baxter’s best-selling young adult trilogy. Eighteen-year-old Charlotte sails from Canada to Charleston during these final months of the American Revolution.

Charlotte needs all her wit and courage when she has to rescue Nick from being tortured as a spy in an alligator-infested South Carolina swamp. She must also find ways to bring freedom to a pair of teenage runaway slaves she has befriended.

Freedom Bound delivers a frank and realistic picture of the slave system and a powerful account of what was at stake for both white and black Loyalists as they prepared to find a new home in the country that was soon to be Canada.

Like The Way Lies North and Broken Trail, the two novels that preceded it, Freedom Bound contains a wealth of carefully researched historical details of one of the least known chapters of our history.

Freedom Bound will be released Febraury 1, 2012. and will be available in bookstores or directly from the publisher, Ronsdale Press. But you can buy a signed copy from the author at the "How to Write Great Characters" workshop on February 4, where Jean will be the guest speaker. Details here.

See Brian Henry's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

The Writers' Union of Canada Postcard Story Competition & The Binnacle's Ultra-short Competition

"Whoa! Two contests for short shorts!"
"Yeah, and one of them's free!"

The Writer’s Union of Canada Postcard Story Competition
The Writers’ Union of Canada is pleased to announce that submissions are being accepted for its annual Postcard Story Competition for the best Canadian story of up to 250 words in the English language. Are you up for the challenge? Can you create a dramatic, short, snappy piece in only 250 words? You can use humour, poetry, dialogue… anything goes!

Award: $750 and the winning entry will be published in Write: The Magazine of The Writers' Union of Canada and in postcard format.

Eligibility: This competition is open to all Canadian citizens and landed immigrants. Story must be previously unpublished, fiction or nonfiction.

Deadline: February 14. Entry Fee: $7.50. Submission instructions and complete rules here.

For a great example of a winning entry, read "The Invasion of the Snotty Badgers" by Karin Weber – it will only take you a minute. See here.

The Binnacle's free ultra-short competition for prose or poetry
The Binnacle is the University of Maine’s Literary and Arts magazine. It accepts submissions from writers all over the world and sponsors an annual contest that everybody should enter: The Binnacle’s ultra-short competition. There’s no fee and your piece doesn’t have to be long at all. In fact, for prose and poetry the maximum length is 150 words (sixteen lines max for poems).

All submissions should be made via email to ummbinnacle@maine.edu
Please include the work in the body of the email.

Winning entries will be published, and a minimum of $300 in cash awards will be awarded, with a minimum award of $50. At least one of the awards will go to a UMM student. Please submit no more than two works total, prose and/or poetry. When you submit your work, please be sure to include your postal address as well as a thirty-five to fifty word self-description.

Deadline February 15. No entry fee. Full contest rules here.

Regular submissions:
As a literary journal, The Binnacle accepts submissions, too, both from the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Maine at Machias and from writers and artists anywhere in the world. Please submit original poetry, short fiction, short short fiction, creative non-fiction, as well as photography and other works of visual art, both color and black and white. Please limit submissions to 2500 words.

The Binnacle accepts submissions year round, with submissions made September 15 to March 15 considered for the spring edition and submissions made March 15 to Oct 15 for the fall edition.

Full submission guidelines here. Visit the Binnacle's home page here.

For information about all the annual writing contests in Canada, order the Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar. Just $23.50 including shipping. For details email brianhenry@sympatico.ca 
More about the Contest Calendar here.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

“Kobo eReader – friend or foe?” by Francine H. Lee

I am a better person with a book in my hands.

Having no ability to play music, to paint, to keep green things alive, my options are limited for creative self-fulfillment. From my very first memories, there has been a book near my bed – a book from school, from the public library, or the one my father was reading to me, sans bookmark. (We had to memorize the page, or he would not read to us the next night!)

Books have been a comfort through my childhood, through high school, through college, and into my adult life. A book is what I placed into the hands of my 15-month-old son when my identical twins were born. "Here sweetie, read to Mummie!"

There is something sensual about a book. Hardcover or paperback. Novel or short story. Fiction or study guide. It engages my eyes, my ears (flip, flip, flip,). A dusty old dusty copy of King Lear makes me sneeze when I caress the yellowed pages, the rumpled covers and profound words.

I usually have a hot beverage nearby, an unscented tea light flickering; perhaps heat from a nearby electric fireplace, but the feel of the book is paramount.

"I will never use an eReader!" I told my son. "It doesn't bend! But I will look into it for you."

The excuses continued to build as I paced through my local bookstore. A helpful young woman saw that I was trying to justify approaching the eReader zone. I listened to what she said and remembered nothing but still walked out with the little box in tow.

At home, even I could figure out how to charge it, download the installation data onto my PC, sync the 200 free e-books onto the Kobo, and marvel at the tingles I felt at the back of my neck. It was working! I could do this! No need for a teenager to thrust me aside and say, "Here, let me, Mum."

I sat a little taller, almost giddy at the thought of holding 200 books in my left hand. I even dared to buy a book, with credit card in hand, just to see if I could accomplish this, never stepping foot out of my home.

The Kobo (anagram of book?) has black text on a grey backdrop, rather than glaring white pages. The font can be changed to one of their limited options, allowing me to feel slightly in control. The size of the font can be magnified as the day progresses and my eyes fatigue. I can change from a tiny concise font for books, to a large decadent fancy font for poetry.

The entire thing is touch screen (no buttons) – there is an on/off for sleep mode and a menu button discreetly placed at the bottom centre. Nothing else distracts the eye from the words. No pictures (except of the cover). No adverts. Nothing but a tiny reference to what page you are on, and the remaining number of pages to go in the chapter.

I am entranced. This Kobo is my new pet (allergies prevent any other kind). It has barely left my side. It is the start of a beautiful friendship.

***

When not skulking in the lobby of the Stratford Festival hoping for a rush seat in the balcony, Francine Lee can be found in flux between watching Henry Fonda in Grapes of Wrath again, or Archimedes in The Sword in the Stone. Someday she hopes to grow up to be older than her 4 children! ;-) Until then, back to the kitchen for another batch of peasant soup.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Random House of Canada becomes sole owner of McClelland & Stewart

Alice Munro

Mark Medley The National Post

McClelland & Stewart, the Canadian publisher of Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Leonard Cohen and Alice Munro, and one of the country’s most storied cultural institutions, has been sold to Random House of Canada, its long-time part-owner.

In 2000, Toronto real-estate developer Avie Bennett, who acquired the company in 1986, donated 75% of the publisher to the University of Toronto and sold the remaining 25% to Random House of Canada, a partnership with existed, relatively unchanged, for the past 11 years.

However, according to a press release announcing the sale, the “challenges facing publishers, including a difficult economy and digital-driven transitions facing the industry, have put significant pressure on M&S, and it has been experiencing financial challenges.”

“We believe with McClelland & Stewart fully within the Random House of Canada family we will more effectively be able to meet these challenges to ensure the growth and long-term stability of this iconic Canadian publisher,” said Brad Martin, Random House of Canada’s president and CEO, in a statement.

Michael Ondaatje

Said University of Toronto President David Naylor: “We greatly respect the care and attention with which Random House of Canada has managed their 25% ownership over the past eleven years and are confident that Random House of Canada’s commitment to McClelland & Stewart will help it achieve even greater success in the future.”

He was unavailable for further comment.

Random House of Canada is owned by German conglomerate Bertelsmann AG. However, according to the press release, the “needed regulatory approval has been obtained from the responsible authority.”

According to the press release, Random House of Canada intends to maintain the M&S imprint, as well as the New Canadian Library, Emblem Editions, Signal, and Tundra Books, the company’s children’s book division. Support was also promised for M&S’s lauded poetry program, as well as to fund the Journey Prize, an annual short story award for emerging writers, and its accompanying anthology.

Leonard Cohen

“Random House of Canada has been a wonderful partner for McClelland & Stewart for the past eleven years,” said Bennett in a statement. “The commitments they have made to upholding the tradition of M&S and the ongoing focus on Canadian publishing assures me that M&S is in good hands.”

Thus far, no staffing changes have been announced. Doug Pepper, M&S’s president and publisher since 2004, has been named to Random House of Canada’s Executive Committee. Also staying on is Executive Vice President and highly-regarded editor, Ellen Seligman. Although M&S maintained editorial independence from its corporate parent (and even competes against it when it came to signing authors) Random House of Canada shared support services with M&S, including sales, production, design and human resources. “Our processes really aren’t going to change that much, since we already are really quite integrated with them,” said Pepper in an interview.

“In a pretty challenging marketplace, especially in Canadian publishing, the kind of stability and vision for growth that Random House – not just in Canada but around the world – gives us is a good thing,” he added.

“It’s just a logical extension of what they’ve been doing all along,” agreed Toronto-based literary agent Denise Bukowski, who started her career at M&S. “I worked there for a long time in the 70s, and it’s a very beloved place to me. But I think it can only benefit from the kinds of modernization that Random House will bring to it."

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Dancing Cat Books seeks young adult and middle grade fiction

Home Truths by Jill MacLean, a YA book
published by Dancing Cat Books
&  nominated for the Red Maple Award

Dancing Cat Books is a new imprint of Cormorant Books. Dancing Cat publishes literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the young adult and middle-grades, as well as picture books.

"The goal of Dancing Cat Books is to develop and nurture lifelong readers. We aim to begin children’s engagement with the power of the written word by publishing books that reflect their worlds and respect their points of view. Our books will endure because of character-driven story lines, evocative language, complex themes, and quality artwork.

"Dancing Cat Books is currently accepting submissions for young adult and middle grade fiction. We are not currently accepting children's picture book submissions."

Submissions:
Send a complete manuscript by mail. Include an author CV, for chapter books, a brief synopsis of the work (no more than 200 words), and a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of manuscript.

For Artists:
"We are looking for art portfolios (3 to 6 colour or black and white digital proofs) from artists who include a full biography and website address or online portfolio, if available."

Submissions should be sent to:
Barry Jowett
Dancing Cat Books
215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 230
Toronto, ON  M5T 2C7

Full submission guidelines here.

Brian Henry will lead "Writing for Children and for Young Adults" workshops in St. Catharines on January 14 (see here) and in London, Ontario, on April 21 (see here).

Brian will also lead a "How to Get Published" workshop on Saturday, June 9, in Brampton with guest Monica Pacheco of The Anne McDermid literary agency (see here).

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Good news for book sellers: eReader owners could double, but print-lovers growing, too

The latest stats on e-readers and print books suggests that the prediction I've been making that we'll move to e-books as the norm within a decade or so may be off. The number of people buying e-book readers (and e-books) continues to soar, but the number of people saying they certainly won't be buying an e-reader has also solidified at just over half (and in fact has increased marginally).

On the other hand, as I've also been predicting, the advent of tablet computers and colour e-book readers is set to cause a boom in e-book sales for children's books.

The next big trend – that's still over the horizon – will be when authors begin specifically to write for e-books and begin to incorporate colour visuals into their works, and books will begin looking more like this blog and other attractive on-line media.
– Brian

eReaders Owners Could Double, But Print-Lovers Are Growing, Too
(From Publisher’s Lunch)

For the third consecutive year, at Digital Book World later this month, Jack McKeown from Verso Digital (and Books & Books Westhampton Beach) will present original consumer survey data and analysis on consumer habits regarding both ebooks and print books, from responses elicited from over 2,200 respondents after November's "Cyber Monday."

By their results, ereader ownership could as much as double over the next year--6.4 percent of respondents are "very likely" to purchase, and another 9.9 percent are somewhat likely, with 15.8 percent of people saying they "already own" an reader. (That ownership percentage is roughly consistent with what Bowker PubTrack's monthly survey has found.)

But perhaps most striking is that 51.8 percent of those surveyed said they are "not at all likely" to buy an ereader in the year ahead, the first time that number has been above half. As McKeown observes, "While e-reader ownership rates have increased in a dramatic fashion since our first survey in December, 2009, so too has the level of resistance.

The dynamic movement highlighted in this data suggests that over time, consumers have moved out of the 'not sure' category in one of two directions: a.) toward actual ownership, or a high probability of near-term ownership of a dedicated e-reader; or b.) into the ranks of resistors for whom the devices do not yet offer a compelling 'relative advantage' to overcome their conservatism re: printed books."

Meanwhile, Verso found that even ereader owners continue to say they buy basically equal numbers of ebooks and print books. (That's echoed by Amazon executive Russ Grandinetti at Amazon, who confirms to USA Today what has been the prevailing trend at the etailer: print and digital sales are both up, but 'digital is growing significantly faster'"--at least in units.) McKeown writes, "This points to an evolving hybrid market in which print and digital channels will need to co-exist and supplement each other in order to satisfy the expressed consumer preference for both formats. This has interesting ramifications for the future of bricks-and-mortar retail, as well as for new formats such as bundled e-books/print books."

Will Tablets Fire the Children's Market?
With color reading tablets like Kindle Fire, the Nook Tablet and Kobo Vox selling strongly over the holidays and pulling consumers from plain old eInk reading devices, the market for digital children's books is poised for takeoff.

After initial strength from the iOS market and the Nook Kids, the new devices raise the question again of whether ebooks, enhanced files, apps or other platforms will lead the way.
…
Our own deal data confirms children's books as one of publishing’s key growth areas, and now the technology is prompting a real boost in digital children's products.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Call for submissions for Dreams Wedding Magazine

Hi Brian,
My name is Vivek and I am Director of Dreams Wedding Show based in Oakville. Dreams initially started as Wedding Show in 2007. Since then, we’ve organized some fashion shows with multicultural brides fashions.

Now we’re publishing a Dreams Wedding Magazine, I would like to invite writers to submit articles about weddings, parties, travel, relationships, etc. Articles are also welcome for publication on our blog.

Please query me about articles or send completed pieces to dreams.shows@gmail.com  

All the best,
Vivek
http://www.dreamsshows.com/

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

The Toronto Star free Short Story Contest ~ $8,000 in prizes

 

Winners of the 2011 Toronto Star short story contest:
Richelle Kosar (one of Brian Henry's students),
Erik Martinez and Samantha Craggs

  The Toronto Star’s 2012 Short Story Contest – one of the largest in North America – is now open for entries.

The contest, which is now in its 34th year and is open to all Ontario residents aged 16 and older, attracted nearly 2,100 entries last year.

The winner of the contest will receive a grand prize of $5,000 plus the tuition fee for the 30-week creative writing correspondence program at the Humber School for Writers (normally overpriced at $3,000). In addition, the second-place winner will receive a prize of $2,000 and the third-place winner will receive $1,000.

For the third consecutive year, the Toronto Public Library is a partner with the Star in presenting the contest. “The library is very pleased to join the Star in encouraging writers of this wonderful literary form. We know there are thousands of stories waiting to be told, and we wish all this year’s entrants the best of luck,” said Jane Pyper, city librarian of the Toronto Public Library.

The Humber School for Writers is also a partner in the contest.

The judges for the 2012 contest are Jessica Westhead, author of the short story collection And Also Sharks; Jane Pyper, city librarian of the Toronto Public Library; Richard Ouzounian, theatre critic for the Toronto Star and author of six books; and Dianne Rinehart, the Star’s books editor.

The winners will be announced in April during the library’s Keep Toronto Reading Festival. Their stories will be published in the Toronto Star.

Deadline for submitting entries is Feb. 26, 2012.
Stories must be written in English and must not exceed 2,500 words.
No entry fee. For full contest rules, see here.

For information about all the annual writing contests in Canada, order the Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar. Just $23.50 including shipping. For details email brianhenry@sympatico.ca. More about the Contest Calendar here.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

“Decisions” flash fiction by Cat Wilson

Sometimes I just don’t listen. My husband Steve keeps telling me that my truck has seen better days, there is just too much wrong that needs work, and I really need to trade it in for something more reliable.

But as I said, sometimes I just don’t listen. My truck hauls around a lot of memories and I’m not ready to part with it. Besides, I like being high up and looking down upon all the little people.

But as I’m driving home today, I notice lights from a train coming in the distance, and I hurry it up a little so that I don’t get stuck at the level crossing waiting for the train to pass. I gun the gas and my truck goes into its usual overdrive.

But then it happens. She stalls – stalls right on the tracks. Then the gate comes down across the hood, and there I am – stuck on the tracks. My mind’s racing as I keep trying to start the truck again, and I’m too freaked to realize I should get out and run.

I look up to see the train speeding toward me, and that’s when the horror hits: I am going to die.

There’s the sound of screeching brakes, a piercing whistle, then darkness.

They say that your life flashes before your eyes. Well, the only thing flashing by me was all the bad decisions I ever made. Selfishness, greed, self-preservation – they led to a lot of bad choices for what I told myself were good reasons.

At least when I meet the big guy, I’ll be ready with my excuses. Except the Connie Francis tune keeps going through my mind: “Who’s sorry now?”

That’s easy – me.

My head hurts. Wait a minute – my head hurts! And I see a light.

“Ma’am, are you all right?””

“I’m not dead? That makes me wonderful.”

“The train hit the back of your truck and spun it out. An ambulance is on its way, but I think you’ll be all right.”

Yes, I think I will be … not just all right, but much better.

Photos: Napa Valley Wine Train and a section of the Eagle Nebula taken from the Hubble Telescope

Catherine “Cat” Wilson is a mystery writer in the making, she has been writing since she was fifteen and has a poem published in a national anthology. She also helped write and edit “A Journey Through Time” the Art of Steve Wilson, published in 2011. She hopes to have her first novel finished in 2012. She currently lives in Brampton with her husband Steve and her two dogs.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Literary agent Emmanuelle Morgen joins Stonesong, seeks adult & children's fiction, popular nonfiction, memoir, etc.

Stonesong
27 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10010
http://stonesong.com/

Today (Jan 5, 2012), literary agent Emmanuelle Morgen starts at Stonesong. She will represent adult and children's fiction, including women's fiction and romance, historical fiction, and young adult fiction, and nonfiction in the areas of psychology, pop science, self-help, and memoir. Morgen was previously an agent with Judith Ehrlich Literary Management.

Founded in 1979, Stonesong has three distinct divisions: a literary agency representing adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction; a book development division providing concept creation, project management, design, and production services; and a self- publishing division collaborating with private clients to produce the highest-quality books and e-books.

New York Times bestsellers include The Sisters Grimm series and the NERDS series by Michael Buckley (Abrams/Amulet), The Daring Book for Girls (HarperCollins), and How Not to Look Old by Charla Krupp (Grand Central Press). Forthcoming titles include the widely anticipated Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (Knopf, Fall 2012), Small Plates and Sweet Treats by Cannelle et Vanille’s Aran Goyoaga (Little, Brown, Fall 2012), and Amy Atlas’s Sweet Designs (Hyperion, Spring 2012).

Stonesong’s books and authors have been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The View, The Martha Stewart Show, Live with Anderson Cooper and in O Magazine, People, InStyle, Parents, and Glamour.

Other agents:

Alison Fargis, Partner, represents a wide range of commercially successful, bestselling properties, including cookbooks, pop culture, how-to, fashion, health/wellness, diet, parenting, and children’s and adult fiction.

Judy Linden, Executive Vice President, Literary Agent, and Director, Digital and Print Media, has been a respected publishing professional for 30 years as an agent, book developer, and executive editor. Judy has represented top-selling properties in the following categories: cooking, fashion, design, crafts, health/wellness, fitness, psychology, parenting, popular science, business, and self-improvement.

Sarah Passick, Editorial Assistant, is a recent graduate from Tulane University and the New York University Publishing Institute. She is interested in acquiring narrative nonfiction and pop culture titles from and for twenty-somethings.

Submissions:
Please email your query to one agent: Emmanuelle Morgen, Alison Fargis, Judy Linden, or Sarah Passick, at submissions@stonesong.com
Include the first chapter or first 10 pages of your work.

Brian Henry will lead "Writing for Children and for Young Adults" workshops in St. Catharines on January 14 (see here) and in London, Ontario, on April 21 (see here).

Brian will also lead a "How to Get Published" workshop on Saturday, June 9, in Brampton with guest Monica Pacheco of The Anne McDermid literary agency (see here).

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

"Rumours of God" by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson, reviewed by Elizabeth Young

Thomas Nelson, July 2011, 256 pages, Trade Paper $15.99, E-Book $14.99

I will admit, as someone who is a diehard for British spelling, the first thing I noticed about this book was the American spelling. Rumors? Something about American spelling makes me take an item not as seriously as if it had the ‘correct’ spelling (sorry, I know I’m outing myself as old-fashioned here). The wonderful thing is I couldn’t have been more wrong! This is an exciting book about the Church in the 21st Century, alive and well on planet Earth.

Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson are Australians who met at youth camp when teenagers, and subsequently attended the same youth group. They met together for early morning prayer, long before they were called individually to be a part of the Western Church. Their long and mutual friendship is what validates this book (they have known each other longer than they have known their wives), and though it isn’t mentioned, one cannot help but think of the Biblical relationship between David and Jonathan.

A tremendous amount of research has gone into this slim volume, and comparisons regularly done between what truly influences many Christians in 2011 and how the Scripture says we should live. This reveals the radical nature of the Gospel and the insidious influence of the world through things such as advertising, inordinate desire for wealth and possessions, concern over outward appearance, poverty and human rights.

“We are being persuaded to spend money we don’t have, on things we don’t need, to create impressions that won’t last, on people we don’t care about.” - Tim Jackson

Cultural differences are looked at with interesting insight, right from the first Church up to present day America, and it makes for fascinating reading. Easy to read and follow, this book reminds me of a meal where everything has been mixed together. The authors come alongside to gently clarify, sometimes with humour, what are the necessary meat and vegetables and what is the sugar that is addictive and adds nothing of nutritional value.

Oftentimes we are not aware of things we have been greatly affected by culturally; this book provides an excellent and timely wake up call. Rich and varied examples are provided of the Church in action according to true New Testament principles, and I found it a truly encouraging read, with a marvellous portrayal of true spiritual community.

The wonderful thing about the authors of this book is that they have put their faith into action. Darren Whitehead is the Teaching Pastor along with Bill Hybels as Senior Pastor at one of the most influential Churches in North America, Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. Jon Tyson is the Pastor of Trinity Grace Church in New York City (Trinity Grace has five Churches there; Jon and his family live in Manhattan).

The notes at the end of the book are extremely detailed and influenced by C. S. Lewis. At the end of the book there is a study on each Chapter that provides excellent material for any group to go through. I can imagine some great dialogue and debate arising from them, and highly recommend the entire book. I would give it five stars and a heartfelt thank you.

I would also like to thank BookSneeze who provided the copy of this book for me to read and review.

Raised in England, Elizabeth Young is a prolific writer from Barrie, Ontario, whose poetry has been likened to that of Emily Dickinson. Arriving in Canada on 9^th April, 1977, she relates fully to the immigrant experience. In addition to poetry, Elizabeth enjoys writing prose, articles and stories and has a work in progress about her paternal Grandmother. She blogs regularly at The Garden Gate: here.

Quick Brown Fox welcomes book reviews, interviews with authors and other book-related articles. Guidelines here.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Love Letters & Writer to Writer

Dear Brian
I've been in Traverse City, Michigan, where my novel Broken Trail received the Moonbeam Awards' Gold Medal for young adult historical fiction. This was a great honour, since entries for Moonbeam Awards came from 33 U. S. states, six Canadian provinces, and three countries overseas. It was especially thrilling to me to have a book telling about the Revolutionary War from a Canadian point of view receive such acclaim.
Yours,
Jean Rae Baxter

P.S. I just learned today that Milcah Klein, owner of Marenga Publishing in Tel Aviv, wants to translate my first short story collection, A Twist of Malice, into Hebrew and bring it out in Israel. She wants to get started on the translation as soon as I give permission. I know you'll recall this book, as two of the stories in the collection were started as exercises in your workshops.

Note: Jean will be the guest speaker at my "You Can Write Great Characters" workshop, Saturday, February 4, in Dundas, Ontario. Details here.


Hi Brian,
I thought I would let you know I had saw the posting for the Leap Local Travel Story contest on your blog, and I won runner up. Have a great day!
Jackie D

Brian,
I’ve had a piece published on CommuterLit.com. Read it here. It was one of my short pieces for the Wednesday night class.
Matt

For information about upcoming creative writing classes, see here. For information about submitting to CommuterLit, see here.
 

Writer to Writer

Hi, Brian.
I've started a new blog dedicated to raising awareness of the British Home Child movement. From 1870-1940 approximately 100,000 children were sent to Canada. Most boys became farm hands; girls, mothers' helpers. It's estimated that 10-12% of the Canadian population can trace their roots to a home child.

My grandmother sailed from England in 1912 at 8 years old with her brother and sister. To honor the 100th anniversary of her coming to Canada, I'm collecting stories of home children (with photos) and posting them. The stories will begin appearing on January 10.

If any of your readers/writers would like to participate, I'd be happy to post their stories. Writers interested in telling their ancestor's story can contact me at rosembrandon@yahoo.ca. An introductory posting appears on the blog here.
All the best,
Rose McCormick Brandon

Writer seeking quality contacts in Oakville area
I have recently moved to Oakville (Bronte). I am a retired International Creative Director (writer). During my 45-year career I have been transfered from Toronto to London, Paris, Brussels, Nigeria, Australia and New Zealand with International Advertising agencies.

Since retiring I have written and published 9 books. Eight were self published (IUniverse) ranging from fiction to biog adventures in the advertising industry. I have travelled the well worn paths trying to find an agent and a publisher with little success. Is there a quality club or group that can help me improve my craft and find the elusive publisher?

Sincerely,
D. Richard Truman
richardtruman@cogeco.ca

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Andrea Seto at Beverley Slopen Literary Agency is developing a client base

Andrea Seto

Beverley Slopen Literary Agency
131 Bloor St. W., Suite 711,
Toronto, ON M5S 1S3
http://www.slopenagency.com/

Beverley Slopen represents a list of internationally published and acclaimed authors in fields ranging from literary and commercial fiction to history, narrative non-fiction, anthropology and biography. Beverley also handles some true crime and self-help.

Some readers will have met Beverley at the "Strategies for Getting Published" seminar I hosted at Ryerson University in 2006 when she was on a panel with Ellen Seligman of McClelland & Stewart and Joy Gugeler of ECW Press.

Like most Canadian agents, Beverley doesn't take on many new authors. "Our clients usually come to us by referral or we approach them," says Beverly.

Recently, though, I'd heard that Beverley's editorial assistant, Andrea Seto, was developing her own client base and emailed her to ask what she's looking for. Andrea is also the managing editor of a new e-book publisher, Bev Editions, so I asked her about that too....

Update, May 29, 2012: Andrea Seto is leaving the Slopen Agency to pursue other opportunities. Good luck, Andrea!

Dear Brian,
Thank you for your email. I am working on building my own client base, but I'm still relatively new at this game and haven't developed much of a list yet.

I'm hoping to develop a Children's/YA list which the Slopen Agency has not focused on in the past, but I look at submissions for all types of genres both fiction and non-fiction for all ages.
Also, we've changed our submissions policy. We've gone paperless and no longer accept hard copy submissions. Authors should email queries to beverley@slopenagency.ca
Include, a bio, brief synopsis and a few sample pages of writing. If we want to see more we will contact the writer by phone or email.

A little bit about Bev Editions:
Bev Editions publishes original e-books to introduce readers to talented authors of fiction and non-fiction. Some titles are new book-length works by published, award-winning writers. Some titles are old favorites, now out-of-print, and made available once more.

This is a challenging and exciting time in book publishing, and Bev Editions is an unabashed experiment to explore the new realm opened by e-books. Yet, there are two constants. Excellent writing is a pleasure. And, a literary culture depends on engaged readers.

You can find out more on our website: www.beveditions.com
Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Best,
Andrea Seto
Editorial Assistant
andrea@slopenagency.com

Note: I'll be leading "Writing for Children and for Young Adults" workshops in St. Catharines on January 14 (see here) and in London, Ontario, on April 21 (see here).

Also, I'll lead a "How to Get Published" workshop on Saturday, June 9, in Brampton with guest Monica Pacheco of The Anne McDermid literary agency (see here).

See my full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Happy New Year!