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History belongs to those who write it – so get writing

Are you fascinated by the story of a Canadian figure from the past that begs to be written?
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Jeanette Taylor (left) is a local historian and published author who will team up with colleague Annette Yourk to present a workshop on writing biographies.

Are you fascinated by the story of a Canadian figure from the past that begs to be written?

Do you have a captivating family yarn you’re burning to write?

Authors Annette Yourk and Jeanette Taylor will teach a five-week course on writing biographies and family histories on Saturday afternoons at the Museum at Campbell River, from Jan. 26 to Feb. 23 from 1-3:30 p.m.

Yourk and Taylor have a lot to offer participants who want to advance their writing skills and learn the basics of historical research.

A graduate from SFU’s Writing and Publishing program, Annette Yourk also holds an instructor’s diploma in adult education. She has many years of experience writing and editing, and has designed and taught coursework to a range of learners.

Jeanette Taylor is a B.C. historian who worked for several years at the BC Archives and for many years at the Museum at Campbell River. She has four non-fiction books in print, including River City, A History of Campbell River and the Discovery Islands and Tidal Passages, a History of the Discovery Islands.

The latter was on the BC bestseller list for a year.

In five lively sessions, Taylor and Yourk will provide a wealth of information on historical research and coach those with Grade 10 or better writing skills to gain confidence with short, in-class exercises.

The emphasis for research will be on BC and Canadian history, but some information on European and American sources will also be available. Taylor and Yourk will then help you transform your materials into a strong and engaging narrative.

Participants will choose an ancestor or historical figure to research and write about in non-fiction or fiction, or they may choose to work on a history project already in process.

The instructors will provide examples of a variety of different styles of biographies and family histories and discuss options and costs for publication.

They have arranged for several large web-based research sources, like Paper of Record, to be available during the course and will reserve an extra half-an-hour at the end of each class for one-on-one tutorials.

The fee for the class is $140. To register for this class call the Museum at Campbell River at 250-287-3103. As spots are limited, we urge you to register soon.