Back to School Special!

TeachingBesides being a food and travel journalist, I am also a writing instructor. I teach people how the freelance writing process works and how to get their food or travel articles published. I do this under the auspices of The Writing Centre, a division of UBC Continuing Studies.

New classes start in two weeks! To find out which classes are currently being offered and to read the course descriptions, just click on this link to get to the UBC Writing Centre online calendar and look for the Food and Travel Writing, Food Writing and Travel Writing listings.

You can learn from me in two ways, in person or online. My in-person classes take place either at the UBC Point Grey Campus or in downtown Vancouver at the UBC Robson Square facilities. The in-person classes combine food and travel writing together, but if you prefer to specialize in one or the other, the online classes are separated into separate food writing or travel writing options. Online classes mean you can take the course from anywhere in the world! All you need is a computer and an internet connection. I provide personalized feedback on all of your work.

There are more and more opportunities to get published today with the advent of digital publishing and the world of blogs and specialty websites offering pay for content. I teach you how to approach editors with your ideas and how to take your initial idea and turn it into a polished, publishable story.

I also teach a couple of different kinds of classes in different departments of UBC Continuing Studies. One course, developed for seniors but people of all ages are welcome, is called ‘Cooking the Books’. Here’s the course description:

“CBC Radio food journalist Don Genova leads you through the fascinating history of cookbooks over the years, all the way from the very first cookbook on record to Edith Adams of the Vancouver Sun, the illustrious Julia Child and Canada’s Kate Aitken. Don also looks at the most popular cookbooks from world cuisines like Italian and French. See how portion sizes, techniques, instructions and food photography have changed over the years. Part of every class includes discussions about your own favourite cookbooks, which you are invited to bring in.”

I taught this course as a week-long, 1 hour per day class this summer and it was lots of fun, with participants bringing in some very fascinating cookbooks to share. A new version of the course starts at the end of September and runs for 2 hours a week, for 6 weeks, and costs just $120. Click here for dates and times.

And then there is Greening Your Grocery List. It’s almost like you have to be a detective or food scientist these days to figure out what you’re getting when you go shopping for groceries. This course will help you sort through those mysterious words on your food labels. I will also explain what the words ‘organic’ and ‘sustainable’ really mean and how some companies try to gain your business through the practice of ‘greenwashing’. Other topics include sustainable seafood, dairy products, the 100-Mile Diet and buying guides to products like olive oil, coffee and meats. This course starts in November at the UBC Robson Square campus.

Hope to see you in-person or online!  Oh, and if you live in the Victoria area, I am doing a short talk on September 20th at the Royal BC Museum. It’s all about the history of BC food culture and where it’s going today. There will be farmers to talk to and snacks as well!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
This entry was posted in Announcements, Classes. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.