Date: July 1st 2010

 

Happy July from NOW HEAR THIS! — we hope you’re acclimatizing to the freedom and warmth of summer!

The following newsletter features updates on the major projects and upcoming events in the NHT! and Descant community. We hope that you’ll join us on July 14 for the launch of Descant’s summer issue; on August 11, we’d love to host you for our eighth HEAR/HEAR Reading Series.

S.W.A.T. segues into Summer!
Thanks to everyone that made the latest installment of our Students, Writers and Teachers creative writing residency program such a success — you’ve earned this summer break!

During the 2009/10 school year, NHT! placed twelve local authors in high schools across Toronto. They, in turn, connected with, inspired (and were inspired by) hundreds of talented youth. For ten weeks these students, writers and teachers collaborated on creative writing projects; they worked hard to develop critical thinking and literacy skills while keeping experimentation, creative freedom and respect for individual voices at the fore.

Thanks to all who share their fine work with us on the NHT! forum and through submissions to The Capybara (our forthcoming anthology of student work). We love reading your words!

And, while we were sad to see S.W.A.T.'s winter sessions end with the school year, Rachel in the NHT! office is already busy plotting next year's program. So, rest up, keep writing, and look forward to more in Fall 2010!
 
 
Get ready for another anthology: The Capybara is coming!
 

 

Spring 2011 may feel like it's a long way off (it is), but we're looking ahead to the publication of our third anthology of student writing. Student work, produced during the ten weeks of S.W.A.T., poured in to the NHT! office throughout the spring. We've been reading (and revelling) away. Well done, S.W.A.T. student writers — you impress us deeply!

We can't wait to get the publication really rolling, and to celebrate your hard work and creativity with another special shindig. Click here to see pictures from the launch party for our beautiful Barracuda last March. We had a great night celebrating with our students, writers, parents, colleagues and a special guest from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. We look forward to doing it again.
 

In the meantime, if you want to check out The Armadillo or The Barracuda in hard copy, head to our webstore for ordering information. For details on the Capybara — the critter and the publication — read more here.
 
HEAR this: our latest Reading Series  was a total success!
   
 
Thanks to all of our friends, new and old, that came out on June 9 to hear from three of our fantastic new S.W.A.T. writers. Natalie Zine Walschots, Angela Szczepaniak and Elisabeth de Mariaffi impressed the group of more than fifty that braved the gray skies and squeezed into the Free Times Cafe.

NHT! and the authors were delighted to have you there. We hope you can join us for more on Wednesday, August 11. Same time (doors at 6:30pm, readings at 7pm), same place (the Free Times Cafe, 320 College Street) — we’re thrilled to report that Devon Code, Colin Frizzell and Paul Vermeersch are on the roster for next time!

Check it out: NHT! debuts on YouTube. To see footage of Natalie reading for us, click here.




WRITE ON! special call out to teachers and community organizers.
 
 

NHT! is pleased to report on a successful first year for its special, one-off creative writing workshops. WRITE ON! uses our S.W.A.T. model to export the creative and critical skill-building components of our ten-week workshops into a single-session format.

We connect professional writers to classrooms and community organizations (like Students for Barrier-free Access at UofT, the Toronto Public Library, Literacy for Life and the Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy) and we've focused our programming to reflect the expertise of our writers. This means that graphic novelists lead our "Beyond the Comic Book" workshops; writer-musicians lead "The Song is a Poem."

We can nuance our workshops to suit a range of literacy levels and ages (from elementary school children to adult learners). Most recently, we ran workshops at the MTML Adult Learner's Conference. Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" was the catalyst for some incredible poetic output from our participants. They collaborated, they celebrated one another's words, and they made the classroom a safe environment for bold, creative play.

NHT! is working to enhance our community profile and we'd love to share our WRITE ON! program with you. Our workshop structure is ideal for teachers wanting to introduce creative writing into their curriculum (or looking for a launching point for longer-term class projects) and for community organizations with special interests in literacy and creative self-expression. For more details on our workshops and format, check out the WRITE ON! section of the NHT! site.

You can request a copy of our brochure and/or contact our Special Projects Coordinator, Hilary Fair, at hilary@nowhearthis.ca.

 


You're Invited: Come out and Celebrate with Descant!
You might know that our mother publication is gearing up for the start of its fortieth anniversary year. Before shifting into the next decade, though, Descant will finish 39 right!

On Wednesday, July 14, the Descant community will gather at College Street's stylish Bar Italia for the launch of another beautiful issue: D149 Summer and Smoke — The Search for Values.

The evening will get started at 7:30pm and will feature readings by Roxanna Bennett, Lauren Carter, Glenn Hayes, David Mason and Douglas Rodger. Descant hosts these parties four times a year; we always have a fantastic time and our friends are always welcome. We hope to see you there!

 


I Scream, You Scream (and for good reason!)
Get ready for a full week of literary action — the annual Scream Literary Festival is set to begin! Check out the exciting roster of events, including a very special youth-specific reading that blends new media and poetry, here. NHT! highly recommends the not-to-be-missed YouthTube: User (Re)generated Content at The Supermarket on Sunday, July 11.

This year's festival is titled Agents and Provocateurs: the creative minds behind the scenes call on lit lovers to join in the discussion and celebration of the radicals (and rascals) of the literary world.

The fun begins on July 6; the grand finale (the famed Scream in High Park) happens on July 12. View the line up here.


 


Just a few more details ...
HERE'S WHERE TO GO IF YOU WANT TO:

-- support great programming:: http://www.nowhearthis.ca/donate
-- know everything about us:: http://www.nowhearthis.ca
-- hear our inner thoughts:: http://www.nowhearthis.ca/blog
-- buy our swag:: http://www.descant.ca/purchase.html
-- listen to us read:: http://www.hear-hear.mypodcast.com
-- become a fan:: http://www.facebook.com/NOWHEARTHIS.ca
-- follow us:: http://www.twitter.com/NOWHEARTHISca



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