Workshop: Make ‘em laugh: Humour in Writing

With Terry Fallis

Two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis, will lead a virtual workshop on humour writing covering a range of topics, including: why funny writing is hard; how to transfer humour to the page; humour tips and techniques; accepting that not every reader will “get you;” and who to read if you want to learn and laugh. Speaking of laughs, you’ll have a few along the way, and there’ll be time for questions and perhaps a short writing exercise too.

$50 ($45 in a bundle)

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Terry Fallis grew up in Toronto and earned an engineering degree from McMaster University. Drawn to politics at an early age, he worked for cabinet ministers in Ottawa and at Queen’s Park. His first novel, The Best Laid Plans, began as a podcast, then was self-published, won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, was re-published by McClelland & Stewart to great reviews, was crowned the 2011 winner of CBC’s Canada Reads as “the essential Canadian novel of the decade,” and was adapted as a CBC Television series and a stage musical. His next two novels, The High Road and Up and Down were finalists for the Leacock Medal, and in 2015, he won the prize a second time, for his fourth book, No Relation. His other novels include Poles Apart, One Brother Shy, Albatross,and Operation Angus, and wereall national bestsellers. A skilled public speaker, he lives in Toronto with his wife, and blogs at www.terryfallis.com. Follow @TerryFallis on Twitter and subscribe to his newsletter at https://terryfallis.substack.com.

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A New Season
Written by Terry Fallis
Published by McClelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House Canada)

From beloved and bestselling author Terry Fallis comes a novel unlike any of his others. A thoughtful exploration of aging, loss, family, friendship, and love, all with his trademark humour and heart.

Jack McMaster seemingly has it all. A beautiful house, a loving son of many talents (including cooking, which is great news for Jack, if not for his waistline), even a special bond with his buddies in his ball hockey league. But he’s also learning to live with loss, leaving a gaping hole in his life—a life that will never be the same as before. Jack passes his days knowing he has the support of his family and his friends, but he can’t shake the feeling that his life has gone gray, and that time is slipping by so quickly.

Then, a short and shocking video from an unexpected source gives him the gumption to make a change and maybe even haul himself out of his melancholia. Inspired by his lifelong fascination with 1920s Paris, Jack finally visits the City of Light, following in the footsteps of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and wandering the Left Bank. Slowly, the colour seeps back into his life, aided by a chance encounter in a café that leads Jack into the art world, and a Paris mystery nearly a century old.

Full of sincerity and warmth, A New Season shows us all that sometimes, making a change in your life can save your life.