The Frye Festival offers new and experienced writers the chance to sharpen their writing skills with a series of workshops including writing for film, poetry, and science fiction.
Canada’s only bilingual, international literary festival will take place in Moncton from Friday April 17 to Sunday April 26.
Writing for Film
Saint John, New Brunswick born Tony Sekulich will be giving the Writing for Film Workshop “Story and the Art of Pitching” on Friday April 24 from 9am to 4pm. The workshop is designed to give participants insight into the craft of turning a great story idea into a winning pitch.
“It is not enough to simply come up with a good story, but you must also know how to communicate that story in as little as one sentence or as much as a two hour conversation,” explains Sekulich who considers the art of pitching a story a tool that all aspiring and professional screenwriters must have in their repertoire.
Participants will have the opportunity to pitch a screenplay idea in front of the group. The workshop will take place at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre and the cost is $35. Space is limited!
Tony Sekulich has been a professional screenwriter, story editor, and producer for more than 15 years. In 2003, he adapted Stevie Cameron’s best-selling book Blue Trust into a feature film script. That same year, Tony wrote for the critically acclaimed CTV series Robson Arms. In 2007 Tony’s feature film script The Rivals was sold to Grana Productions and in the fall of 2007 his feature script Sharkjumping was recognized as a top screenplay at the 2007 Austin Film Festival screenplay competition.
Poetry, Science Fiction and more!
Workshops will begin on Thursday April 23 with a Poetry Workshop hosted by Quebec poet Monique Deland, from 9:30 to 11:30am.
On Friday, April 24 from 9:30 to 11:30am, New Brunswick author Sheree Fitch will lead participants into “Write Now,” a workshop for adults who’ve always wanted to write but can’t find time or confidence, for those who do write but don’t make the time and sometimes lose heart, or for word lovers ready to put pen to paper. Sheree has been teaching writing for over 20 years and has a few surprises to jump start everybody’s creativity.
Jo-Anne Elder will be hosting a Creative Writing Workshop (in French) on Friday April 24 from 9:30 to 11:30am (in replacement of Monique LaRue).
Later that afternoon, Irish writer Gerard Beirne will offer a Poetry Workshop from 2 to 4pm. Beirne is currently Writer-in-Residence at UNB and his novel The Eskimo in the Net was short-listed for The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award 2004.
All these workshops will be taking place at the Moncton Public Library.
Science fiction lovers will have the unique opportunity to meet and learn from one of Canada’s best Sci-Fi writers, Robert J. Sawyer, on Saturday April 25 from 9:30 to 11:30am at Mad City Comics (363 Mountain Road).
“Science Fiction is often called ‘the literature of ideas,’ but where do those ideas come from? How do you turn a grandly cosmic vision into an intimately human story? What is the relationship between theme and plot? And how do you take the classic elements of science fiction – time travel, starships, alien beings, artificial intelligence, alternate worlds – and do something fresh with them, when so many other writers have already mined the same topics?” These are some of the topics Sawyer wishes to explore during the workshop. The author’s highly anticipated new novel Wake, a World Wide Web intrigue, will hit shelves in Canada mid-April.
The same day, Quebec novelist Lise Tremblay will be hosting a Creative Writing Workshop (in French) at the Dieppe Public Library from 9:30 to 11:30am.
Writing Workshops for Children
Kids 8-12 years old are invited to take part in a Writing Workshop with Sheree Fitch on Saturday April, 25 at the Moncton Public Library from 10 to 11am. The workshop will take place during the KidsFest event.
French illustrator of children’s books Jean-Claude Bauer will be on hand to offer a comic book writing workshop in French for kids 8-10 years old.
Entrance for children’s workshops is free.
Tickets for the Frye Festival workshops can be purchased at www.tickets.moncton.ca or by calling (506) 857-4100. Unless otherwise noted, workshops are $10.
For more information on the Frye Festival’s 10th edition go to www.frye.ca.
