You're invited to a book launch for One Spring at Ril Lake by Margery Reynolds

Hi, Brian:

I wanted to let you know of my latest book release. One Spring at Ril Lake, the last in the Muskoka Cottage Novel Series, came out this summer in both e-book format and paperback. E-books can be purchased wherever people buy them - kindle, kobo, barns and noble etc. Paperback copies can be purchased through amazon: One Spring at Ril Lake: Reynolds, Margery: 9781069182036: Books - Amazon.ca

Also, I have a launch party coming up in the Niagara Area:

Saturday September 20^th
2 to 4 pm
Lakeside Books and Art
341 Ridge Road North, Ridgeway, Ontario (Map here)

Thank you!

Wishing all your students, success in their writing goals!

In Gratitude of your support,

D. M. Rutherford/Margery Reynolds

One Spring at Rill Lake by Margery Reynolds

When Helen Claybourne is gifted a two-week vacation at a luxury cottage on Ril Lake, her only thought, driving north through the beautiful Muskoka Region, is of rest, relaxation and some much needed alone-time.

Tessa Field knows she’s getting on her sister’s last nerve and Pat is getting on hers too. Separated since their twenties, by geography, they are discovering that life and the past has changed them, and living together now, isn’t exactly working. When Pat wins a two-week holiday at a luxury cottage on Ril Lake she cannot use, she gives it to Tessa instead.

When a mistake in a booking at Serenity Lodge, brings Helen and Tessa together, the spring storm they’ve both just travelled through is nothing compared to what’s coming. What secrets has Helen been hiding from her daughter? What ghosts lie in Tessa’s past she doesn’t want to face?

For two ladies hoping looking for serenity in their golden years, life at Ril Lake is about to be anything but.

Set in the beautiful Muskoka Region of Central Ontario, on the tranquil shores of Ril Lake, this is the fourth novel from Margery Reynolds, in the Muskoka Cottage Novel Series.

Note: If you miss the book launch, the Ril Lake series is available at Chapters/Indigo here.

See more books by your fellow authors here (and scroll down).

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

A thank you from Sue Williams

With a story to tell, I needed to learn how to tell it. My first creative writing class ever was with Brian Henry in 2010. The subject was memoir.

I was nervous stepping out into the writing world, but was quickly put at ease with Brian’s warm personality and his accessible teaching style.

What’s more, I learned a lot that day. Most importantly, Brian emphasized that, in memoir, not only does the story have to be real, it also has to be emotionally accurate, written from your true self, not how you’d like others to see you. Crucial to keep in mind.

On my writing journey, I subsequently attended many of Brian’s other workshops (e.g. on character development, dialogue, how to write with style, etc.) and every single one was packed with invaluable information.

And, several years and many writing courses later, I’m ecstatic to say that my debut memoir, Ready to Come About, has garnered rave reviews from authors such has Miriam Toews, Barbara Kyle, and Adam Lindsay Honsinger, and will be released by Dundurn Press, one of the largest independent publishers in Canada, May 18,2019.

So, thank you Brian!

Sue Williams

Note: This piece was originally posted in 2019. Since then, Ready to Come About has gone through several printings. It’s been translated into Portuguese, been made into an audiobook and is still selling,

You can read more about Ready to Come About at Dundurn Press here.

For information about submitting to Dundurn Press, see here

For information about our upcoming “Writing Personal Stories and Other Nonfiction” class, see here.

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

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.  

"Women in Shakespeare," a list poem by Meg Freer

 

Women in Shakespeare …

Show every human emotion, sometimes in inhumane ways.

Act strong and bossy, proud, empathetic, impatient and impulsive.

Dislike it when others make them an object of fun or take advantage of them.

Do not hesitate to insult or criticize their male counterparts.

Frequently condemn men as inconstant deceivers incapable of change.

Believe that disrespectful or downright bad behaviour looks good on no person.

Easily become leads in operas and musicals, where females often dominate the stage.

Resist being seen by others as weak, but realize we’re all only human.

Forgive the temptation to blame themselves when things don’t work out.

Try to live with everyone’s imperfections and make the best of it.

***

Meg Freer grew up in Montana and now lives in Ontario. She is a musician and editor, a member of The Ontario Poetry Society and League of Canadian Poets, Poetry Co-editor for The Sunlight Press and Contributing Editor for Traces Journal. She co-hosts a monthly series featuring poetry performed simultaneously with live improvised music.

Her prose, photos, and poems have been published in many journals​ and in ​four chapbooks. During 2024-25, she served as Poet-in-Residence for the McDonald Astroparticle Physics Institute at Queen’s University.

Read more short pieces about reading and writing here (and scroll down). Read other short stories, essays, and reviews by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).

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

You're invited to "Writing Personal Stories & Other Nonfiction"

Writing Personal Stories & Other Nonfiction

Offered online and in-person

Online: Tuesday afternoons, 1 – 3 p.m.
October 7 – December 2 (or to Dec 9 if the class fills up. No class Oct 21.)

In-person: Thursday evenings, 7 – 9 p.m.
October 9 – November 27 (or to Dec 4 if the class fills up). No class Oct 23.
Burlington Anglican Lutheran Church, 3455 Lakeshore Rd, Burlington, Ontario (Map here)

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.

For the Tuesday afternoon online course, our guest speaker will be Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt, author of the critically acclaimed memoir Peacekeeper’s Daughter. 

Tanya holds an MA in English Literature from McGill University and an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC. These days, she lives in Quebec’s Eastern Townships with her husband and four children. She was born in Germany to French-Canadian parents and grew up on various army bases across Canada, from Quebec’s North Shore to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

When she was twelve, her family moved to Tiberius, Israel, where her father served as a United Nations peacekeeper on the Golan Heights. When war broke out with Lebanon, Tanya and her family moved to Beirut, where they lived for seven months, at the height of the Lebanese civil war.

Tanya’s journal from 1982-1983 became the seeds of her memoir, Peacekeeper’s Daughter.

Peacekeeper’s Daughter is both a coming-of-age story and an exploration of family dynamics, the shattering effects of violence and war, and the power of memory itself to reconcile us to our past selves, to the extraordinary places we have been and sights we have seen.

Tanya has also published two volumes of poetry with Shoreline Press: Chaos Theories of Goodness  (here) and, coming in September, The Hospitality of Trees, (available for pre-order here). Her collection of short memoir pieces, Carrying War, will be published by Dundurn Press in May 2026.

Tanya’s also published numerous poems and stories and has been nominated for a number of awards (see here). Currently, she’s working on some books for children and a novel for adults about American expats in Beirut called Birdsong Hollow.

You can read an excerpt from Peacekeeper’s Daughter here, It’s available through the publisher, Thistledown Press here or order it through your local bookstore – see here.

Our guest speaker for the Thursday afternoon in-person course in Burlington to be announced.

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

Fee: $257.52 plus 13% hst = $291

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

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

Join us for our Spring Writers’ Retreat at Elm Hurst Inn

Spring Writers’ Retreat

At the Elm Hurst Inn & Spa

Friday, April 24 – Monday, April 27, 2026
Register ASAP to be sure of a spot!
The Elm Hurst Inn & Spa
415 Harris Street, Ingersoll, Ontario. (1½–2 hours west of Toronto / 1 hour west of Hamilton. Map here)

Give yourself four days of writing time – a long weekend of instruction, inspiration and creativity. Award yourself with time away from distractions, with no dishes to do, delicious food at every meal, and with the leisure you need to sit with your feet up and write.

The retreat will feature both instruction and guided writing exercises, plus one-on-one critiquing and coaching from Brian.  You’ll also have lots of time to relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect with your creativity. All writing levels welcome. Whether you’re just beginning or have a novel in progress, please join us. 

The setting: Nestled on 30 acres of beautiful rolling countryside, the Elm Hurst mansion was built in 1872 as the personal residence of James Harris and family. A fine example of the Gothic Revival style, it remained a family home for more than a century.

The last Harris heir sold the property in the mid-1970s, and the house was transformed into a popular dining establishment that opened in 1979. An addition was added to the rear of the original structure five years later, with the 49-room Elm Hurst Inn & Spa being built in 1988.

The original mansion and its beautiful carriage house (often used for weddings) remain integral parts of the Inn.

James Harris made his fortune partly from the apple orchard planted on the grounds but mostly from the cheese business. He erected the James Harris Cheese Factory in 1865. To establish the area as the cheese capital of Ontario, he and other local cheese makers created a giant, 7,300-pound cheese ball. The Mammoth Cheese toured exhibitions in Toronto, Chicago, New York, Paris, and London (Yes, the cities in France and England, not the Ontario versions).

Ingersoll still boasts a cheese museum, which is a two-minute drive or twenty-minute walk from the Inn (here).

James McIntyre, a local poet, wrote an ode to the big cheese ball. McIntyre possessed a talent for writing poetry so truly awful that experts in the field of Good Bad Verse consider him one of the greats and cite his “Ode on the Mammoth Cheese” as a world-class example poetry so bad that it exhibits a certain genius. (For more on Good Bad Verse, see here and here.)  

Much later, the Town of Ingersoll created an annual poetry contest in McIntyre’s honor, though the object was to write good poetry, not bad. For many years Brian Henry had the honor of judging the children’s division of the contest.

Rates for the retreat include accommodation and meals. Each room has a king bed or two queens, an en-suite four-piece bathroom, and a desk for writing.

All meals are provided, from dinner on Friday through to lunch on Monday, including the Elm Hurst’s wonderful Sunday brunch. And of course, we’ll also have coffee service for our meetings. Alcoholic beverages are extra, as are Spa treatments – but you might want to check those out (see here).

All activities included. When you’re not writing, or for spouses who accompany you, the inn has an indoor sauna and steam room and an exercise room. The rural Oxford County setting offers idyllic opportunities for biking and hiking, with numerous trails in the area (here). The Inn itself has beautiful grounds – it’s a great place to get away and relax.

Check-in on Friday is 3 p.m. Our first writing get-together will be at 5 p.m. On Monday, we'll have our last writing get-together at 9:30 a.m. Check out is at 11 a.m. followed by lunch an our final get-together.

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 Saskatoon, to Toronto, to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors.

Read pieces related to Brian’s previous writing retreats, workshops, and classes here.

Fee, including both the writing retreat and accommodation, meals, coffee & snack service, tips, and all inn amenities, for all three nights: $1,699.12 plus 13% hst. (No change from last year!)

Not included: alcoholic drinks, spa services, or other extras.

Bring a (non-participating) significant other along for the weekend to share your room for an additional $548.67 plus hst for the three nights (includes accommodation, meals and all amenities, but not the writing part of the retreat).

Book early – space is limited! And this retreat may fill up quickly.

For more information or to register, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Note: Bookings for accommodations for this retreat must be done through Brian (unlike our retreats in Algonquin, where you book your accommodations through the resort).

Should I bring my work in progress?

Yes! If you have an on-going writing project, bring it with you. Bring more than you expect to get to; you'll have lots of time for writing. Besides, you may want to switch projects or share a project that’s just started or one that’s all done, except for reading it to a small, appreciative audience. If you’re not currently working on anything, don’t worry, we’ll get you writing.

Should I bring my laptop?

Yes! Unless you only work on paper. Or bring both – your laptop and your writing pad. No sense being short of essential supplies.

Who can attend the retreat?

Everyone interested in developing their writing skills is welcome to attend, whether you're an aspiring writer or an accomplished author or simply enjoy writing as a hobby. There is no requirement for you to have been previously published or even to have an intention to publish.

I'm a poet / playwright / other writer. Is this retreat for me?

The retreat is open to anyone who enjoys writing. Instruction will focus on narrative writing; i.e., stories, whether fiction or memoir. But if you’re an essayist or poet or whatever, you’re entirely welcome.

Can you cater to specific dietary requirements?

Yes. But you need to let me know ASAP, so I can let the staff know about your needs.

I want to stay longer or arrive early. Is that possible?

If you want to arrive early or stay longer, that’s fine. You’ll book the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night with Brian, and arrange any additional nights with the inn; just make sure they know you’re with Brian Henry’s writing group.

Is there cell phone reception and WIFI?

Alas, yes.

Can I use the spa at the inn or play a round of golf in the area?

Yes, you can certainly book a spa treatment (here) though that’s extra, and you book that directly with the inn (not through Brian). As for golf, yes there’s a nearby course (see here).

Can I bring my spouse (or partner or friend)?

If you want to share your room with a partner, they’re very welcome. Just let them know you’ll be spending most of your time writing, (though you will have some free time every day).

For more information or to register, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca 

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

“Growing younger for $112/month” by Brian Henry

How did it happen? Somehow, from one day to the next, I’d suddenly become old. I’d reached the inevitable tipping point I’d known was in my future much sooner than I’d expected, and I hadn’t just reached it; I’d fallen over the edge and slid halfway down the slope on the other side. 

I’d had nagging issues: moderate bone loss, mild anemia, and occasional depression, but while depression wasn’t a welcome guest, it didn’t hang around.

I did the healthy stuff: ate well, took a brisk daily walk, and I climbed walls – literally, at a climbing gym.

True, I couldn’t keep climbing forever. A day lay in wait when the frailty of age would outpace how quickly I could improve my skill. But before hitting that tipping point, I hoped to level up from climbs rated 5.11 (hard intermediate) to climbs rated 5.12 (advanced).

Then about a year ago, arthritis struck the middle finger of my left hand. Pain obliged me to climb basically one-handed, able to use my left hand to balance myself, but not to clutch a hold, not to pull myself up or over or close into the wall.

I felt old.

A general fatigue that had been creeping up suddenly overtook me in a rush. The hours in a day in which I could act with my normal vigour shrank, and outside that shrinking circle, I was exhausted. Listless. And for no reason, I’d get bouts of heart-clutching anxiety.

Through the winter, my mood matched the gloomy weather. I experienced bouts of disassociation, with me on one side of a grey curtain, everyone else on the other side; me able to act normal, but feeling cut off.

Maybe I should see someone about this, I thought. Fortunately, as it turned out, that seemed like too much effort.

Eventually, I told my wife I had to cut back on work. “Not to worry,” I added. “I have a plan.”

I’d keep doing the work I love most – the creative writing classes I teach and the manuscripts I critique – but I’d let my Blogspot and Substack postings get spotty, I’d take an extra week off between the winter and spring sessions, and I’d trudge forward one season at a time.

A long-awaited appointment with a rheumatologist brought a medical miracle – an injection into my knuckle, and I could climb again without lightning bolts of pain.

This didn’t cheer me up, not as much as I told myself it ought to. My finger was never going to be 100%, arthritis could cripple me at any time, and I’d never get back to where I’d been as a climber after all those lost months.

I still felt I was on a long slide toward … I didn’t know what. Maybe to not being able to get out of bed in the morning.

Then miracle number 2. I heard a radio program about low testosterone. Loss of libido is the obvious symptom, but for men, that’s also the best-known symptom of just getting older. However, I learned low testosterone also causes fatigue. Hmm.

I consulted Dr. Google. Other symptoms include bone loss, anemia, depression, and anxiety. Check, check, check, and check. My family doctor arranged a blood test, which confirmed my diagnosis. 

A testosterone prescription began working within days. My energy level climbed. My depression lifted. Looking back, I realize I hadn’t known how depressed I was. I’d forgotten what normal felt like. 

My libido also rose from the grave. And I’m hungry – that was a surprise! But while I’m eating more, I’m not gaining weight. Apparently, my metabolism has kicked up a notch.

How’s the anemia and bone loss doing? Well, I’ll have to wait and see – at least three months for the anemia and at least six months for the bone density.

It’s my good fortune I was too listless to see a specialist about the depression. A psychiatrist friend tells me testosterone is something family doctors prescribe, not something in her black bag.

A psychiatrist might have prescribed an anti-depressant, which might have worked – but only for the depression, though on the plus side, the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODP), which pays for prescriptions for those of us over 65, would have covered the cost.

For an effective prescription, for testosterone, I need to pay out of pocket.

If you have low testosterone as a result of HIV, hypothalamic, pituitary, or testicular disease, ODP will cover it, but if you’re just continually exhausted, depressed, and missing your sex drive, tough.

Men, it seems, are expected to grow grumpy with age.

But if you get really down, don’t worry. Ontario will put you out of your misery for free; OHIP fully covers Medical Assistance in Dying.

I’m fortunate, though; I can afford $112.03 per month for a good quality of life.

As for the climbing, I’m back to routes rated 5.11, and I’m eyeing 5.12’s. I may actually be stronger than before. Testosterone does grow muscle mass. But growing stronger and leaner develops over months, not weeks. For now, I’m climbing better – and doing everything better – because I’ve exited a fog of fatigue and depression.

Physical decline still lies in my future, as it does for all of us. But for now, I’m back to my usual self and, week by week, growing physically younger.

***

Brian Henry is an editor, writer, and creative writing instructor living in Toronto. He publishes the Quick Brown Fox blog and Substack. He’d prefer not to grow old before his time.

P.S. Many thanks to Denisha for her editorial eye on this piece.

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