On Sunday, October 27 I’ll be part of a panel discussion with local authors about our various publishing experiences as well as sharing our tips for getting your work seen by audiences. This event is presented by Gertrude’s Writing Room & Balanced Life Wellness Centre in Essex. Space is limited to twenty participants and tickets are $40, which includes refreshments, and a post-panel author mingle. Register ahead by contacting organizer Vanessa Shields at sheildsvanessa@gmail.com.

And special thanks to Vanessa for spearheading this event and creating a space for local writers to thrive. She offers many different types of writing workshops and coaching opportunities for burgeoning authors over at the Balanced Life. Check out her full list of 2024 opportunities here.

I’m always grateful to share that several new pieces of mine have been accepted for publication in literary journals and an anthology by UK press Saraband. My poem “Circlet” now appears in the inaugural issue of Pictura Journal, as does an interview about my creative process. A prose-y poem called “Hurricane” recently made the seventeenth edition of The Petigru Review. Two longer prose pieces about travel, “In Wheatley” and “Scenes from the Texas Eagle,” are forthcoming in the fall edition of The Malahat Review. Phylum Press, up the road in London, Ontario, is currently preparing for their debut issue on Bryophyta and my poem, “Lessons from Bryophyta,” will be part of that journal’s release. Finally, Saraband’s latest offering from their In the Moment series will contain a poem of mine called “Winter Reminiscence” as part of their Green Verse Anthology. This occasion will mark my first time being published across the pond and in the UK.

Special thanks to Alicia Wright over at Pictura Journal, Sydney Bollinger at The Petigru Review, Iain Higgins at The Malahat Review, Cameron Sauder and Gabriel Graham Piessens of Phylum Press, and Rosie Hilton at Saraband for supporting these pieces. You’ve all been a pleasure to correspond and work alongside with.

Just a reminder that the City of Windsor Rec and Ed department is currently enrolling for Creative Writing classes taking place this fall at Forest Glade Community Centre and Mackenzie Hall. I offer two different courses at both locations, one for tweens (ages 12 to 15), and another for adults (ages 16 and up). This is an affordable way to learn more about the basics and mechanics of poetry, prose, flash fiction, and micro memoir. Each class is interactive and includes generative prompts, writing reflection and discussion, in addition to some critique/workshop time. Space is limited! See the Events page for specific days and times.