Stories in the North -- Thessalon

Stories in the North  - -There are lots of exciting writing events lined up in 2012. 

 Hey all:

Our year at Stories in the North is coming into focus. I thought I'd share the info with you so you could mark your calendars! If these events aren't for you but you know of someone who might be interested, please pass this message along.

Our next open mike will be April 14th, 7 pm at the Thessalon Legion, behind the Main Street Pharmacy on 18 Algoma Street. This is always a great night as people compete for $50 prizes in each of four categories fiction, poetry, true stories, and words n' music. Each performer has a 5-minute time limit -- we are strict and have been known to pull laggards off the stage. In a fun way, of course! If you are interested in registering call Angie at 842-3817 or e-mail angiegallop@gmail.com. Cost is $5 to perform and admission is included in your registration fee. Audience members pay $7 at the door. Winners are decided by a secret-ballot audience vote.

Exciting news: Local author Elizabeth Creith is the Stories in the North visiting author this spring. On May 12th she'll be conducting two workshops and doing an evening reading from her newly released book, Shepherd in Residence, a collection of letters that were originally aired on CBC's former afternoon show, Richardson's Round-up. To add some musical interest to the evening show, we booked Tradition Continued, an exciting bluegrass band headed by Sault Ste. Marie teens Tyler Marshall and Brandon Ladd. These two set that banjo and mandolin on fire they are so good.

Here are the descriptions of the two workshops:

"Make 'Em Laugh"

Laughter comes, in part, from the brain's attempt to reconcile incongruous things. (Think of Fred Flintstone eating a Barneyburger.) Writing humour is the art of creating incongruity while telling the story. A lot of humour arises out of observation of an experience which may not, at the time, have been funny at all. By using point of view, comparison, simile, metaphor, detail, word choice, elision and timing, a writer can recast an incident as humour. This often works best if the incident wasn't at all funny at the time. Elizabeth will discuss and teach these principles using examples that show how humour works. Participants are asked to bring one or two brief incidents from their own lives that they're willing to share with the class as raw material to be rewritten as humour.If there is time and interest, Elizabeth will also provide some tips on performance and timing. Come prepared to write and to read what you've written. Limited to twenty participants.

The Writer's Dominatrix Versus the Grammar Ghouls

Elizabeth’s alter-ego, the Writer’s Dominatrix, will teach the technical aspects of writing. “You know what I mean” doesn’t cut it when your only means of communication is the printed word. Clean, clear, correct writing is an asset in every field from literature to technical writing to blogging. Elizabeth will discuss and explain word use, punctuation and grammar with humour, and provide memory aids to help you avoid some of the most common writing errors. Bring your own grammar, punctuation and diction questions. Where do you use "me" and where "I"? When does "it's" get an apostrophe? And is it lied, laid, lay or lain? No ghoul too big, no gremlin too small for the Dominatrix. Limit = Twenty participants.

-Workshops: Book in advance = $25 per workshop or $40 for two workshops; Pay on day = $30 per workshop or $50 for two workshops

-Workshop times: 10-12 pm; 2-4pm—these will include home-baking, coffee and tea. Workshops will take place in the basement at Thessalon's Zion United Church, 224 Main St., kitty-corner from Jones's grocery store and across from Barb's Embroidery.

To register, Angie at 842-3817 or e-mail angiegallop@gmail.com.

Evening show: Doors open 7 pm for a mix n' mingle. Show starts at 7:30 pm at the IOOF Hall 146 Main St., Thessalon, across from the post office. Tickets are $10 at the door. A fabulous buffet of snacks and a cash bar.

Oct 27th: Our visiting author will be Jamie Zeppa, who was chosen as one of Random House Canada's 2011 Fresh Faces of Fiction for her novel Every Time We Say Good-bye. Jamie grew up in the Sault and the novel is partially set in her hometown. More details to be announced in a few months.

Shout Out to the Ontario Arts Council. Believe us, with the the OAC, your tax dollars are hard at work developing the arts as a viable contribution to the economy in Northern Ontario. We feel we have a literary movement stirring in this area and we can thank the Ontario Arts Council for offering a Northern Ontario Works-in-Progress grant specifically for Northern Ontario authors and by supporting efforts like Stories in the North through its Literary Festivals and Organizations program. If you are an Ontario artist, you've got to get to know the arts council. The staff there are eager to reach out to this area. Check it out: http://www.arts.on.ca/site4.aspx.