Packages

Introduction

We invite you to read about and take part in the new French River Creative Writing Workshop being held from May 13 to 18, 2012 at the magnificent Lodge at Pine Cove. Limited to only 30 participants and taught by some of Canada’s leading writers, we expect this workshop to fill up quickly. Applications are due by March 1, 2012.
Please read on to learn about this new workshop that combines excellent writing with superb meals and accommodations. If you haven’t visited the French River, it’s time.

Our Instructors

Leah McLaren - Best known for her popular weekly column in The Globe and Mail, Leah is also the author of a novel entitled The Continuity Girl. Using her experience working in London, McLaren penned an article about British men that caused a stir on both sides of the Atlantic, and became a CBC movie entitled Abroad. Now contributing to Maclean’s Magazine and Toronto Life, as well as her column in The Globe and Mail, Leah is one of Canada’s hottest and most versatile writers. She has a long resume that includes long fiction, screenwriting and journalism.

Oakland Ross - An award-winning journalist and author of three books, Oakland is currently a feature writer for the Toronto Star. With stints as a foreign correspondent in Latin America and Africa (for The Globe and Mail) and in the Middle East (for the Toronto Star), he has covered enormous territory, both geographically and journalistically. His books range from non-fiction to short and long fiction, including The Dark Virgin: a novel of Mexico, A Fire on the Mountains: exploring the human spirit from Mexico to Madagascar and Guerrilla Beach. Few Canadian writers can offer Oakland’s international experience or ability to craft a fine sentence.

Cecily Ross - Now the editor of Food in the Hills magazine, Cecily was a long-time senior editor with The Globe and Mail. Her articles have been published in Canada and the US, and garnered her a coveted National Magazine Award. Cecily’s short fiction has appeared in Taddle Creek, The Hart House Review and Pagitica. She is the author of a memoir, Love in the Time of Cholesterol. Cecily will not only offer her writing expertise to workshop participants, she will also lend her considerable experience as an editor. This skill, as you will learn, provides her with a keen eye when it comes to helping other writers.

Our Seminar Leader

Signe Ball – Editor and publisher of In the Hills magazine for almost 20 years, Signe has seen it all. She combined her experience as an editor at Toronto Life with sales training to found what is likely Ontario’s most successful local magazine. If being emulated is the highest compliment, then Signe is swimming in praise. Today, In the Hills’ influence can be seen in magazines ranging from Collingwood’s Around the Bay to Prince Edward County’s Watershed and beyond. Signe knows the tricks of the trade when it comes to getting published.

Workshop Organizer

Nicola Ross – This award-winning author of four books is currently on a year’s leave from her role as editor-in-chief of Alternatives Journal, Canada’s national environmental magazine. Nicola is the go-to person for the workshop and can answer your questions now and during the workshop.

About the French River Creative Writing Workshop

Open to writers of all levels, this week-long workshop combines an opportunity to learn from some of Canada’s foremost writers and editors with a stay at the stunning Lodge at Pine Cove. Rated as one of the finest lodges in Ontario by tripadvisor.com, the Lodge at Pine Cove will enhance your writing experience.

Consisting of a series of lectures, one-on-one time with instructors, discussions on the craft of fine writing and some free time to work on your own, the French River Creative Writing Workshop will hone your skills. It is for writers who want to improve and market their magazine articles, short or long fiction. You can receive assistance with memoir writing and screenwriting, take part in a seminar on the business of publishing, and receive tips from seasoned editors.

You are welcome to bring a piece of your writing to work on while at the workshop.

But there is more to the French River Creative Writing Workshop. In August 2011, one of the Lodge at Pine Cove’s guests wrote on Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com), “The Lodge successfully balances the feeling of being within nature and being able to quietly enjoy the natural beauty of the rocks, water and trees and wildlife AND YET one is certainly not ‘roughing-it’ at all." To understand how beautiful the lodge is, please go through our website (www.frenchriver.com) and read some of the 40+ reviews on Trip Advisor. Our guests will tell you about their canoeing, kayaking and hiking experiences, the quality of our food, our hamper breakfasts, immaculate cottages, friendly staff and attention to detail. You will learn that the Lodge at Pine Cove offers a very special kind of peace, one that will undoubtedly contribute to your workshop experience.

A trip down the French River guided by Renee, who will bring this waterway alive with his stories, is an integral part of the French River Creative Writing Workshop. So too is your freedom to explore the area around the lodge and its rocky shores, and to enjoy excellent canoeing and kayaking.

2012 Fees

Based on Single-Occupancy
Tuition including accommodations for five nights and all meals            $1300

Based on Double-Occupancy
Tuition including accommodations for five nights and all meals            $1100

Information for Applicants

Enrolment in the workshop is limited to 30. Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis so the earlier you apply the more likely we can confirm a spot for you in the workshop.

Please send your application to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Once we have received it, we will contact you to arrange payment of a 50% deposit ($550 for double occupancy or $650 for single occupancy). Full payment is due April 22, 2012. It will guarantee your placement in the workshop.

When you are ready to make your payment, please contact Nicola at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and she will make arrangements for the payment. We accept Visa, Mastercard or a cheque.

Applicants must indicate their first, second and third faculty choices when submitting their application. While we cannot guarantee that we can place you with the instructor of your choice (Cecily Ross, Oakland Ross or Leah McLaren), we will do our utmost to meet your request.

Refund Policy: If an applicant is unable to attend the workshop due to illness or other health problems, he or she will receive a refund for the amount paid, minus a $100 application fee, ONLY if we can fill their spot at the workshop. If we are unable to fill their spot, their payment (minus the $100 application fee) can be used for a future booking at the Lodge at Pine Cove as long as it occurs before June 2013.

We will endeavour to fill a spot left vacant due to illness or other health problems, but we cannot guarantee that this will occur.

How to Apply

REGISTER ONLINE or download our application form, complete it and return it before March 1, 2012 by email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Workshop Outline (Tentative)

	Sun. May 13	Mon. May 14	Tues. May 15	Wed. May 16	Thurs. May 17	Fri. May 18
8:30am		Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
9:30am		O. Ross C. Ross L. McLaren	O. Ross C. Ross L. McLaren	O. Ross C. Ross L. McLaren	O. Ross C. Ross L. McLaren	O. Ross C. Ross L. McLaren
12:00pm		Free	Free	Free	Free	Free
12:30pm		Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1:30pm		Free	Free	Free	Free	Free
3:00pm	Check In	Writing for Profit Panel Discussion	Field Trip	Insights from a Seasoned Editor	Student Readings
5:30pm	Social Hour	Social Hour	Social Hour	Social Hour	Social Hour
7:00pm	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Banquet Dinner
8:00pm	Orientation	Free	Free	Faculty Readings

Seminars, Readings and Discussions

Writing for Profit Panel Discussion – Moderated by Nicola Ross, the author of four books, recipient of a National Magazine Award and currently on leave from her position as editor-in-chief of Alternatives Journal, this panel discussion will involve all three instructors. The discussion will focus on first-hand experiences of these writers about their successes and challenges in getting published. It will provide participants with some of the tricks of the trade in the book, magazine and newspaper sectors. This is your chance to ask these instructors for their advice about getting published.

Insights from a Seasoned Editor – Signe Ball has been publishing In the Hills magazine for almost 20 years. Not only does Signe assign stories and edit them, she lays out the magazine and involves herself in its design and printing. Signe heads up the magazine’s advertising sales team as well. Having been part of it all, Signe will share her the wisdom with participants. Her short presentation will precede an opportunity for you to take part in a Q&A session.

Faculty Readings – Our three instructors will read from their new or tried and true works.

Student Readings – Participants are encouraged to read a short piece of their work. It may be something you bring with you, or perhaps it is something that you write during the workshop.

Field Trip – All participants are invited to take part in a guided trip down the French River. Our host, Renee, will bring this historic route alive with his descriptions of its geology and tales of the coureur des bois. Following the voyageurs’ route to the west, these intrepid adventurers filled their Montreal canoes with fur pelts en route between the Great Lakes and the Ottawa River.

Accommodations – The Lodge at Pine Cove

Rated as one of the best specialty lodges in Ontario by tripadivsor.com, the Lodge at Pine Cove combines some of Northern Ontario’s most iconic scenery with a comfortable bed and crisp clean linen. Once you enter the spectacular 6500-square-foot lodge, you will leave your worries behind. By the time you cross the wooden footbridge that takes you across Pine Cove to 15 impeccably appointed cottages, you will be imagining the opening paragraphs of your next great novel. The Lodge at Pine Cove is that kind of place. One guest wrote, “Make no mistake; the shore of the French River is wilderness living at its finest. It is what Muskoka used to be.”

Cottages have from one to three bedrooms. Prices are based on single or shared rooms on a first-come-first-serve basis.  Some cottages have full kitchens. All cottages have a lake or cove view, a refrigerator, kettle, coffee-maker, fine coffee and tea, modern bathroom, natural soaps, creams, shampoo and conditioner, screened-in porch, living area and fabulous beds. They also provide the best sleep conditions imaginable.

Meals

Breakfast comes to your cottage each morning in a hamper filled with homemade granola, yogurt, fresh fruit salad, juice and freshly baked croissant.

Lunch and dinner will be served in the lodge. For dinner, you will be offered a choice of either a soup or salad, and can choose one of three entrees. Dessert and coffee are included. Wine, beer and spirits are available at an extra charge.

The workshop includes a banquet dinner on Thursday, May 17, 2012.

Please make us aware of any food restrictions you may have.

Getting to the Lodge

The Lodge at Pine Cove is a four-hour drive from Toronto and one hour from Sudbury. If coming from some distance, you can fly to Toronto and either rent a car or take the bus (ontarionorthland.ca/en/). You can also fly to Sudbury. Pick up from the bus stop or in Sudbury is available for a modest fee.

Outside Activities

You will have access to canoes and kayaks to explore the French River and Wolseley Bay. There are hiking trails that will take you to spectacular spots on the French River and, for the intrepid, excellent swimming. There is a pool table in the lodge and a selection of games and historical books in the lodge’s Toni Harting Library. The nearest towns, Noelville and Monetville, are about 20 minutes away by car. Located in the heart of Ontario’s francophone region, you are welcome to explore the area.

Communications

Internet service via satellite is available in the lodge at no charge. Since our use of broadband is limited, you will not be able to download or view movies, download music or other large files. There is no cellphone reception and Skype is not available. You are welcome to use our telephone.