The Rose City Writers is so excited to be rolling out our workshop series come 2026! These workshops are in the process of being developed and some of the information is subject to change.
Date: October 29th, 2026
​Time: 6:30 - 8 pm
Location: River Bookshop
Cost: $15 ($10 for members)

The Creature Workshop

with Kieran Potter

This workshop is intended to be a jumping off point for designing your own creatures/monsters! We'll be drawing inspiration from existing animal species, evolution, film, games, and other sources, and the elements that make a creature design feel truly unique! Whether you want to make silly goobers, horrific abominations from distant worlds, or divergent evolutions of a realistic animal species, this workshop can help you achieve your vision.
Date: November 26th, 2026
​Time: 6:30 - 8 pm
Location: River Bookshop
Cost: $35 ($30 for members)

Intro to Bookbinding: Chain Stitch Tutorial

with Connor Garth

If you’ve ever been interested in exploring the world of bookbinding come join us for our Intro to Bookbinding workshop! We’ll have a brief lecture on the different types of binding and their usage in both DIY projects and batch/mass production, before going into an interactive tutorial on chain stitch binding. All tools and materials will be provided and everyone will leave with their own handmade notebook or sketchbook!

PAST WORKSHOPS:

​Date: January 29th, 2026
Time: 6:30 - 8pm
Location: River Bookshop
Cost: $15 ($10 for members)

Protect Your Words: A Legal Toolkit for Writers in Canada

with Pat Papadeas

Whether you're drafting your first manuscript or preparing to publish, understanding the legal landscape is essential to safeguarding your creative work. Join Pat Papadeas for a practical, accessible workshop designed specifically for writers.

In this session, you’ll gain a clear understanding of how copyright works in Canada, what rights you automatically hold, and how to avoid common pitfalls when working with publishers or using third-party material. We’ll also explore issues like defamation, privacy, and permissions—topics every author should consider before sharing their work with the world.
Perfect for new and aspiring writers, this workshop gives you the essential tools to protect your work and navigate the legal framework that surrounds authorship in Canada.
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Empower your creativity by understanding your rights. Join us and build your legal toolkit.
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About Pat (Panayota) Papadeas:  A retired Professor of Legal Studies at St. Clair College, where she spent over 20 years teaching business law and intellectual property. She is the co-author of Business Law in Canada, 3rd Edition (Emond Montgomery) and has long been committed to making legal concepts clear and accessible. Now active in consulting and community education, Pat brings her extensive background to this workshop to help writers understand the legal landscape surrounding their creative work.  
Date: February 26th, 2026
Time: 6:30 - 8 pm
Location: River Bookshop
Cost: $15 ($10 for members)

Critiquing Essentials: How to Read and Write to Provide Better Feedback 

with Dr Farrah Nakhaie

Critiquing is a skill, and it’s one that can be learned. This is the perfect workshop for those that want to join a writing group, partner up as an alpha/beta reader, or even give better feedback for academic writing. We’ll cover how to establish the goals of a critique, develop the right mindset, read with intent, and share your critique so it helps those receiving feedback. The workshop also includes a demo activity to help you put what you’ve learned into practice!
Date: April 30th, 2026
​Time: 6:30 - 8 pm
Location: River Bookshop
Cost: $15 ($10 for members)

Collaborative Writing: Not Just for the Table Top
with Kat Sartori

Role playing has been an internet staple for well over a decade, from forum sites, to private messages, to dungeons and dragons. But, where do you start? How do you find people? How do you overcome your fear of cringe? This workshop is here to help answer these questions and more. Join Kat, who has well over 6 years of role play experience (not counting the hours and hours spent on forum sites circa. 2011), while they walk you through some tips, tools, and exercises for getting started with collaborative writing!
Date: May 28th, 2026
​Time: 6:30 - 8 pm
Location: River Bookshop
Cost: $15 ($10 for members)

Intro to Bookish Social Media

with Zoe Stewart

If you've ever had the itch to join the online bookish community, anywhere from booktok to book blogging, but have held yourself back for whatever reason, this workshop is for you! Bookternet veteran Zoe from the channel Zoe's All Booked (@zoesallbooked) will be going over tips and tricks for how to start, what equipment you'll need, how to reach out to publishers for advanced reader copies, how to find your place in the community, and more.
Date: June 14, 2026
​Time: 1-3 pm
Location: 114 Talbot St. South, Essex
Cost: $40

Writing Romance

with Olga Kassimova

The writing process - from concept to creation - specifically through the lens of the romance genre. Learn techniques, develop tools, obtain resources, and leave with a new understanding of what it takes to fall in love.

**This workshop is organized by the Writers Assembly with the presenter being a member of the Rose City Writers. As a result this workshop has a different location, price, and method for RSVP. Please refer to poster for details. ​
Learn how to write short stories from award-winning horror novelist C.M. Forest and sci-fi specialist Ben Van Dongen. Together, this dream team is going to go over everything from initial concept creation all the way to publication. Perfect for those just starting out or experienced writers looking to hone their craft.
Date: August 27th, 2026
​Time: 6:30 - 8 pm
Location: River Bookshop
Cost: $15 ($10 for members)
About the Presenters:
C. M. Forest, also known as Christian Laforet, is the author of the 2023 Benjamin Franklin silver award winning novel Infested (Eerie River Publishing), the novella, We All Fall Before the Harvest (Timber Ghost Press) the short story collection, The Roots Run Deep, and Other Stories (Eerie River Publishing). His short fiction has been featured in over a dozen anthologies across multiple genres.
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Ben Van Dongen is the author of The Synthetic Albatross novella series featuring the books The Thinking Machine, The Neon Heart, Broadcast Wasteland, Break/Interrupt, and Snow from a Distant Sky. Van Dongen has also had stories featured in Anthologies from Tule Fog Press and Inkd Publishing.
Date: September 24th, 2026
​Time: 6:30 - 8 pm
Location: River Bookshop
Cost: $15 ($10 for members)

So You Want To Be An Indie Author

with D.S. Walls

Indie publishing a book means you are going to do everything a company would do for an author, on your own. Through this workshop, you will learn the steps, tricks, and expectations surrounding the work you will need to do to get your book successfully out there. From KDP (Kindle Publishing) to book formatting, I’m going to show you how to conquer each part of the process after you finish your manuscript.
 
About D.S. Walls:  In the first year of indie publishing her first book, she gained 3000 followers on social media, sold 200 books outside of a bookstore, and made back $2200 of the money spent. She made mistakes along the way, and can show you how to do even better than she did.