Board of Directors

Colin Martin is a literature and writing instructor who lives in Calgary. He has contributed to the local writing communities for the past two decades in myriad ways including as the founding editor of NōD Magazine, former editor and long-time President of filling Station Magazine, President from 2017-2021 of the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society, and as freelance editor, instructor, writer, grant jurist, and arts and education administrator. He seeks always to advocate for writers and writing communities, and is more than comfortable reading financial statements; after all, they’re just another way of writing the story of a place and its people.

Anne Bailey: Anne’s writing career has two main trajectories. First, in 1993, she earned a PhD in English from Western University and published two books of literary criticism on Timothy Findley in 1998. Then, after a 12-year academic career, she moved into strategic communications at the University of Alberta and began a second career as a professional writer. Over 20-plus years, Anne held leadership roles in several key strategic communications units and served as speechwriter for three successive university presidents. She is now a self-employed professional writer and communications consultant.

Anne recently joined the WGA to reconnect with her roots as a literary writer as well as to develop more connections to the non-academic writing community in Alberta. Although a new member, she feels serving on the Board is an exciting opportunity to unite the two parts of her career—the literary and the professional. Working closely with the executive team at the U of A, she gained extensive experience in board and committee governance and has an excellent understanding of board roles and responsibilities. She brings expertise in strategic communications to the Board (from strategic planning to group facilitation to fundraising), and most importantly, to supporting and promoting Alberta writers and their work. It is her privilege to serve this thriving community.

Moorea Gray: As an active member of the WGA since 2004, Moorea has participated in workshops, attended Alberta Literary Awards events, and has written for WestWord. The WGA has provided her with many long-lasting opportunities, and she feels it is her turn to give back to this important writing community. Moorea has great interest and involvement in Alberta literature—both past and present. In 2019, Moorea published an anthology containing the works of Icelandic-Canadian writer Stephan G. Stephansson. She is president of the Calgary Women’s Literary Club and sits on a committee for the Leif Eriksson Iceland Club. In June 2021, Moorea completed a two-year term as a committee member with the Calgary Distinguished Writers’ Program at the University of Calgary. Moorea holds an Education Degree and a master’s degree in English Literature.

Moni Brar was born in rural India and raised on the land of the Tse’Khene peoples. Hailing from a long lineage of subsistence farmers, she spends much of her time contemplating land, loss, language, and longing. Her creative work aims to open space to invoke belonging, as well as class, gender, and racial equity. She has multiple nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and received the 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, and the 2022 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award. A finalist for the Montreal International Poetry Prize, she has received writing awards from PRISM, Grain, The Fiddlehead, Room, CV2, and The Ex-Puritan. She is an active volunteer and sits on several editorial teams and literary boards. She believes art contains the possibility of healing.

Nicole Hill is a lifelong Albertan and has been a member of the WGA board as a member-at-large since 2021. Between jobs at a horse barn, video rental store, bank, psychiatric hospital, and more, Nicole completed a BA, MA, and an editing certificate. She is now a long-toothed PhD candidate who teaches post-secondary and lives in amiskwacîwâskahikan/Edmonton with her partner, kids, animals, and robust collection of craft supplies.

While Nicole appreciates all forms of the written word, her writing leans toward fiction and non-fiction (both creative and not-so-creative). One of her recent publications is the co-edited collection, Obstetric Violence: Realities and Resistance from Around the World (2022). For Nicole, writing and reading have always been sites of rich meaning-making and communion that enrich the ways we think and do. She is excited to continue to serve the WGA.

Anna Shannon is a writer and editor living in Calgary, Alberta on Treaty 7 land. She has publications in Bellingham Review, The Coachella Review, and others. She is currently writing STEMinist historical fiction to give a voice to the Canadian women whose stories need to be told. www.annashannon.ca

Dr. Jenna Butler (she/her) is an award-winning poet, essayist, editor, and teacher of creative and environmental writing. She is the author of three books of poetry, two collections of

ecological essays, and an Arctic travelogue. Revery: A Year of Bees, essays about beekeeping, the climate crisis, and trauma recovery, was a finalist for the 2021 Governor General’s Literary Award in Non-Fiction and a longlisted title for CBC Canada Reads 2023. Butler farms off the grid in northern Treaty 6 and is deeply grateful to be part of, and learn from, a diverse community of seed-keepers, growers, and land stewards.

Kendall Bistretzan was born and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, before moving to Calgary in 2017. In 2021, she received her degree from Mount Royal University, majoring in journalism and minoring in creative writing. She’s worked as an investigative fellow for the Institute for Investigative Journalism, an editorial intern for Avenue Magazine, and is currently employed as a chase producer for QR Calgary. Outside of work, Kendall is the Co-Founder and Director of Communications for Sask Girls United, a non-profit that provides free online programming to youth across Saskatchewan. In her free time, Kendall writes prose and reviews that have been published in FreeFall Magazine, Understorey Magazine, Blue Marble Review and more. She is also working on her debut novel. As someone who enjoyed and appreciated the youth programming provided by her local writer’s guild growing up, Kendall is excited for the opportunity to facilitate experiences and connections for other young writers across Alberta.