Luncheon presentation with the Darling Axe -- Michelle Barker & David Griffin Brown
Enjoy a delicious lunch and interactive workshop!
Time & Location
Sep 13, 2025, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Bowen Island Public Library Annex, 430 Bowen Island Trunk Rd, Bowen Island, BC V0N, Canada
About the Event
Time to grab a break and enjoy a delicious lunch from local caterers. Participate in a special session -- Fixing the Bones: Diagnosing Common Developmental Issues, presented by the dynamic duo, David Griffin Brown and Michelle Barker, of the Darling Axe.
Even promising manuscripts can falter when big-picture issues have not been addressed. As editors at the Darling Axe, we are familiar with developmental issues that bog down a good story. In this presentation, we will discuss the most common pitfalls: meandering plots, unwieldy narrative context, thin character arcs and undeveloped internal conflict—among others. Together, we’ll learn how to spot these issues early and explore practical strategies for fixing them. We’ll wrap up with a Q&A session to address any lingering concerns.
About the Darling Axe (David Griffin Brown & Michelle Barker)
David Griffin Brown is an award-winning short fiction writer and co-author of Immersion and Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling and Story Skeleton: The Classics. He holds a BA in anthropology from UVic and an MFA in creative writing from UBC, and his writing has been published in literary magazines such as the Malahat Review and Grain. In 2022, he was the recipient of a New Artist grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. David founded Darling Axe Editing in 2018, and as part of his Book Broker interview series, he has compiled querying advice from over 100 literary agents. He lives in Victoria, Canada, on the traditional territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
Michelle Barker is an award-winning author and poet and is the co-author of Immersion and Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling and Story Skeleton: The Classics. Her fiction, non-fiction, and poetry have appeared in literary reviews worldwide. She has published three YA novels (one fantasy and two historical fiction), a historical picture book, and a chapbook of poetry. Michelle holds a BA in English literature (UBC) and an MFA in creative writing (UBC). Many of the writers she’s worked with have gone on to win publishing contracts and honours for their work. Michelle lives in Vancouver on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations.