Coop Workshops & Classes
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Winter 2012
Class: Write a Children's Picture Book
You've got a great idea for a picture book and you can imagine it as a gloriously illustrated and engaging piece of work-- but how do you go about getting your story on the page? Join bestselling author Alice Kuipers for a course structured to help you write a draft of your picture book over the space of eight weeks.
Even if you’re not currently focusing on writing for children, this course will greatly help with structure for any longer piece of writing you may be working on.
The course structure is unique (for the Coop, anyway)—a face-to-face class at the beginning and another at the end, with the intervening weeks being conducted online. Week by week, you'll focus on the key elements of a good picture book - characterization, story and language. The course will start with a two hour in-person seminar at the Refinery, then you will work on seven weekly online assignments as you complete your manuscript with online feedback from Alice. After seven weeks, there is a final in-person class to talk about what to do to try getting your finished picture book published.
Alice Kuipers is the award winning author of Life on the Refrigerator Door, and the young adult novels The Worst Thing She Ever Did and Forty Things I Want To Tell You (March, 2012). Her first two picture books are being published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Alice was the 2010-2011 Writer in Residence at Saskatoon Public Library.
First session Saturday January 28, 2012; final session Saturday March 17, 2012
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Jessie Miller Room, St. James Church basement (next door to The Refinery, 607 Dufferin Avenue)
Registration deadline is Saturday January 21, 2012. Coop members $120, non-members $130. Please confirm your interest, or ask for more information, by emailing winterclass@writerscoop.org as soon as possible. Then follow up with a mailed registration, following the instructions at www.writerscoop.org/coop-registration-policy.html
Fall 2011
Fall workshop #2: “Developing character in fiction writing”
On Saturday November 5, 2011, twelve enthusiastic writers assembled for the day in Haslam Hall of St. James Church to explore character development in their writing, under the able guidance of prize-winning short story writer and novelist Dave Margoshes. The day included a presentation by the facilitator, a writing exercise, and detailed workshopping, by the group, of a piece submitted in advance by each writer. Each participant went home with many good ideas and suggestions, both from Dave and from the rest of the group, and as well with a complimentary copy of one of Dave's books of short stories.
Post-workshop participant evaluations rated the workshop very highly.
Dave Margoshes is a writer of poems, stories and novels, who recently relocated to the Saskatoon area after many years in Regina. His work has appeared widely in Canadian magazines and anthologies, including six times in the Best Canadian Stories volumes and he was a finalist for the 2009 Journey Prize. A former fiction editor of Grain magazine, he’s published over a dozen books; his story collection, Bix’s Trumpet and Other Stories, won two prizes at the 2007 Saskatchewan Book Awards, including Book of the Year. He’s published two books of poetry in the last two years; this year, Dimensions of an Orchard won the 2010 SBA Poetry Award.
Fall workshop #1: "Marketing your writing"; and "Using social media"
Presenters: Anthony Bidulka, Wes Funk, and a panel including Kelly Ann Riess, Amy Jo Ehman, and the Coop's own Web guru Jeff Smith
Co-sponsored with the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC), Saskatchewan chapter, this afternoon workshop on Saturday September 17 introduced a dozen enthusiastic participants to two topics vital to a writer's success, whether working with an existing publisher or going the self-publishing route. It became clear that developing a manuscript is only the first step of many.
Workshop participants
Fall class
Unfortunately we have temporarily (we hope) experienced a decline in board member numbers such that organizing a fall class is not within our capacity. We encourage members to take advantage of some of the other opportunities listed in the Coop calendar.
Teach for the Coop
Get paid to share to share your writing skills and/or interests with other writers and aspiring writers.
Email writerscoop@writerscoop.org
for details.
Dave Margoshes
Anthony Bidulka
Wes Funk
Coop Coaching Program
Details here
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