Sculpture in the Alice Munro Literary Garden in Wingham. Photo courtesy of Beth Ross.
WINGHAM – An upcoming festival in Wingham provides a forum for writers to develop their craft.
The Alice Munro Festival of Writing, hosted by Huron Arts and Heritage Network, will take place in September, during the county’s Cultural Days. It features guest readers, developmental workshops for emerging and experienced writers, a book fair, a gala dinner and awards presentation event and a brunch with an author.
On Friday, Sept. 28, starting at 8 p.m. in the Blyth Memorial Community Hall, author Doug Gibson tells Stories About Storytellers, introducing the audience to writers he met as their editor and publisher, including Alice Munro, Pierre Trudeau, Robertson Davies, Alistair MacLeod, Mavis Gallant, Hugh MacLennan, Peter C. Newman, Brian Mulroney, Morley Callaghan, John Kenneth Galbraith, Paul Martin, James Houston, Peter Gzowski, W.O Mitchell, and more.
This is followed by a panel discussion on The Influences of Alice on Literature. Hosted by Eric Coates, artistic director of the Blyth Festival, the panel will include Gary Draper, a retired associate professor of English at the University of Waterloo, playwright/actor Marcia Johnson and branch services librarian Jennifer Zoethout of the Huron County Library.
Reserve tickets, $30, online at blythfestival.com or call 519-523-9300 or 1-877-862-5984.
Saturday, Sept. 29 features three workshops led by authors.
Poetry Performance Workshop, with Daniel Kolos
Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. – noon, North Huron Museum, 273 Josephine Street, Wingham.
Reading and writing poetry are private pleasures. Reading poetry in front of an audience is a performance. No matter how good a poet you are, if you come across weakly or with anxiety, enjoyment of your poems will be compromised.
With a few simple exercises you can transform your presentation into a delightful performance that will benefit both you and your audience.
Chapter One, Page One: How to start your crime novel with impact, with Vicki Delany
Saturday, Sept. 29, from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. at North Huron Museum, 273 Josephine Street, Wingham.
Publishers and agents are busy people. They will decide whether or not to read your novel submission in the first few pages, perhaps even the first page. If that gets their interest, they might read another 20 manuscript pages and then decide whether or not to continue. Modern readers aren’t prepared to spend a lot of time slowly getting into a story. You need to get them hooked. And FAST.
This doesn’t necessarily mean a gun fight on page one or a dead body in the first paragraph. But it does mean creating a dramatic opening, introducing interesting characters and avoiding common pitfalls that lead to a dull start. Vicki Delany, one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers, will discuss ways of starting your book off so readers just have to keep on reading.
E and Me: A Writer’s/Reader’s Guide to e-Books, with A.R. Grobbo
Saturday, Sept. 29, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Huron County Library, 281 Edward Street, Wingham.
e-Books: What and why they are, how to write one, how to read one … workshop leader Anne Grobbo draws from personal experience as an e-published author. Included are tips on how to use the internet to become a better writer; websites that are a “must” for a fledgling author, where to look (and lurk!) for useful information about publishing and marketing electronic books.
Costs: $30 adults; $20 teens, aged 13 to 19 years.
Also planned for the festival:
Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wingham Town Hall – book fair, with free readings by Anne Grobbo at 1 p.m., Daniel Kolos at 1:30 p.m. and Vicki Delany at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 29, at 5:30 p.m. at the Wingham Golf and Curling Club, A Gala in Appreciation of Alice. Guest speaker, Mary Wolfe, of the Village Bookshop. Awards for short story competition. Tickets, $40.
Sunday, Sept. 30, brunch at Fireside Café. Networking and What’s Next, Planning for 2013. Cost is $16.99, pay at the restaurant. Tickets for other events available by calling the Blyth Festival at 519-523-9300 or 1-877-862-5984.
The festival is produced by Huron Arts and Heritage Network, a not-for-profit organization mandated to: educate and engage communities; embrace and advocate the every day work of art; build awareness and audiences for locations, sites and celebrations; and enhance and enrich our creative community spirit.
