Sleeping Giant Writers Festival

6th annual August 28, 29, 30, 2009. Fort William Historical Park, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Peter Mansbridge stands at such a level of public respect and visibility that, for millions of Canadians, he is not simply a newscaster: he is the daily voice of a nation. He brings comprehension, levity and a uniquely Canadian perspective to the stories shaping our nation and the world.

Canada and Canadians in a Changing World Explore the national mood through key social and political issues, highlighting the accomplishments of Canadians at home and abroad. Tying his talks together is his desire to see Canadians celebrate their heritage: to recognize that a shared national story has shaped us at both an individual and a collective level.Drawing on the world leaders he's interviewed, he will also talk about leadership: what it takes and how it can be achieved.

Scott is the first editor and publisher to participate in the SGWF. He has been an editor for books, magazines and multimedia. He was Editorial Director, non-fiction Rainbow books and is now associate Publisher at Douglas & McIntyre.

The Author-Editor Relationship will look at this crucial pairing and how to make it fruitful for both parties. Become allies and sounding boards, not rivals. (Download the handout)

Pleasing an Editor will focus on what commissioning editors are looking for in a manuscript or proposal-and how to interest them in yours. Tips on how to catch an editor's attention, keep it and ultimately be published. (Download the handout)

Leilah Nadir1s first book, The Orange Trees of Baghdad: In Search of My Lost Family, won the George Ryga Award in 2008 and is published internationally. She has written about the Iraq war for CBC, The Globe and Mail and other publications.

Writing the Past: Family Memoir (beginning writers) will take the first step to write the family story deep inside them. Leilah will give advice and practical assistance to set you on your path to pen an entertaining and engaging account of your past.

Narrative Structure and Truth in Memoir Writing you will learn how to structure a book, use fictional devices to tell a factual story, and how to uncover the most compelling narrative thread of your story even when the ending is unknown.

Sheree-Lee Olson is a longtime Globe and Mail editor whose personal essays on motherhood and relationships have appeared in The Globe and Zoomer magazine. As a student she worked as a cook on the Great Lakes freighters, which inspired her 2008 novel Sailor Girl.

Writing Your Mini-memoir or Personal Essay Make your story compelling by knowing which part to tell. Grab your audience from the first line and give them something good at the end. Participants will discuss word choice, imagery and surprise.

The Art of Self-editing Make your work sparkle by cutting clich‚ and repetition. Participants will sharpen a single piece of writing by cutting it by one-third and then discuss which decisions worked best.

Fred Stenson is the author of 15 books. The Trade, a historical novel about the fur trade won Alberta's Grant MacEwan Author's Prize and was nominated for the Giller Prize. His most recent novel The Great Karoo was nominated for the Governor General's Award for Fiction and the Commonwealth Writers Prize.

Advanced Fiction This workshop will answer two questions. What engages a reader, so they have that sense of watching as much as reading or listening? What breaks that engagement?

Historical Fiction This workshop will deal with historical fiction: how it differs from contemporary and how to engage the reader and make the experience believable for them.

Betsy has published eight books of poetry and three novels. Her awards include the Pat Lowther Memorial Award for the best book of poetry by a Canadian woman. Her work has been widely published in literary journals and anthologies.

Who We Are Here: Poetic Voice in Landscape This hands-on workshop will explore techniques of image, figurative language, and line break. Come prepared for writing exercises. Workshop limit: 20 participants.

Re/Vision After the first flush of poetic inspiration, how do you craft the poem? We will look at form and structure; what can be left out, what needs to be added to make the poem work. This is a hands-on workshop; bring a poem in an early draft.

Moira's articles have appeared in The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Geographic, Chatelaine and other publications. Her book, After Daniel: A Suicide Survivor's Tale was The Edmonton Journal's top pick for non-fiction in 1999. She teaches magazine writing at Carleton University and at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

Non-Fiction for Beginning Writers: Idea to Finished Story Learn how to craft ideas for specific magazines and what editors want (and don't want). We'll cover the elements of feature writing, personal journalism, columns and reviews for print and online.

Outdoor Writing: Will apply good-writing basics to the "outdoor" genre, from environmental to adventure travel writing; trends; where to publish; tips from top editors on how to write a successful story.

Linda was one of six Canadian top mystery, thriller and crime writers who participated in the crime writing Symposium on the Book, at Simon Fraser University in 2008. Death Was in the Picture, her latest book set in Los Angeles in the 1930's, is her second Kitty Pangborn novel. Linda is editor of January Magazine, a respected web magazine.

Introduction to Writing Mystery, Thriller and Crime FictionLinda will examine the role of mystery and crime fiction in literature and their trends. She will discuss how to begin a story, develop compelling characters, and choose settings that will entertain and involve the reader.

The Art of Interviewing Participants will learn how to structure a good interview, what makes a good exchange and what constitutes good questions.

Lynn writes short stories and novels. Her first book, Strange Heaven, was nominated for a Govenor General's award, Play the Monster and Saints of Big Harbour were "Best Book" in the Globe and Mail.

Killing Your Darlings Bring a story or first chapter of a book and learn how to fearlessly dismember your writing in the name of producing more compelling, readable stories.

Character:Driven Character's essence is often the seed from which conflict and the story flows. An essentially-realized character permeates every aspect of the story-shaping and enriching narrative fundamentals such as like form / structure, dialogue, point of view and narrative voice. This workshop will focus on how this is achieved.