You may have heard the old story about The Old Man and Death: An old man was out gathering a bundle of sticks for his fire. He cut a dozen thick pieces in the forest and began to carry them home. He had a long way to go, and he was tired before he was halfway there. Throwing his bundle… Continue reading Friday Fable: The Old Writer and Oblivion
Author: Catherine Austen
I'm a Canadian author of books for all ages. My short stories are published in literary journals including The Fiddlehead and The New Quarterly. My books for young readers have won multiple awards, including the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award and the Quebec Writers Federation Prize for Children's Literature. I live with my family in Gatineau, Quebec.
Ottawa’s Awesome Authors Contest
'Tis the season for the Ottawa Public Library's Awesome Author Contest! Local writers aged 9-17 have a couple of months to shine up their best poems and stories for the 2016 competition. If your work is already shiny, you can enter it right now. If you want some professional help in polishing your words -- or digging up words… Continue reading Ottawa’s Awesome Authors Contest
Make a WISH
For the second week in a row, I met some friends on Friday morning for an hour of silent writing in a local tea house. I call it a Write in Silence Hour, aka a WISH. Okay, yeah, people have been doing this for centuries by other names. You might head to a cafe for a… Continue reading Make a WISH
Monday Markets: Upcoming Writing Contests and Calls for Submission
Looking for somewhere to submit your work? Fishing for a topic for your next story? Here are a few suggestions and opportunities coming up in September and October 2015. For Teachers and Students: The Ocean Trash Write-Away Short Fiction Contest: Writers under 25 are invited to envision solutions to the problem of ocean trash for… Continue reading Monday Markets: Upcoming Writing Contests and Calls for Submission
Wednesday Word: Crepuscular
I can't stop saying "crepuscular," ever since I read this beautiful little book, Nocturne, by Traer Scott. In this book of stunning animal portraits and accompanying factual blurbs, the author features a few critters that are neither diurnal (active in the daytime) nor nocturnal (active in the nighttime) but crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn). What a… Continue reading Wednesday Word: Crepuscular
Catherine Austen 