The Writers' Community of Durham Region

Speaker: Bill Howell, writer for CBC Radio and Poet.

On February 13th, CBC Radio writer and accomplished poet Bill Howell will explore the structure and nature of what we hear on radio. How do we find something useful for our writing in what we are exposed to? He places special emphasis on the poetry of the colloquial, that is to say: the given voice creates its own context simply by speaking. Spoken word, sound effects, music, and silence: these are the elements. What can be said about them?

Bill Howell was a network producer-director with CBC Radio Drama in Toronto for 27 years (1977-2004), a Program Executive Producer for 23 years. His plays have garnered multiple ACTRA and international awards, and his series are still heard around the world. Air Farce, Nightfall, CBC Stage, Canadian Free Theatre, Sunday Matinee, Playing For Keeps, Midnight Cab, Clean Sweep, Peggy Delaney, The Old Guy, The Mystery Project. He’s spent his life developing and editing scripts, casting and directing actors, and immersing himself in complex multi-track mixes.

Bill is also one of the original Storm Warning poets. Now at the height of an award-winning literary career spanning four decades, he’s the author of four poetry collections: The Red Fox (M & S, 1971), In a White Shirt (Black Moss, 1982), Moonlight Saving Time (Wolsak & Wynn, 1990) and Porcupine Archery, released by Insomniac Press last May. Ghost Test Flights (Rubicon Press, 2008) was a winner at the inaugural WCDR Chapbook Challenge, and a number of you heard him read from it. His writing has appeared in literary journals and magazines across the country, in the United Kingdom, and in the United States.

Bill has recent work in Antigonish Review, Descant, Event, Existere, Magma (UK), New Quarterly, Nthposition (UK), Rampike, and The Best Canadian Poetry in English, 2008. Upcoming work: Literary Review of Canada, Misunderstandings, New York Quarterly, and Precipice. Toronto area readings this year: Art Bar, Chapters, Dora Keogh, Hot-Sauced Words, Lit Live (Hamilton) and Rower’s Pub. Upcoming appearances: Toronto (Pivot Series & Livewords), and Ottawa (Tree Reading Series).

WEBSITES:
Sampler from Porcupine Archery
New York Quarterly
League of Canadian Poets

To attend, please click here to register on our REGISTRATION PAGE by phone message at 905-686-0211 or by e-mail at breakfast@wcdr.org no later than noon on Thursday, February 11th.
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And after breakfast, our mini-workshop facilitator will be David Drane, leading a workshop called, “If It Didn’t Happen, Why Do I Remember it so Clearly?” that deals with nostalgia vs. memory in Memoir writing. Click HERE to read more.

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The WCDR monthly breakfast meetings are where experienced and aspiring writers gather, learn and connect. Join us throughout the year to hear authors and industry speakers, to enjoy a special event, and to broaden your networking circle. Everyone is welcome. Meetings run from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the J.P. Fitzpatrick & Son restaurant in the Whitby Entertainment Centrum at 75 Consumers Rd. (west of Thickson Rd. S.). The cost, which includes an excellent and hearty breakfast, is $15 for members; $20 for guests. (Ask us how, by becoming a member, you can save!) Cost with the mini-workshop included is $25 for members and $30 for guests.

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