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Writers Studio |
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Ticketed Event
Lorna Crozier and Steve Heighton, In Conversation
Zoom WebinarWith our third event in our series of pre-season events, we welcome two beloved KWF alumni to our virtual stage. Join poets and authors Lorna Crozier and Steve Heighton for […]
An Evening with Thomas King
Zoom WebinarJoin Kingston WritersFest as we welcome back two festival alumni for a virtual European holiday. Tune in as podcaster Ben Charland speaks with award-winning author Thomas King about Indians on […]
An Afternoon with Louise Penny
Zoom WebinarJoin us for the exclusive Canadian appearance of one of Kingston WritersFest's most requested guests, award-winning author Louise Penny. In this special fundraiser event, Louise will chat with veteran broadcaster […]
Book Lovers’ Lunch
Zoom WebinarSave the date and get your notepads ready – here’s your backstage pass to the publishing industry! No one is more plugged in that Ben McNally of Toronto’s Ben McNally […]
1. Selling Your Story: Agent’s Pitch Assessment
Zoom WebinarHoping to land an agent for your brilliant work-in-progress or finished manuscript? Book your 10-minute time slot now for a chance to pitch your pet project to agent Stephanie Winter, […]
2. An Evening with Helen Humphreys
Zoom WebinarAward-winning writer and former poet laureate of Kingston, Helen Humphreys brings us her newest grand and beautiful experiment in fiction: Rabbit Foot Bill. Set in a small prairie town, and […]
3. Our Canadian Values: Can They Heal the World?
Zoom WebinarJohn Stackhouse, author, journalist, and senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Policy, argues that Canada’s voice is in danger of being lost in the noise as […]
4. Elevator Pitch: “Mega Drop” Fiction
Zoom WebinarWith his signature tantalizing plot and gut-churning tension, Linwood Barclay offers Elevator Pitch, a best-selling novel that provides the thrill of a big drop fairground ride. A Manhattan office tower […]
5. Graphic Description: Memoir of a Moonie
Zoom WebinarAs a young woman at a crossroads, Marianne Boucher was introduced to a group of simple, kind, and loving people. She felt connected right away. However, using subtle brainwashing techniques, […]
Guest Storytime – Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe
Zoom WebinarJoin author and illustrator Matthew Forsythe for afternoon storytime, hosted by Kingston Frontenac Public Library. From E.B. White Read Aloud honor artist Matthew Forsythe comes a picture book about a […]
6. #MeToo: Reclaiming Women’s Power By Outing Rape Culture
Zoom WebinarIn her review of Robyn Doolittle’s powerful book, Had It Coming, author Erin Wunker writes, “Now, after the watershed of #MeToo, where do we go and how might we get […]
7. Thriller Writing: Finding the Perfect Hook
Zoom WebinarHave you ever purchased a book on the strength of the first sentence or paragraph? That’s the power of a hook. With the right statement or question, you can create […]
8. Reaching for Hope: Transformation of a World in Peril
Zoom WebinarCan humanity pull itself back from the abyss of extinction? In Commanding Hope, Thomas Homer-Dixon, analytical philosopher and author of bestsellers The Ingenuity Gap, and The Upside of Down, offers […]
9. Writing Outside the Box
Zoom WebinarMolson Award-winning experimental fiction writer Diane Schoemperlen shares her “box of tricks”, offering techniques for opening yourself to experimentation with literary form by using the page in unique ways, re-imagining […]
10. Writing the Real
Zoom WebinarAward-winning author Joan Thomas investigates the literary sweet spot where imagination and actuality meet and cross-pollinate. As a class, you will look at the approaches of various novelists who treat […]
11. Poetry for Where We Find Ourselves
Zoom Webinar“What a place we find ourselves in now. What a mad and dangerous universe of possibility.” (Matt Suddain, The Theatre of the Gods) Poets Gwen Benaway, Canisia Lubrin, and Sadiqa […]
12. Diner Cuisine: Tradition and Taste from the Catskills
Zoom WebinarDiner food is comfort food, and the Phoenicia Diner celebrates the regional produce and food traditions of the idyllic Catskills mountains region. American author Sara Franklin has made a study […]
13. RDL: Black Lives Matter
Zoom WebinarBlack Lives Matter is currently at the forefront of the news cycle, with worldwide protests and shocking stories revealed almost daily of incidents of systemic racism. In recounting a year […]
14. The Importance of Oral Histories in Reframing History
Zoom WebinarHow does oral history align with, or contradict, received history? Join oral history scholar Sara Franklin as she talks with Kingston writer Laura Murray about how oral history might serve […]
15. Oral Storytelling 101
Zoom WebinarFor anyone wishing to capture stories of elderly family members or special groups in the community, this is the perfect starter course. Oral historian Sara Franklin walks participants through the […]
16. What is Certain? Historical / Speculative Fiction
Zoom Webinar“Certainty is the catalyst that turns attitude into action, bringing beliefs to life and imbuing them with meaning and consequence,” writes Zakary Tormala in the Harvard Business Review. Praised by […]
17. Couple Cold Snap: Fiction
Zoom WebinarAward-winning author Shani Mootoo said in a NowToronto interview: “I am interested in the fact that no matter how closely you live with someone, you can never really know what […]
18. Author! Author!
Zoom WebinarFive Christian missionaries are killed, leaving young wives and children alone in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Governor-General’s award-winning fiction author Joan Thomas asks what combination of faith, magical thinking, and naïveté […]
19. The Big Idea
Zoom WebinarJoin Carol Off for a visionary exercise about what the future holds, with statistician Darrell Bricker, economist Jeff Rubin, novelist Catherine Bush, and Tessa McWatt. With unprecedented global upheaval, and […]
20. Writing the Natural World
Zoom WebinarNovelist, poet, and non-fiction author Helen Humphreys finds the natural world close to her heart these days, but her deep love for the natural world is manifest throughout her writing. […]
21. The Opposite of Identical: Fiction
Zoom WebinarAnnabel Lyon’s mysterious and heartbreaking new novel Consent centres on two pairs of sisters, one of them twins, whose lives become tangled together by tragedy. Saskia and Jenny may look […]
22. Working with Negative Space in Fiction
Zoom WebinarAward-winning novelist and professor of creative writing at UBC, Annabel Lyon leads this class. Borrowing from other artistic genres, the class looks at how the idea of negative space applies […]
23. In Praise of Paths: Finding Direction in Nature
Zoom WebinarPerhaps you’re among the many who recently have taken to walking as means of stress relief. Norwegian author Torbjørn Ekelund understands the healing potential of walking paths and trails. With […]
Guest Storytime – Sunny by Celia Krampien
Zoom WebinarJoin debut author and illustrator Celia Krampien for afternoon storytime, hosted by Kingston Frontenac Public Library. Sunny is an unforgettable, transcendent story about the true power of optimism. Most people […]
FESTIVAL TICKET INFO + PRICES 2020
All regular onstage events for 2020 are free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Tickets for Writers Studio master classes can be purchased directly from the website – click the Buy Now button.
Writers Studio Master Classes General Admission $30 – all ages
OFFSEASON EVENTS: View event description carefully for details on price, advance sale cut-offs, and venue.
FEES: All ticket prices include HST.
EXCHANGES and REFUNDS: We do not offer exchanges or refunds on tickets (except when an event is cancelled), so please plan before you buy.