Put Your Best Iambic Foot Forward: How to Submit to Literary Journals
Thursday, October 8, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Department of English, Room AA3018
Arts and Administration
Building, Elizabeth Avenue.
Some contend that a writer’s work does not exist if it stays in the drawer or on a flash
drive. Before you shake up the world with your genius, find out the best way to do so
without annoying the editors of the literary magazines to which you aspire. John Barton
has twenty-five years of experience sifting through tens of thousands of submissions and
has published hundreds of writers. Get the inside scoop on how to find and submit to
literary magazines and contests, how to prepare paper and electronic submissions, and
more than you wanted to know about The Malahat Review, which he edits for the
University of Victoria.
Putting Yourself on the Line: How the Line Works in Poetry
Saturday, October 31, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Department of English Seminar Room (AA3033), Arts and
Administration Building, Elizabeth Avenue.
The line shapes the poem, but how does the poem (and the poet) shape the line?
How does it influence the poem’s architecture? How is it determined by it? Is the line a
matter of intuition or of artful consideration, or both? After a talk about line theory and
while referring to examples of participants’ work, John Barton will discuss strategies for
the line, including length, pace, meter, and where it should break.
Enrollment: Up to10 participants.
How to enroll: Enrollment is on a first come, first served basis. Email John Barton at
jbarton@mun.ca. The first ten to contact him will be admitted.
Advance preparation: Choose a poem of your own to workshop in context with the line.
The poem must be no more than one page long or no more than thirty lines long,
whichever is shortest. Email the poem to John Barton at jbarton@mun.ca by 4 p.m. on
Friday, October 23. On the day of the workshop, bring 10 copies to distribute to the other
participants.
On Editing Poetry (*Hosted by Newfoundland and Labrador Editors as part of their
regular series of presentations this fall)
Presenter: John Barton
Tuesday, November 17, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Room A3018
Arts Building, MUN Campus
Admission $10, all welcome
Mr. Barton draws on his long experience as editor of two of Canada’s leading literary
journals to discuss the art of editing poetry. This talk is directed primarily at editors and
will be of particular interest to those working with journal or press publications.
Queer Prospects: the Changing Pitch of Same-Sex Writing
Thursday, December 3, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., doors open at 6:45 p.m.
Location: TBA (please check the MUN Department of English Website)
Much has changed in queer writing since the Stonewall riots in New York in June 1969,
which launched the gay-liberation movement. What does “queer” mean today? How far
has a literature that once could not dare speak its name really come? Has its moment
come and gone? Or is it still relevant to write queer stories and, if so, how should they be
written now? Does it matter who tells them? The evening will begin with a reading of
participants’ work, followed by a group discussion led by John Barton, where participants
are encouraged to talk about their experiences of writing, sharing, and publishing their
queer-themed work and how they see queer writing today and in the future. Everyone
welcome, the unpublished and the published, the queer and the not queer alike.
Advance preparation: Bring a poem (30 lines or one page, which ever is shorter), short
fiction excerpt (up to 750 words long) or nonfiction excerpt (up to 750 words long) to
read in the open-mike. Bring a short biographical note with you, which John Barton, as
emcee, can read to introduce you. The number of readers will be capped at ten. Arrive at
6:45 pm. to get on the readers’ list.
Grenfell Campus
Mr. Barton will be travelling to Corner Brook during the first week in November to give
a reading on Thursday, November 5, 8 p.m., at Swirsky’s.
Writers of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction interested in setting up one-to-one consultations
with Mr. Barton on the 4th or 5th of November, should see the attached information on
submitting work for review.