We are thrilled to have the incomparable Richard Van Camp join us for a series of three creative fiction writing workshops! The workshops are open to all, and are free to all Creative Manitoba members in good standing.

You can join us for all three workshops, or pick and choose at your discretion. Just remember to visit and register for each workshop on each individual workshop page!

The workshops will be conducted online and will not be recorded. Registrations for each workshop will close at 5pm on the Friday before the workshop, no exceptions. A zoom link will be sent to your email Friday by 6pm, two days before the workshop.

Fiction Workshop with Richard Van Camp Numero Uno:

Designing Characters and Why We Need Conflict in Our Stories.

Part 1 – Sunday, Aug 27, 2023 – 10am – 12pm CST 

In this hilarious and soul empowering workshop, we’ll explore ideas on how to make your characters compelling and we’ll talk about the power of secondary characters. There will be a Q&A where you can ask me about publishing as I work with 13 different publishers and can talk about the publishing process or the creative process. You are the bosses! 🙂

You will be assigned homework which will challenge your every deep suspicion about things. Get ready. Hydrate! It’s going to be bonkers.

Register for Part 1 on this page! (registrations close Friday Aug 25 at 5pm)

Fiction Workshop with Richard Van Camp Numero Deux:

Why We Sometimes Need to Create Fictional Communities to Explore Challenging Issues For Ourselves and Our Readers in Our Writing.

Part 2 – Sunday, Sept 24, 2023 – 10am – 12pm CST 

Why We Sometimes Need to Create Fictional Communities to Explore Challenging Issues For Ourselves and Our Readers in Our Writing.

In this brooding and quagmire feeling workshop (!), we’ll explore why it’s a good idea sometimes to create a safe space for hard topics, issues and stories, so you can say, “It’s not even a real place. Why is anything even real?” A fictional setting for your stories can be your “Get Out of Jail Free” Card, Cousin!

We’ll also explore history between characters. Oh it’s going to be so much fun.

There will be homework. Get ready. You won’t even believe what I’ll ask you to do, but if you’re not sweating bullets, I’ve failed you as a mentor 🙁

Register for Part 2 Here! (registrations close Friday Sept 22 at 5pm)

Fiction Workshop with Richard Van Camp Numero Trois:

The Power of Dialogue and Character Transformation in our Writing.

Part 3 – Sunday, Oct 29, 2023 – 10am – 12pm CST

Readers expect character transformation unless you’re just going to keep demolishing us like Bret Easton Ellis in Imperial Bedrooms. Hey, if you want to, go for it. But if you want to keep us engaged and hopeful about life, why not transform your characters a little? Maybe you’ll transform in the process.

Join us as we share stories about life because can Zebras really change their stripes, or what?

There’s going to be homework so get ready. It’s going to be lifelong and soul bending.

Register for Part 3 Here! (registrations close Friday Oct 27 at 5pm)

Each of these workshops encourage sharing stories and readings. Of course, if you want to be the cat who watches the fish, you can do that too. 🙂

But I will share all I can and you can ask me questions and I want this to turn into a giggle fest. Who doesn’t like a good old fashioned giggle fest?

Here’s me: www.richardvancamp.com

Richard Van Camp is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT, Canada. He is a graduate of the En’owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria’s Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master’s Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia.

He is an internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author. His novel, The Lesser Blessed, is now a movie with First Generation Films and premiered in September of 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Richard has published a second novel, “Whistle”, which is part two of The Lesser Blessed, and it’s a story exploring mental health through the eyes of Darcy, the bully in The Lesser Blessed, played by Adam Butcher in the movie. He is the author of five collections of short stories, six baby books, and three children’s books.  All of Richard Van Camp’s children’s books are available in Braille for free, anywhere in the world, courtesy of the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and Accessible Resource Centre-British Columbia (ARC-BC).

Richard has six graphic novels and comic books out: his first comic book on deterring youth away from gangs, Path of the Warrior, is published with Cree artist, Steve Sanderson, through the Healthy Aboriginal Network. His second comic book on sexual health is Kiss Me Deadly, with Haida artist Chris Auchter.  His four graphic novels are Three Feathers (published in Bush Cree, Dene, South Slavey and English, illustrated by Krystal Mateus, on restorative justice; The Eisner Award Nominated The Spirit of the Denendeh Volume 1: A Blanket of Butterflies, on the theme of peace making, illustrated by Scott Henderson, The Blue Raven, illustrated by Steve Sanderson on mental health, and Spirit, a suicide prevention comic book illustrated by Emily Brown (which is also published in Bush Cree, Dene, and South Slavey and English).

Richard launched The Spirit of the Denendeh Volume 2 –  As I Enfold You In Petals on April 25th, 2023 with HighWater Press.  “Richard Van Camp has done it again! Van Camp brings the spiritual into our modern world in this gripping tale of redemption, overcoming adversity, and finding one’s path along the way. An amazing story with equally rich and striking visuals.” Brandon Mitchell, author of Giju’s Gift.

Richard wrote for CBC’s North of 60 television show for two months under their Writer Internship Program and was a script and cultural consultant with them for four seasons. He taught creative writing at the University of British Columbia, worked as a Creative Writing and Storytelling instructor with the Emily Carr Institute and was the Writer in Residence at the University of Alberta for 2011 and 2012.

In the past several years, Richard has been the Storyteller in Residence for Calgary Public Library, and the Writer in Residence at the Metro Federation of Edmonton Libraries. He has also been the Writer in Residence at the University of Alberta, Yellowhead Tribal College and MacEwan University. He has also been the Writer in Residence at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford.