Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Writers Workshop: Create a Chapbook in 90 Minutes
Who do we think we are, anyway?
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Welcome to Ottawa Independent Writers. We are the largest writers association in the National Capital Region. Our mandate is to assist all writers at all stages of their writing careers through informative monthly presentations, networking, writers retreats and organizing literary events. We are a fun and inclusive group.
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Where to meet us:
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Currently hosting virtual meetings on Zoom. To participate, simply register for a membership and details on the next meeting will be provided over email.
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When safe to do so once again, OIW gathers every third Tuesday of the month at the Hintonburg Community Center, 1064 Wellington St., Ottawa. Meetings begin at 6:30 pm, with presentations starting at 7 pm, lasting until 9 pm. Complimentary coffee and snacks are always at the party.
There is ample parking at the back of the building.
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Between now and September 2021, all new memberships are free! There has never been a better time to join and connect with fellow writers. Check us out and learn about all that OIW has to offer.
You’ve heard of “flash fiction?” Well, this is self-publishing on steroids.
Chapbooks are small, easily produced booklets that rose in popularity during the
Renaissance. Often printed on a single folded sheet of paper, these mini-volumes
make excellent giveaways. Download the worksheets ahead of time, then join OIW
on Tuesday, April 20th at 7:00 p.m. as Brian McCullough guides us through a
“flash process” of writing, illustrating and assembling our very own freshly minted
chapbooks. This is a workshop, so don’t forget your pen, writing pad, and colouring pencils or markers.
Brian McCullough is a working editor, writer and workshop presenter with more than 40 years of experience. He has edited novels, essays, stories and self-help books for publication, and is the production editor of the Royal Canadian Navy’s award-winning Maritime Engineering Journal. He also writes freelance features for Postmedia Content Works, and was a 2018 winner of the Ottawa Public Library 50+ Short Story Contest. Brian’s short play, “That Old Car Smell,” is currently being workshopped with Kanata Theatre.
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Please note: due to the ongoing public health measures, OIW will continue meeting virtually in 2021 until further notice. Members will be sent a Zoom link prior to the meeting. Non-members wishing to join for the evening can email OIW at oiwinbox@gmail.com.
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2020 OIW Members Anthology
Is Here
"We tell ourselves stories in order to live" - Joan Didion
Stories and poems have a way of transporting our minds to another place, making us feel something we have never felt, while informing and entertaining.
OIW is proud to release the 2020 anthology, Short Stories for A Long Year: An Anthology of Prose and Poetry.
This year's anthology contains twenty-nine stories and poems, and creates a diverse offering to suit every literary taste. As headline-grabbing events continue to unfold around us during this period of dynamic change, there has never been a better time to enjoy the power of words.
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Available now on amazon:
There are boards...
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... and then there are Boards!
Ever wondered how the sausages are made? Want to know what's behind the curtain? Now's your chance to find out!
OIW is looking for a few good Board members. Nominations will be held at the December OIW meeting. There at least 7 positions to fill. If you’d like more information, please feel free to email communicationsoiw@gmail.com. We’ll be happy to fill you in on all the details.
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OUR WRITERS, THEIR STORIES
Meet a few of them here...
LEARN ABOUT THE OIW
CONNECT
​WITH US ON FACEBOOK
Mike Young
Kirk's Landing
Patricia McCarthy
The Crimson Man
Mike was born and raised in Kirkland Lake, a small northern mining town with a nearby First Nations reserve. He grew up with a love of the north, even in the midst of winter, exploring the surrounding woods with his friends, and his grandfather. Kirk's Landing, a crime novel, was his first book. In 2016, he published a sequel, Return to Kirk's Landing.
Author of the wildly imaginative Crimson vampire series, currently consisting of (6) novels: The Crimson Man, The Crimson Boy, The Crimson Woman, The Crimson Time, The Crimson Crimes, and her latest in the series The Crimson Dream. The Crimson vampire series takes place in Ottawa, Canada.
MONTHLY PROGRAM MEETINGS
OIW holds eight monthly program meetings each year on a wide variety of writing related topics, normally with a speaker and plenty of opportunity for questions, They are free for members. Click here to see what's on at our next OIW meeting.
Craig Munro
Bones of the Past
Melissa Yuan-Innes
Human Remains
PROSE IN THE PARK LITERARY FESTIVAL AND BOOK FAIR
Craig has spent his life traveling and moving from one field of work to another. A voracious fan of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, it was only a matter of time before he turned his mind to creating a world of his own. The Bones of the Past is the first installment in the epic fantasy series - The Books of Dust and Bone.
Melissa Yuan-Innes (Melissa Yi) is an emergency room physician. Her newest Hope Sze crime novel is HUMAN REMAINS. THE STOCKHOLM SYNDROME, a previous Hope Sze novel, was selected by CBC Radio as a best crime novel of the season.
OIW in partnership with other writers groups and community associations in Ottawa organizes the largest book fair and outdoors literary festival in the National Capital Region. The most recent Prose in the Park Literary Festival and Book Fair was held on June 10, 2017 in the Parkdale Park in Ottawa. Stay tuned for details on future festivals. In the meantime, click here to visit the 2017 Prose in the Park website.
Click here for more OIW Authors and their books.
OIW ANNUAL SPRING
WRITERS RETREAT
PARTICIPATING
IN THE
ANTHOLOGY?
New!
Then you need our handy-dandy STYLE GUIDE!
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OIW organizes an annual Spring Writers Retreat & Workshop. The most recent retreat was from May 25 to 27, 2018 at the Cove Inn in Westport, Ontario. Acclaimed novelist and poet Steve Heighton was our facilitator. Stay tuned for more details on the 2019 retreat.
OIW VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
PEN AND PAPER
WRITING GROUP WEEKLY WORKSHOPS
Want to see what the membership's been up to? Click the YOUTUBE link to see meetings and readings!
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The PEN AND PAPER WRITING WORKSHOP meets at the Rideau Branch of the Ottawa Public Library 377 Rideau (across from Rideau Bakery, next door to Loblaws) every Tuesday evening 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. Get feedback on your writing (any genre) and ideas from the group. Hear the work of other writers and offer your feedback. Discuss issues about writing and publishing. Share your triumphs, trials and tribulations with a supportive, informal group. Open to OIW members and non-members.
For more information contact: or call (613) 746-3077 or just show up and we’ll welcome you. Contact: tel: (613) 746-3077 email: the_moo37@hotmail.com
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