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• Writing Intensive: Poetic Possibilities

  • Start
    7 Apr 2025
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • End
    11 Apr 2025
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Join us for 5 days of digital learning from April 7th to 11th, Online.

  Poetic Possibilities explores the creative and practical components of many poetic forms. Whether you are new to poetry, poet laureate, or anywhere in between, there will be something for you at this event. Join us as we celebrate National Poetry Month with workshops, activities, and discussions to help you on your poetry journey.

  All times are in Pacific (Vancouver) time. Our event is focused on the steps towards publication. Please note the times listed are a range and may vary, especially on the first day)

  
  

  KEY DETAILS

  
  

  SESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES (Titles are not yet finalized and may be subject to change)

  • 2x Workshops on Specific Poetic Forms
  • Chap Book Making
  • Editing and Refining Poetry
  • Panel on Publishing Options for Poets
  • Planning a Poetry Reading Event and Funding
  • Spoken Word Workshop
  • Poetry Open Mic
  • And more

  We are finalizing our roster of speakers, please check back as we update the list. The list of speakers will be updated as contracts and presentation titles are finalized.

  
  

  ZOOM LINK

  • The Zoom link will be sent out in the days immediately before the event and will be included in most communications to you after that date.

  • We will be using the same zoom link for the duration of the event.

  • Please watch your email for a confirmation of registration email.

  • If you do not receive it within 24 hours of registration, please check you spam folders.

  • Contact us at hello@bcwriters.ca if you have not received your confirmation by Friday February 21st to ensure we can get you the needed information.

  
  

  RECORDINGS

  • Sessions, (except social/discussion-based events) will be recorded and made available for 45 days after the last session.

  
  

  WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Our goal is to help you on your journey to publication. You do not need to be ready to publish to attend. Participants who have a work in progress, an idea for a project, or have a finished manuscript will benefit the most from these sessions.

  • Sessions will be a combination of talks, activities, and workshops.

  • Most sessions will be 1 hour in length. Q&A may extend the session longer, but participants are not required to stay.

  • Participants are encouraged to have a pen and paper handy for all sessions.

  • If you are working on a specific project, it is advisable to consider who you plan as your intended audience to help you get the most out of the sessions. Don’t stress about this, but it is helpful to consider if you are writing for the general population, a specific community, or friends and family.

  
  

  RATES

  EARLY BIRD (UNTIL March 7 AT 11:59PM 2025)

  • FBCW MEMBERS: $65
  • GUEST: $80

  REGULAR (AS OF MARCH 8TH, 2025)

  • FBCW MEMBERS: $80
  • GUEST: $95

  SCHOLARSHIP:

  • Limited scholarship-based discounts are available for those experiencing financial difficulties.  Please email us at hello@bcwriters.ca to inquire.

  
  

  SCHEDULE

  (Specific Presentation times will be released in Late-February. Current listed presentations may shift to other slots as we finalize the schedule.)

  MONDAY

  
  

  9:00:AM: Tech Help and Welcome

  
  

  11:00 AM:

  
  

  2:00 PM: 

  
  

  
  

  TUESDAY

  
  

  9:00 AM:

  
  

  11:00 AM:

  
  

  WEDNESDAY

  
  

  9:00 AM:

  
  

  11:00 AM: 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  THURSDAY

  9:00 AM:

  
  

  11:00 AM: 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  FRIDAY

  
  

  9:00 AM:

  
  

  11:00 AM: 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  POLICIES

  RECORDINGS

  • Our presenters are provided with contracts that stipulate the length of time that recordings are available. We are obligated to respect these contracts. No extensions are possible. We have increased the time frame by 15 days to enhance your experience.

  • Reach out if you have any tech challenges related to access of the recordings by May 22nd so that we can help you in the timeframe available.

  REFUND POLICY

  • Full refunds will be issued up to March 28th.

  • Refunds for half of registration fees will be be issued until April 4^th 11:59pm.

  • No refunds are possible after April 4^th at 11:59pm except in the case of severe illness, death, or other urgent situations determined on a case-by-case basis.

  INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

  • We are an organization that cherishes the work of writers and artists. To that end, we ask that all participants respect the intellectual property of our presenters, recordings, and material shared. Do not reproduce or distribute Writing Intensive materials without written permission.

  • Similarly, if other participants share information or excerpts from their projects, please respect their intellectual property.

  LIABILITY

  • In registering, participants understand and agree that the Federation of BC Writers (FBCW), its board, staff, presenters, and members are not liable for any damages or losses arising and waive any of the above from any and all liability.

  • The FBCW provides a space for presenters to share their experiences and insights with participants. The writing industry is a complex and ever-changing environment.  As such, the FBCW does not endorse any specific information shared in our programming as being complete or accurate in all scenarios. Participants have a responsibility to research and make informed decisions on any information given or implied.

  • Difficult and triggering topics can arise as part of artistic practices that are unforeseeable for staff, volunteers, and other participants. The FBCW is not liable for any damages or harms caused by participating in our programming.

  PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS

  • The FBCW is an organisation that celebrates diversity and inclusion and that taking part in the program means that participants are expected to be respectful, inclusive, and support the dignity of all people regardless of age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, ancestry, language, ability, nationality, ability, health status, religion, and socioeconomic status. All people have identities that intersect the categories above. Examples of behaviour that undermine the above are: crude jokes, unwanted communication, statements minimising others’ experiences/histories, and threats.

  • Participants are expected to arrive a few minutes before sessions start.  This allows for any technical issues to be resolved without the group being disrupted.

  • If a participant is late, we ask that they refrain from asking “what did I miss” type questions so that the event can proceed smoothly.  Staff and facilitators will do the best they can to assist if vital information has been shared, but the recording should be able to resolve any questions of this nature.

  • We ask that participants be mindful of the amount of time they speak at events. All participants should have the ability to join in. Participants are expected to keep comments on topic and under a minute so that as many people as possible can participate.

  • Participants understand that if they are muted, it is not an intentional slight to them, but is needed to keep the session moving forward.  Participants can be muted at the discretion of the FBCW facilitators.

  • Difficult topics can arise participants understand that we cannot always know or understand other people’s histories. To help make the space as welcoming and safe as possible, if a participant’s is to share information or read excerpts from works that contain certain themes (outlined below), they will identify this prior to reading it to the group. (e.g. sexual assault, extreme violence, self-harm/eating disorders/suicide ideation, abortion/miscarriage, mental illness, graphic adult content).

  • Participants are expected to understand, be sensitive to, and respect the fact that the work of writers, and their opportunity to read their work may be triggering and/or therapeutic to them. Artistic works require vulnerability and the safety to be vulnerable, especially with sensitive topics. Participants agree to do their best to maintain a safe and supportive space for the sharing of the work, regardless of its nature.

  ACCOMMODATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITY

  • The Federation of BC Writers strives to make our events accessible to folks across ability and neurodivergence. We will do what we can to make our programming available to all people.

  • Our programming is based on zoom which means there are some limitations on what can be accomplished, but also advantages such as closed captioning and the ability to join from anywhere.

  • Accommodations are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

  • Accommodations that would significantly hinder the ability of other participants to be involved or participate are not possible.

  • Some accommodations may be beyond our financial and administrative capabilities. In such cases, we will seek funding or alternatives if possible.

  • Sessions normally last for an hour. Participants are welcome to step way from their computers if they need to while turning off their camera and microphone, but we will not be able to fill people in on what they missed. Participants are asked to return to the recording in such instances.

  
  

  Show details
• April Writers' Social

  • When
    8 Apr 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Join us for a Writers' Social on Tuesday, April 8 from 7:00 - 8:15 PM Pacific by registering here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a Zoom link for the event will be sent to you. When it’s time for the event you can click on the Zoom link to join the event.

  
  

  Many of us strive for a connection with our fellow writers. This members-only monthly event is designed to bring us together for casual chats with breakout rooms. Join us to talk craft, career, and connection for about 75 minutes over Zoom. Meet new people and get the most out of being a part of a provincial organization! Below are the proposed discussion groups for April's meeting (subject to change). Please consider which discussion group you would like to join before you arrive, and email meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you would like to suggest a discussion topic. See you soon!

  
  

  Discussion Groups:

  • Memoir/CNF writers connect
  • What to do when you’ve finished your novel/book/collection, including finding a publisher or agent
  • Creating a writing practice for neurodiverse writers
  • All about poetry
  • Connecting writers with chronic illnesses
  • Creating setting and a sense of place
  • General writing discussion

  
  

  Digital Doors Open at 6:55 pm, Event Starts at 7:00 PM Pacific

  Show details
• Regional Spotlight: Writers Connect Penticton

  • When
    15 Apr 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Join us Tuesday, April 15 at 7:00 pm Pacific for a Regional Spotlight featuring Writers Connect Penticton with host Meaghan Hackinen and readers Faye Arcand, Karen Barrow, Angela Douglas, LaVonne Gould, and Kathryn Jenkins.

  Register here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a link will be sent to you. When it's time for the event, click on the link to join the live Zoom event. We look forward to seeing you there!

  Digital Doors Open at 6:55 pm!

  *This event will be recorded.

  

  Faye Arcand is a writer, author, and creative with a twisted writer brain. Every experience, observation or reflection is fair fodder for her writing. Arcand is an award-winning short story writer in both contemporary and literary works. Her work has also appeared in publications such as Writers’ Digest and Outdoor Living. Arcand has a degree in criminology and worked in the justice system for several years to hone her twisted brain. Her debut novel, a psychological domestic suspense titled INSIDE OUTSIDE, came out in 2024. Arcand loves to travel, study people, and watch ‘reality’ TV. She lives in western Canada with her family. https://fayearcand.com/

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Karen Barrow is a Trinidad-born Canadian author. Her post-secondary studies brought her to Canada, where she eventually settled. Years later, Karen fulfilled a lifelong dream by combining a love of storytelling and a passion for travel to inspire her historical fiction novels. Her first published work, Palmyra, was the winner of the Whistler Independent Book Award for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Guernica Prize and the Page Turner Awards. For more on Karen, go to https:/www.kamabarrow.org/

  She lives in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  LaVonne Chantal is a writer and a bartender of pizza. Akin to the unique flavour combinations on her pizzas, she uses mental processes in her writing like distinctive ingredients to create thrilling fictional tales. For more information on LaVonne, go to LaVonneChantal.com or PeculiarPickles on Substack.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Angela Douglas is a Canadian author who lives in the Okanagan with her husband and kids. Her debut thriller, EVERY FALL, was published in January 2025, and her sophomore novel, THE BONE TRAIL, will follow in June 2026, both with Rising Action Publishing. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers of Canada, the Federation of BC Writers, Sisters in Crime - Canada West and the Writer’s Union of Canada. When she isn’t working or hanging out with her family, she hides in her studio, writing her next book. You can find her at angeladouglasbooks.com or @angeladouglasbooks on social media.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Kathryn Jenkins has published a number of personal essays for Okanagan Life magazine. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories (less than 1000 words) with a surprising twist at the end. Her non-writing interests vary each day and include dreaming of remaining a writer!  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Meaghan Hackinen (FBCW host): is a bike-obsessed bookworm on a lifelong hunt for exceptional cycling routes, both on and off the pavement. Her cross-continental bike race memoir, Shifting Gears, was released by NeWest Press in 2023. Find her online: meaghanhackinen.com 

  
  

  Show details
• Book Club for Writers: "Writing the Breakout Novel" with special guest Frances Peck

  • When
    15 May 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Member Price: Free (with donation options)

  Non-Member Price: $10

  **Digital doors open at 6:55 pm; event starts at 7:00 pm

  **Portions of this event will be recorded and made available to registrants to view for 30 days. Breakout room discussions will not be recorded.

  
  

  The Federation of BC Writers invites you to participate in our newest programming initiative: Book Club for Writers! This online book club for writers offers an opportunity to read and discuss books related to the craft of writing. Book Club events are 75 minutes long and feature a combination of small group discussion using breakout rooms, large group discussion in the main room, as well as an opportunity to hear the author, contributor, editor, or special guest’s insights and ask questions.

  
  

  Our March 2025 pick is Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. We are thrilled that award-nominated writer and FBCW Ambassador Frances Peck will join us to share her insights and lead the conversation. Register here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) to receive the event link, discussion questions, and reminders. Purchase the book, review the discussion questions, and when it's time for the event, click on the link to join the live Zoom event. We look forward to seeing you there!

  
  

  BOOK BLURB:

  
  

  Maybe you're a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you've already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel - one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists.
  

  
  Maass details the elements that all breakout novels share - regardless of genre - then shows you writing techniques that can make your own books stand out and succeed in a crowded marketplace.
  
  You'll learn:
     • establish a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place
     • weave subplots into the main action for a complex, engrossing story
     • create larger-than-life characters that step right off the page
     • explore universal themes that will interest a broad audience of readers
     • sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish
     • develop an inspired premise that sets your novel apart from the competition
  
  
  Then, using examples from the recent works of several best-selling authors - including novelist Anne Perry - Maass illustrates methods for upping the ante in every aspect of your novel writing. You'll capture the eye of an agent, generate publisher interest and lay the foundation for a promising career.

  
  

  PRESENTER BIO:

  
  

  Frances Peck worked as an editor, ghostwriter, and instructor of editing and writing for three decades. Then she returned to her childhood preoccupation, creative writing. Her debut novel, The Broken Places, about a major earthquake rocking Vancouver, was a Globe and Mail best book of 2022 and a finalist for the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. Her second novel, Uncontrolled Flight, about the death of a BC firefighting pilot, made 2023 book-of-the-year lists at 49th Shelf and Consumed by Ink. Frances grew up in Cape Breton, lived in Ottawa, and in 2005 moved to North Vancouver. She is at work on a new novel.
  

  
  

  STEPS:

  1. Register here to receive the discussion questions and event link

  2. Purchase your print or electronic version of the book

  3. Read the book and consider the discussion questions (emailed two weeks before meeting)

  • Find Writing the Breakout Novel at your local bookstore 
    
  • Find on Kindle
    

  4. Join the Book Club meeting using the Zoom link to discuss your responses and hear from the authors!

  
  

  Please email Meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you have any questions, or would like to suggest a book.

  Show details