Incorporating languages and dialects other than “standard” English can enrich, amplify, and transform English language prose.
From evoking orality and the playful rhythms of speech, to code-switching and representing historical and contemporary multilingual realities that touch upon issues of race, gender, class, and so on, linguistically diverse prose offers many possibilities. However, exploring cultural and linguistic intersections can present challenges to writers and readers.
In this workshop we will explore and practice approaches to incorporating other-than-“standard”-English into your prose in ways that invite, but also challenge readers.
MATTHEW TÉTREAULT is Métis and French-Canadian from Ste. Anne, Manitoba. He is the author of What Happened on the Bloodvein, a collection of short stories. Hold Your Tongue is his first novel. He lives in Winnipeg.
