By Karen Bliss
Have you written a poem or short story you’d like to share? Perhaps a novel or even your memoirs? Or maybe you are just looking for some inspiration?
As part of York Region’s free Culture Days events, one of the afternoon offerings is a writing workshop, open to all skill levels and ages and for all literary genres.
Titled A Symphony with the Senses: Writing workshop it takes place at the Aurora Public Library (15145 Yonge St.) on Oct. 1 (1:30pm-3pm).
This is not your usual workshop.
“Attention to the senses is a form of meditation that not only anchors writers to their creative source, it provides nuanced information about character, setting, and even plot. This workshop takes a deep dive into the essence of your subject matter by awakening and writing with the five senses.”
Led by Marnie Maguire, a fiction editor for the Brooklyn Review, who took editorial direction from Allen Ginsberg, that in itself should be reason to attend — perhaps she will tell a few stories of the late beat poet.
At the very least, you will get some feedback and help — you can take it or leave it — and it won’t cost a penny. Bring a work-in-progress (novel, short story, poem, or memoir) or use the seminar to inspire a new creation.
Maquire holds a Master of Fine Arts from the City University of New York where she studied creative writing. Her novel Indecent won a spot at the Irish Novel Fair 2021. Marnie has been published in Prometheus Dreaming, Epiphany, Gooselane editions, Véhicle Press and Crossing Press.
Culture Days is a national initiative that takes places for three weeks (Sept. 23-Oct. 16) and includes a wide variety of free arts and culture performances, workshops and other happenings.
For more information on this workshop, please click here.
Karen Bliss is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Billboard, Rolling Stone, Pollstar and others. She has interviewed thousands of musicians, including Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, Eminem, Shania Twain, Metallica and Michael Bublé.
