Category Archives: Meetings

Writing Workshops at OPL – Publishing, fiction writing

Events, Meetings, Workshops

The Ottawa Public Library is holding a series of writing workshops in April, May and June.  Workshops include sessions led by Denise Chong and Alan Cumyn.  Mystery author Vicki Delaney is also holding a seminar on mystery fiction writing.  All sessions are free (although some are meant for ages 50+) For a complete list of workshops:

http://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/program?branch=255&type=All&audience=All&keyword=writer

One seminar in particular is being held in partnership with Ottawa Romance Writers, here are the details.

Publishing your Book

While several traditional publishers and bookstores have closed their doors, you have new opportunities to publish your book in print and digital formats. Successful traditionally- and self-published authors will describe the pros and cons of getting your book published by a traditional publisher versus using self-publishing platforms offered by Amazon Kindle Direct, Kobo, Smashwords, and now big New York-based publishers. As well, new players such as Amazon Publishing and agents offering publishing services will be discussed.
 
The Ottawa Romance Writers Association is partnering with the Ottawa Public Library to present this workshop twice as part of the OPL May 2013 Author Month schedule. The panelists are multi-published romance authors; however, the workshop content is targeted to all writers of book-length fiction and non-fiction. Note that the author line-ups on the two panels differ but the workshop content is the same.   Register via the Ottawa Public Library website http://biblioottawalibrary.ca  for one of the following:
 
 – Monday, May 13, 6:30- 8:30 p.m. at the OPL Greenboro Branch, with authors Sharon Page, Teresa Morgan and Brenda Gayle.
 
-Saturday, May 18, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the OPL Main Branch, with authors Opal Carew, Maureen Fisher, Teresa Morgan and Coreene Callahan

If you do not have a library card, please register via an email to Madeline McBride at madelinem AT rogers DOT com, and indicate which date you plan to attend.

April 17th meeting – Horse Racing in Canada: Equine Drug Testing.

Meetings

NOTE:  This meeting will be held at the Honeywell Boardroom at Ottawa City Hall (2nd floor).  Also note the date – this is the third Wednesday, not the usual second Wednesday of the month.

Horse racing is an international sporting industry with deep roots in Canadian culture, yet it is relatively little known to the general public. Because of its association with gambling and potential for fraud, it is one of the most heavily regulated sports in the world.

Adrienne Stevenson will be talking about the forensic science of equine drug testing, touching on historical aspects, what is regulated and why, current challenges, international issues and links with human sports medicine. The world of horseracing offers writers many  opportunities to tell interesting stories in a variety of settings. You may be surprised by how much the sport has influenced our language and history.

BIO:

After getting degrees in Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Adrienne Stevenson spent 6 years as a Forensic Toxicologist with the RCMP, analysing over 500 cases for drugs and poisons in humans.

Adrienne then transferred to the Race Track Division of Agriculture Canada, which is now the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency. For 26 years she managed the Equine Drug Control Program. She retired in 2009 and is now an occasional consultant to racing industry regulators.

During her time with the CPMA, she was active in the international Association of Official Racing Chemists and the Canadian Society of Forensic Science, of which she is a Past President.

Adrienne is also qualified as a Technical Assessor for the Standards Council of Canada’s Lab Accreditation program, and was a member of their national oversight committee for the program for over 10 years.

 

March 13 meeting – Crisis and Hostage negotiation

Events, Meetings

Staff Sgt Lynne Turnbull has been a police officer for 28 years and a Crisis Negotiator for 17 years. It is a part time role as crisis negotiators are called out as required. She currently manages the Ottawa Police Services’ Professional Development Centre (training branch). She has worked in many areas over the years including Patrol, School Resource, Partner Assault Unit, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, and Temporary Custody.

Lynne will speak about the structure of a major incident response and the specific role of the negotiator, negotiations vs crisis intervention, and she will have a couple of case studies to share with the group.

Time:  March 13, 7pm.  Place:  Library and Archives building, Wellington and Bay, Room 156.  Guests welcome.

February Meeting – Claude Richer

Meetings

February’s meeting will be a question and answer session on the modern reality of prosecuting drug offences and drug offenders.

Claude Richer is a Counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) for the National Capital Region. As Counsel, Mr. Richer represents the Attorney General of Canada in conducting criminal prosecutions which relate to the administration of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and other federal statutes before provincial and superior courts in Ontario.  Mr. Richer’s area of practice is focused on prosecutions involving drugs, organized crime and proceeds of crime.   Prior to working for the PPSC, he worked as counsel for the RCMP Legal Services attached to the Technological Crime Section and as an Assistant Crown Attorney in Ottawa.  Mr. Richer has been a lawyer practicing in criminal law for 16 years.    

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada is a federal government organization, created on December 12, 2006. The PPSC fulfills the responsibilities of the Attorney General of Canada in the discharge of his criminal law mandate by prosecuting criminal offences under federal jurisdiction and by contributing to strengthening the criminal justice system.   The PPSC is responsible for prosecuting offences under more than 50 federal statutes and for providing prosecution-related legal advice to law enforcement agencies. Cases prosecuted by the PPSC include those involving drugs, organized crime, terrorism, tax law, money laundering and proceeds of crime, crimes against humanity and war crimes, Criminal Code offences in the territories, and a large number of federal regulatory offences.  The PPSC is an independent organization, reporting to Parliament through the Attorney General of Canada.

 

 

 

 

January 9th meeting – We, the Jury.

Events, Meetings

When all goes well, juries make decisions based on the evidence and the law but research shows that jurors are swayed by other factors.  What are those factors?  And what are the implications for justice?

The popular heroic view of juries come from movies like “12 Angry Men”, where a single juror manages to change the minds of the other jurors.  How likely is this in reality?

Join Evelyn Maeder, an expert in jury research, at our January 9th meeting as she discusses

* the structure and differences in the jury systems of Canada and the US.

* the influence of legal and extralegal factors on juror decision making

* special topics within jury research, such as juror decision making in capital and insanity defence trials.

Evelyn is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Carleton University, and is also cross-appointed in the Department of Psychology. She studies the influence of psychology on the law and legal decision-making, particularly with respect to juries and public policy.  Her current research projects include studying the effects of extralegal information (including defendant race, victim attractiveness, and defendant gang affiliation) on juror decision-making, legal decision-making in NCRMD trials, and the effects of race salience in the criminal courtroom.  She is the director of the Legal Decision-Making Lab at Carleton, and her work is funded by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) and APLS (American Psychology-Law Society).

 

November 14th Meeting – 7pm Library and Archives

Events, Meetings

In the Line of Fire:  PTSD and Law Enforcement Officers

Syd Gravel is a retired Staff Sergeant from the Ottawa Police Service and is one of the founding fathers of “Robin’s Blue Circle”, a post-shooting trauma team that assists officers in working their way through the trauma of death or near-death work-related incidents. The Circle was first established in 1988. Syd has personally assisted over 40 officers survive near-death incidents over a period of 12 years.

 Syd is a 31-year veteran of the Ottawa Police Service. In his book, 56 Seconds, he tells the story of how his life took a dramatic turn when he was involved in a shooting. He shares information on how he survived post-traumatic stress disorder – PTSD – as a two-time shootist, during his years of work as a front-line police officer. The book describes how his healthy survival was based on a solid foundation of peer support, friends, family and medical practitioners.

Syd Gravel was a keynote speaker at the First Canadian Forum on Traumatic Stress Conference, Surviving Post-Shooting Trauma, in Toronto, Ontario. He was a guest lecturer for Correctional Services Canada, on Wellness and Traumatic Stress, in Kingston, Ontario. He was the keynote speaker at the International Conference of Conservation Officers, Stress Management and its Realities, in Ottawa, Ontario.

 In 2007, Syd was inducted as a Member of the Order Of Merit (M.O.M.) in Policing.

 “In 1987, Syd was involved in a very traumatic incident in which a robbery suspect lost his life. The event deeply affected Syd. To his credit he developed a comprehensive Police Peer Support Network on dealing with PTSD. It is Syd’s legacy to the Ottawa Police.”

 – Brian Ford, Chief of the Ottawa Police Service, 1993-2000.

October 10 meeting 7-9 p.m. Library & Archives

Meetings,

Rapid Reads books are a growing phenomenon both in the adult and young adult market. Writers as diverse as Minnette Walters, Alexander McCall Smith, Terry Jones, and Karen Slaughter, have delivered their own mini-masterpieces.

Rapid Reads or Quick Reads books are geared toward reluctant readers whether adult or young adult. Though the popularity goes beyond those who ‘hate to read’. These short novels can be found in the classroom, libraries, even prisons. Come out for October’s meeting where novelists and CCW members Brenda Chapman, Barbara Fradkin, and Jeff Ross will speak about the Rapid Reads market in Canada, their experiences writing in this format, and the publishing possibilities.

September 12th meeting 7-9 pm Library & Archives

Meetings

September 12th Meeting:  Guest Speaker Gary Houldsworth CFE – Private Investigator Specializing in Fraud

We are starting the season off with a dynamic special guest speaker – Gary Houldsworth heads up Houldworth & Associates, an Ottawa firm with expertise in fraud, loss prevention and risk management. Gary also is a certified instructor who teaches part time at Algonquin College and coordinates the “Public and Private Investigations” studies. Over the years, he’s trained just about everyone in the industry, including security guards, licensed investigators, corporations, governments, and now his biggest challenge, Capital Crime Writers.

Gary will share from his twenty-one year wealth of experience as a professional private investigator. He is  certain to provide a cornucopia of fodder for crime stories so bring your questions and be prepared to discover the fraudulent underbelly of corporations and private businesses.

Wednesday, September 12th from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. @ the Library& Archives Canada. New members are always welcome.

http://www.houldsworthandassociates.com/aboutus.html

May 9th meeting: Elections!

Events, Meetings
CCW Needs your input!

It is that time of year again when Capital Crime Writers is holding their annual election.

ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE FOR PERIOD JULY 1, 2012- June 30, 2013. The election of the CCW executive takes place at the May meeting (May 9).  The executive is composed of:
President
Vice President
Past President
Program Director
Communications Director
Secretary/Membership Director
Treasurer & FinancesPresently the following members of the Executive have agreed to put their names forward for the following positions (ie. to stand for reelection):

President:  Michael Murphy
Program Director: Wynn Quon
Treasurer & Finances: Janet Claridge

The following positions will become vacant:
Vice President – the Vice President is the backup for the President and organizes the annual Audrey Jessup Short Story Contest.
Communications Director – writes and publishes the Purloined, CCW’s newsletter email bulletin
Secretary/Membership Director – looks after member recruitment and the collection of membership dues, takes minutes at executive meetings.

Anyone who wishes to put their name forward for ANY executive position should do so in writing (include the names of at least two full members of CCW who endorse the candidature) and send the email to:

M.murphy345@hotmail.com

The deadline is 9:00 a.m., Wednesday May 9, 2012

Many of the current members have served on the executive for a number of years.  We welcome new blood.  Please consider putting your name forward.