Conference
- January 19 – 21, 2024
- Co-hosts: CV Writers Society & North Island College
- Sponsors: Peninsula Co-op, CV Record, CV Regional District
- Location: North Island College – Comox Valley campus
Map of North Island College CV campus – click to enlarge
Program
2024 NIWC Program
Friday night – January 19, 2024 Stan Hagen Theatre in Komoux Hall
- 7:00 – 8: 30 p.m.
- Welcome from CV Writers Society President & North Island College Liaison
- Keynote speaker: Dr. Tilar Mazzeo – The Nonfiction Contract: Fact-based Writing and the Limits of the Imagination
Free and open to the public.
Saturday – January 20, 2024 NIC Courtenay campus Tyee Hall
8:30 – 8:55: In-person registration, networking
9:00 – 12:00: Workshop sessions
12:00 – 1:30: Lunch break – brown bag, restaurants in area
12:30 – 1:15: Lunch discussion with Jordan Scott – children’s author
1:30 – 3:30: Afternoon workshop sessions (5-hour workshops)
1:30 – 4:30: Afternoon workshop sessions (3-hour workshops)
4:30 – 5:00: Wrap up, networking
Five-hour workshops: Cost $52.00
- 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Dr. Tilar Mazzeo – Writing Dynamic Narrative Nonfiction
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Three-hour workshops: Cost $32.00
- 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Judy LeBlanc – Telling Your Truth
- 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Robert Hilles – Flash Fiction: Make it Happen Fast
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Brown bag Lunch discussion: Free
- 12:30 – 1:15 p.m.
- Jordan Scott – Discussion on Children’s Literature
Saturday Workshop Descriptions:
Writing Dynamic Narrative Nonfiction 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Presenter: Dr. Tilar Mazzeo TYEE HALL Room 203
Description: Narrative nonfiction is a storyteller’s bargain with a reader: in it an author commits to inventing nothing in a fact-based narrative, in exchange for being given the freedom as an historian to use all the techniques of fiction or screenwriting. This workshop focuses on how to tell a compelling story within the “nonfiction contract”, from how to develop character (and how to find the facts that will allow you do reveal it) to working with pacing, narrative tension, or scene setting. If you’ve ever wanted to write a memoir, tell a family story, or publish a book about an untold history, narrative nonfiction this workshop offers new techniques and concrete writing skills you can use in your craft.
Cost: $52.00
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Telling Your Truth 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Presenter: Judy LeBlanc TYEE HALL Room 204
Description: The truth, as far as the writer knows it, serves as an artful constraint around which to craft personal narrative. In this workshop, we’ll consider the wily nature of memory and how to tap into its truth, whether that be literal or emotional. Participants will engage in discussion and writing exercises that help to develop a ‘persona’ in the narrating voice. They’ll practice using fictional techniques, incorporating personal reflection, and highlighting thematic resonance in order to elevate a chronicle of events into an engaging narrative. We’ll look at examples and draw from those who’ve written about the craft of personal narrative such as Brenda Miller, Vivian Gornick and Mary Carr. Whether you have a completed early draft or only the kernel of an idea, this workshop will help you parse out the story that is at the heart of what you want to tell.
Cost: $32.00
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Lunch discussion on Children’s Literature 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Author: Jordan Scott TYEE LOUNGE
Bring your brown bag lunch and join us for a lunch hour discussion of children’s literature.
Free
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Flash Fiction: Make it Happen Fast 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Presenter: Robert Hilles TYEE HALL Room 205
Description: Join author Robert Hilles whose recent book of Flash Fiction is called The Pink Puppet.
In this three-hour workshop Robert Hilles will discuss the secrets to writing fiction in the miniature. That will include what comprises a successful piece of flash fiction and the key elements that every piece of flash fiction requires to make it work. You will learn what defines a piece of flash fiction and what distinguishes them from short stories and prose poems. There will also be time for participants to share their flash fiction pieces and receive critiques on them from other participants and Robert Hilles.
Cost: $32.00
Sunday – January 21, 2024 NIC Courtenay campus Tyee Hall
8:30 – 8:55: In-person registration, networking
9:00 – 12:00: Workshop sessions
12:00 – 1:30: Lunch break – brown bag, restaurants in area
1:30 – 3:30: Afternoon workshop sessions (5-hour workshops)
1:30 – 4:30: Afternoon workshop sessions (3-hour workshops)
4:30 – 5:00: Wrap up, networking
Five-hour workshop: Cost: $52.00
- 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (1.5-hour lunch break from 12 – 1:30 p.m.)
- Susan Juby – The Intricacies of a Humourous Novel
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Three-hour workshops: Cost: $32.00
- 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- JP (Jo-Anne) McLean – Writing Deeper Dialogue
- 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Guy Dauncey – How to Become a Trusted Environmental Writer
Sunday Workshop Descriptions
The Intricacies of a Humourous Novel 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Presenter: Susan Juby TYEE HALL Room 202
Description: Books that make readers laugh are rare and precious things and they are treasured by their fans. Yes, it’s true that the sad books get most of the prizes and respect, but genuinely funny books give readers a much-needed break from life’s gloom — a worthy goal for any writer.
If you think you’re funny, or you could be, given the right workshop, this session is for you. Writing humorous novels involves combining your unique sensibilities with the techniques of fiction-writing. We will investigate comedy-writing basics and how humour can be deployed in character building, scene development, dialogue, pacing, tone and more. This workshop will also look at how writers use humour in a variety of established genres including mystery, fantasy, romance.
Cost: $52.00
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Writing Deeper Dialogue 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Presenter: JP (Jo-Anne) McLean TYEE HALL Room 204
Description: It seems authors either love writing dialogue or hate it. But regardless, it’s something we have to master if we want to write engaging stories.
Dialogue is a heavy lifter in our writers’ toolbox. When done well, it can:
1. Reveal character
2. Heighten emotion
3. Define subtext
4. Advance the plot
Join JP McLean to talk about how to write deeper dialogue that conveys much more than words.
Cost: $32.00
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How to Become a Trusted Environmental Writer 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Presenter: Guy Dauncey TYEE HALL Room 205
Description: During this three-hour workshop Guy Dauncey will give you the advice needed to write a successful feature article about an environmental theme of your choosing. You will be supported to choose your theme, to consider possible outlets, and to prepare your research plan. The workshop will also be fun, in keeping with Guy’s Fifth Law of Sustainability: “If it’s not fun, it’s not sustainable!”
Cost: $32.00
Blue Pencil Café NIC Courtenay campus Tyee Hall
Editor: Dave Flawse Cost: $62.00
Saturday, January 20th: 30-minute in-person sessions
- 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
- 9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
- 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- 11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
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Sunday, January 21st: 30-minute in-person sessions
- 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
- 9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
- 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- 11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
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Zoom session option; Dates & times to be arranged after registering
Description: For emerging writers and pros: unlock the full potential of your fiction or nonfiction in a 30-minute in-person session with detailed notes on technical elements (plot, structure, character, dialogue, setting, point of view, voice, tone, and tense). Dave Flawse will offer suggestions for improvement and outline the piece’s strengths—because what’s working is just as important as what isn’t. Join a session and make your story shine!
A session with Dave promises to be illuminating, but don’t take just our word for it. Here’s what others have to say:
“I found Dave to be a respectful reader of my work. When he made critical comments, he was never negative or discouraging. He always mentioned what I had done well and helped me build on that.”—David A
“Dave’s in-depth understanding of story structure and his amazing suggestions after careful and thoughtful consideration of my novel helped me improve my writing and my story. He also was supportive and encouraging in offering praise where deserved. Treat yourself to a knowledgeable, amicable, and productive editor.” —Bette K.
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Submission guidelines:
- For book-length work: Submit your first chapter (up to 2500 words) of fiction or nonfiction/memoir. Include a one-paragraph synopsis, a one-sentence elevator pitch, and up to three questions you might have about your work.
- For short fiction or nonfiction: Submit up to 2500 words. Include up to three questions you might have about your work.
Submissions must be received no later than January 12th, 2024. Please submit manuscripts to: [email protected]
Presenters
Saturday workshop presenters:
Dr. Tilar Mazzeo
Dr. Tilar Mazzeo was most recently Professeure associée in the Département de littératures et langues du monde and a member of the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur les humanités numériques at the Université de Montréal. Dr. Mazzeo has worked in “digital humanities” since 1996, in administrative, editorial, and production capacities. She was formerly the Clara C. Piper Associate Professor of English at Colby College and has held faculty positions in the Oregon and Wisconsin state university systems.
She is presently a 2022-2023 Public Scholar with the National Endowment for the Humanities (US), working on a book about nineteenth-century merchant mariner, Mary Ann Patten, Antarctica, and the West Coast Gold Rush. Dr. Mazzeo, a life-long sailor and fourth-generation mariner (and a tenth-generation Mainer), co-captains a cold-molded custom Robert Harris Vancouver 42; her upcoming research includes an expedition to the southern polar regions to retrace Patten’s steps. This work has been additionally supported by the Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
A recipient of numerous prestigious awards and fellowships for her creative writing and work in narrative non-fiction, including an award from the Canada Council for the Arts for her most recent title, Sisters in Resistance, Dr. Mazzeo’s previous works of cultural history and biography have been New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Los Angeles Times bestsellers. Her book on writing narrative nonfiction for general audiences, intended to assist academics, cultural researchers, and others trained in fact-based storytelling, is forthcoming from Yale University Press.
Dr. Mazzeo completed doctoral studies in the Department of English and in the Program in Theory and Criticism at the University of Washington at Seattle in 1999 and is an old member of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge. She graduated summa cum laude as an undergraduate from the University of New Hampshire, with degrees in English and classical Greek.
Dr. Mazzeo is also an internationally recognized wine writer, with a focus on natural wines, the wines of Napa and Sonoma, and Champagne. She holds a post-graduate winemaking certificate (2-year program) from the University of California at Davis (2015), an Advanced Certificate with Merit from the WSET (2012, International Wine Center, New York City), and has guest lectured at prestigious wine events including Women of the Vine, the Symposium for International Wine Writers, and the San Francisco School of Wine. She was the recipient of Gourmand’s award for the best work of wine writing for her bestselling “oenobiography,” The Widow Clicquot. From 2015-2021 she was the proprietor and winemaker at Parsell Vineyard, Vancouver Island’s first natural / RAW winery, and today she teaches on the wine industry in business and management at the university level on Vancouver Island. Her wine writing has appeared in venues such as Food and Wine. She writes a regular wine column for West Coast readers with Seaside Magazine.
A U.S. – Canadian dual national, Dr. Mazzeo lives with her husband and stepsons on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. She leads writing retreats on narrative nonfiction, book proposal development, and travel / wine writing from her writing retreat on Malcolm Island, on the edge of the Great Bear Rain Forest.
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Judy LeBlanc
Judy LeBlanc completed an MFA in writing in 2012 at UVIC and has taught all genres of writing at North Island College.
Judy is the author of the short story collection The Promise of Water, published by Oolichan in 2017 and the novel The Broken Heart of Winter, published by Caitlin Press in 2023. Her memoir-in-essays is forthcoming from Caitlin Press in 2024 from which essays have appeared in Prairie Fire, Fiddlehead, Geist and Prism.
Her fiction has been widely published in Canadian literary journals including the Malahat Review, Prism, Geist, Grain, Antigonish Review and Filling Station.
She was first place winner of the Sheldon Currie Fiction prize in 2012 and longlisted for the CBC fiction prize that same year.
Judy lives in Fanny Bay where she founded The Fat Oyster Reading Series. in Fanny Bay and has taught creative writing at North Island College.
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Jordan Scott
Jordan Scott is a poet and children’s author. His debut children’s book, I Talk Like a River (illustrated by Sydney Smith), was a New York Times best Children’s Book of 2020. I Talk Like a River is translated into nineteen languages and was the recipient of the American Library Association’s, Schneider Family Book Award, which honors authors for the artistic expression of the disability experience. I Talk Like a River has won numerous international awards and was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Prize for Young People’s Literature. Scott is also the author of four books of poetry and the recipient of the Latner Writers’ Trust Poetry Prize, given to a mid-career poet in recognition of a remarkable body of work, and in anticipation of future contributions to Canadian poetry. Scott teaches Children’s Literature at the UBC Creative Writing Department.
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Robert Hilles
Robert Hilles won the Governor General’s Award for Poetry for Cantos from a Small Room. His first novel, Raising of Voices, won the George Bugnet Award for best novel and his second novel, A Gradual Ruin, was published by Doubleday Canada.
His books have also been shortlisted for The Milton Acorn People’s Poetry Prize, The W.O. Mitchell/City of Calgary Prize, The Stephan Stephansson Award, and The Howard O’Hagan Award.
Robert has published eighteen books of poetry, and two nonfiction books. His latest novel is Don’t Hang Your Soul on That and his latest poetry book is, From God’s Angle. In 2023 he published, The Pink Puppet, a book of flash fiction.
His webpage is: https://roberthilles.wordpress.com
Sunday workshop presenters:
Susan Juby
Susan Juby’s most recent novel, Mindful of Murder, is a bestselling cozy mystery. It was shortlisted for the 2023 Leacock Medal for Humour. She has, in fact, been short- and long-listed for the Canada’s national humour writing prize more times than any other woman in Canadian history. Fortunately, she has also won it once, for Republic of Dirt, saving her from becoming the Susan Lucci of the Leacock. Her first book, Alice, I Think, was a national bestseller adapted into a TV series on CTV and her bestselling book, The Woefield Poultry Collective remains an international fan favourite.
Susan lives on Vancouver Island, where she teaches creative writing at Vancouver Island University. For hobbies, she does a lot of walking and fretting. Susan is an unskilled but earnest practitioner of Buddhism and a notably unsuccessful amateur dog trainer.
“Susan Juby is one of our country’s great court jesters with her hilariously astute depictions of small-town life that always favour loving mockery over flippant derision… The best humour writers never settle for the expected – Juby is among them.”
—The Globe and Mail
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JP (Jo-Anne) McLean
JP (Jo-Anne) McLean is the author of ten books in the urban fantasy and thriller genres: three novels in her Dark Dream series – Blood Mark, Ghost Mark and Scorch Mark; seven novels in The Gift Legacy – Secret Sky, Hidden Enemy, Burning Lies, Lethal Waters, Deadly Deception, Wings of Prey and Lover Betrayed.
Jo-Anne is an Eric Hoffer winner and was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, the Chanticleer International Book Awards, and the Independent Author Network Awards. She is a B.R.A.G. medallion honoree and three-time Literary Titan award winner. Reviewers call her books addictive, smart, and fun.
JP lives with her husband on Denman Island. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cooking dishes that turn out looking nothing like the recipe photos or arguing with weeds in the garden. She enjoys hearing from readers. Contact her via her website, jpmcleanauthor.com.
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Guy Dauncey
Guy Dauncey is an ecotopian futurist and author who works to develop a positive vision of a sustainable future, and to translate that vision into action. He is the author ten books, six of which have won awards. His most recent book is an ecotopian novel, Journey to the Future: A Better World is Possible (2015).
For 23 years, while living in Victoria, he produced a monthly newsletter EcoNews, writing an Op-Ed and ten story-shorts every month. In 2002 he founded the BC Sustainable Energy Association, and in 2021 he co-founded the West Coast Climate Action Network.
He lives in Yellow Point, near Ladysmith. He is currently completing what will hopefully be his 11th published book, The Economics of Kindness: A Guide for the 21st Century.
His website is www.thepracticalutopian.ca.
Blue Pencil Café
Dave Flawse
Dave Flawse is an editor, freelance writer, and the publisher of VancouverIslandHistory.com. A firm believer in literary citizenship, he promotes and furthers literary arts in British Columbia with the goal of helping this robust and diverse community impact as many readers as possible.
With this in mind, Dave will provide you with in-depth suggestions (on setting, character, voice, etc.) and outline your work’s strengths—because what’s working is just as important as what isn’t.
Testimonials:
“I found Dave to be a respectful reader of my work. When he made critical comments, he was never negative or discouraging. He always mentioned what I had done well and helped me build on that.”—David A
“Dave’s in-depth understanding of story structure and his amazing suggestions after careful and thoughtful consideration of my novel helped me improve my writing and my story. He also was supportive and encouraging in offering praise where deserved. Treat yourself to a knowledgeable, amicable and productive editor.” —Bette K.
Registration
The 2024 North Island Writers Conference is now over. Thank you to everyone who attended and made this such a vibrant event!
See you at the 2025 North Island Writers Conference!
Mark the dates – January 17, 18, 19!