It’s been such an honour over the years to improvise pub night speeches, spin the wheel that never picks Dave, and wrack my brain for icebreaker questions every week (okay, maybe not that last one).
We blew through one milestone after another. Self-publishing superstars like Scott, Peter, James, and Danny opened our eyes to brand new avenues. Adrienne, Don, and Mellisha thwarted the gatekeepers and had their books published traditionally. Grants. Agents. Awards. After so many years of toiling, our dreams are finally coming true.
I’ve learned so much over the years from all of you. Adrienne taught me characters should have quirks. Wayne taught me characters shouldn’t sigh. Danny taught me life could be organized in spreadsheets. Michelle taught me not to self-reject. And Melissa taught me never to play board games with her if I want to stay in one piece.
But more than any of that, somewhere, along this ten-year journey, I found my family. I found my home. I met incredible writers who could give any big-name author a run for their money. I found a place where I felt comfortable coming out of my shell, a place where people understood and accepted me. I found overwhelming support during hard times. I experienced the kind of love and friendship that ten years ago I’d have never thought was in the cards for me.
With the help of this community, I grew into a confident, and dare I say competent, writer.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but life never is. If I could talk to the me from ten years ago, I’d tell him you're going to find your people. You're going to chase your dreams. You may stumble along the way, but in the end, it'll all be worth it. Sure, you’ll get more rejections than you can fill a library with. But you'll be living the life of a writer. And what can be better than that?
So. Ten years. Where does that leave us? The upward trajectory is undeniable as more and more of our members celebrate incredible successes. But I want to look a little further into the future. The moderators and members of this group make it the vibrant, diverse, and welcoming community that it is. But members come and go. Moderators step down, allowing new voices to lead the group in new directions. But it’s my hope, and my dream, that this group will outlive us all. That it’ll be a safe harbour, a sanctuary, a home for introverted misfits like us who haven’t found their people, for generations to come. What we’ve built here is something that will survive me, something that will survive us all.
I’ve always dreamed of being a hotshot author—bidding wars, a Netflix adaptation directed by Mike Flannagan, a Nobel prize in literature, modest things like that. But through you all, I’ve found something even better than fame, than money, than success. Just being with you all, week after week, fostering this community and seeing you thrive, makes life worth living.
So, I just want to say, thank you. Thank you for your constant encouragement, support, kindness, and love. And thank you for the best 10 years of my life.
A Message from Justin
The funny thing about ten years is that it can feel like a lifetime and yet go by in the blink of an eye...
On May 9, 2015, my life—and so many others—changed forever when I attended the inaugural meeting of the Toronto Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers, hosted at the Imperial Pub.
It was uncomfortable at first meeting complete strangers, but it soon became clear that these were my people: people who shared my nerdiness, my love of reading, and my passion for storytelling. David, our founder, fostered an inclusive, diverse, respectful, and supportive atmosphere, defining a good meeting as one where everyone left wanting to write more.
We went through many transitions over the years. We relocated to the Firkin on King, then to the MaRS Building, and eventually back to the Imperial Pub. We increased our meetings from monthly to weekly. Members started smaller spinoff groups, but Saturday was always the main event, where we all came together to share our love of writing. Attendance grew so large that we began splitting into two groups.
We built a sense of community by coming together for a pint and writerly debate at our regular pub nights. And how can I go without mentioned Peter’s legendary holiday parties!
Members stepped up into new leadership roles as our family got larger. We added regular online meetings to our schedule after our group expanded during the pandemic. So, too, did we pursue bigger ambitions, such as tDotSpec, our very own publishing company, through which we published magazines like Strange Economics, Speculative North, and the Science Fiction Tarot, as well as our yearly one-shot anthologies (read at your own risk).
Thanks to the team
David Shultz
Founder & Organizer
Justin Dill
Organizer & In-Person Moderator
Michelle Pang
In-Person Sprints Moderator
Peter Reynolds
Social Event Organizer
Gillian Secord
Virtual Sprints Moderator
Melissa Terry
Virtual Critique Sessions Moderator
Don Miasek
Moderator
Pamela K.
Moderator
We built a sense of community by coming together for a pint and writerly debate at our regular pub nights. And how can I go without mentioned Peter’s legendary holiday parties!
Members stepped up into new leadership roles as our family got larger. We added regular online meetings to our schedule after our group expanded during the pandemic. So, too, did we pursue bigger ambitions, such as tDotSpec, our very own publishing company, through which we published magazines like Strange Economics, Speculative North, and the Science Fiction Tarot, as well as our yearly one-shot anthologies (read at your own risk).
It’s been such an honour over the years to improvise pub night speeches, spin the wheel that never picks Dave, and wrack my brain for icebreaker questions every week (okay, maybe not that last one).
We blew through one milestone after another. Self-publishing superstars like Scott, Peter, James, and Danny opened our eyes to brand new avenues. Adrienne, Don, and Mellisha thwarted the gatekeepers and had their books published traditionally. Grants. Agents. Awards. After so many years of toiling, our dreams are finally coming true.
I’ve learned so much over the years from all of you. Adrienne taught me characters should have quirks. Wayne taught me characters shouldn’t sigh. Danny taught me life could be organized in spreadsheets. Michelle taught me not to self-reject. And Melissa taught me never to play board games with her if I want to stay in one piece.
But more than any of that, somewhere, along this ten-year journey, I found my family. I found my home. I met incredible writers who could give any big-name author a run for their money. I found a place where I felt comfortable coming out of my shell, a place where people understood and accepted me. I found overwhelming support during hard times. I experienced the kind of love and friendship that ten years ago I’d have never thought was in the cards for me.
With the help of this community, I grew into a confident, and dare I say competent, writer.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but life never is. If I could talk to the me from ten years ago, I’d tell him you're going to find your people. You're going to chase your dreams. You may stumble along the way, but in the end, it'll all be worth it. Sure, you’ll get more rejections than you can fill a library with. But you'll be living the life of a writer. And what can be better than that?
So. Ten years. Where does that leave us? The upward trajectory is undeniable as more and more of our members celebrate incredible successes. But I want to look a little further into the future. The moderators and members of this group make it the vibrant, diverse, and welcoming community that it is. But members come and go. Moderators step down, allowing new voices to lead the group in new directions. But it’s my hope, and my dream, that this group will outlive us all. That it’ll be a safe harbour, a sanctuary, a home for introverted misfits like us who haven’t found their people, for generations to come. What we’ve built here is something that will survive me, something that will survive us all.
I’ve always dreamed of being a hotshot author—bidding wars, a Netflix adaptation directed by Mike Flannagan, a Nobel prize in literature, modest things like that. But through you all, I’ve found something even better than fame, than money, than success. Just being with you all, week after week, fostering this community and seeing you thrive, makes life worth living.
So, I just want to say, thank you. Thank you for your constant encouragement, support, kindness, and love. And thank you for the best 10 years of my life.
A Message from Justin
The funny thing about ten years is that it can feel like a lifetime and yet go by in the blink of an eye...
On May 9, 2015, my life—and so many others—changed forever when I attended the inaugural meeting of the Toronto Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers, hosted at the Imperial Pub.
It was uncomfortable at first meeting complete strangers, but it soon became clear that these were my people: people who shared my nerdiness, my love of reading, and my passion for storytelling. David, our founder, fostered an inclusive, diverse, respectful, and supportive atmosphere, defining a good meeting as one where everyone left wanting to write more.
We went through many transitions over the years. We relocated to the Firkin on King, then to the MaRS Building, and eventually back to the Imperial Pub. We increased our meetings from monthly to weekly. Members started smaller spinoff groups, but Saturday was always the main event, where we all came together to share our love of writing. Attendance grew so large that we began splitting into two groups.
...And Thank You for 10 Incredible Years
Gratitude from leadership or founding members. Eleifend ex lorem et vitae elit dolor metus nostra sapien scelerisque fusce dictum venenatis dapibus. Lobortis pharetra semper sodales scelerisque elementum cubilia dolor.
In Their Words: Community Reflections
This group's supportive nature means the motto of "people should leave our meetings wanting to write more" always worked for me. Each week, I look forward to reading from a wide variety of works from an equally wide variety of authors.
For me, I brought Pale Grey Dot to the group in 2000-word chunks, getting it picked over with a fine-toothed comb by the experts. The book is much stronger as a result. When it came time to submit to agents and publishers, I relied on the group's expertise, and after receiving an offer, folks were eager to help out in reviewing the contract with me.
Every step of the way, I've received help, and had the chance to help others. I have no doubt that Pale Grey Dot would not exist without the Toronto Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writers Group.
Don (Member Since 2017)
In Their Words: Community Reflections
I have been jumping from writing group to writing group, looking for support in the exciting yet confusing world of writing. But I settled with the Toronto Science Fiction and Fantasy Group as they're a great fit for me. I received great advice in a welcoming and patient community, full of intelligent and amazing authors. As I believe this country produces great writers, this is the place to stay.
This is the group where I feel seen, where my stories are read, and my thoughts flourish. Each time I spend time with them, I always want to go home and write more. I'm glad this group is going strong for 10 years; more 10 strong years to come.
H.C. (Member since 2018)
In Their Words: Community Reflections
Justin and the other organizers have made the science fiction fantasy meet-up group a highlight of its members’ lives, including mine. As someone who is obsessed with literature and mastering the art of writing, I have been pleasantly shocked at the quality of the work and the number of world-class writers comprising the core membership. I’m sure that this is one of the preeminent writers’ groups across all genres in the English-speaking world. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my profound appreciation and gratitude to the group’s organizers and my fellow members!
Suzanne (Member since 2015)
In Their Words: Community Reflections
Being part of the group turned me from someone who likes to write into a writer. I got my first works published because of the motivation they inspired and the support they offered, meeting with them each week. Getting to share something as special as a passion for writing (and dragons, magic, sword fighting, and I guess that sci-fi stuff was pretty cool too) with so many other people brought the magic to real life. I can’t begin to express the anticipation and exhilaration I felt before, during, and after reading and sharing work with these amazing people.
Annelise (Member since 2018)
What We’ve Built Together
Over the past ten years, our members have created extraordinary works that span genres, styles, and mediums. From debut novels to award-winning short stories, each creation represents the dedication and growth of our vibrant community.
A Decade of Writing Together
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Recap the founding, mission, growth, and how the group evolved into a hybrid, international community. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Proin tortor purus platea sit eu id nisi litora libero. Neque vulputate consequat ac amet augue blandit maximus aliquet congue.
Pharetra vestibulum posuere ornare faucibus fusce dictumst orci aenean eu facilisis ut volutpat commodo senectus purus himenaeos fames primis convallis nisi.
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Celebrating 10 Years of Storytelling, Community, and Creativity
A look back and a leap forward with the writers who made it all possible.