Diaspora Dialogues

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Events

ARCHIVED EVENT: CROSS-GENRE WRITING

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December 28, 2023 | 12:30pm EST

Join us for a deep dive into the world of cross-genre writing with author Derek Mascarenhas. The publishing industry often pigeon holes authors into be known for specific genres, but authors are experimenting more than ever these days! This workshop wilL inspire and equip you with the tools to craft compelling narratives that defy genre norms.

Register here.

Derek Mascarenhas is a graduate of the University of Toronto SCS Creative Writing Program, a finalist and runner up for the Penguin Random House of Canada Student Award for Fiction, and a nominee for the Marina Nemat Award. His linked short story collection, Coconut Dreams, was called a “stunning debut” in Quill and Quire‘s starred review and The Globe and Mail named it one of the best reads from Canadian small presses. Derek’s first picture book, 100 Chapatis, was praised by Kirkus Reviews as “warm and reassuring,” and his second, The Mango Monster, arrives Fall 2024. Derek is also working on a speculative novel, and a middle-grade book.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Crafting the Perfect Pitch

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Attention writers! Have you finished a fantastic manuscript and are now looking to sell it? Join us for a workshop on the Art of the Pitch with Executive Editor at HarperCollins Canada, Janice Zawerbny. Come prepared to talk about your project, ask questions and have your pitch flash assessed!

Register here.

About the Presenter

Janice Zawerbny has worked in Canadian publishing as an editor for more than twenty-five years. She is currently an Executive Editor at HarperCollins Canada, where she acquires and edits both fiction and non-fiction. She has edited a number of critically acclaimed and award-winning books including, The Break by Katherena Vermette, Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall, The Island of Forgetting by Jasmine Sealy, and The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. She is also the co-founder of the The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, and previously taught substantive and stylistic editing at Metropolitan University.

ARCHIVED EVENT: Writing Children’s Picture Books

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Melanie Florence will lead this one hour workshop on the evolution of a picture book from an idea to a finished manuscript, speaking on: where to find an idea, how to figure out if the idea will work as a picture book and then how to write a good picture book.

Register here.

About the Presenter

Melanie Florence is an award-winning writer of Cree and Scottish heritage based in Toronto. She was close to her grandfather as a child, a relationship that sparked her interest in writing about Indigenous themes and characters. She is the author of Missing Nimama, which won the 2016 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the 2017 Forest of Reading Golden Oak Award and was a finalist for the 2017 First Nation Communities READ award. Her picture book, Stolen Words, won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, is shortlisted for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and was given a starred review by Kirkus, who listed it as one of the best picture books of 2017 to give readers strength. Her other books include Righting Canada’s Wrongs: Residential Schools, He Who Dreams, The Missing, One Night, Rez Runaway, and Just Lucky, published in September 2019.

ARCHIVED EVENT: Funny Boy: A Screenwriting Case Study

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Join award-winning author and screenwriter Shyam Selvadurai in a special one hour workshop focused on screenwriting. Shyam co-wrote the screenplay for his novel “Funny Boy” alongside the award-winning Deepa Mehta. Shyam will use the film as a case study to guide participants through the process and techniques to screenwriting.

Register here.

About the Presenter

Shyam Selvadurai ‘s Funny Boy, won the W.H. Smith/ Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Lambda Literary Award in the US. He is the author of Cinnamon Gardens, Swimming in the Monsoon Sea and The Hungry Ghosts. His work has been translated into 9 languages and published worldwide. Funny Boy was made into a film, for which Shyam co-wrote the screenplay, and for which he won the Canadian Screen Award and the New York Cinema Independent Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Shyam’s new novel Mansion of the Moon, a historical novel about the Buddha’s wife, was released by Knopf and Penguin India. His website is www.shyamselvadurai.com

ARCHIVED EVENT: Literary Image Description Best Practices

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Please join DD alum and CNIB Audio Producer Joanne Pak as she discusses the Literary Image Description (LID) project.

This information session will inform writers about the LID project and how they can make their works accessible to the Blind/low vision community and to take that into consideration even as they plan and write their works, creating born-accessible books for an underserved audience.

Video here.

About the Presenter

Joanne Pak is an accessible media specialist with an extensive career in both broadcasting and publishing. She is the official Canadian NER certifier of live caption accuracy, and she is an instructor and subject matter expert for the Toronto Metropolitan University. Joanne has worked for numerous broadcasters, nonprofits, and educational institutions, specializing in accessible media. At CNIB, Joanne led the audiobook production for CELA’s pilot project on accessible graphic novels. She is the lead for the eBOUND Literary Image Description (LID) project and the author of the LID Best Practices Guide, which she uses to train writers and publishers.

ARCHIVED EVENT: Legal 101 for Writers

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Join us for an informative workshop with entertainment lawyer, Michael Duboff. In this session, we will cover essential legal aspects that every writer should be aware of to protect their creative work and navigate the publishing landscape successfully. From copyright and intellectual property rights to understanding contracts and licensing agreements, participants will gain valuable insights to safeguard their written content. We will also address common legal challenges faced by writers and provide practical strategies for resolving them.

Register here.

About the Presenter

Michael Duboff is a Canadian entertainment lawyer with a professional focus on music, film and television, publishing, and corporate matters. He has worked with a variety of artists and creative businesses helping to facilitate projects, performance opportunities locally and across borders, and organizational matters.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Michael’s practice spans across Manitoba where he carries on clients and representation in addition to the firm’s primary residence in Ontario.

Prior to working as a lawyer, Michael has worked professionally in both the music and film/tv industries, as a musician in an alternative rock band and as a freelance director/writer/producer in Toronto and Vancouver. His passion for the arts and artists helps drive his practice and makes him grateful to be able to continue to work for and with the vibrant arts communities.

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