“Simply Plunge Ahead. Writing Is an Adventure”: Interview with Beth Powning (Part 1)
“Don’t ever prejudge yourself or the possible outcome of what you are going to do…. You might start writing something, and it twists and turns, and you end up in an entirely different place.” — Beth Powning, memoirist and novelist Twice Beth has been guest author for my University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies [...]
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Story in “Jamaican voice” garners U.K. prize
Susan Siddeley’s humorous ”After You, Mr. Mayor” has won first prize in a British contest, the first-annual Malton Literature Festival short story competition. The tale is based on her memory of an incident that occurred years ago while she was living in Jamaica. She is particularly pleased with the win because the story presented a unique challenge: writing in a “Jamaican voice.” Susan [...]
Monday, February 28th, 2011
Young dancer turns experience into story for anthology
Emily Finkelstein’s short story “Adage,” based on her experiences as a dance student, has been accepted for publication in Writings: Volume 2, the 2010 anthology of the Canadian Authors Association (Montreal Branch). It focuses on a young dancer’s struggle to reconcile the opposing values of her family and her ballet master. “Adage” is an excerpt [...]
Saturday, December 11th, 2010
Jane Boruszewski Based Novel "Escape from Russia" on Her Memoirs
Escape from Russia, a dramatic and inspirational memoir-based novel by Jane Boruszewski of Syracuse, New York, has been published by Pennywyse Press, and is now available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. This announcement is a bittersweet one, because Jane did not live to see her book in print. Sadly, she passed away on August 1, 2009, [...]
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Remembering Jane
Polish-born Jane Boruszewski, of Syracuse, NY, took part in several of my online courses through Ryerson University in Toronto between 2004 and 2006, sharing short memoirs and fictional stories based on her life experiences. She was enthusiastic about the writing process, and her sweet nature and determination to write inspiring and often beautiful stories about [...]
Monday, September 28th, 2009
