Great Blue Heron Writing Workshop

The 2007 Great Blue Heron Writing Workshop invites mid-level writers to engage in small-group sessions in one of four categories: fiction, fiction and playwriting, poetry, or screenwriting. Set against the backdrop of the scenic coastal community of Antigonish, NS, this four-day workshop offers a supportive atmosphere in which participants learn from established writers. During the daytime, participants will benefit from small group workshops, individual sessions, and private writing time. In the evenings, they will be encouraged to read their own work to appreciative audiences at the public readings.

Sheldon Currie - Fiction and Playwriting

Sheldon Currie was born in Reserve Mines, Cape Breton. His novel, Down the Coaltown Road (2002), set during World War II, reveals the predicament of Italians from Cape Breton who were interned at Petawawa. A story taken from his short fiction collection, The Glace Bay Miners' Museum, formed the basis for Margaret's Museum, a feature film. His play, Lauchie, Liza and Rory (2004), based on one of his short stories, won awards for three categories of the 2004 Merritt Awards, including best play. In 2005 it played at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Edmonton and toured the festival circuit in New Zealand. Currently at work on his latest novel, Two More Solitudes, he is also writing a film script based on Down the Coaltown Road. More.

Charles Gaines - Screenwriting

Charles Gaines, a journalist, novelist, and screenwriter, is the author of twenty-three books, three of which were made into movies. His books include Stay Hungry, a finalist for the National Book Award (1972), and the international bestseller, Pumping Iron (1974). His creative non-fiction book, A Family Place (1994), details his move from Alabama to Nova Scotia, where he and his family built a home. His most recent book is The Next Valley Over (1999). A winner of three Emmy awards for television writing, he has also written a number of movie-length features for PBS, including the adaptation of Edith Wharton's Summer. Most recently, he co-authored a screenplay with Ethan Hawke. His work has also appeared in such magazines as Architectural Digest, Audubon, Esquire, Harper's, and Sports Illustrated.

Jeanette Lynes - Poetry

Jeanette Lynes is the author of three collections of poetry. Left Fields (2003) was short-listed for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award. Her fourth collection of poems is forthcoming in 2008. Her first novel, The Girl Who Talked to Trees, will be published by Coteau Books in 2008. She teaches English at St. Francis Xavier University, and in 2005-2006, she was the Writer-in-Residence at Saskatoon Public Library. She is the Poet Laureate for the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party as well as co-editor of The Antigonish Review. Read an interview with Jeanette.

Alistair MacLeod - Fiction

Alistair MacLeod was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and raised among an extended family in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He has published two internationally acclaimed collections of short stories: The Lost Salt Gift of Blood (1976) and As Birds Bring Forth the Sun (1986). In 2000, these two books, accompanied by two new stories, were published in a single-volume edition entitled Island: The Collected Stories of Alistair MacLeod. In 1999, MacLeod' s first novel, No Great Mischief, was on national bestseller lists for more than a year. The novel won many awards, including the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Lisa Moore - Fiction

Lisa Moore was born and raised in St. John's. Degrees of Nakedness, her first short fiction collection, was published in 1995. Open (2002), her second short fiction collection, was nominated for the Giller Prize and won the Canadian Authors' Association Jubilee Award for Short Stories. Alligator (2005), her first novel, was also nominated for the Giller Prize and won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for the Caribbean and Canada region. She recently edited The Penguin Book of Contemporary Short Fiction by Canadian Women (2006).

The fee for the workshop is $300, which includes tuition ($250) plus the costs of the opening reception, the closing banquet, and breaks during the sessions. It also includes a $35 non-refundable deposit.

On-campus accommodations and meals are available for those who require them. Accommodations will be in modern, apartment-style residence clusters consisting of four single bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen and living area. Participants are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to connect with other writers by sharing meals and accommodations. The total cost of tuition, accommodations, and all meals is $550.

For more information or to register visit http://www.stfx.ca/workshops/gbheron/index.htm