Category: News Releases

Edmonton’s Myrna Kostash invited to teach literary journalism at CMU  

Instruction in one of the exciting fields for writers, the area of literary journalism, is being offered at The School of Writing at CMU 2011, held this year from May 9 to 13.

Those not familiar with the term Creative Nonfiction might be prompted to ask, “But what is it?”

The instructor for the course, Edmonton’s Myrna Kostash, encounters this question quite often. “I’ve found that there is much confusion about what is meant by the term. People often ask me: what could be ‘creative’ about ‘nonfiction’? So in this course we will look at definitions and examples, do classroom exercises, and workshop participants’ writing.”

Creative nonfiction, sometimes called literary journalism or narrative nonfiction, is a growing field of writing in Canada and around the world. The style combines literary techniques with factual narratives, and can encompass political, travel, or historical writing, memoir, biography, and many other fields. As Kostash notes in the 2004 “Banff Declaration” of the Creative Nonfiction Collective: “We believe that nonfiction is the intellectual lifeblood of public imagination and discourse” and that the “vitality of Canadian literary life must be measured by the state of its nonfiction as well as of fiction and poetry.”

Kostash says: “Students begin the course scratching their heads and finish with an enthusiastic commitment to the genre—if not as writers, then as readers. It’s thrilling to see this happen.”

Myrna Kostash has been awarded the Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration of the Writing Life from the Writers’ Trust of Canada. She has also served as chair of The Writers’ Union of Canada. Recently Kostash was named to the City of Edmonton’s Salute to Excellence Arts and Culture Hall of Fame and awarded the Writers Guild of Alberta Golden Pen Award for lifetime achievement.

Prodigal Daughter: A Journey to Byzantium is the title of Myrna Kostash’s most recent book. It is described as a historical, cultural, and spiritual odyssey that begins in Edmonton, ranges around the Balkans, and delivers the author to an unexpected place—the threshold of her childhood church.

Some of Kostash’s other works include All of Baba’s Children, No Kidding: Inside the World of Teenage Girls, Bloodlines: A Journey into Eastern Europe, The Next Canada: In Search of Our Future Canada, and Reading the River: A Traveller’s Companion to the North Saskatchewan. 

Places are available in the Creative Nonfiction course, and in the Preaching and Fiction courses taught by Allan Rudy-Froese and Marina Endicott. The application deadline for the School of Writing has been extended to March 15.

Tuition for the School of Writing $575, which includes five days of lunches, coffee breaks, and a Friday evening banquet. Financial support is available.

Visit the School of Writing website at www.cmu.ca/schoolofwriting for more information and to download an application form.

Canadian pastor, preacher, and writer to lead workshop for lay and ordained preachers

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) welcomes Allan Rudy-Froese to its 2011 School of Writing.  Rudy-Froese, a pastor, preacher, and writer for over 25 years will lead a unique workshop that will combine the written word with an emphasis on the sound of what is written.  Applications are still being accepted for this “art of the sermon” workshop, which takes place from May 9 – 13, 2011 at CMU’s Shaftesbury campus in Winnipeg.

“If you have never heard Allan Rudy-Froese teach or preach, you have been missing something marvellous. He has truly electrifying ideas,” says Sue Sorensen, Director of the School of Writing and Associate Professor of English at CMU. “People who think the word ‘sermon’ equals ‘boredom’ are going to be launched into another realm of existence.”

Using the inspiration of great orators, poets, and musicians such as William Shakespeare, Martin Luther King Jr., the Apostle Paul, Emily Dickinson, Barbara Brown Taylor, Bob Dylan, Fanny Crosby, and others, whose words move beyond the page to settle on the ear of the listener, Rudy-Froese feels this course will be of interest to all preachers, lay or ordained.

“A sermon is an event of sound for the listening congregation, but often the preacher writes the sermon in the stone cold silence of the church office,” says Rudy-Froese.  “In this class, we will explore and experiment with writing for the ear, not for the eye.”

Allan Rudy-Froese has been a pastor and preacher for over 25 years in Manitoba and Ontario. He writes a regular column for Canadian Mennonite, “This Preacher Has 22 Minutes,” has published dramas and stories for Sunday school curricula, and is currently completing his PhD dissertation in the art and theology of preaching at the Toronto School of Theology.  His interest in combining writing and the spoken word has led him to be an avid audience member and sometimes actor in local theatre.

Now in its fifth year, The School of Writing at CMU remains committed to providing a nurturing and challenging environment for writers at various levels of expertise and experience. The School of Writing has helped hundreds of writers receive important support and guidance.

In addition to its participatory workshops on writing for sermons, the School also offers sessions on creative nonfiction, fiction writing, and life writing. Authors Myrna Kostash, Marina Endicott, and Joanne Klassen join Allan Rudy-Froese in bringing their experience and passion for writing to The School of Writing at CMU.

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, offering undergraduate degrees in arts and science, business and organizational administration, communications and media, peace and conflict resolution studies, music and music therapy, theology, and church ministries, as well as graduate degrees in Theological Studies and Christian ministry. Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus in Southwest Winnipeg, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through its Outtatown discipleship program. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). Visit www.cmu.ca

For further information on The School of Writing at CMU, contact:

Administrator, School of Writing at CMU

schoolofwriting@cmu.ca

School Features Acclaimed Writers Endicott, Rudy-Froese, Kostash, and Klassen 

The School of Writing at CMU welcomes acclaimed writers to its 2011 program being held May 9 – 13 at CMU’s Shaftesbury campus. Presenting this year’s writing workshops are Marina Endicott, teaching a course on fiction writing, Allan Rudy-Froese, leading a new course on writing sermons, Myrna Kostash, instructing a course on creative non-fiction writing, and Joanne Klassen, again leading her popular life writing course. 

 “We are very excited to offer our participants such high quality instruction from these very talented writers,” says Sue Sorensen, Director of the School and Associate Professor of English at CMU. “There is something about the shape of the intensive five-day writing workshop that works particularly well. There’s time to do some real work on manuscripts, and time to get to know fellow writers. And because our instructors are seasoned professionals, students benefit from hearing their stories of failure and achievement.”

 The beautiful campus of Canadian Mennonite University, located at the edge of the Assiniboine Forest in Winnipeg provides an inspiring setting for writers. Small classes allow students a substantial amount of time with experienced writing instructors as well as interactions with peers.

 One of the big advantages of attending the School is that it allows participants to connect with people who share a love of writing.

 “Having such a small group was awesome,” says Rachel Barber, a former student at the School, “as we all got to know each other very well. Those friendships lasted well beyond The School of Writing.”

 Brian Hay, a participant in the 2010 Life Writing class, particularly appreciated the opportunity to build a network with people of similar interest and motivation. “The School of Writing helped me big time in terms of meeting other amateur writers and forming a writers’ group,” comments Hay.

2011 School of Writing Instructors

 Fiction instructor for 2011 is Marina Endicott, a writer from Edmonton, Alberta, winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize and a finalist for the Giller Prize. She is the author of Good to a Fault (2008) and Open Arms (2001), and has taught creative writing at the University of Alberta.

Allan Rudy-Froese, a pastor from Kitchener, Ontario, will be teaching Writing Out Loud: The Art of the Sermon, a workshop on sermon writing for both lay and ordained preachers. He has been a preacher for over 25 years, and writes a regular column, “This Preacher has 22 Minutes,” in the Canadian Mennonite.

 Myrna Kostash of Edmonton, Alberta, one of Canada’s most acclaimed writers, is instructing Creative Nonfiction. Kostash is the recipient of the 2010 Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration of the Writing Life from the Writers’ Trust of Canada, and author of Prodigal Daughter: Journey to Byzantium (2010) and The Frog Lake Reader (2009). She is also a founding member of the Creative Nonfiction Collective.

Joanne Klassen will teach Life Writing, which will introduce students to a process called Transformative Writing. Students will be encouraged to develop their natural voices and increase their confidence in putting words on the page. Klassen is the founder and director of Winnipeg’s Heartspace Writing School.  (Joanne Klassen’s Life Writing course is filled and a waiting list has been started.)

The School of Writing at CMU is currently accepting applications. The application deadline is March 1. Tuition is $575, which includes five days of lunches, coffee breaks, and a Friday evening banquet.

Visit www.cmu.ca/schoolofwriting for more information and to download an application form.