A lot of writers and artists make Northumberland County home! One important reason my husband and I chose to settle here after two decades abroad is the many poets and visual artists who practice their craft here. What is poetry? According to Margaret Atwood, “Poetry is condensed emotion.” Poets often focus on epiphanies—flashes of understanding…
Tag: Jessica Outram
April is Poetry Month by Mia Burrus
Festival Readers: April is Poetry Month! It started with Katie Hoogendam’s launch of her new collection, Spring Thaw, as part of Let’s Talk Books’ spring series, which continues Sunday, April 10, 2 PM, with Stuart Ross and Bruce Whiteman. https://www.facebook.com/letstalkbookscobourg/events/ Katie says it best herself: I’ve described the area behind Let’s Talk Books in Cobourg…
Letter to a Poet: an exchange between Jessica Outram and Gwynn Scheltema
The following exchange appeared in Writescape.ca and Cobourg Now. Letter to a Poet There’s nothing better than words of encouragement that arrive seemingly out of nowhere. That recently happened to me when my long-time friend, Jessica, sent an email with a link to the local online newspaper, in which she had written a letter addressed…
Free Workshop on How to Write a One-Act Play
Last week NFOTA put out a call for submissions for one-act plays. To support and inspire those who may be interested in writing a one-act play, Jessica Outram is offering a short workshop that goes over the basics. Big Ideas: Form: Why a play? What is story? Process: What is the process? Craft: What’s important…
Meet the Faces Behind NFOTA: Jessica Outram
Who you are? I am a writer and teacher. People also know me as the Poet Laureate of Cobourg and a principal with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. I’m so glad I made the decision to move to Cobourg 10 years ago. Connecting with the arts community and walking along Lake Ontario regularly…
Announcing the Paperback Release of Our Pandemic Times
NFOTA is delighted to announce the paperback release of the anthology, Our Pandemic Times, edited by Felicity Sidnell Reid and Kim Aubrey, and published by Blue Denim Press. Along with stories and poems written during the pandemic, the book contains many striking colour photographs and illustrations. On July 15, we held a poetry reading on…
Poetry Reading to Launch Our Pandemic Times
Please join us for a poetry reading on Facebook Live, Thursday, July 15, at 7 PM, as we launch the anthology, Our Pandemic Times. Cobourg’s Poet Laureate, Jessica Outram, will MC the event, hosted by Publisher, Blue Denim Press. This book began as a blog for a group of Northumberland writers in Ontario; a place…