Lectures

SO, YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER…
9.30 am

Speakers: Elise Moser and Lori Schubert
Getting published and making it as a professional writer can be tough--but it can also be fun and fascinating. It can lead you to people, places, and ideas you might never have imagined. Come hear Elise Moser, novelist, short story writer and President of the Quebec Writers' Federation, and Lori Schubert, Executive Director of the QWF, talk about the writer's life -- and how to get started.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF A GOOD MURDER
10.30 am

Speaker: John Moss
John Moss writes literary mysteries. Millions of people read detective fiction, thrillers, fantasy, horror, romance, science fiction, and other so-called genre writing, yet few in the university would ever admit to reading such ordinary fare themselves. John will talk quite informally about the academic bias against popular fiction and why the division between genre writing and the literary is arbitrary and often absurd. He will support his arguments from readings of his own work and then offer advice to aspiring writers about writing literary mysteries.

THE BLOGGER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE
2.00 pm

Speaker: Alison Garwood-Jones
How does one break into the writing world later on in one’s career? Garwood-Jones started out her working life as an art historian, and then switched to journalism with nothing other than her enthusiasm and a laptop: she had no degrees, no contacts. But no sooner was she “in” when the landscape completely changed, the result of a collision between a bad economy and the rise of digital media. Garwood-Jones will speak to students about thinking on their feet and knowing how to adapt and survive — dreams intact — when circumstances change.

THE WORLD OF THE GRAPHIC NOVELIST
3.00 pm

Speaker: Pascal Girard
Pascal Girard will chat informally about his approach to being a graphic novelist. For almost each new book, his techniques and manner of working change. Using his drawings and other components from his work, he will address these techniques and talk about what aspiring graphic novelists might also want to consider.

CRITICIZE THAT
5.00 pm

Speaker: John Griffin
What does it take to make in the field of arts criticism? John will given an informal lecture, in a question-and-answer format, to address exactly what is required: from the obvious (some knowledge of the field and an ability to write and communicate effectively) to the less obvious (a thick skin, much self-confidence, and a willingness to spend more time than one might expect with works in the chosen field).