From September 2024 to April 2025, I will serve as the Mabel Pugh Taylor Writer In Residence at McMaster University & Hamilton Public Library.
(you can learn more about the residency here)
My goal for this residency is to both inspire and empower writers to write, guiding them to generate material and to demystify the creative process of writing.
As a playwright and facilitator I work in a community-based practice. In theatre we are constantly interacting with other people, and you must be flexible and fluid. As a result, I have a skill set that makes me open and approachable and looks to build community first and foremost, starting in the rehearsal room and engaging an audience.
The skills and techniques I use as a playwright are transferable to prose writing. Plays are the foundation of a theatrical production; every aspect of a show is built around the blueprint that playwrights create. We build character, story, and structure. We know that fully realised characters are the driving factor for story, and that the structure of a story is imperative in keeping an audience engaged. Theatre is live and we cannot afford to lose the audience’s engagement for a moment. We tell our stories through dialogue and monologue and are wordsmiths and storytellers.
As a librettist I use poetic text and dramatic action that a composer sets to music.
Working across cultures and across disciplines has long been my interest, and I am involved in many collaborative projects. When mentoring or giving feedback I make sure to ask questions, be informed, and centre the writer as having authority over their own stories.
Mentoring Tip: I have experience working with plays, prose and creative non-fiction. I am less experienced with poetry and genre writing. I have experience in traditional publishing but may not be able to offer guidance in self-publishing. Once you book an appointment (below), I will ask that you send me 10 pages of writing a week before we meet. Or you can also just book a meeting without sending your writing, and we can talk about the writing process, the business of writing, or whatever you are curious about learning. NOTE: You may only book one consultation per term (one in fall and one in winter). If you book multiple consultations in the fall, in fairness to the general public, I will need to cancel any subsequent consultations unless there is space available after we meet initially.