Conference & AGM

Anne Szumigalski Lecture: Louise Bernice Halfe
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Reception to follow.

Each year, the League of Canadian Poets invites a distinguished Canadian poet to deliver the Anne Szumigalski Lecture. Award-winning poet Louise Bernice Halfe will deliver the lecture in Montreal.

This event is free and open to the public.

Margaret Laurence Lecture: Lee Maracle
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. Reception to follow.
Moyse Hall Theatre, McGill University

Each year since 1987, Canada’s most prominent authors have shared insights into their work on the profession of writing in a lecture on the topic of “A Writer’s Life.” Lee Maracle, one of Canada’s most prolific writers, will deliver the 34th annual Margaret Laurence Lecture in Montreal.

This event is free and open to the public.

Morning Mixer
9:00 – 9:45 a.m.

Connect with your writing colleagues and browse the Book Table over light refreshments. 

Speed Networking
Session 1: 9:15 – 10:30 a.m. / Session 2: 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. / Session 3: 3:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Speed Networking is your chance to meet one-on-one with an industry professional. Remember, these are quick-fire informational interviews (not pitch sessions) so come prepared with your best questions! Speed Networkers include:

• Stephanie Azoulay, Literature Program Officer, Explore and Create, Canada Council for the Arts
• Carolyn Forde, Senior Agent, Transatlantic Agency
• Whitney French, Acquisitions Editor, Dundurn Press
• Leila Marshy, Associate Publisher, Linda Leith Publishing
• Greg Santos, Editor-in-Chief, carte blanche
• Jason Saulay, Affinity Programs and Business Development, AFBS (Writers’ Coalition Program)

Photo of Greg Santos: Mollye Miller

What Readers Want
9:45 – 10:30 a.m.

It’s not always easy to reach readers, as many writers have discovered. As we work on a manuscript and consider our potential readership, we may ask ourselves what readers want. One difficulty is that there are almost as many answers to the question as there are readers. Linda Leith proposes a different approach to the relationship between readers and writers.

Presented by Linda Leith, President of Linda Leith Publishing

Children’s Writing as a Collaborative Practice
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Marie-Louise Gay is an internationally acclaimed author and illustrator. David Homel is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and translator. Together, they created the Travels with my Family series of books based on their real-life family adventures with their two children. Join Marie-Louise and David in conversation with picture-book author and playwright Bonnie Farmer for a discussion about creative processes, collaborative versus independent writing, and more. 

With Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel. Moderated by Bonnie Farmer.

Authors Online: How to Manage Your Digital Presence
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Authors are expected to have a robust digital presence. But between running social media accounts, a website, and a newsletter, how much time is left to actually write? Author and online communications specialist Mia Herrera provides a primer on the many digital tools available to writers and helps you understand which tools are best for you.

Presented by Mia Herrera

LCP Feminist Caucus Panel
10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

The League’s Feminist Caucus was established to address the disparity of representation of Canadian women in poetry in the 1970s. The 2020 Feminist Caucus panel will examine the history of the Caucus, the history of racism and exclusionary behaviour in Canadian poetry, and the new directions that the League and Feminist Caucus will be taking to encourage equity, diversity, and inclusion within the League of Canadian Poets. 

With Shazia Hafiz Ramji

Dayne Ogilvie Prize Presentation
12:00 – 1:00 p.m., Gallery Gora

Celebrate the announcement of the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ Emerging Writers just down the street from the conference venue at Gallery Gora (279 Sherbrooke St W). This prize is presented to an emerging Canadian writer from the LGBTQ community who demonstrates great promise in the early stages of their career through a body of work of exceptional quality. Light refreshments will be served.

This event is free and open to the public.

Presented by the Writers’ Trust of Canada

Readings Info Session
12:05 – 12:45 p.m.

Questions about readings? Join us for a review of TWUC’s and LCP’s readings programs. Valerie Laws will provide an overview of the Union’s National Public Readings and Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools programs. Nicole Brewer will provide an overview of the League's Canada Poetry Tours and National Poetry Month Program. 

The Future of Writers’ Rights
1:30 – 2:45 p.m.

As we enter a new decade, join us for a discussion about the challenges and opportunities for writers’ rights.

Mastering the Art of Book Research
1:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Diving into research for your next book can be a daunting prospect. Join Taras Grescoe, award-winning author of seven nonfiction books, for a seminar covering best practices and common challenges. Using case studies from his own work, Taras guides attendees through successful research strategies for a range of nonfiction styles.

Presented by Taras Grescoe

How to Make a Living and Life Through Poetry 
1:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Poetry calls us or we go chasing it. Being a poet has become a part of how we see ourselves. How do we negotiate this existence with the joy of words and language wrapping our hearts as we attempt to make a life and a living in this complex and sometimes inhospitable world. Join Lillian Allen for a session on how to navigate the practical and philosophical challenges that come with a career in poetry.

Presented by Lillian Allen

First Page Challenge
3:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Back by popular demand! Hear from a panel of judges as they share their on-the-spot expertise reviewing first pages of submitted manuscripts. Participants submit the first page of a fiction or nonfiction piece. Submissions are read aloud, and the judges share their impressions of strengths and weaknesses. This is your risk-free chance to why editors put down manuscripts and why they read on, what agents look for in a potential client’s work, and what creative instructors really like.

Click here to submit your first page. Deadline to submit: April 30, 2020. All submissions are anonymous — if your work is evaluated during the session, you will not be identified.

With Stephanie Bolster, Carolyn Forde, and Whitney French. Moderated by Peter Dubé.

Mental Wellness for Writers
3:00 – 4:15 p.m.

When it comes to mental wellness, the writing life presents a unique set of challenges — from writer’s block and rejection letters to self-promotion and building a public persona. Discover strategies to keep you feeling balanced and on track, and get helpful tips for general self-care. Farzana Doctor brings over 15 years’ experience as a working writer and psychotherapist to lead this discussion.

Presented by Farzana Doctor

Sponsored by Dundurn Press

Spontaneous Poetry Writing
3:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Learn the craft of turning another person’s words into a poem to be treasured. Join Kate Marshall Flaherty for a workshop that teaches you how to turn short stories, phrases, and tidbits into a beautiful poem. Spontaneous poetry writing is a wonderful practical skill for any writer. This workshop will teach you to ask open-ended questions that that prompt stories and images that can be fashioned into a personal poem. Attendees will also learn practical tips and tricks about where and how they can set up their own spontaneous-poetry events.

Presented by Kate Marshall Flaherty

Heather O’Neill in Conversation with Arizona O’Neill
4:30 – 5:15 p.m.

Heather O’Neill is a novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Her work, which includes Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night, Daydreams of Angels, and The Lonely Hearts Hotel, has been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction, the Orange Prize for Fiction, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize in two consecutive years, and has won CBC Canada Reads, the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction, and the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. She is the latest recipient of the Writers’ Trust Fellowship.

Explore the influences that shape Heather’s writing — the city of Montreal, an expansive reading list, her own fictional characters — in this wide-ranging conversation with filmmaker, artist, and Heather’s daughter, Arizona O’Neill. 

Photo of Heather O'Neill: J. Artacho

TWUC Soirée
5:15 – 7:00 p.m.

After a long day of honing your craft and business skills, it’s time to celebrate at this reception for all Connect & Collaborate attendees. Join us for drinks, nibbles, and music, plus the announcement of the winners of the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers.

Want to bring a guest? Purchase an additional ticket for the TWUC Soirée when you register.

LCP New Member Reading & Open Mic
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Wrap up the day with readings from the League’s new members and an open mic.

TWUC Plenary Sessions
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Help shape the direction of the Union for the coming year. This is the day for motions, minutes, discussion, and debate. Business doesn’t mean boring in these sessions. One member told us, “The business meeting blew me away — who knew such a thing could be so open, honest, serious, articulate, and even entertaining?”

These sessions are open to TWUC members.

If you are attending the Plenary Sessions, please note the March 30 deadline in the Notice of Motions.

Also on this day: 

• Regional Meetings 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 
• Children's Writers Meeting 1:15 – 2:00 p.m.
• Minority Language Writers Meeting 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. (For members who write in a language other than English, French, or an Indigenous language, this discussion will cover challenges and opportunities you encounter regarding translation of your work into Canada's official languages, obtaining grants, getting your work published, and more.)

LCP Feminist Caucus Business Meeting
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

This session is open to LCP members.

LCP Awards Presentation
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Followed by LCP social hour.

Take a break from business to celebrate poetry at this midday reception. The League of Canadian Poets will announce the winners of three book awards for poets at various stages in their career, as well as a spoken word lifetime achievement award and a young poets’ prize. LCP and TWUC members participating in the AGMs are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served.

LCP Annual General Meeting
3:00 – 6:00 p.m.

This session is open to LCP members.