Category Archives: Stories

By Maria Sabourin-Jovel

by Basil Chui

One of Toronto Writers Collective’s partners, Mood Disorders Ottawa, or MDO, held a recital in late March, allowing its writers to share their stories and talents with the group’s wider membership. Twelve participants from around Ontario shared their writing to a Zoom audience of over fifty.

The recital was the brainchild of Sharon Roberts, a longtime member of MDO, and their program’s coordinator at the time, who has been facilitating TWC workshops since MDO has been offering them in the spring of 2020.

“I can’t wait each week to see what our writers have in store for us. I don’t know how or where they come up with those ideas, but they inspire me. They have ideas I didn’t even consider when I wrote the prompts. But getting those ideas out helps with my own mental health recovery,” she said. “And the best thing is: it’s fun! I’ve been leading [other] writing workshops for a few years now, but with TWC, I’m getting better and it doesn’t feel like work.”

It was so fun, in fact, she reckoned writers might take their recovery another step by sharing their stories to a wider audience.

“It’s the next step for me: to speak my truth and say, ‘This is who I am. I can be part of the world again.’ So at the end of one night, I asked if it would be OK for me and others to share some of our favourite pieces at the end of the winter session,” she said. “Next thing I knew, I was organising a recital with fellow writers I’ve come to know and respect: Kegan Chang, Danielle Peron-Roach, Janet Creery and Basil Chiu.”

Creery, TWC’s Ottawa representative, was impressed.

“I brought TWC to Ottawa about a year ago because it looked like a good idea,” she said. “I never thought a year later, there’d be so many people so touched and moved by TWC. I never thought we’d have a recital.”

by Steve Elliot

We provide creative writing workshops in Toronto, Peel, Ottawa with a strong focus on
underserved populations and traditionally underheard voices. By writing together and listening
to each other’s work, people find and expand their voices, gain confidence, and discover the
value of their stories.

The Write On! III Workshops will be offered online, starting in July 2021, to attract writers who
can commit to the 10-week program. Selected writers will meet with their respective groups to
work together and one-on-one with their mentors through zoom sessions, e-mail and remote
correspondence (the options of correspondence will be discussed at the first meeting). The final
product of the workshop writing will be published in an anthology and released at a spoken word
event where some participants will also be asked to share their pieces.

Space is limited and, as a result, not everyone who applies will be accepted. Participants will be
chosen based on their desire to develop their writing skills, commitment, and availability to
participate in and complete the program, and an understanding of TWC’s philosophy of creating
a respectful and positive environment for people to write in. Current participants of the TWC’s
workshops are strongly encouraged to apply.

To Apply: The application deadline is 5 pm, June 27, 2021

Program Mentors

Anna Lee-Popham is an MFA Candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Guelph, and a
graduate of The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University and University of Toronto’s School of
Continuing Education Creative Writing Certificate, where she was a recipient of the Janice
Colbert Poetry Award. She was recently published in Canthius and Autostraddle and is an editor
at HELD Magazine and a host of the Emerging Writers Reading Series.

Brittany Chung Campbell is a Jamaican-Canadian storyteller and book coach who helps diverse
coaches, consultants and entrepreneurs go from just an idea to a compelling book with
consistent sales. Her passion is to help create pipelines for #ownvoices by facilitating creative
writing workshops for marginalized communities, corporate workshops, and sensitivity readings
for manuscripts to ensure these stories have accurate representation.

Jay Teitel is a Toronto-based writer and editor who’s won over 25 National Magazine Awards. in
categories ranging from Sports to Fiction. He’s written books, screenplays for movies and
television, and stage plays, including a musical called Alzheimer That Ends Heimer.  He is also
co-inventor of the board game Therapy, which to date has sold almost 3 million copies world-
wide.

Lisa Richter is the author of two books of poetry, Closer to Where We Began (Tightrope Books,
2017) and Nautilus and Bone (Frontenac House, 2020), winner of the 2020 National Jewish
Book Award for Poetry and longlisted for the Raymond Souster Award. Her poetry and
nonfiction have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. A Toronto Writers Collective
and Poetry in Voice facilitator, she is passionate about building community and supporting
emerging writers.

O. Stephen Peart is an open-minded, relationship builder, smart risk-taker with strong
communication skills. He leverages this through an out of the box creative mindset supported
by his diverse technical and analytical skills. O. Stephen is continually fostering growth through
listening and learning to shape perspectives and bridge ideas. He believes every individual can
attain their full potential through informed risk-taking and evidence-based decision making.

A professional chatterbox and story hunter, Shannon Leahy’s work has appeared in
newspapers, magazines and been featured on radio and television. She’s head honcho at
Lighthouse Storytelling, a writing-and-speaking studio serving brave beautiful writers. Shannon
has presented storytelling techniques to school boards, funeral boards, health units and
nervous speakers wanting to influence VERY tough crowds. Her office manager is a cat intent on
telling his life story.

Dr. Tom Gannon Hamilton: (MA anthropology, BA Linguistics, PhD Education– sp. written
composition/reader response) Established writer/author, literary theorist, instructor, editor,
Tom is also a painter, screen actor, musician grounded in performance and dramaturgy. He has
conducted workshops as an OAC Poet-in-the-Schools and taught writing in grade school,
university, and community settings, enjoying success with inner city and culturally diverse
learners. Founder/Curator/Host Urban Folk Art Salon (Partnered w/ TPL).

Please note that applications have now closed.

Our very own Janet Creery spoke to Apt613 about our Ottawa chapter and the power of writing together.

“To me, a process where you are experiencing the deep humanity of others in a really protected space,” she told them, “where everyone is valued, where everyone is given unconditional positive regard, and where you’re really touching on the things that are fundamental to being human is very spiritual.”

Read the article

Co-Executive Director of the TWC Shelley Lepp writes about her experience balancing work, parenting and other anomalies of life over the past year in the April edition of The Bridge.