A book by WCDR member Bill Swan has been named winner of the Red Maple non-fiction category of the Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading program. Swan’s book, REAL JUSTICE: Fourteen and Sentenced to Death, was selected from a list of 10 nominees and announced at the OLA’s Forest Festival at Toronto Harbourfront.

The book is the story of Steven Truscott, a Grade 7 student at the Royal Canadian Air Force Base in Clinton, Ont. who was charged with the murder of a classmate and sentenced to hang. The case was instrumental in the abolition of the death penalty in Canada.

The Forest of Reading program this year nominated 118 books in 8 categories from beginning readers to high school. Winners of each category are selected by young readers voting for their favourite books.

Winner of the Red Maple fiction award was Oshawa writer Wesley King for his book The Vindico.

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.accessola.org/OLAWEB/Forest_of_Reading/Welcome/OLAWEB/Forest_of_Reading/Welcome.aspx&sa=U&ei=mjTKUPv9HKy0iQfglYDIAQ&ved=0CAcQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNE0_fWBY-Q-si2BWfim-4n7XkFBog

Sam Hiyate, former publisher and literary agent, will be hosting one-on-one meetings to review and provide professional advice on your query letter, synopsis, and 20 page writing sample.

For 4 days only!

Sam Hiyate is president of The Rights Factory, a literary agency based in Toronto with an international reach. His client list includes Jennifer Close, whose debut Girls in White Dresses was a recent NYT bestseller, David Gilmour, Margot Berwin, Andrew Kaufman, Jessica Westhead, Elaine Dewar, Maurice Vellekoop, Imogen Lloyd Webber, Claire Letemendia and Rupinder Gill. Before that, he ran the literary division of The Lavin Agency. In his 20+ year publishing career, he was co-founder and publisher of the litmag Blood & Aphorisms (b+a) and the editor/publisher of the avant-garde literary publisher Gutter Press. Sam also teaches at U of T and has lectured on publishing at Simon Fraser University, Humber College, and Centennial College, where he sits on the Publishing Advisory Board. He has taught creative writing at a private workshop in Toronto since 2000.

www.therightsfactory.com

With spring finally here I’m sure we are all ready to sit down for some inspired writing. Or at least sit in the sun and soak up some warmth!

A reminder and a few announcements to keep you in the writing spirit.

Reminders:

This month’s WCSC meeting will be held on May 26, i.e. the fourth Sunday of the month instead of our usual third Sunday due to the Victoria day weekend. See you there!

Events:

The NorthWords Muskoka Literary Festival has developed a partnership with the University Of Toronto School Of Continuing Studies to present a five day intensive writing workshop in Muskoka. It is a unique and transformational five day workshop to be held from June 24 to June 28 at the Trillium Resort and Spa in Port Sydney, Ontario. Focussing on the opening pages of your novel, memoir, or creative non-fiction, award winning writers Priscila Uppal and David Layton will cover all aspects of prose writing, including plot, character development and style. Fifteen pages of prose, submitted by June 15, will be subjected to intensive work-shopping and professional editing. Registration for the course is available at http://learn.utoronto.ca/courses-programs/creative-writing.

Art ce Soir , Barrie’s late night art event, will be held in Barrie on September 29 and is a great night of culture and creativity under the stars and on the streets. Anyone wishing to submit an application can find more information at www.artcesoir.com. The deadline for submissions is June 1.

Please contact Cyndy Gervais at cyndy@bmts.com if interested

Deadline: August 1, 2013

Prizes offered: $1000 CAD

Cost to Enter (if any): $35 CAD for Canadians (includes a one-year subscription to The Malahat Review)

Website: http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/creative_non-fiction_prize/info.html

Other Details: Enter a piece of creative nonfiction between 2000 and 3000 words in length. Entries can now be received via email or regular mail.

Women writers of all levels of experience are invited to share their creative fiction, non-fiction and poetry in a casual and supportive environment. You do not need to read to attend, come out to support aspiring and established Durham writers! Readers will have between 10 and 15 minutes to read depending on the number of registrations. Register for free at www.more2life4women.ca/event/summer-solstice-open-mic-for-women/

Radical Restoration is also hosting its first annual retreat in Italy, April 16 to 27, 2014, in an ancient stone villa. With restorative morning yoga and guided writing practice, afternoons free to write or explore, this retreat also offers first class cuisine, ancient culture, and breathtaking vistas. 10 day retreat from $2795. per person.

www.radicalrestoration.ca

Contact: Deepam 705-323-4903 deepam@radicalrestoration.ca