All regular meetings of the Canadian Authors Association (Niagara Branch) are held in the Mills Room at the St. Catharines Public Library (54 Church St.) at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated. Regular meetings occur on the first and third Wednesday of each month.

Wednesday, January 2 - 6:00 p.m. - Memoir Writers Group - Participants will be discussing the art of memoir writing and are invited to bring copies of a short memoir of no more than 1,000 words for critique. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. A regular Canadian Authors branch meeting will follow this event. Call Barb Weiler at 905-685-0153 or Ruth Troughton at 905-684-1331 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Wednesday, January 2 - 7:30 p.m. - Cut To The Chase - Award-winning Niagara author John Barta will discuss the art of writing flash or postcard fiction and how to make every word count. Participants should come prepared for several writing exercises. Barta's poetry and short fiction have appeared in a number of publications including Ten Stories High, The New Quarterly, Event, Hammered Out and Ascent Aspirations Magazine. Call Evan Kenney at 905-734-7180 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Sunday, January 13 - 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. - Poetry Writers Group at the home of Ron Prickett, 46 Vintage Crescent, St. Catharines. Poets bring several copies of their poetry for the group to discuss and critique. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. Call Ron Prickett at 905-685-3060 for more information.

Wednesday, January 16 - 7:30 p.m. - The Art of Fiction - Novelist and creative writing instructor Lynda Simmons will discuss the importance of story structure, character motivation and conflict in fiction. Participants will also have the opportunity to recognize "soft spots" in their writing by taking part in several writing exercises and a live critiquing session. Simmons teaches writing at both Sheridan College in Oakville and Ryerson University in Toronto. Her novels have been published by Harlequin/Silhouette, Kensington Books, and Sun Media, and have been translated into more than ten languages. Call Evan Kenney at 905-734-7180 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Sunday, January 27 - 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. - Fiction Writers Group at the home of Sheila Laundry, 4890 Bartlett Road North, Beamsville. During each meeting, two members present their fiction to the group for critique and discussion. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. Call Sheila Laundry at 905-563-8441 for more information.

Wednesday, February 6 - 6:00 p.m. - Memoir Writers Group - Participants will be discussing the art of memoir writing and are invited to bring copies of a short memoir of no more than 1,000 words for critique. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. A regular Canadian Authors branch meeting will follow this event. Call Barb Weiler at 905-685-0153 or Ruth Troughton at 905-684-1331 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

(CANCELLED) Wednesday, February 6 - 7:30 p.m. - Reading & Critiquing - Meet with other writers in small groups to discuss your poetry or prose and to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Participants will have a great opportunity to workshop their stories in time for the upcoming CanWrite! and Ten Stories High contest deadlines. Call John Barta at 905-892-4867 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Sunday, February 10 - 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. - Poetry Writers Group at the home of John Barta, 65 Spruceside Crescent, Fonthill. Poets bring several copies of their poetry for the group to discuss and critique. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become CAA members. Call John Barta at 905-892-4867 for more information.

Wednesday, February 20 - 7:30 p.m. - The Secrets of Songwriting - Canadian Idol pianist and music arranger Mark Lalama will hold an interactive workshop on the art of songwriting and will demonstrate the often misunderstood relationship between songwriting and performing. Born and raised in the Niagara area, Lalama has worked with a wide range of high profile Canadian musicians including Amy Sky, Susan Aglukark, Marc Jordan, John McDermott and Jesse Cook. He has also written and performed music for dozens of television and stage productions across the U.S. and Canada. Call Evan Kenney at 905-734-7180 for more information. (See below for more details.) St. Catharines Library.

Sunday, February 24 - 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. - Fiction Writers Group at the home of Sisko Boshman, 146 Green Pointe Drive, Welland. During each meeting, two members present their fiction to the group for critique and discussion. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members.

Wednesday, March 5 - 6:00 p.m. - Memoir Writers Group - Participants will be discussing the art of memoir writing and are invited to bring copies of a short memoir of no more than 1,000 words for critique. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. A regular Canadian Authors branch meeting will follow this event. Call Barb Weiler at 905-685-0153 or Ruth Troughton at 905-684-1331 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Wednesday, March 5 - 7:30 p.m. - Reading & Critiquing - Meet with other writers in small groups to discuss your poetry or prose and to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Participants will have a great opportunity to workshop their stories in time for the upcoming CanWrite! and Ten Stories High contest deadlines. Call John Barta at 905-892-4867 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Wednesday, March 19 - 7:30 p.m. - The Art of Poetry - Literary consultant and freelance editor Allan Briesmaster will discuss the importance of structure, tone and word choice in poetry. Members will also have the opportunity to recognize "soft spots" in their writing by taking part in a live critiquing session. A member of the League of Canadian Poets, Briesmaster is the author of nine books of poetry including Interstellar (Quattro Books, 2007) and runs his own micro press, Aeolus House. Since 1998, he was worked with several literary presses and been instrumental in the production of more than 50 books of poetry and non-fiction. Call Evan Kenney at 905-734-7180 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Sunday, March 30 - 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. - Fiction Writers Group at the home of Ron Prickett, 46 Vintage Crescent, St. Catharines. During each meeting, two members present their fiction to the group for critique and discussion. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. Call Ron Prickett at 905-685-3060 for more information.

Wednesday, April 2 - 6:00 p.m. - Memoir Writers Group - Participants will be discussing the art of memoir writing and are invited to bring copies of a short memoir of no more than 1,000 words for critique. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. A regular Canadian Authors branch meeting will follow this event. Call Barb Weiler at 905-685-0153 or Ruth Troughton at 905-684-1331 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Wednesday, April 2 - 7:30 p.m. - Poetry Boot Camp - Toronto poet and creative writing instructor Stuart Ross will demonstrate how new and veteran poets can write poetry using a wide variety of enjoyable and challenging approaches. Participants will have the opportunity to write several poems as well as experience a broad range of styles, forms and techniques. Ross has given hundreds of readings and workshops across Canada, the U.S., England and Nicaragua. His books include The Inspiration Cha-Cha (ECW Press), Confessions of a Small Press Racketeer (Anvil Press) and Henry Kafka and Other Stories (Mercury Press). His fifth major poetry collection, I Cut My Finger (Anvil Press), was published in 2007. Call Evan Kenney at 905-734-7180 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Wednesday, April 16 - 7:30 p.m. - The Play's The Thing - Award-winning Canadian playwright Norm Foster will discuss his experiences working in the theatre and demonstrate some of the most effective techniques for writing for the stage. Norm Foster is Canada’s most produced playwright. Over the past thirty years, Foster has written nearly forty plays including The Melville Boys, The Affections of May, The Motor Trade, Wrong For Each Other, Office Hours and The Foursome with stage productions throughout Canada and the U.S. He has also written a musical with composer Leslie Arden (The Last Resort) and four musicals (Jasper Station, Race Day, Sitting Pretty and One Moment) with composer Steve Thomas. Call Evan Kenney at 905-734-7180 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Sunday, April 27 - 1:30 to 4:40 p.m. - Fiction Writers Group at the home of John Barta, 65 Spruceside Crescent, Fonthill. During each meeting, two members present their fiction to the group for critique and discussion. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. Call John Barta at 905-892-4867 for more information.

Wednesday, May 7 - 6:00 p.m. - Memoir Writers Group - Participants will be discussing the art of memoir writing and are invited to bring copies of a short memoir of no more than 1,000 words for critique. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. A regular Canadian Authors branch meeting will follow this event. Call Barb Weiler at 905-685-0153 or Ruth Troughton at 905-684-1331 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Wednesday, May 7 - 7:30 p.m. - "Canadian Authors In Action" - Award-winning Niagara poets Jane Garrett, Elizabeth Glenny, Keith Inman and Ron Prickett will be reading selections of their work and talking about the craft of writing. Our guest reader will be McMaster University creative writing instructor Marilyn Gear Pilling. Pilling's books include My Nose Is A Gherkin Pickle Gone Wrong and The Roseate Spoonbill Of Happiness, and she has won or been shortlisted for several national awards. Several finalists from the library's "Fresh Ink" Creative Writing Competition for Teens will also be reading from their work. This event is sponsored by the St. Catharines Library and admission is free. Call Barb Weiler at 905-685-0153 or Diane Andrusko at 905-688-6103 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

(UPDATED) Wednesday, May 21 - 7:30 p.m. - Annual General Meeting & Open Mike - Canadian Authors members will be gathering to elect executive officers for the coming year and discuss some related branch issues. Following the election, there will be an "open mike" session where members are invited to read short selections from their fiction, poetry or memoir. Call Evan Kenney at 905-734-7180 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Wednesday, June 4 - 6:00 p.m. - Memoir Writers Group - Participants will be discussing the art of memoir writing and are invited to bring copies of a short memoir of no more than 1,000 words for critique. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become Canadian Authors members. A regular Canadian Authors branch meeting will follow this event. Call Barb Weiler at 905-685-0153 or Ruth Troughton at 905-684-1331 for more information. St. Catharines Library.

Wednesday, June 4 - 7:30 p.m. - To be announced.

(JUST ADDED) Sunday, June 8 - 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. - Poetry Writers Group at the home of Sheila Laundry, 4890 Bartlett Street North, Beamsville. Poets bring several copies of their poetry for the group to discuss and critique. Visitors are welcome for three meetings before they are expected to become CAA members. Call Sheila Laundry at 905-563-8441 for more information.

Wednesday, June 18 - 7:30 p.m. - To be announced.

The Secrets of Songwriting
with CTV's Mark Lalama

A Songwriting Workshop

Wednesday, February 20th
7:30 p.m. 

You've got the voice. You've got the looks. But if you're planning to be the next break-out popstar like James Blunt or Avril Lavigne you also need some strong material - and that means writing great songs! The question is - how?

Well, help is on the way as the Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association presents "The Secrets of Songwriting" - an interactive workshop hosted by CTV's Canadian Idol pianist and music arranger Mark Lalama. This workshop will take place on Wednesday, February 20th from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Mills Room at the St. Catharines Public Library, 54 Church Street.

In this performance-based workshop, Mark Lalama will share the secrets of songwriting with a focus on the differences between writing for a live audience and a recorded medium. In order to be truly successful, songwriters need to make a real connection with their audience - and that means having a full grasp of the relationship between songwriting and performing. Using several live piano performances to illustrate his discussion, Lalama will demonstrate the influence that your performance or recording can have on the written word.

Mark Lalama is one of Canada's most recognized musicians. He has performed and/or recorded with a multitude of artists including Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora, Martina McBride, Michael MacDonald, Olivia Newton-John, Paul Anka, Roger Hodgson, Guido Basso, Amy Sky, Marc Jordan, Susan Aglukark, Frank Mills and many more. He is the pianist and arranger for the hit CTV show Canadian Idol where he has had the pleasure of working with the best in Canadian talent as well as artists Nelly Furtado, Tony Bennett, Kelly Clarkson, Enrique Iglasias and Cyndi Lauper. He has written and/or produced with or for Amy Sky, Marc Jordan, Ryandan, David Tyson, Accordion Crimes, The Mantini Sisters, Elvis Stojko and the group "Braided" who had a number one hit with his song "A Little Bit Closer." He has composed music for television shows across the programming spectrum and recently scored a series for the Discovery Channel U.S. that was nominated for a 2007 Emmy Award. He has performed for Jean Chretien, Jacque Chiraq and most recently for former U.S. Vice-President, Al Gore. Mark works primarily out of his state-of-the-art recording studio "The Old Sumbler House" which boasts five ISO rooms and a great mix of vintage, analog and digital gear. Mark holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from York University where he studied music composition and performance with John Gittens, Frank Falco, Mark Eiseman, and Oscar Peterson, among others. Niagara born and raised, Mark makes his home in the beautiful metropolis of Fenwick, Ontario.

For more information, please contact Evan Kenney at 905-734-7180.