Event

Get inspired to take on the writing life with local author and story spinner Jenn Ashton!

 

Armed with anecdotes, Jenn will give a glimpse of her creative pathway to becoming a writer and obstacles she met and overcame along the way. Jenn will read from her most recent book and lead a writing sprint where the object is to get as many words as possible written in the prescribed time. Sprints are a perfect cure for writer’s block and getting out of a rut!

 

Considering herself a writer from the early age of 6, Jenn Ashton was first published at age 14 and writes in many genres and forms; from children's books, to newspaper editorials, music magazine columns, course and training materials and academic and literary journals. Currently working on numerous works, Jenn has also just completed a year as a Teaching Assistant in the Simon Fraser University's Writer's Studio, and is now studying at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Professional Education. She is also the Writer in Residence at the British Columbia History Magazine for 2021/22 with her column "Sharing Space: Uncovering the Indigenous History of BC".

 

Jenn was born and raised in British Columbia's lower mainland and interior. In her youth, Jenn began travelling and lived throughout Canada and the US, before coming back to settle in the lower mainland in the mid-80s. She attended Simon Fraser University as a mature student, while she homeschooled her daughter and completed a volunteer term for the Canadian Red Cross. For the next 2 decades Jenn worked, volunteered and researched, continuing her education at SFU and Harvard while working in the non-profit sector at the management level. After a further decade in the music industry, Jenn began working as a professional visual artist in North Vancouver in 2015, drawing on a lifetime of adventure, which is now also reflected in her writing.

 

Jenn is a member of The Writers Union of Canada, The Creative Nonfiction Collective Society, The North Shore Authors Collection, Access Copyright and The Indigenous Editors Association. She is also a Director on the Board of The Federation of British Columbia Writers (Hiatus) and is an Authenticity Reader for Penguin/RandomHouse USA.

 

Things you will need include: something to write with, and something to write on.

 

JenniferAshton.ca