Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. In this special episode, we’re taking a coffee break to chat about all things writing retreats!

Emily De Angelis comes from a long line of visual artists, musicians, and storytellers.She has spent many years developing her writing through independent study, workshops, conferences, and courses, including a year in the Humber School for Writers. She was also fortunate to receive an OAC grant for Works in Progress. Emily has western and Japanese-style poems as well as short stories published in various anthologies. She was guest curator and poet for an ekphrastic exhibit involving the work of early Canadian painter Florence Carlyle and recently launched a chapbook based on Carlyle’s writing and Emily’s poetry entitled In the Space Between: The ‘New Woman’ in the Writing of Florence Carlyle (Woodstock Art Gallery 2024). Her debut young adult novel, The Stones of Burren Bay, released in May 2024 with Latitude 46 Publishing. Emily is wintering in Woodstock, Ontario while spending summers on her property on Manitoulin Island.

Daphne Gordon is a writer and author with a background in journalism and a passion for storytelling. She is currently working on a nonfiction book that weaves personal stories, investigative research, and insightful interviews to offer a fresh perspective on the evolving world of psychedelics. This isn’t a guide to using psychedelics—it’s an invitation to reflect on their cultural, medical, and personal significance. Whether or not you engage with psychedelics yourself, this book explores why they matter and how they’re shaping our world. Subscribe to Daphne’s Substack newsletter Psychedelic Sundays and visit her website at daphnegordon.com.

Dinah Laprairie is a writer, editor, and an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach, offering story support to passionate people and community-minded mentors. For 13 years, Dinah served as editor–publisher of Open Minds Quarterly. Today, she supports authors as an editor and coach, serving people who want to inspire change by sharing their professional and lived experience on the page, whether it’s practical advice for specific audiences, life lessons, or big ideas that deserve a wide readership. Her coaching focuses on supporting the writer’s goals while upholding the reader’s needs and expectations. She is ready to help you with book planning and outlining, wrangling ideas into a message, getting into the writing mindset, revisions, or pitching your book to publishers. Her aim is to make you a confident writer who has the tools and mindset to write forward and publish the book you dream about—one that readers need, and read. Dinah hails from the land of blueberries and big nickels, in Northeastern Ontario. When she’s not at her desk, you’re most likely to find her reading literary or crime novels or taking part in a local class or trying a new recipe. Find Dinah on LinkedIn, Substack, or at www.dinahlaprairie.com

Rekindle Creativity Women’s Writing Retreat: Spring Getaway

Join us for a weekend getaway at The Lodge at Pine Cove in beautiful French River, Ontario to reconnect with yourself and your writing, and make connections with a small group of fellow writers. What a wonderful way to celebrate the spring by rekindling your personal creativity and sparking your ideas. Dinah and I can’t wait to welcome you. Learn more and register here.

Women Writing Circle

Are you looking for support, accountability, and community to reach your writing goals this year? The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. This offering is for paid subscribers ($8USD/month). You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting pages written in 2025.

Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. In this episode, I’m having a coffee break with creative non-fiction and novelist Marion Agnew. You can check out Marion’s feature in Women Writing here. Marion gives me an update on the Hoito in Thunder Bay, discusses writing her books, and we delve into all kinds of writerly topics, including her husband Roy Blomstrom’s novels.

Marion Agnew’s debut novel, Making Up the Gods (Latitude 46), was released in October, 2023. Her personal essay collection, Reverberations: A Daughter’s Meditations on Alzheimer’s (Signature Editions, 2019), was shortlisted for the Louise de Kiriline Lawrence award for nonfiction. She lives in Shuniah, Ontario, mere yards from Lake Superior, in Anishinaabe/ Robinson-Superior Treaty territory. The Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop recently honoured her with the Kouhi Award for her contributions to writing in Northwestern Ontario. Her website: www.marionagnew.ca

Making up the Gods is available at bookstores everywhere, and online at Latitude 46 Publishing. Reverberations: A Daughter’s Mediations on Alzheimer’s is available at bookstores everywhere and online at Signature Editions.

Roy Blomstrom’s The Devil's Violin: Myllysilta's History and Silences: A Novel of the 1918 Finnish Civil War are available online here.

Women Writing Circle

* The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. Our next session is MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2025.

* The first live session will be on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12 AT 1:00 PM EST.

* These offerings are for paid subscribers ($8 USD/month). You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here.

I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting some pages written in 2025.

Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. In this episode, I’m chatting with spoken word poet, editor, and publishing assistant, Lindsay Mayhew.

Lindsay Mayhew is a spoken word poet, author, and editor from Sudbury, Ontario. She is a recent English Literature Master’s graduate from the University of Guelph. Her editorial debut with Connor Lafortune, A Thousand Tiny Awakenings, releases April 5, 2025. As Wordstock Sudbury’s multi-year slam champion and a runner up in the 2024 Womxn of the World poetry slam, Lindsay is a successful slam competitor. She will be representing Hamilton in the 2025 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam in Vancouver. She has featured in events across Ontario, including the YWCA, JAYU Canada, Nuit Blanche, and Wordstock Literary Festival. Lindsay’s written work can be found in the Literary Review of Canada, Moria, and multiple editions of Sulphur. Her work focuses on mental health, feminism, and human rights advocacy.

Follow Lindsay on Instagram and YouTube.

Women Writing Circle

Are you looking for support, accountability, and community to reach your writing goals this year? The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. This offering is for paid subscribers ($8USD/month). You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting pages written in 2025.

Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this episode with author and book coach Amy L. Bernstein as we discuss her new book Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration.

Amy L. Bernstein is the author, most recently, of Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration, a source of encouragement for self-doubting creatives. She is an award-winning multi-genre novelist, a former journalist, and a certified nonfiction book coach helping authors find their best path to publishing. Amy also publishes on Substack, teaches a variety of writing workshops, and may often be found at conferences and on podcasts discussing writing, publishing, and creativity. Learn more at her website.

Women Writing Circle

Are you looking for support, accountability, and community to reach your writing goals this year? The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting pages written in 2025.

Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. In this episode, I have a coffee break with author, book coach, and host of the Show, Don’t Tell Podcast, Suzy Valdori. Suzy shares seven essential elements to help you with the show, don’t tell concept.

Suzy Valdori is a Book Coach, Editor, Public Speaker and the Calgary Bestselling Author of The Fountain Series (The Fountain, The West Woods, Wall of Wishes). This fantastical Young Adult Series has received two Aurora Nominations for Best Young Adult Novel, as well as Five Stars and a bronze medallion from Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. She is represented by Naomi Davis of Bookends Literary Agency.

Suzy lives in Calgary, Canada with her husband and three children and is an involved member in the writing community. She is a Program Manager for Calgary’s When Words Collide (WWC), teaches writing at Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society, and is a touring member of the Young Alberta Book Society. Suzy is also the founder of WriteIt! creative writing programs in schools.

Her book coaching business grew from the number of writers coming to her for writing tips, editing, marketing advice and motivational support on their projects. She loves working with writers at all stages in many genres, including Non-Fiction, Memoir, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade, Picture Books and of course, Young Adult. Suzy is an Advanced Certified Book Coach from Jennie Nash’s Author Accelerator.

Suzy speaks to youth and adult audiences across Western Canada about how literacy can unlock doors and help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be.

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Women Writing Circle

Are you looking for support, accountability, and community to reach your writing goals this year? The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. This offering is for paid subscribers ($8 USD/month). You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting pages written in 2025.

Thanks for taking your coffee break with Women Writing! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others. Let’s inspire each other and share our knowledge.

Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. In this episode, I take a coffee break with romance writer and book coach Trisha Jenn Loehr. Enjoy this delightful conversation about all things romance.

Trisha Jenn Loehr is a romance writer and Author Accelerator certified book coach. She helps busy women who want to write romance novels without guilt or shame prioritize their writing, develop their craft, and find joy in the journey toward their publishing dreams.

With a decade of experience as a communications and events professional, she understands writing, marketing, the importance of identifying your audience, and the necessity of continually learning. Her writing has been published on JaneFriedman.com, Business Insider, the Calgary Herald, Wicked Authors, and Birthing Magazine. She is currently writing two inter-connected novels, a small-town enemies-to-lovers romance and a reality tv show grumpy/sunshine romance.

Along with her book coach certification and a whole host of other writing workshops and courses, Trisha holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and professional writing with a minor in political science, a certificate in leadership and applied public affairs, and a certificate in dance performance preparation. (Yeah, it’s a weird mix.) She is also mom to an angel boy in heaven and a sweet rainbow of a little girl who got to stay earthside, and is an advocate for infertility and pregnancy loss awareness.

Connect with Trisha on Instagram @trishajennreads and at trishajennreads.com.

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Women Writing Circle

Are you looking for support, accountability, and community to reach your writing goals this year? The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. This offering is for paid subscribers. You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting pages written in 2025.

Thanks for taking your coffee break with Women Writing! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others. Let’s inspire each other and share our knowledge.

Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. In this episode, I’m taking a coffee break with poet and author Vera Constantineau. You can read Vera’s previous Women Writing feature here. Enjoy our conversation about haiku, haibun, and supporting writers.

Vera Constantineau loves the written word. Nonfiction, short fiction, poetry and humour have all held her interest for many years. Vera is a former poet laureate of Greater Sudbury (2020-2022), a past president of the Sudbury Writers’ Guild and she’s member in good standing of several national and international writing organizations including The Writers Union of Canada, Haiku Canada and the Haiku Society of America. She believes the companionship and support of fellow writers is very important in a writer’s life.

Laugh Lines and Other Wrinkles (2024) is Vera’s latest chapbook, available at Indigo or directly from Vera. Prior to this current work, she was pleased to sign with Latitude 46 Publishing for the birth of Enlightened by Defilement, an Almost Memoir in Haibun.

You can find out more about Vera’s writing life at her website: www.veraconstantineau.com

Women Writing Circle

Are you looking for support, accountability, and community to reach your writing goals this year? The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. This offering is for paid subscribers ($8 USD/month). You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting pages written in 2025.

Thanks for taking your coffee break with Women Writing! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others. Let’s inspire each other and share our knowledge.

Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. In this episode, I’m having a chat with author, speaker, and writing coach, Patricia Westerhof. You can read Patricia’s previous Women Writing feature here and check out her book The Canadian Guide to Creative Writing and Publishing.

Patricia Westerhof is the award-winning author of The Canadian Guide to Creative Writing and Publishing, Catch Me When I Fall, and The Dove in Bathurst Station. She also co-authored The Writer's Craft, a textbook on creative writing that’s been used widely across Canada. Her stories and articles have appeared in Room, The Feathertale Review, Write, West End Phoenix, and The Dalhousie Review. Her current project, a comic novel, was inspired by her recent experience of having been forced to write an index. Patricia, who holds an MA in Education and teaches creative writing classes at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies, is also a sought-after writing coach.

Visit Patricia’s website www.patriciawesterhof.com and follow her on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/pawesterhof

Thanks for taking your coffee break with Women Writing! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others. Let’s inspire each other and share our knowledge.

Women Writing Circle

Are you looking for support, accountability, and community to reach your writing goals this year? The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. This offering is for paid subscribers ($8 USD/month). You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting pages written in 2025.

Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. In this episode, I’m having a chat with poet, memoirist, short story writer, publicist, and founder of River Street Writing, Hollay Ghadery, to discuss her writing, her work as a publicist, and the importance of literary communities. You can learn more about Hollay in her Women Writing here. Enjoy!

“A really easy thing you can do to keep yourself relevant is to celebrate other people’s work.”

Hollay Ghadery (she/her) is a content, PR, and communications specialist with 20 years of experience working with businesses and individuals from around the globe. She’s also the founder of River Street Writing. Hollay has her BAH in English Language and Literature from Queen’s University, as well as her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Her short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and reviews have appeared in literary journals across Canada, including The Malahat Review, Grain, Understorey, The Antigonish Review, The Fiddlehead, and Room. Her work of non-fiction, Fuse, was released by Guernica Edition’s new Miroland Imprint in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her debut collection of poetry, Rebellion Box, came out with Radiant Press in 2023. The title poem of the collection was awarded The New Quarterly’s 2022 Nick Blatchford Prize for Occasional Verse. Widow Fantasies, her collection of short fiction is set to be released with Gordon Hill Press in 2024. Hollay is also the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township.

Women Writing Circle

Are you looking for support, accountability, and community to reach your writing goals this year? The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. This offering is for paid subscribers. You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting pages written in 2025.

Thanks for taking your coffee break with Women Writing! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others. Let’s inspire each other and share our knowledge.

Welcome to the Women Writing podcast. In this episode, Kim Fahner and I take a coffee break together to chat about her debut novel, her career as a poet, and her work at The Writers’ Union of Canada. Sit back and enjoy our conversation. You can read Kim’s previous feature in Women Writing here.

“Every time you work with a book coach, editor, or a publisher, every time you read someone else’s work and you learn from them, I think it’s just this wonderful palimpsest of learning.”

Kim Fahner lives and writes in Sudbury, Ontario. Her first novel, The Donoghue Girl, was just published by Latitude 46 this fall. Her next book of poems, The Pollination Field, will be published by Turnstone Press in Spring 2025. Kim recently won first place in The Ampersand Review's essay contest with her piece, "What You Carry." As well, she was shortlisted for the 2023 Ralph Gustafson Poetry Contest in The Fiddlehead. Kim is the First Vice-Chair of The Writers' Union of Canada, a member of the League of Canadian Poets, and a supporting member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. Currently, she is working on completing a collection of creative non-fiction essays, and is nearly done her the first draft of her next novel. Kim may be reached via her website at Kim Fahner - Poet, Playwright, Novelist, Teacher.

Women Writing Circle

Are you looking for support, accountability, and community to reach your writing goals this year? The Women Writing Circle meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. This offering is for paid subscribers. You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. I’m looking forward to creating a magical writing community with you, and getting pages written in 2025.

Thanks for taking your coffee break with Women Writing! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others. Let’s inspire each other and share our knowledge.