James Dewar – C.V.

 
 
 
I have a large and varied C.V. so I’ve split it up into different pages so that I can update specific aspects as I go along. Most of the links here take you to the headings on the right.
 
 
 
 
 
Check out Education and Influences for my C.V. and a log of the workshops and learning opportunities that I pursue. I’m constantly upgrading my skills as an educator, photographer, book designer and website builder.

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WRITING TEACHER and MENTOR

I’ve learned so much about writing over the years and I enjoy sharing, teaching and mentoring other writers. Visit Writing Workshops and Retreats for a list of my previous offerings. PLEASE NOTE: I try to keep this website up to date, but the Inkslingers website is where I always post my current and future teaching and mentoring activities.
 

WORDPRESS WEBSITE BUILDER

Another key activity is building WordPress websites. I designed and built this website using WordPress.
Sue Reynolds and I have been designing and building websites for six years through Piquant Productions.

We’re particularly proud to be working with the Canadian Authors Association in 2014, designing and upgrading their National, Conference and many branch websites.

We now manage over 80 websites.

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PUBLISHER

I also enjoy designing and overseeing books and magazines as a contributing editor and small press publisher. As CreativeJames Publishing I edited and published several chapbooks for new and established Toronto area poets between 2005 and 2009.
 

 
Then my partner, Sue Reynolds, and I started Piquant Press, our own own small publishing house. We specialize in poetry collections, short prose anthologies, memoirs and nonfiction.
 
 
 
In response to the demand for self-publishing assistance, we started Stone’s Throw Publications in 2011.

We’ve already helped sixty authors finish, edit, design and publish their books, and we always have 4 or 5 in production at any given time. We love to keep busy and the excitement never falters.

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AUTHOR and POET

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My short fiction and poetry have been published in a variety of anthologies and magazines. Click here to go to my Publication Credits Page.
 

The Garden in the Machine, my first full book of poetry, was published by Hidden Brook Press in 2007.
 

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I teach creative writing at Durham College from time to time and offer workshops on a variety of subjects from writing fiction, poetry, erotica and memoir, to public performance. I work with the amazing Sue Reynolds in several other workshops. Participants enjoy our unique perspectives on each subject. We now offer retreats in ideal writing locations, and organize exciting, enriching retreats twice a year in other lovely, warm countries such as Costa Rica and Italy.
 

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LEADER

I have been a member of the Writers’ Community of Durham Region (a membership of 300+) for almost ten years, served on the board for three, and another three years as President. Now I am the Past president, offering guidance to the new gang of dedicated writers who make the WCDR one of the most exciting writing organizations in Canada.

I am thrilled to be able to help writers of all ages and stages of development gain confidence in writing and presentation skills. I partake in many symposiums and workshops, and attend several readings a month. I believe that lifelong learning both triggers and sustains productive creativity. And being around fellow writers and performers is the best method of discovering new talent and stretching my own suppositions about the writing craft.

I particularly enjoyed finishing the first draft of my novel in the company of the many other novelists participating in the year long workshop I teach, A Novel Approach to Fiction.

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SHOW HOST AND PERFORMER

One of the things I’ve noticed about writers is how little emphasis most place on preparing, practicing and delivering written material to an audience. So I started a monthly poetry reading series in March, 2006, Hot-Sauced Words, with the intent of making poetry readings more interactive. It has morphed over the years to include audience feedback and on-the-spot writing challenges. Hot-Sauced Words is unlike any reading series you will ever attend.

Hosting my Hot-Sauced Words show, reading on open mics from time to time, and being invited to perform featured readings of my work keeps my confidence as a reader very high. I’ve developed techniques on preparing for a twenty minute reading set that I often include in my poetry workshops.
 

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Please check www.writeportal.ca to see what else I’m up to this month.
 
 
As my dad used to say, If you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you want to become a better writer, just ask me.