Catherine Austen
Literary
Contact Info
Email address
Website address
Resides in
Western Quebec
Social Media
Experience working with
Student In
- Early childhood
- Cycle 1 Elementary
- Cycle 2 Elementary
- Cycle 3 Elementary
- Secondary 1 & 2
- Secondary 3 & 4
- Secondary 5
- CEGEP
Lifelong Learners
- Adult Learners
I regularly explore the following Broad Areas of Learning/Themes in my work
- Health and Wellbeing
- Personal and Career Planning
- Media Literacy
I've received CHSSN Mental Health Initiative training for:
- Children & Pre-teens
Listed in the Quebec Culture in the Schools Repertoire
- Yes
I have experience working with
- MASC
I can facilitate virtual creative experiences
- Yes
Travel
- I am available for travel within the same day
- I am available for travel overnight
Catherine Austen is a writer, editor, and creative writing instructor based in Gatineau. Her books for kids and teens have won provincial and national awards; her stories for adults have featured in dozens of journals and anthologies. Catherine has years of experience leading writing workshops with students from JK through CEGEP. Her workshops help students write short stories step by step: building characters and settings, prompting plot ideas, drafting scenes, and revising the finished work.
Creative Approach and Experiences Offered
I lead creative writing workshops tailored to audience age, from JK-S5. (Grades 5-8 are my sweet spot.) From generating ideas to revising drafts — and everything in between — my workshops will help your students write stronger stories.I offer a series of mini-lessons, with examples from youth writing, on key aspects of short fiction (e.g., character, setting, point of view, plotting, etc.), followed by a series of connected writing exercises. I use slides, handouts, prompts, and feedback to assist student creativity, and I encourage but never force sharing. Trial and error is the ideal method.
I'm open to diverse genres, including graphic or hybrid narratives, and I try to balance learning objectives with creative joy. Regardless of fluency in English, every student is able to create a good story.
Single workshops average 60 minutes. Three sessions can take a class through the full process of writing a story, myth, or fractured fairy tale. (See my website for details.)
Video
Ottawa Public Library YouTube Channel