Riddle Fence

10/17/2025

Highlight reel from last night's packed house! So many thank yous to all the Riddle Fence fam who came out, and especially to Natasha Blackwood, Nora de Mariaffi, and our special guest stars, Heather & Arizona O'Neill. So fun!

10/16/2025

Welcome to the fifth full-length edition of the Riddle Fence Podcast! In this episode, host Andie Bulman chats with contributors Christina Wells and James Roseman, plus catch this interview with 2025 Dublin Literary Award winner Michael Crummey. Find us wherever you find your podcasts, or click the podcast tab at www.riddlefence.com

10/11/2025

Last Visiting Writer WORKSHOP of the year! An amazing opportunity to learn with author Claire Cameron:

WRITING MEMOIR with CLAIRE CAMERON

A lot of writers shy away from memoir. They are concerned they are not famous enough, that they’re too boring, or that their lives aren’t the kind that will resonate through the ages. But other people’s lives are interesting to readers. We will talk about why your story is worth writing, why other people will be interested, and how to decide on a way forward. Bring your ideas (or just listen)—we’ll workshop them together.

Wednesday November 5

7-9pm

NIFCO – 40 Kings Rd., St. John’s

REGISTRATION: This workshop is free of charge, but participation is limited. To register, send a one-page sample of your work to: [email protected]

Registration Deadline: October 30, 2025

Wednesday, November 5 A lot of writers shy away from memoir. They are concerned they are not famous enough, that they’re too boring, or that their lives aren’t the kind that will resonate through the ages. But other people’s lives are interesting to readers. We will talk about why your story i...

10/02/2025

Come see us in Halifax! We'll be at Booktoberfest on October 11th, with magazines, books, and merch galore! Halifax Central Library, Oct 11, 11-3pm.

09/29/2025

Still a few spaces left in this graphic novel workshop with the amazing Arizona O'Neill! Wednesday October 15, 7-9pm. Registration is open now!

Wednesday, October 15 Writing a Graphic Novel: From Idea to Published Book Ever dreamed of turning your ideas into a graphic novel, but don’t know where to start? This lively workshop with illustrator and graphic novelist Arizona O’Neill will take you through the entire process, from that first ...

09/28/2025

We're back for Day 2! Come see us at Word on the Street Toronto all day today, 10am-5pm.

09/27/2025

Toronto friends! Come see us all weekend at Word on the Street! Find us in Magazine Mews, across from the Walrus.

09/18/2025

Did I say that's not all?? That's not all!

WORKSHOP: Writing From Life with Heather O’Neill
Wednesday, October 15, 7pm

These workshops are FULLY SUBSIDIZED, aka FREE. But you do need to register, and spaces are limited!

TO REGISTER:
*Send a one-page sample of your work to [email protected] by October 3, 2025.*

Full details below, or follow this link:
https://riddlefence.com/event/writing-from-life-with-heather-oneill/

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Writing from Life, with Heather O'Neill

In this workshop, we will examine the ways in which a writer draws from their own lived experience and family history to create both fiction and non-fiction. We will look at creating a persona and a voice that is unique to one’s own experience. We will learn to embrace secrets and shame. It is when we are true to ourselves that our monsters and angels inhabit the page!

Wednesday, October 15, 7-9pm

REGISTRATION: This workshop is free of charge, but participation is limited. To apply for a spot, send a one-page sample of your work to: [email protected]

Registration Deadline: October 3, 2025

Riddle Fence workshops are subsidized by the Canada Council for the Arts Public Outreach Program.


HEATHER O’NEILL is a novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. Her most recent novel is The Capital of Dreams. Her previous works include When We Lost Our Heads, which was a #1 national bestseller and a finalist for the Grand Prix du Livre de Montréal; The Lonely Hearts Hotel, which won the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and CBC’s Canada Reads; and Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night, and Daydreams of Angels, which were shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction, the Orange Prize for Fiction, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize two years in a row. O’Neill has also won CBC’s Canada Reads and the Danuta Gleed Award. Born and raised in Montreal, she lives there today.

Wednesday, October 15 Writing From Life with Heather O’Neill In this workshop, we will examine the ways in which a writer draws from their own lived experience and family history to create both fiction and non-fiction. We will look at creating a persona and a voice that is unique to one’s own ex...

09/18/2025

But that's not all! We're also hosting TWO amazing workshops with our October Visiting Writers: First up, Writing a Graphic Novel with Arizona O'Neill

These workshops are FULLY SUBSIDIZED, aka FREE. But you do need to register, and spaces are limited!

TO REGISTER:

*Send a one-page sample of your work to [email protected] by October 3, 2025.*

Full details below, or follow this link: https://riddlefence.com/event/writing-a-graphic-novel-from-idea-to-published-book-with-arizona-oneill/

***

Wednesday, October 15. -- 7pm

Writing a Graphic Novel: From Idea to Published Book

Ever dreamed of turning your ideas into a graphic novel, but don’t know where to start? This lively workshop with illustrator and graphic novelist Arizona O’Neill will take you through the entire process, from that first spark of inspiration to holding a finished book in your hands.

You’ll learn how to conquer the blank page, build momentum, and stay motivated through the long haul of writing and drawing your story. Arizona will share her own process, including live walkthroughs of her Photoshop files, and reveal time-saving tricks to make creating your comic smoother and less stressful. Bring your questions!

Photoshop or Procreate experience is helpful but not required — just bring your ideas and creativity!


Wednesday, October 15, 7-9 pm

REGISTRATION: This workshop is free of charge, but participation is limited. To apply for a spot, send a one-page sample of your work to: [email protected]

Registration Deadline: October 3, 2025



Riddle Fence workshops are subsidized by the Canada Council for the Arts Public Outreach Program.


Arizona O’Neill is a Montreal author and illustrator. She is the illustrator of Nelly Arcan’s L’enfant dans le miroir and Heather O’Neill’s Valentine in Montreal. Her comics have appeared in Hazlitt, Exclaim!, Canadian Geographic, and the Montreal Gazette. She has created animated videos for many outlets, including CBC. Her debut graphic novel Opioids and Organs is coming out May 2026 with Drawn & Quarterly.

Wednesday, October 15 Writing a Graphic Novel: From Idea to Published Book Ever dreamed of turning your ideas into a graphic novel, but don’t know where to start? This lively workshop with illustrator and graphic novelist Arizona O’Neill will take you through the entire process, from that first ...

08/29/2025

It's Back to School weekend! You *probably* need something cool to wear, right? You **probably** want to represent your fave lit magazine, riiiiiiighhhhhtttt???? Riddle Fence got you covered with these brand! new! t-shirts!

Design by our fave, Mollie Cronin -- available in a range of sizes. Come get 'em!

https://riddlefence.square.site/product/t-shirt-riddle-fence-by-mollie-cronin/7E6M2WY4MYCW3YT4PFINB6VM?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=LKSUJNCK4PBYX6QU6GPKMXVM