Catherine Austen
Creative Writing
Thank-you, Canada Council for the Arts!
I was fortunate to receive a Research and Creation grant from the Canada Council for the Arts last year, funding the past 8 months of dedicated writing time so I could draft a new teen novel. And today I drafted the final scene of the book. Hurrah!
There’s a ton of revision yet to do, but getting that first draft completed is the biggest hurdle for me. Or if not the biggest, the first. You don’t get anywhere until you’re over that one. So this is a huge milestone to celebrate.
Read MoreMYAIF: More Fun for Young Writers in Ottawa/Gatineau
[Updated March 18th 2022] Hey kids, I know you’re hustling to get your poems, stories, and graphic narratives finished in time to enter the Ottawa Public Library’s Awesome Authors Youth Writing contest. Some of you might even be prepping for tomorrow’s Awesome Author teen workshops or fondly remembering the pre-teen workshops of the past few weeks (thanks — I had a blast). But why not sign up for even more writing and illustrating fun this season?
Registrations are open for MASC’s annual Young Authors and Illustrators Festival (aka MYAIF).
Read MoreAwesome Authors 2022 is on!
The Ottawa Public Library’s Awesome Authors Youth Writing Contest is back! Young writers of the nation’s capital, get to work on your poems, short stories, and comics. You could win publication, glory, cold hard cash!
Learn all the details from the Awesome Authors page on the OPL website.
I’ll be judging English fiction in the 9-12 age category again this year — and I want to read your story!
Read MoreLaunching Squirrels
November 17 Update: Thanks to everyone who attended the virtual launch of When the Squirrels Stole my Sister. I loved seeing all your faces and having your company to celebrate the book. (And I think we all drew some fabulous squirrels, thanks to Sean!)
Please check out the book page: When the Squirrels Stole my Sister for lots of squirrelly entertainment extras.
Read MoreHalloween Student Stories
It’s almost Halloween. To build the spooky atmosphere — and also to encourage creative writing — I’m offering these nine read-alouds, spooky stories written by students aged 11-17, all featured on my Cabin Tales podcast last October. They range from silly fun to gory terror, ideal for this time of year.
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Catherine Austen lives and writes in Gatineau, Quebec.
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