SWEETWATER
WRITERS WORKSHOP
About Us
Created by the acclaimed and international best-selling author of Three Day Road, The Orenda, and Through Black Spruce, Joseph Boyden and Laura Vukson, Sweetwater Writers Workshop offers one-on-one mentorships, editing, workshops and retreats.
Joseph uses concrete methods and processes developed over 25 years of teaching. The focus is on your craft. Joseph’s mentorship style is intensely thoughtful and thorough, utilizing constructive criticism as he helps you develop your voice, define your style, layer your characters, and fashion your narrative.
One-on-One Mentoring
Are you working on a manuscript: A novel? A memoir? A collection of stories? Here’s the opportunity to work one-on-one with a bestselling and Giller Prize-winning author. Joseph’s one-on-one mentoring is designed specifically for the individual writer, focusing on your needs and publishing goals. From the first steps of writing a short piece to fine-tuning a novel you’re readying for publication, Joseph’s insight and experience are aimed at making your work the best it can be. Work with Joseph on fulfilling your dream of finally completing that book you’ve been carrying inside your head.
Joseph is currently taking on new students. Please submit a short bio and a writing sample to laura@swwritersworkshop.ca
Sweetwater Writers Workshops
Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction
September 6, 7, 13, 14, 2025 (Saturdays & Sundays) from 1 PM – 2:30 PM EST
- Currently, this workshop is online via Zoom.
- It’s four 90 minute classes
- No writing sample is necessary for admission.
Tuition: $200 plus 13% HST
Aspiring Writers Workshop
October 1, 8, 15, 22, 2025 from 1-3 PM EST (Wednesdays)
- Currently, this workshop is online via Zoom.
- Minimal enrolment is four writers with a cap of six writers.
- Four weeks of classes, meeting once weekly for two hours.
- You will receive a 30-minute one-on-one discussion with Joseph.
- Admission is based on a short writing sample.
Tuition: $475 plus 13% HST
A Three-Month Longform Workshop
Class A: Sept. 20, Oct. 4, 18, Nov. 1, 15, 29, 2025 from 9 – 12 PM EST (Saturdays)
Class B: Sept 20, Oct. 4, 18, Nov. 1, 15, 29, 2025 from 1 – 3 PM EST (Saturdays)
Currently, this workshop is online via Zoom.
- Minimal enrolment is four writers with a cap of six writers.
- Six classes, meeting twice a month for three hours.
- You will receive two one-on-one discussions with Joseph.
- Admission is based on a short writing sample.
Tuition: $900 plus 13% HST
Retreat Workshop
August 6 – 10, 2025, 2 spots open!
Retreats will be held at our century-old farmhouse near the southern
shores of Georgian Bay.
- Four nights, five days
- Two submissions each | four writers | workshop style
- Cozy places to write indoors and out
- One-on-one writing discussions with Joseph Boyden (per writer)
- Meals provided.
Tuition: $1600 plus HST
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Where to find us
Sweet Water Writers Workshop
Durham/West Grey, Ontario
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