Workshops
I develop and teach classes in creative writing, memoir, writing for healing and writing for self-discovery; my participants range from adolescence to late adulthood.
Upcoming Workshops and events
Words in the Burbs Reading Series Featuring New Works by B.C. Authors
wednesday october 16, 2024
7-9 pm PST | Western Sky Books, Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Join hosts Christina Myers and Lynn Easton in celebrating local authors Margarita Escobar, Keay Francis, Annette LeBox, Rob Taylor and Taslim Jaffer. Authors will read and sign books – preorder now at Western Sky Books!
Location: #2132-2850 Shaughnessy St., Port Coquitlam, B.C.
UBC Book Talks: Decolonization and Cultural Reflections featuring The Worst Songs in the World: The Terrible Truth about National Anthems by the late David Pate
saturday october 26, 2024
1-3 pm PST | Wesbrook Community Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
My MFA colleagues and I are honouring one of our own who passed away unexpectedly shortly before his book was published. David Pate was a journalist, a PADI scuba instructor, the creator of the podcast National Anthems: The Worst Songs in the World, and a member of the University of King’s College Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction cohort of 2023. I will be reading a few pages from his book and following with my reflections on his words and their relevance to my life experiences.
Location: 3335 Webber Lane, Vancouver, B.C.
Ongoing Workshops
Writing for Healing
I have taught writing for healing workshops in addiction treatment centres and psychiatric units, using writing prompts to help clients and patients capture their experiences in poetry and prose.
Caregivers also benefit from my writing workshops designed to help them work through the emotional challenges of supporting others.
Organizations I’ve partnered with: Semiahmoo Arts Society, North Van Arts Society, Pacifica Treatment Centre, Adolescent Psychiatric Unit (Surrey Memorial Hospital), Child and Adolescent Stabilization and Psychiatric Unit (Surrey Memorial Hospital), Dress for Success Vancouver, The Ismaili Council for Canada.
Past Workshops
Short Stories, Exploding Pages – Panel With Shashi Bhat & Caroline Adderson
saturday september 28, 2024
3:45-4:45 pm PST | UBC Robson, Vancouver, B.C.
How do we build a whole world in a few pages? And how do we fill that world with memorable characters, vibrant scenes, and enough tension to keep the reader turning the page? Join these experienced authors in a conversation on short story craft.
Location: HSBC Hall
Moderator: Taslim Jaffer
Readers: Shashi Bhat, Death by a Thousand Cuts: Stories (Penguin Random House) | Caroline Adderson, A Way to Be Happy (Biblioasis)
Please visit WORD VANCOUVER to register for your FREE ticket.
Experiment and Play with Form – Hermit Crab Essays
saturday april 20, 2024
12:00-12:50 pm PST | North Delta Centre for the Arts, Delta, B.C.
Like a hermit crab that inhabits various shells discarded by other creatures, a hermit crab essay (coined by Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola) makes a home in an existing form. Practice telling a story in unusual and unexpected ways in this one-hour, hands-on workshop with creative non-fiction writer, Taslim Jaffer.
Please visit COMPOSED Literary Festival to register for your FREE ticket.
Introduction to Creative Nonfiction at Surrey Libraries
wednesday october 11, 2023
6:00-7:30 pm PST | Newton Branch, Surrey Libraries, Surrey, B.C.
Are you curious about Creative Nonfiction? Do you know what it is? One of the popular definitions for it is “True Stories, Well Told”. Maybe you have a powerful, true story to share with the world, but not sure how to do it most effectively?
Come to the workshop and gather insight from Taslim Jaffer, a writer, editor, and writing instructor with a special interest in culture, identity, and home. Her work has appeared in various online and print publications such as Maclean’s, CBC, WestCoast Families, Peace Arch News, and more. Her essay on passing down language was published in the anthology Tongues: On Longing and Belonging Through Language (Book*hug Press, 2021). She is co-editor of the forthcoming anthology Back Where I Came From (Book*hug Press, 2024). Taslim has been teaching creative and expressive writing in community and rehabilitative settings since 2015.
Please visit Surrey Libraries to register.
Stories From a Life: A Generative Writing Workshop at Write on Bowen
saturday september 16, 2023
2:00-4:00 pm PST | Bowen Island, B.C. $45
In this fun and hands-on workshop with creative nonfiction writer Taslim Jaffer, you will create an inventory of life stories and learn how to transform them into engaging memoir pieces. Over the two hours, you will explore a variety of generative techniques like free-writing, writing to carefully-curated prompts and visual mapping, and practice working with literary tools borrowed from fiction and poetry to craft true stories. Come with a notebook and a willingness to meet yourself on the page! This workshop is open to writers of all stages and genres.
Please visit Write on Bowen to register.
Welcoming the Light: A Generative Writing Workshop
saturday september 16, 2023
10:00-11:30 am PST | via Zoom
Generate pages of poetry and prose with carefully-curated prompts on the theme of “light.” This is open to writers of all stages from novice (no experience writing or learning about the craft) to established. The workshop is meant to inspire writing for self-discovery as well as larger writing projects.
Please email taslim@taslimjaffer.com to register and for e-transfer instructions. The fee is $18. Registration closes Thursday April 13, 2023.
Who Am I?: A Generative Writing Workshop
Sunday february 26, 2023
10:00-11:30 am PST | via Zoom
Generate pages of poetry and prose with carefully-curated prompts on the theme of “identity.” This is open to writers of all stages from novice (no experience writing or learning about the craft) to established. The workshop is meant to inspire writing for self-discovery as well as larger writing projects.
Please email taslim@taslimjaffer.com to register and for e-transfer instructions. The fee is $18. Registration closes Thursday February 23, 2023.
Recover Your Dreams
co-facilitated with life coach, Jobina Bardai
Nov 5, 19, 26 and Dec 3
Saturdays 9:30-11am PST | via Zoom
Remember or discover the secret longings of your heart and learn how to birth the dreams that live inside you.
Women’s Wisdom
co-facilitated with life coach, Jobina Bardai
Oct 1, 15, 22 and 29
Saturdays 9:30-11am PST | via Zoom
Learn to listen to your inner voice and unearth the wisdom you hold for yourself.
Own Your Story
co-facilitated with life coach, Jobina Bardai
June 4, 11, 18 and 25
Saturdays 9:30-11am PST | via Zoom
Own who you are and where you have been so you can travel forward with confidence and courage.
Writing Deeper into the Self
co-facilitated with life coach, Jobina Bardai
May 7, 14, 21 and 28
Saturdays 9:30-11am PST | via Zoom
Go deeper into your exploration of identity and values, and cement the building blocks of your authentic life.
Writing into the Self
co-facilitated with life coach, Jobina Bardai
April 2, 9, 23 and 30
Saturdays 9:30-11am PST | via Zoom
Build the foundation of a loving relationship with yourself by examining your ideas of who you are and what you are worth.
New Beginnings: An Expressive Writing Workshop
Apr 12, 2022
7-8pm PST | via Zoom
Join Surrey-based writer, Taslim Jaffer, for an hour of introspection and discovery, as we welcome a new season. Using free writing techniques and prompts, Taslim creates a safe and friendly space to get your thoughts, ideas and feelings down on the page. Sharing is optional.
This workshop is a FREE Word Vancouver event. Registration required.
Stories of Home
Apr 7 – Apr 28, 2022
Thursdays 7-8pm PST | via Zoom
Where is home? Is it where you’ve been or where you are now? And how does this influence who you are or who you become? What do the words ‘home’ and ‘identity’ mean to you and what stories do they hold? Explore these themes through guided exercises and writing prompts with creative nonfiction writer, Taslim Jaffer. Bring up to 5 photographs that might spark a memory (optional). Write for yourself or to share with loved ones and learn how to unearth longer writing projects.
Writing for Self Discovery
Feb 17 – Mar 10, 2022
Thursdays 7-8pm PST | via Zoom
Writing is a tool that can help us recover and discover our true selves. In these 4, 1-hour long workshops, Taslim Jaffer provides writing prompts to set you on a path of exploration. Whether you are hoping for change in some area of your life or simply looking for a way to spend more meaningful time with yourself, you’ll find this class enlightening.
Reflections on Identity and Home
February 22, 2022
7-8pm PST | via Zoom
Spend an hour reflecting on who you are, and the places that feel like home, through writing prompts. Dig into these ideas with metaphor and freewriting in a safe, friendly space with Surrey-based writer and instructor, Taslim Jaffer. No previous writing experience necessary; sharing is optional.
This workshop is a Word Vancouver event.
Writing your way Calm
Jan 20 – Feb 10, 2022
Thursdays 7-8pm PST | via Zoom
Join writing instructor, Taslim Jaffer, in writing sessions designed to unwind, relax and ease tension. With carefully selected writing prompts and calming techniques such as guided imagery, Taslim will create a safe space for refocusing our thoughts during unrest. Suitable for writers of all levels, including beginners.
Women’s Wisdom
co-facilitated with life coach, Jobina Bardai
November 6, 20, 27 and December 4
There is a quiet voice inside you that holds the wisdom to create the life you want. How do you need to nurture yourself? How can you transform the world around you? Our busy, everyday lives don’t always allow for the stillness required to hear that voice. In this 4-week series with Life Coach Jobina Bardai and Expressive Writing Instructor Taslim Jaffer, develop a practice of accessing this wisdom. With thought-provoking discussion and introspective, focused writing time, this series is a perfect way to go within on the darker autumn mornings.
Writing into the Self
co-facilitated with life coach, Jobina Bardai
October 2, 16, 23 and 30
Everything you need to know about creating a healthy, happy life for yourself is already inside you. A powerful way to access this wisdom is through writing, using clear and simple prompts. With thought-provoking discussion and guidance by Life Coach Jobina Bardai, and introspective, focused writing time with Expressive Writing Instructor Taslim Jaffer, this 4-week series is the perfect launching pad into your Self.
Writing Memoir
September 19-October 31
What do you have to offer the world? Uncover and capture your life-gained wisdom, no matter what stage of life you are in. Through written exercises and discussion, award-winning writer, Taslim Jaffer will teach you how to write about your personal legacy. Individual mentoring and shared tricks and tools will facilitate the creation of your writing projects.
FREE 1-Hour Writing Memoir Workshop
Wednesday September 12
Meet local writer and instructor, Taslim Jaffer, for a one hour workshop about writing memoir. During this session, you will have the opportunity to learn about the art of memoir, try a few exercises and ask any questions about Taslim’s classes.
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