HPL Writing Workshop with Richard Kelly Kemick
A Short Class on Short Stories
Tuesday, September 29
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Central Library
Central - 4th Floor Newcomers ClassroomSharpen your writing skills with fellow writers in this workshop led by Richard Kelly Kemick
Join Richard Kelly Kemick and fellow writers for a workshop on short stories. This workshop analyzes classic and contemporary short stories to examine elements unique to the form, such as character development, plot structure, and thematic depth. Learn how to focus on techniques like precise language, effective dialogue and impactful endings -- and the authors who have incorporated these techniques into their prose. Please bring a pen and notebook or laptop. With funding support from the Canada Council for the Arts through The Writers' Union of Canada.
Richard is an award-winning poet, journalist and fiction writer. His debut collection of short stories, Hello, Horse, was published in 2024. He is also the author of I Am Herod (available on audiobook), the poetry collection Caribou Run and the stage play Amor De Cosmos: A Delusional Musical. Richard’s limited-series podcast, Natural Life, is an intimate and unexpectedly honest documentary about his cousin, who is serving a life sentence without parole in Michigan. Richard’s latest book, a collection of essays called Decadence, was released in June 2026.
Central Library
The first Hamilton Public Library building opened on September 16, 1890 by the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen on the north side of Main Street West. In 1913, a new main library opened. This building was replaced in 1980 by Central Library, at the current location on York Boulevard.
In 2010, Central Library re-opened after approximately 18 months of renovations. Central Library opened with a newly revitalized first floor, which includes a Community Living Room that takes advantage of natural light. The Ontario Library Association honoured Central in 2012 with an Architectural and Design Transformation award.
