Patterns of Leaving and Return
Exploring why women in abusive relationships return, interwoven with the story of Hansel and Gretel.
The Perils of Being Good….
My retelling of the Princess on the Glass Mountain Fairy Tale is now out at Crow and Cross Keys.
The Gift of Rejection
Do rejections make better origin stories? Or is the real blessing that I can worry about my writing in the first place?
Beginner’s Jam
Beginner's mind is what we must come back to every time we sit down and write. said Natalie Goldberg, and after years of writing I’m finding myself a beginner again.
Finding Inspiration in Dance
Last Friday I was invited to a pop-up dance performance on a local beach. My friend manages a retreat centre that I’m lucky enough to borrow a few hours a week, and when she told me I should come see the dancers, I listened.
Interview at Storied Imaginarium
Alison Colwell Receives Canada Council Grant
”One of the best parts of working with writers is celebrating their successes. Over the last few years, Alison Colwell has published several stories that started in workshops at The Storied Imaginarium…” Carina Bissett
Fairy Tale Fathers
What roles do fathers play in fairy tales? Fairy Tale Fathers juxtaposes those tales against my relationship with my father. Unlike the mothers and stepmothers found in the Grimm's stories, who are often portrayed as harmful, the Grimm brothers portrayed the fathers more kindly. But are they? Or do they abdicate responsibility just when they’re needed most?
Published in the Humber Literary Review June 2023
The Vocabulary of Thinness
Exploring the relationship between anorexia and the cultural pressures girls face on their bodies.
Published in The NonBinary Review March 2023
Setting Goals for the New Year
Learn about setting your writing goals for the year.
Published in Wordworks Magazine December 2022
Interview for Storied Imaginarium
Read the interview about why “Eight Reasons for Silence” was important to me here.
Eight Reasons for Silence
Eight Reasons for Silence, my retelling of the The Six Swans Fairy Tale.
Published in Tangled Locks Journal - Fall 2022
Putting Things By…
Reflections on making Jam with my grandmother.
Published in The Fieldstone Review September 2022
On Becoming a Tempestarrii
Read my latest short story on what it takes to become a weather witch.
Published in Flash Fiction Magazine - May 2022
Foraging for Food and Stories in Folklife Magazine
Foraging for Stories is out in Folklife Magazine - May 2022
Rising Tides - Reflections for Climate Changing Times
Ice melt; sea level rise; catastrophic weather; flooding; drought; fire; infestation; species extinction and adaptation; water shortage and contamination; intensified social inequity, migration and cultural collapse. These are but some of the changes that are not only predicted for climate changing futures, but already part of our lives in Canada. Although these transformations are global and dramatic, they are also experienced locally and particularly by people who are struggling to understand the impacts of climate change on their daily lives.
Revisiting his Choice
The idea for Regrets was generated during a Storied Imaginarium workshop and is based on the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
In Praise of Drabbles
Novels are five-tier wedding cakes but Drabbles are the cookies of your writing life.
Revisiting Rapunzel
The idea for Hindsight was generated during a Storied Imaginarium workshop and is based on the fairy tale Rapunzel.
Interview for Storied Imaginarium
The Frog Prince’s Reluctant Bride, published in DSF, came out of Carina Bissett’s 2021 Storied Imaginarium workshop. Read an interview about the process.