A Fresh Start! March 21, 2011

I’m thrilled to announce my revamped website http://www.sidura.com. It’s a one-stop shop: blog, author info, publications, writing classes, reviews, etc. Please stop by and let me know what you think. And a big THANK YOU to the amazing Aviva Krygier for the redesign! On another note, I saw this quote today on the Gotham Writers’ [...]

Thursday morning writing group March 11, 2011

Here was my lesson from this week. Give it a try! Lists I love lists. Lists – be them grocery, to do, or resolutions, contain an infinite number of stories. Each item on a grocery list is bought for a reason, each action on a to-do list is a scene. I once found a transaction [...]

A good read March 2, 2011

Five or six years ago I read Judy Fong Bate’s book Midnight at the Dragon Cafe, and loved it. Now the Toronto Public Library would like to unite the City of Toronto in this great reading experience as part of its One Book campaign. If you were lucky enough to be on the Queen streetcar [...]

Thursday morning writing class February 24, 2011

I teach creative writing on a Thursday morning to a wonderful group. The people who come are eager to try and happy to share. It is, at least for me, a wonderful way to spend an hour and a half once every two weeks. I get my writing exercise ideas from a whole host of [...]

Trying Again February 22, 2011

I was recently at a symposium on writers, the internet and the new publishing age (I’m sure it was called something much more poetic, but this gives you an idea). And there I learned something which has been holding me back from blogging for the better part of two years – I don’t always have [...]

Labels April 24, 2009

I have always resisted the label “stay-at-home mum”. I don’t like the way we are so quick to put mothers into camps: working mothers, full-time mothers (is there really a mother who is part-time?), etc. The other day a woman was asking me if I would ever consider working outside of the home. This was [...]

Seeking out inspiration with a club April 22, 2009

I teach a creative writing class from my home for high school students. Actually, it’s just winding down, but I enjoyed it very much and am considering offering it again. My philosophy with this class is to give my students the creative space they may not have in school or home to explore their voice [...]

Two days in a row! April 21, 2009

I don’t need a medal, only a little bit of applause, as I am actually BLOGGING two days in a row. (Chaya, if you’re reading this, you have inspired me). This week is the first normal week after Passover and Passover preparations. All told, the holiday took two weeks out of my working life. Between [...]

Trying again April 20, 2009

I may have already said this before in an entry, but I am a pretty private person. So blogging does not come naturally to me. This is my preamble to apologizing for not blogging over the last two months. But here’s the truth: do I want the world to really know what is going on [...]

My Writing Routine February 8, 2009

I am very specific about how I write. I need a strong cup of tea, preferrably TyPhoo (the British Red Rose), with just enough milk to change the colour and a scant teaspoon of sugar. I have certain mugs from which I drink. They are all stoneware. I light a candle (sometimes scented), and I [...]