Tightrope Books’ monthly writing workshop series connects published authors with people interested in receiving advice and instruction in the idiosyncratic art of creative writing. Whether you’re an experienced writer looking to bounce ideas off an established fellow traveller, or a neophyte writer hoping to arrange your creative ideas in verse or prose, the workshop series offers an exceptional opportunity for you.

Tightrope Books Writing Without a Net Workshop 12
Kidlit 101: Writing for Children—Definitely not Child’s Play!

Saturday, October 23, 2010
Tightrope office (602 Markham St, Toronto)
12-3 p.m.
$50
Refreshments will be served & handouts will be provided.

Do you have a great idea for a children’s fantasy novel? How about a teen romance-thriller? Perhaps you have a complete manuscript ready for submission, but you don’t know where to begin the lengthy, often frustrating process . . .

Join author, Marina Cohen, as she provides valuable insight into the world of children’s publishing. Marina offers 10 great tips to help new writers break into the industry, beginning with a breakdown of the various genres and ending with advice on how to make your manuscript shine. She will also conduct a workshop on how to write a stellar query letter—one that will catapult your submission out of the dreary slush pile. And if you have the courage, bring in the first page of your manuscript for an anonymous flash critique!

Marina Cohen is an elementary school teacher in the York Region District School Board and a mother of three. She has a Master’s in French literature from the University of Toronto. With two children’s novels (Shadow of the Moon, Vanwell, 2007; Trick of the Light, Vanwell, 2007); two young-adult novels (Ghost Ride, Dundurn, 2009; Mind Gap, Dundurn, 2011); and nine children’s nonfiction books published, she shares her experience on the road toward publication in hopes of helping new writers successfully navigate the often elusive world of children’s publishing.

Tightrope Books & Geist Magazine Writing Without a Net Workshop
Getting it Out There: How to Get Your Work into Literary Journals

Wednesday, October 27
6-8 p.m.
The Central (603 Markham Street, Toronto)
$50
(Register at geist.com)

Join author and editor Billeh Nickerson as he delves into the secrets of getting your work published in literary journals. This workshop will include an overview on the dos and don’ts of sending out work, including cover letters and market suitability. It will also include a discussion on what writers can learn from rejection letters—believe it or not, these can be useful. This workshop aims to be as fun as it is instructional.

Billeh Nickerson is the former editor of Event and PRISM international, two of Canada’s most prestigious literary journals. He is also a longtime contributing editor to Geist. His books include The Asthmatic Glassblower, McPoems, and the forthcoming collection, Impact: the Titanic Poems (all with Arsenal Pulp Press). He is currently working with Mariko Tamaki on Permanent Markers, an anthology of contemporary Canadian writing to be published by Tightrope Books. He lives in Vancouver, where he teaches Creative Writing at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Writing as Connection: Plot, structure, and how come?
with Thom Vernon

Saturday, January 29, 2011
12-3 p.m.
Tightrope Books office (602 Markham Street, Toronto)
$50

Participants will learn techniques to notice plot, structure, and the emergence in their work of meaty/”sexy”/provocative ideas. If approached delicately, these literary elements reveal themselves to be unique to each writer. Using our craft to reveal this authenticity is one of the most exciting benefits of writing. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the connections being made & broken in their work. Bring: 1. a piece of writing to work on, or writers can create a new one in the session; 2. paper, pens, computer, etc. Prerequisite: a spirit ready to explore, ages 14+.

Thom Vernon (author/actor The Drifts, Seinfeld, etc.) leads this three-hour workshop.