Jonathan Bessette

Jonathan Bessette--www.jonathan-bessette.com EXPERIENCE Jan/2021 to April 23rd Guelph-Humber University – Etobicoke Instructor of Creative Writing • • • • • • • • • June/2020 to Ongoing Built a 12-week course with 3-week units of Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, three corresponding workshops for each unit, and a final professional reading in the last class. Scheduled three guest lecturers to provide specialized knowledge and experience for each unit. Created five assignments: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, Public Reading, and the Final Revision Assignment—which is a thorough revision of one of the three assignments. Scheduled weekly readings of a broad range of style and authorship for each unit which we discussed in-class and online. Created a remote course using the software Courselink. Delivered 3-hour zoom classes with land acknowledgements, checkins, PowerPoint lectures, updates and question periods, and break-out discussion rooms. Uploaded pre-recorded lectures for workshop days so we had the full class to workshop. Also recorded videos for absent students and uploaded to the Courselink page for viewing. Created a “Group Norms” document which everyone co-created in the first class, and used google-forms and a mid-point evaluation to make the class a democratic process, altering the course to address student responses. Met one-on-one with students to address concerns or questions and routinely answered emails or met on zoom to resolve student issues and to discuss assignments. HELD Magazine – From University of Guelph’s Creative Writing MFA Founding Member/Editor • • Wrote the seed-funding grant with a team of artists/writers. • Used Slack, google.docs, and other online and collaborative software Developed governance and leadership models, weekly meetings, and a general structure of organizing the 10-person team. Page - 1 to work on content, discuss logistics and vision, and organize/edit content for the website and online journal release. • • • • • • Sept/2019 to Feb/2020 Served as Treasurer, paying contributors and team members, and making various payments for establishing the website and social media. Worked with editors to ensure 70% of the content was representative of those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous and Racialized, and/or folks living with disabilities. Created documents, such as: submission guidelines, budget, and the master file for design and copyediting. Provided “knowledge sharing” for onboarding new staff. Liaised with University of Guelph financial department, Creative Writing program coordinator, solicited and unsolicited contributors for editing, contracts, payment, and general questions/concerns. Homes First – Scarborough Workshop Facilitator • • • • Dec/2019 18/19th Performed copywriting at several stages of moving content to completion. Worked alongside a Substance Abuse and Harm Reduction Support Worker to create a workshop designed to offer writing as self-cafe tool and as a method to redirect addictive behaviour. Prepared lessons on Prose writing, breaking down various techniques in order to explore writing stories from different POVs as a tool to look at any given situation or story from multiple perspectives. Facilitated the writing workshop for 1.5 hours, offering writing prompts, lecture, sharing, readings, and fielding questions for small and large groups of a Scarborough shelter. Received feedback at the end of every session through a questionnaire provided to participants by the Support Worker. University of Guelph partnership with Parkdale Collegiate Workshop Facilitator • • • Prepared two lessons (one Prose, one Poetry) to be taught over two days to grade 12 students. Taught the lesson plans for 1.25 hours each for two separate classes. Used lectures, projected images, writing exercises, calling on students to read their work, discussions on how exercises worked for them, and used interactive writing tasks. Page - 2 Jan/2020 to Feb/2020 University of Guelph partnership with Parkdale School Workshop Facilitator • • • June/2017 to July/2018 • • Assisted with event setup, book sales, guests, and clean up. Did research, had discussions, and helped compile material for an archival piece I wrote for the Spring 2018 issue. Used Wordpress to migrate content from the old to new website. Assigned 1400-word article topics by editor every 3 months. Researched, fact-checked, and compiled a range of information into a persuasive, entertaining, and uniquely-styled article on contemporary Vancouver issues. Finished pieces within deadlines. SFU C2U Conference, Vancouver, BC Conference Writer • • • Dec/2016 to June/2017 Used a smartboard, chalkboard, lectures, walked the class through writing examples, had students do writing exercises based on examples (individually and as groups), had students read their work out loud, and talked with students one-on-one. Pilcrow Magazine, Vancouver, BC Freelance Writer • • May/2017 3rd to 5th Taught the lessons in tandem with a fellow MFA student. The Capilano Review, Vancouver, BC Assistant to Managing Editor • • Apr/2017 to Jan/2018 Prepared six lessons of various types of prose and poetry to be taught over six weeks to a class of grade 7/8 middle school students. Assisted Spoken Word artist Jenny Tenn-Yuk in discussing issues, workshops, themes, and ideas about the conference to offer her support in writing a final spoke-word performance piece to encapsulate the whole experience. Interviewed delegates and attended presentations. Wrote a personal essay about my experiences and thoughts to be included in their final report document for C2U Expo. Feeling Success (Website) Content Writer • • Wrote three 500-word articles every month. Created inspiring and investigative articles about influential persons past and present. Page - 3 • • Feb/2012 to June/2016 Metropolitan Building Maintenance, Surrey, BC General Manager • • • • • • • Nov/2009 – 2014 Developed, researched, edited, and posted articles to Wordpress in a timely manner. Designed each article to be entertaining and politically relevant. Performed duties of Operations, on site Lead-Hand, Sales, Administration, Office and Site Management, HR, and Marketing. Organized Schedules, coordinated employees for work days, did job costing, dispatched crews, oversaw job completion and customer satisfaction. Performed full-range of office administration duties. Hired, trained, and optimized staff for entry-level and management positions. Worked with off-site marketing teams to increase traffic on company website and develop SEO. Quoted, put together contracts, and finalized sales. Wrote and revised training manuals, website content, office policies, and administration documents. The NPODW, Vancouver, BC Founder/President/Contributor/Chief Editor • • • • • • • Held weekly meetings to share personal work, develop ideas, create internal submissions and concepts for the annual Journal. Developed each issue’s themes, curated submissions, developed style and design of each issue. Coordinated external/internal submissions, worked with the designer, printer, and developed the marketing of the launch event and Journal. Contributed content: personal writing or editorial writing. Directed the editing staff, and finalized the Journal. Liased with the Printing company to build mockups, give final Design file, and make sure the finished product was ready for release. Organized and coordinated event site location, entertainment, refreshments, and auxiliary staff for the launch of the Journal. EDUCATION- MFA Candidate at the University of Guelph (to be completed by Fall 2021) Certificate of Creative Writing from SFU’s The Writers Studio Diploma of General Studies from KPU Page - 4 AWARDS- University of Guelph, Office of Research Fund - Creating in a Time of Coronavirus University of Guelph Graduate Travel, Research, and Creation Fund (Winter) Received Canada Council grant for Aspiring Artist in Indigenous Arts: Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples to be mentored by Jonina Kirton VOLUNTEERING Jun/16 – 2018 Jan – Aug/2011 Oct/2010 – Jan/2011 Servants Community Dinner Carnegie Centre, Volunteer #609 VANDU PUBLISHING HISTORY March 2020 tbd: A Mixed-Mode Response to COVID-19, (A collective project) (linked online through Quill and Quire to PDF booklet). “Gloves” - Nonfiction Nov 2018 Emerge 17, The Writers Studio Anthology “Freud to Frisco” - Short Fiction June 2018 The Capilano Review, Spring Issue Archival Piece (Online) “From the Archives” - Nonfiction Mar 2018 The Antigonish Review, Issue # 192 “A Grave with a View” - Short Fiction Aug 2017 ELQ Magazine – Emerging Writers Contest (Longlisted) “Stravinsky’s Boat” - Speculative Fiction May/Aug/Nov 2017 Pilcrow Magazine, (Online and Print) “The Delusion with 1000 Faces,” “The Act of Remaining Passive”, and “An Elaborate Illusion” – Nonfiction Summer 2017 The Capilano Review, Translate and Transform: ti-TCR 17 (Online) “Part Chart Of…” - Poetry Dec 2016 - June 2017 Feeling Success – 21 Nonfiction Articles (Online) June 2016 Adbusters, Issue 216 “Revolution as the Act of Taking Responsibility” - Nonfiction Page - 5 Apr 2015 pulp MAG, Spring Issue, Kwantlen University Quarterly Journal “Palimpsest 1,” “A Conversation with Myself,” and “Peony Tea” - Poetry Dec 2012 This Great Society, Issue 30 (Online) “The Land” - Poetry 2010/11/12 The NPODW Literary Journal, Issue # 1, 2, 3 - Poetry/Fiction/Nonfiction (self published) Fall 2009 The New Orphic Review, Volume 12, Number 2 “Lost and Harrowing” - Poetry Page - 6