Ramon Kubicek

HOW DEEP IS DEEP?

Ramon — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:53:17 +0000

The other day, a nineteen-year old student asked me “how deep do you want us to be?” This while he was writing an essay analyzing a story. I was stymied. “What do you mean by deep?” I said. He couldn’t or wouldn’t say, not believing that I didn’t understand. But really I didn’t. [...]

Are You A Closer?

Ramon — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:21:12 +0000

Sometimes a story will come to us, fresh as a spring breeze and full of the wonderful energy that the season brings. We know how the narrative begins, we have a vision of its possibilities, and the main characters are present—almost to the touch. Yet the story never completes. Can we close the deal? Are [...]

Doing It In Garbage Time

Ramon — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:44:33 +0000

Most of us have a favorite time of day, be it in the wee hours or at high noon, and often that time represents when we work best. The ideas flow, and we can accomplish a lot. Of course, some will say that all time is precious, and only our attitudes have to change accordingly. [...]

Adam Lewis Schroeder, Writer

Ramon — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:49:52 +0000

Adam Lewis Schroeder, originally from Vernon, B.C, now lives in Penticton with his wife and children. He is the author of two acclaimed novels, Empress of Asia (2006, Raincoast Books) and In the Fabled East (2010, Douglas & McIntyre) and a book of short stories, Kingdom of Monkeys (2001, Raincoast Books). His novel All-Day [...]

Unknowing

Ramon — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:07:34 +0000

How many things did you learn this week? Not just skill stuff, but bits of information coming at us over the Internet, through television and radio, newspapers and magazines, the odd book or two, conversations. And then, of course, everything that’s penetrated us through the five senses. A lot isn’t it? In fact, it’s an [...]

Repetition or Renewal?

Ramon — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:51:17 +0000

The New Year seems to bring with it both a sense of dissatisfaction and sometimes an urge to do better this time around. But we’re creatures of habit, doing almost everything the same way every day, which can lead to seeing things the same way and thinking of things the same way. As creators, such [...]

Tell Me a Story

Ramon — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:58:11 +0000

Most people associate Christmas with a religious festival sacred to Christians, a family food-stuffing contest, or a winter fest we indulge in to keep shopkeepers and booze-makers happy. But what about a festival wherein we share all the most important kinds of stories we can think of? Like the family stories of the past year [...]

Aaron Bushkowsky, Writer

Ramon — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:03:55 +0000

Aaron Bushkowsky was born in Winnipeg, studied at the university of Alberta and at U.B.C., where he received an M.F.A. in creative writing in 2002. He has had more than a dozen plays produced professionally, including THE SILLY SEASON (1990); DANCING BACKWARDS (2002); STRANGERS AMONG US (1998); MY CHERNOBYL (2008); THE PROJECT (2009); AFTER JERUSALEM [...]

Maureen Medved, Writer

Ramon — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:20:56 +0000

Novelist, playwright, and screenwriter Maureen Medved is the author of THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS (Anansi, 1998). She has lived in Winnipeg and Montreal and for the last few years in Vancouver, where she earned an MFA in creative writing from U.B.C. THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS was made into a film (2007) by Bruce McDonald, starring Ellen Page, [...]

Writers and Their Bars

Ramon — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:01:15 +0000

It’s part of the common perception of writers that they all have their favorite bars and pubs, places where they meet other writers and where they allow themselves to let it all out. Maybe after hours of solitary, focused labor over a computer. The mystique of writers—unlike whatever mystique civil servants, physicians, or company executives [...]