It finally feels like summer might come to Northwestern Ontario and I couldn’t be more ready. My spirits rise and fall with the seasons and I’m coming into my happiest most peaceful time of year. Soon my whole family will be back on the water fishing, tubing, and floating in the river under the heat of the afternoon sun. I’ll be taking a lot of time off work this summer to be with my family, and I’m hoping that without a rigid work and school schedule I’ll also be able to engage my children in developing their artistic interests. If anyone has any suggestions on how to do this please leave them in the comments below!
Many writing projects have kept me indoors on the first few nice days of the season and I’m ready for things to slow down a little. Spring is when the majority of my submissions go out and I know summer is coming as my projects come to a close. This week I’m working on my application to The Writer’s Studio through Simon Fraser University. If accepted I will begin a ten-month mentorship with an established Canadian author in the fall. It’s surprising to find myself at a point in my life where I am able to participate in post secondary education based on my passion in life instead of a more practical endeavour.
Looking forward, my fall will be filled with many exciting literary events! I will be travelling to see my hero, Margaret Atwood, at the end of September, Gary Barwin is doing a workshop in Kenora and Wild Writing in the Boreal again in November. It’s starting to feel like this is the year I will establish myself as part of a larger writing community. Not in the sense of publication, but in creating new connections and meaningful relationships with other writers and creatives.
In May I attended a workshop with author Lauren Carter and since then I have begun developing a new skill that is very far out of my comfort zone, poetry. I recently published my first poem with Lit Up. It’s something I never thought I would be comfortable doing, but now that I have it seems that I’ve been limiting myself to things that fit within my comfort zone and not taking creative risks. I was unsure I should attend a poetry workshop but as the afternoon wore on I began to sink into the idea. It was an apprehensive progression into understanding and it took me by surprise when I got home and realized I had connected with a form that was so foreign to me, and wanted to continue. I’m looking forward to expanding my skill set and exploring different forms of writing moving forward.
I’ve only just returned from a whirlwind trip to Ottawa and I’ll be flying to Sudbury later this week. Travelling isn’t something I do a lot of (three kids). My writing lately is heavily influenced by travel, so keep an eye out for some new Medium content in July. As you might have noticed I’ve revamped my Facebook page and website recently to reflect the direction I’m taking with my writing. Creative projects have become my main focus and I won’t be doing any freelance writing for the time being. I’m still happy to collaborate with my writer friends on different ventures, but won’t be taking clients. My focus is on my novel and education.
With the kids almost out of school, I can see my luxurious Fridays slipping away as summer vacation looms. Night writing might become the only way to write in peace, so there are likely some sleepy moonlight inspired poems coming your way too. In the meantime, if you haven’t already you can read my first poem here.
