Tag: creative writing workshops

Renwick, Jessica. (Red Deer, Alberta)

Alexandra Writer’s Centre Society member. WordBridge board member. 2025 Snow Willow Award finalist. Middle Grade (grades 4 – 8). Writing workshops for all ages.

In-Person Visits (45-60 minutes): $300 for 1 session; $550 for 2 sessions; $750 for 3 sessions; $900 for 4 sessions. Travel charge of $0.55/km (round trip) for locations over 50 km from Red Deer.

Virtual Visits (45-60 minutes): $200 per session.

FOREST OF READING 2026 NOMINEE

Jessica Renwick dove into the world of writing fiction as a preteen and never looked back. Naturally, this led to a career as a public library assistant. She is the author of middle grade books that explore Canadian history, family dynamics, and friendship through exciting paranormal ghost stories. Her most recent book for young readers, Ghosts of Gastown, is a finalist for the 2025 Willow Awards and was selected for the CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens for spring of 2025.

Jessica is an experienced speaker who can tailor her presentations to suit the needs of the school or library. Her fun and interactive presentation is perfect for kids grades four to eight, and she loves doing writing workshops for that age and older (including adults!).

Her general presentation covers her writing journey. This includes themes of resilience, growth, and why rejection letters are not a bad thing. She discusses her writing process, from brainstorming to final edits. She relates the writing and publishing process to what students do in school with their writing assignments, and she includes tips and tricks for generating story ideas, getting over writer’s block, dealing with critique, and how to critique your peers’ work.

Free virtual visits: Jessica offers free fifteen-minute Q&A virtual visits for classes or library groups who have read Ghosts of Gastown.

Writing workshops: Available upon request. Jessica is a certified creative writing instructor through the Alexandra Writer’s Centre Society. She offers creative presentations about writing for kids, writing short stories, and can tailor workshops for a class or writing group’s needs. Maximum group size is one class or twenty adults.

Preferred venues and equipment: Libraries, classrooms, or gymnasiums. If she is presenting in anything larger than a classroom, a microphone will be required. A digital projector and screen will be required, and a table for supplies would be appreciated. Jessica will bring her own laptop for the slideshow.

Contact Jessica to book a visit:

    Ludwig, Sidura (Thornhill, ON)

    Membership: Writers’ Union of Canada, SCBWI, CANSCAIP, Association Jewish Libraries.

    Awards: Vine Award for Fiction, 2021 (You Are Not What We Expected); Danuta Gleed Award, finalist, 2021; Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award, finalist, 2008.

    Presentation rates, in person:  $325 for one session, $500 for half day (two sessions), $1000 for full day (four sessions, max). For outside of GTA, $.50/km. Presentation rates, virtual: $200 per session.

    RISING is the recipient of the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for children and youth

    Sidura is an internationally published writer of books for children and adults. She has over 30 years experience leading creative writing workshops to students of all ages. She loves nothing more than being in front of the classroom and sharing her life-long love of writing and books. She is the author of the picture book RISING (Candlewick, 2024), the middle grade novel SWAN (Nimbus, 2024), the adult short story collection YOU ARE NOT WHAT WE EXPECTED (House of Anansi, 2020) and the adult novel HOLDING MY BREATH (Key Porter Books, 2007).

    Presentations

    Middle Grade (4-8) (one hour)

    Rejection is Your Best Friend – my journey on how I became a full-time working writer, including the year I tried to get rejected as many times as possible, and what I learnt along the way. Includes reading from SWAN, question and answer and short writing prompt.

    Writing Historical Fiction – learn the background to writing SWAN, from idea, to research, to deciding why to write in verse. Includes photos from research in Nova Scotia. Writing workshop on how to get started when writing historical fiction and the importance of curiosity and asking questions (I WONDER poem).

    Grades 1-3 (one hour)

    How I became a picture book writer – presentation includes how I became a writer (with images from childhood), and how picture books get made. I read from RISING and include a lot of interactive questions with students. Art workshop on making a picture book, using an unpublished manuscript, where students get to be the illustrators. All art supplies included.

    JK-SK (45 minutes)

    Let’s Eat! – interactive song and storytime about making challah and celebrating Shabbat. Discussion on what foods do you eat when you are celebrating something? Read from RISING. Two station art workshop afterwards: 1) drawing picture of what you eat when you’re celebrating 2) learn to “braid challah” with Play Doh. All art supplies are included.

    Maximum number of students: Grade 1-3, 50; JK/SK, 30; grade 4-8, 100

    Preferred location: library or classroom, but am fine with anywhere that allows students room to both my presentation and art workshop (for JK-Grade 3).

    Equipment: (Grades 1-3) projector, screen, glass of water, tables with enough seating for students for art workshop; (JK-SK) chair and table for circle time, tables and seating for students for two-station art workshop; (Grades 4-8), projector, screen, microphone for large groups

    Contact Sidura to book a visit: