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What Playing Piano Taught Me About Writing-by Carly Rosalie Vandergriendt
The movers cost about as much as the piano. When they pulled up in front of our house on a muggy day last August, I understood why. Cars darted around the delivery truck as two men coaxed the swaddled instrument down a ramp and onto a dolly. They worked swiftly. Soon, the piano was being… Continue reading
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Writing by Numbers—by B.A. Markus
1. Show Up A link to the Spoken Word residency at the Banff Centre shows up in my feed. I didn’t get a teaching contract with the English Montreal School Board in the fall so I’m not feeling too enthusiastic about spending the $65 non-refundable application fee. I’ve applied to the Banff Centre residencies at… Continue reading
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The Joyous Sea of Words—by Erín Moure
“one dusk après une autre I sit ici on this sofa diagonal to the window, and in sitting it’s presque as if everything’s crumbling into bits: cramps in the guts: setting sun weaving humid nuances: spaces from où move déjà les occupations cérémoniales of light and lune: between the crowns of sombreros or entre les… Continue reading
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On the Back of Turtle Island Reads—by Shannon Webb-Campbell
A year ago, I’d have never believed I would be asked to advocate Indigenous literatures on CBC for Turtle Island Reads. Given that I was living in St. John’s, Newfoundland, teaching and studying in the English department at Memorial University (MUN), I had no clue I’d be islanded again, but this time in Montreal. Let alone… Continue reading
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Writing Between Languages—by Veena Gokhale
What do you do when a lot of the reality you portray in your fiction does not take place in English? Easy answer: you sprinkle your prose with words from other languages. As it turns out, this is not without its problems. Growing up in India, I learned my first language, Marathi, at home. I… Continue reading
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‘Just Do It’ for Writers—by Carolyne Van Der Meer
The thing about writing fiction is you need to know what kind of writer you are. The kind who needs a plan, or the kind who doesn’t. I was convinced I needed a plan. Lori Weber taught me I didn’t. Earlier this year, I was chosen as one of the mentees in the QWF’s annual… Continue reading
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How Do I Research and Write About My Subject When There’s No Archive?—by Linda M. Morra
When perusing the scrapbook of a Canadian female writer and artist, I find a twig of cedar clipped to its pages. Later, I read her handwritten letters, which reveal that the twig was exchanged as a token of affection between correspondents. I have been researching this writer for over a decade, and her archives have… Continue reading
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Transcendence—by Francine Cunningham
I had the privilege of being an artist in residence in Mistissini, a community in northern Quebec, this February and March. The community was small and welcoming; the snow, on the other hand, was otherworldly. There were mountains of it piled and strung along the road to the school, like a miniature version of the… Continue reading
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How to Get Out of the Slush Pile—by Rachel Thompson
I yawn and keep flicking through my virtual stack of submissions. I need one more piece that will not only fill a few pages in the next issue but also resonate with the writing I have already accepted for the magazine. A short story pops up; a few lines in and I’m wondering: is anything… Continue reading
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The Art of Mentorship: An Interview with Robert Edison Sandiford
Every couple of weeks, Robert Edison Sandiford calls me from Barbados. Robert is one of this year’s QWF fiction mentors, and I am his protégé. We’ve made arrangements to speak at 5 p.m. via Skype so this interview would feel more face-to-face. At 5:10, we still have no audio so he switches from his desktop to his… Continue reading