Self Publishing for Poets

Poet and micropress publisher James Dewar is offering a two-part workshop to teach emerging poets how to self publish their work. He’s putting on this workshop in partnership with the Whitchurch-Stouffville Library.  You have to have at least 20 poems ready to publish to participate in the workshop series. Dewar will show how to create and publish your own chapbook in time for Christmas.

Why take a workshop on self-publishing? Dewar says, “if poets want their poems published in book form, self-publishing poetry is not just considered acceptable–it is the norm. The most commonly recognized format for an emerging poet is the chapbook. It is economical and easy to create, but certain fundamental skills are needed to prepare and print this important first publication.”

Workshops will take place at the Royal Canadian Legion, 150 Mostar St. in Stouffville, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Part one will be on Sept. 22, part two on Nov. 3.

Members of WCDR, WCYR and WCSC pay $150; non members pay $170.

To register go to: http://inkslingers.ca/inkslingers/poetry-chapbook-self-publishing-workshop/

September Writers’ Group Meetings

Several large writing groups meet monthly in the Southern Ontario area. In my last blog I mentioned the upcoming meetings for WCDR (Sept 8) and WEN (Sept. 15). A couple more you might find interesting are the Writers’ Community of Simcoe County (WCSC) and Writers’ Community of York Region (WCYR). These two groups meet monthly on a Sunday.

WCSC

WCSC meets on Sept. 16 with featured speaker, Annette McLeod. Annette is a freelance journalist who pulls down a six-figure income with her writing. She’ll be talking about the pros (how to earn your money) and cons (what you sacrifice to be a freelancer – it ain’t free) of her work.

The group meets on the third Sunday of each month in Barrie from 1-3:30 p.m. at the Lions Gate Banquet Hall, 386 Blake St. To attend you will need to pre-register (http://simcoewriters.ca/simcoe/lunch-reservation/). Cost for non-members is $25 (seniors and students are $16).

WCYR

As I write this blog. WCYR is holding its regular monthly meeting and Stephen Leacock Humour Award medalist Terry Fallis is talking about his third book, Up and Down, which is being released this month.

At their next meeting, on Sunday, Oct. 14, WCYR will feature journalist and author, James Fitzgerald. His first book, Old Boys: The Powerful Legacy of Upper Canada College, exposed cases of sexual abuse in the venerable school. His second book, What Disturbs Our Blood: A Son’s Quest to Redeem the Past, is a look at his prominent family’s history. What Disturbs Our Blood won the 2010 Writers’ Trust Award for Non-fiction. James will speak about his evolving career as a non-fiction writer and the pitfalls of writing about living people, especially family.

WCYR meets on the second Sunday of each month at 12:30 p.m. in the Newmarket Community Centre and Lions Hall, 200 Doug Duncan Drive. Pre-registration is necessary; $25 for non-members. To register go to: http://wcyork.ca/york/reserve-your-spot-for-our-next-lunch/.