“National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a nonprofit event that encourages kids and adults to tackle the challenge of writing a novel in November. Launched in 1999, NaNoWriMo inspires its estimated 300,000 participants with email pep talks, a huge and supportive online community, and a host of web-based writing tools. Additionally, volunteers called Municipal Liaisons (MLs) in nearly 600 regions organize local writing events and get-togethers that transform novel-writing into an achievable and fun community endeavor.”

Sign up today at the NaNoWriMo website.

And because libraries are the ultimate place to write - the domestic distractions of home are eliminated, the calm-yet-lively atmosphere nurtures focus, and you surround yourself with all the glorious material you could ask for in terms of research and inspiration - we are hoping that any and all Calgary WRIMOS come and plug in at any of our 18 branches across the city. Our doors will open 29 out of 30 days in November (closed for Remembrance Day) and on the 17th the Central library is hosting a mid-way convergence featuring two special presentations you won't want to miss...

CHARACTER CREATION WORKSHOP

November 17. 1.00 - 3.00 pm.

Join local authors Susan Calder (Deadly Fall) and Garry Ryan (Blackbirds) for an interactive workshop on making your characters come alive and about using E-Resources. Bring your questions and meet other writers. Everyone welcome. REGISTER.

eBook or Print?

November 17. 12.00 - 1.00 pm.

Consider both formats when publishing your writing. Susan Toy discusses the many changes in promotion and marketing that have occurred as a result of both methods of delivering books to readers. REGISTER.

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This is also a perfect opportunity to make use of the library's Writer-in-Residence services. Book your manuscript consultation with Brian Brennan today and get some free, professional guidance on your journey to 50,000 words. Mr. Brennan's residency will end November 30 so do not wait.

In a panel discussion held recently at the Central Library as part of WordFest (EVENT#30: STORIES CITIES TELL), four world-class authors discussed the role that cities played in their work. Is the character of a city created by the people that move through it, or does the structure of a city shape the trajectory of its population’s character?

Depends on the city, of course.

The experience of real children navigating the barricades of Belfast, as reported by Marcello Di Cintio’s Walls, is very different from the fictional structures imposed on the characters of Pasha Malla’s People Park. When the discussion was opened to the audience for questions one of the first hands raised wanted to know what the authors thought about the state of the city they were in, Calgary. As the only Calgary writer on hand, Di Cintio gracefully handled the question with a thoughtful analysis of how the presence of the Rocky mountains on the Western horizon affected Calgarians the same way Lake Michigan cradles the east end of Joe Meno’s Chicago.

The topic of Calgary also raised the question of whether or not Calgary had yet been ‘written’ the way that other major cities of the world are represented in literature – a highly debatable, unanswerable question that can really only be addressed through reading. And writing.

And if you’re writing Calgary you’ve got to know Calgary.

And nobody knows Calgary better than the select group of historians, authors, and storytellers gathering at the library this weekend for HERITAGE WEEKEND 2012. Save yourself lifetimes worth of research and experience the stories that built our city like you’ve never heard before.

Unbuilt Calgary

Saturday, Oct 20
1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
John Dutton Theatre (Central Library 2^nd floor)

Author Stephanie White explores a century of plans for Calgary, some remaining unrealized, others waiting for their time to come.

Stories of Calgary

Saturday, Oct 20
2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
John Dutton Theatre (Central Library, 2^nd floor)

Calgary’s best historian-storytellers, Hugh Dempsey, Harry Sanders, Max Foran and Nancy Townshend, and Library writer-in-residence Brian Brennan for fascinating and entertaining stories of Calgary’s past.

For the full list of inspiration-guaranteed Heritage Weekend events taking place October 19th & 20th, click here.

It is the time of year when deadlines for a lot of writing contests start to creep up quickly. While you may think it’s crazy to pay money to submit work to a magazine that you can submit work to for free at any time of the year, there are benefits. A subscription to the magazine (which is usually offered with the entry fee) helps you keep on top of what’s getting published in them, and also helps support the magazine, which in turn supports writers.

Contests also provide DEADLINES, which are crucial for a lot of us who have trouble with self-discipline or over-analysis. (See also: "Dreaded Deadlines".) When a piece of work has to be completed before a determined date there is a real sense of motivating urgency you just can’t get from any internal pressure. And you might find that your editing process takes a much harder line when you know what you’re working on is going to be judged.

Here is a roundup of some of our favourite magazines’ current contests, and links to the details, in chronological order of their deadlines. Remember that if you are going to enter contests, read the magazine you are submitting to to get a feel for what they publish. You can find any of the following publications on the 4th floor of the Central library.

Contest Host	Link to details	DEADLINE
	2013 Open Season Awards	NOVEMBER 1 (Fiction, Poetry, & Creative Non-Fiction)
	Prairie Fire	NOVEMBER 30 (Fiction, Poetry, & Creative Non-Fiction)
	ANNUAL PROSE & POETRY CONTEST	DECEMBER 31 (Fiction & Poetry only)
	PRISM international	Fiction & Poetry: JANUARY 25, 2013 Literary Non-Fiction: November 28, 2012
	Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers	MARCH 1, 2013

Please note that this is only small sample of the endless places for you to submit your work. A really good website to take a look at for other submission calls is [places for writers], which seems to have new postings every day.

60+ Events. 6 days...

DON'T MISS THIS ONE:

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Event #36 - POETRY OFF THE PAGE

October 12, 2012

9:30-11pm, Vertigo Theatre Centre, Studio

Ken Babstock • Ivan E. Coyote • Phil Hall • A.F. Moritz • Sandy Pool

Award-winning and prolific, Canadian “page poets” use the stage as the page, transforming their readings into a charged event for a truly dynamic experience. Hosted by Lorna Crozier. TICKETS.

Methodist Hatchet	Missed Her	Killdeer	The New Measures	Undark
Ken Babstock	Ivan E. Coyote	Phil Hall	A.F. Moritz	Sandy Pool

Festival starts October 9! Click here for the complete lineup.

This Saturday the Memorial Park Library is hosting a special all-day event highlighting authors who call Calgary home. Presented by the Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners and Sponsored by Calgary 2012, this will surely be a wonderful way to get to know locally-produced writers, to commemorate their contributions to the city, and to get excited about the future...

A CELEBRATION OF CALGARY AUTHORS

Saturday, Sep 29
10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

REGISTER HERE!

Featured Guests:

Pat Roome, Hugh Dempsey, Brian Brennan, Max Foran, Fred Stenson, Katherine Govier, Chris Turner, Chryl Foggo, and Kris Demeanor

Another interesting batch of new arrivals to report!

The 4th floor of the Central library is keeping an eye on all the latest resources for writers and we set them aside in the "physical" version of the Writer's Nook, where you will find everything you need to get inspired and informed to keep your writing projects moving forward.

	Wired for Story: the writer's guide to using brain science to hook readers from the very first sentence by Lisa Cron Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps readers transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets-and it's a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper. (Summary) Science can reveal new perspectives, but just as often it shows us what we already know. The study of narrative as a powerful force that can do more than entertain is a perfect example of how neuroscience validates what writers -and readers- already sense: we are hardwired to love a story because it allows us to make sense of the world. Cron (Extension Writers' Program, UCLA) draws on her extensive experience in publishing, story consultancy, and television to elucidate not just how to write well but how to tell a story. While the brain science element can come off as a bit gimmicky as Cron shares her "secrets," it's the only flaw in a marvelous examination of key writing concepts such as plot, tone, theme, timing, conflict, subplot, and setup. Cron shows how these elements work to keep the narrative unfolding while moving it along, with patterns and parallels connecting the reader to the whole story. Practical, useful, and well organized, this enjoyable book provides a framework of questions for writers to ask themselves. This book will be well received by both aspiring and established writers. (Library Journal Review)
	The 6.5 Practices of Moderately Successful Poets by Jeffrey Skinner A private eye turned moderately successful poet leads readers on a satiric, hopeful tour of how to make a life in the arts, while still having a life. Revealing, hilarious, and peppered with sly takes on the ins and outs of contemporary American poetry. Revision is the process a poem endures to become its best self. Or, if you are the poet, you are the process a poem endures to become its best self. [...] Endures because a first draft, like all other objects in the universe, has inertia and would prefer to stay where it is. The poet must not collaborate. Best self because the poem is more like a person than a thing, and does not strenuously object to personification. Yo, poem. But let's not get carried away. It's your poem and you can treat it as you wish; sweet talk it; push it around if that's what it takes. Alfred Hitchcock notoriously said of the actors in his movies, "They are cattle."

In 2002 he brought us to Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Mauritania with Harmattan: Wind Across West Africa. In 2006 Poets & Pahlevans took us on ‘a journey into the heart of Iran' in an exploration of the relationship between heroic poetry and the various styles of traditional Persian wrestling. This year Marcello Di Cintio is taking his audience into Walls. Many walls. From India to Montreal, Morocco to Arizona, Cyprus to Belfast. I have no idea how he managed to fit this much travel, tension, and experience into 288 pages, but this week we get to find out...

OFFICIAL WALLS BOOK LAUNCH

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20

CROWN SURPLUS (INGLEWOOD)

1005 - 11th Street SE

7pm - 8pm

According to the event's Facebook page, this is outdoor, so do bring a jacket.

To place your hold on Walls, click here.

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More on the book...

In this ambitious blend of travel and reportage, Marcello Di Cintio travels to the world’s most disputed edges to meet the people who live alongside the razor wire and answer the question: What does it mean to live against the walls?

Di Cintio shares tea with Saharan refugees on the wrong side of Morocco’s desert wall. He meets with illegal Punjabi migrants who have circumvented the fencing around the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. He visits fenced-in villages in northeast India, walks Arizona’s migrant trails, and travels to Palestinian villages to witness the protests against Israel’s security barrier.

From Native American reservations on the US-Mexico border and the “Great Wall of Montreal” to Cyprus’s divided capital and the Peace Lines of Belfast, Di Cintio seeks to understand what these structures say about those who build them and how they influence the cultures that they surround. Some walls define “us” from “them” with medieval clarity. Some walls encourage fear or feed hate. Others kill. And every wall inspires its own subversion, whether by the infiltrators who dare to go over, under or around them, or by the artists who transform them.

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Why is this event outdoor in Calgary in September?

According to Marcello's blog, "Elsewhere":

"I decided to hold the event in the back lot of Calgary’s Crown Surplus. Considering the topic of the book, I figured I’d surround my audience with fences, barbed wire, army tents and other shards of military urbanism."

Makes sense.

If you are interested in having your mind blown, consider any of the following projects being constructed for Calgary's first year taking part in Nuit Blanche - an international, multi-city, late night arts festival...

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An audience-activated handcrafted rideable carousel.

A living cloud created from 5,000 light bulbs.

Live, interdisciplinary performance.

A rowdy, portable Belfast pub.

Text message town criers.

Maybe wear a helmet?

Saturday, September 15.

Olympic Plaza Park.

7pm - 3am.

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For all the amazing pictures and details go to NUIT BLANCHE.

SINGLE ONION is looking to create a response poem consisting of one-line reactions to the event, which sounds like a really good idea. The incredibly simple instructions on how to contribute your reaction are at Single Onion's blogspot.

Read recent articles on this event from FFWD magazine, or the HERALD.

If you want to get some serious value out of your library card, there is a three month window, which has already opened, for Calgary Public Library members to take part in our Writer in Residence services. With financial assistance from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, we are quite lucky to be able to offer an opportunity for Calgary writers to pursue an appraisal of their work from a professional author.

This year Memorial Park library has welcomed Brian Brennan and this Saturday, September 8, we want to make it official...

Writer in Residence Welcome and Program Launch

Memorial Park Library
1221 2^nd St SW
No registration required

Saturday, September 8

2:00–3:30 p.m.

A reception will follow.

Here is a small sample of Mr. Brennan’s work:

How the West was Written: the life and times of James H. Gray	Boondoggles, Bonanzas, and Other Alberta Stories	Leaving Dublin: Writing my Way from Ireland to Canada	Romancing the Rockies

For information on submitting a manuscript and setting up an individual consultation, click here, or call the Memorial Park library at 403-221-2006

You may have met Naomi K. Lewis last fall through the library’s Writer-in-Residence service as she gracefully critiqued our manuscripts, imparted her experienced wisdom, and shared her work. Good things seemed to have happened for Naomi since the end of her residency, as she was awarded the Colophon Prize for Fiction in January and now, eight months later, I Know Who You Remind Me Of is ready to be launched:

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 15

SHELF LIFE BOOKS

(Corner of 4th Street & 13th Avenue SW)
2:00pm - 4:00pm

Original and effortlessly clever, the stories in I Know Who You Remind Me Of capture the sensibility of a generation with no cultural inhibitions to overcome. Naomi K. Lewis’s characters bear the battlescars of adolescence and early adulthood ­– scars left when one classmate impersonates another in Internet pornography; a lover donates his eyeball in the heat of passion; sibling rivalry escalates into a low orbit. For these characters, everything is straight-on, never coy, and often deliciously funny. Stories from this collection have appeared in the Journey Prize anthology, the Fiddlehead, The New Quarterly, and other journals.

Library copies of I Know Who You Remind Me Of are on the way. Until they come, click here to place a hold on Naomi K. Lewis' debut novel - Cricket in a Fist.

Read the Nook's interview with Naomi from November 2011.