Welcome to Talking Fresh 2025: Open Secrets! All in-person events will be held at The Artesian at 2627 13th Avenue in Regina on Saturday March 15, with the panel discussion also livestreamed and recorded (noted below). No registration required for in-person events.
Online events are held via Zoom: registration required. They will be recorded and posted to our youtube channel for 30 days.
All times posted in Saskatchewan time.
All are welcome at these free events!
Check out our accessibility measures for our festival here.
Tuesday, March 11 - Online via Zoom
Between Two Lines with Joseph Kakwinokanasum
with host "Axis" Alexandra Jarrett
7:00 - 8:00 pm
Between Two Lines explores the meaning of "Open Secrets". It is an attempt to pull truths from the written word, to show examples of how truth can be artfully indirect, evasive, and oblique. Between Two Lines is about what we can and can't say to each other, and what may or may not result from unspoken truths and secrets.
Wednesday, March 12 - Online via Zoom
Tell Your Story and Tell It Crooked with Michelle Porter
with host Tara Gereaux
7:00 - 8:00 pm
In this talk, Michelle Porter will talk about what she has learned from her mother about storytelling. She'll share the different approaches she’s used to write with the truth across the genres of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. She will describe her approach to working with her own true stories and the inspiration a crooked approach offers.
Friday, March 14 - Online via Zoom
Full Disclosure with Jake Byrne
with host Rowan Neufeld
12:00 - 1:00 pm
"Confessional" is a descriptor for poetry primarily applied to the lyric, especially for poems written by women and LGBTQ+ writers, and occasionally used as a pejorative.
But what is being confessed, and to whom? In this workshop, Jake will lead readers to examine confessional mode in contemporary literature and determine whether or not transparency is genuinely possible in the lyric poem, concluding that the appearance of disclosure is just another technique the writer can hide meaning within -- and without.
Saturday March 15 – In-person at the Artesian
Open Secrets – How to Develop Conflict in Your Fiction with Craig Davidson
10:00 - 11:30 am
This session will look at one of the most important but occasionally underlooked aspects of crafting a novel, story, or written creative work. Conflict, be it internal or external, is a foundational underpinning of character, plot, and narrative momentum. We will look at ways to promote conflict in our fiction, and look at well-known examples (novels, stories, or characters) that stand as examples of conflict development and resolution.
In-person only
No registration or RSVP required
Saturday March 15 – In-person at the Artesian
Hidden in Plain Sight: How to Use Secrets in Storytelling with Marissa Stapley
1:00 – 2:30 pm
Secrets propel every sort of tale, from thrillers to romance. They bring characters closer—or tear them apart. Some secrets aren’t really secrets at all, but lurk in plain sight. Others, when revealed at the right moment, provide a satisfying twist or a true shock. Secrets add depth to characters and intrigue to plot. When used correctly, they are a storyteller’s secret weapon. Learn how New York Times bestselling author Marissa Stapley gets her characters to tell her their secrets — and how you can use them to create characters who feel real, and stories that are impossible to put down.
In-person only
No registration or RSVP required
Saturday March 15 – In-person at the Artesian & live-streamed
Everybody Knows: A panel discussion of “Open Secrets” with Gail Bowen, Craig Davidson, Marissa Stapley and host Ashleigh Mattern
3:00 – 4:00 pm
“Open secrets” is defined as information originally intended to be confidential but has become known to many people. The idea of secrets - their leaks, consequences, contractions – is fun for writers to play with. Join fiction writers Gail Bowen, Craig Davidson and Marissa Stapley, with host Ashleigh Mattern, as they dive into how open secrets show up in their work in various genres.
Hosted in-person as well as live-streamed via Zoom and recorded to watch on the SWG’s youtube channel for 30 days.
In-person & online
No registration or RSVP for inperson attendance required
