WHERE WINDS BLOW ON SHORE: Historical Texture, Historical Fiction, and the Centre for Newfoundland Studies

The best historical fiction at once immerses us in a different world yet also throws us lifelines of emotional connection and empathy. Join award-winning historical novelist Michelle Butler Hallett, author of Constant Nobody, This Marlowe, and more, for her workshop Where Winds Blow On Shore: Historical Texture, Historical Fiction, and the Centre for Newfoundland Studies.

Date: Thursday, June 19, 2025, 6-8pm

Venue: Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Memorial University. (3^rd floor, Queen Elizabeth II Library)

Register for free: on Eventbrite

This beginner-friendly workshop invites everyone and anyone with an interest in historical storytelling who’s wondering where, and/or how, to start. In a safe space of creativity, experimentation, and mess-making, Michelle will use historical images from the CNS collections to show how to find texture — the details of everyday life in the past — and how to then find emotional connections with the past which can then build robust and compelling stories. With discussion, exercises, and plenty of time for solo writing, participants can expect pragmatic approaches to what can be dizzying material — and perhaps even a creative kickstart.Yeah, it can be intimidating. So let’s figure things out together and one of the best places to start: the Centre for Newfoundland Studies.

Imagining History Writing Workshops are made possible by the Centre for Newfoundland Studies and WritersNL, with support from The Office of Public Engagement, Memorial University.