November 7, 2026: Fall Poetry Intensive
The League of Canadian Poet's Fall Intensive features four sessions on the practicalities of being a poet! From touring to preparing for readings, residency applications to publications, the one-day conference dives into all the things that happen when the pen isn't on the page.
This online conference is free for members of the League, and available to non-members for a modest registration fee.
All conference registrants are welcome to join the League's Cozy Coffee Hour at 10:00am ET, an informal way to start the day by chatting with League president, Jaclyn Desforges, and other poets in the community!
Official programming kicks of at 11:30am ET, with sessions running until 7:00pm, with time for bio breaks and snacks.
Participants will not be admitted to the Zoom room later than 5 min past the start time of a session.
Saturday, November 7
11:30am - 7:00pm ET
Free for members | $40 for non-members
Discounts are available for equity-deserving poets facing systemic barriers or discrimination using the coupon code IDEA2026.
Sessions will be recorded and available to members and registrants following the event; however, live participants will uniquely benefit from the opportunity to engage in discussion with workshop facilitators and other organizers.
Cozy Community Coffee Hour
with Jaclyn Desforges
10am -11am ET
*Please note, the Coffee Hour requires separate registration. Register here!
Touring 101
with Anto Chan and Lindsay Mayhew
11:30am - 1pm ET
Better Readings for Writers
with Leah Horlick
1:30pm - 3pm ET
Publishing in Literary Journals and Magazines
with Annick MacAskill
3:30pm - 5pm ET
Demystifying Writing Residencies & Fellowships: The Application Guide
with Sneha Subramanian Kanta
5:30pm - 7pm ET
The League does not tolerate discrimination or hate speech, including microaggressions, and any attendees engaging in bad-faith discussion around issues such as diversity, participant safety, accessibility, and equitability will be removed from the workshop. We encourage attendees to ask tough questions, but to remain respectful of the diversity of lived experience among participants.
Session descriptions
Touring 101 with Anto Chan and Lindsay Mayhew
This beginner to intermediate workshop will provide poets (spoken word and written) with a thorough introduction to touring logistics. The facilitators, Anto and Lindsay, will demystify touring and equip participants with information and resources to plan tours of their own.
Discussion will include: how to achieve a tour as an emerging artist, information on venues and events, networking, budgeting & expenses, what to expect on the road, and how to access financial support through grants. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion.
Better Readings for Writers with Leah Horlick
Join Leah Horlick for this interactive online workshop for writers of all levels. Many of us depend on participating in public readings to generate book sales, publicity, and community-building. Whether or not we enjoy them is a different story! This practical workshop will focus on developing the skills to create a better experience for yourself and your audiences at readings, book launches, and similar events. We'll explore taking care of yourself before, during, and after a performance; working collaboratively with event organizers and arts administrators; and safer strategies for connecting with audiences big and small.
This workshop is open to everyone, from experienced performers to writers who have yet to participate in their first public reading!
Publishing in Literary Journals and Magazines with Annick MacAskill
In this session, we will discuss the ins and outs of publishing poetry in literary journals in Canada. We will overview the definition of a literary journal, reasons to submit to literary journals, the process of submission, tips for dealing with rejection, contests, and more.
The first part of the workshop will be dedicated to a presentation on these topics by the instructor, but there will be ample time at the end for Q&A. Please bring any questions you have on the topic of this session.
Demystifying Writing Residencies and Fellowships: The Application Guide with Sneha Subramanian Kanta
Have you ever been deterred by the “application process” of applying to a fellowship or writing residency? Does the idea of writing an artist statement, description of your work, and your artistic journey stop you from applying?
In this workshop led by Sneha Subramanian Kanta, we will close-read the general questions which are an integral part of applying to these opportunities. You will develop a cohesive structure to answer these questions, drawing from your personal experiences and journey as a poet. We will tackle the heavyweight questions of these residencies and fellowships. Sneha will illuminate aspects most important for your application.
The workshop will offer strategies for you to generate artist statements, the “why now” and “why this opportunity” questions as well as project summaries of your work. We will also briefly speak about how to prepare the process from acceptance to arriving at the residency, why rejections aren’t the final piece in the puzzle, and a list of opportunities.
About the facilitators
Anto Chan is a spoken word performance artist, facilitator, producer, mentor and expressive arts therapist. He founded the Canada Council funded collective InnerGenerational, produced and performed on the Sleeping in our Car Tour Canada twice and toured across Asia for the Magner’s & Hong Kong Comedy Festivals. He has also performed at the Montreal, Toronto & Guelph Fringe Festivals, Verses Festival of Words and released his full-length album “InnerGenerational” in 2025.
Leah Horlick is the author of Riot Lung, For Your Own Good, and Moldovan Hotel. She is a past winner of the Dayne Ogilvie Prize, a Stonewall Honor Title, ARC’s Poem of the Year, and was shortlisted for the 44th Pushcart Prize. Her most recent work can be found in Filling Station, Riddle Fence, and Estuaire. She lives in Saskatoon.
Annick MacAskill is the author of four full-length poetry collections, including Shadow Blight (Gaspereau Press, 2022), winner of the Governor General’s Award, and Votive (Gaspereau Press, 2024). Her poems have appeared in journals across Canada and abroad and in the Best Canadian Poetry anthology series. MacAskill lives in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), in Mi’kma’ki.
Lindsay Mayhew is an interdisciplinary poet, spoken word artist, and the co-editor of A Thousand Tiny Awakenings (Latitude 46 Publishing, 2025). She has toured in Montreal, Calgary, and across Ontario. You can find more of Lindsay’s work in The Literary Review of Canada, Prairie Fire, Button Poetry, and others.
Sneha Subramanian Kanta is the author of six chapbooks including Redapples falling still, Every Elegy Is a Love Poem, and Ancestral-Wing. She is the sixth Poet Laureate of the City of Mississauga. She was born in Mumbai and is one of the founding editors of Parentheses Journal.
These workshops are presented by the LCP Webinar Series.