News

WGA 2026 Casino Night Fundraiser: Call for Volunteers (Edmonton)

WGA Casino Night FundraiserJuly 30 – 31, 2026 Varying Shifts (Morning, Evening, and Overnight)Starlight Casino, West Edmonton Mall 8882 170 St NW #2710Edmonton The Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s casino fundraiser will be at the Starlight Casino at West Edmonton Mall (second floor) in Edmonton from July 30 – 31, 2026. By partnering with a local casino, the WGA provides staffing over this two-day period through members and volunteers in exchange for receiving a share of the casino profits. Our casinos

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Pub Night & Open Mic (Edmonton)

Wednesday, March 18, 20267:00PM – 9:00PM MTRooster Bar and Kitchen10732 82 Ave (Whyte Ave)EdmontonFree This month’s pub night features a super-sized open mic. More readers, more laughter, more of your beautiful words. Tell your friends! As always, open mic sign ups begin at 7pm. First come first serve. We apologize in advance if we are unable to add everyone to the mic and encourage readers to stay within their time limit.

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Single Onion #218 (Calgary)

The Single Onion celebrates Indigenous poets with a special event curated by Alycia Two Bears, and featuring poets Alanna Bluebird, Alyjah Ermine, and Daniel Poitras.  March 19, 20267:00 PM – 9:00 PM MTShelf Life Books1302 4th Street SWCalgary Streaming: https://www.youtube.com/@SingleOnionPoetry About the PoetsAlycia Two Bears is a member of Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation. A proud mixed blooded iskwew, they call Mohkinstsis home. She is a Two Spirit story teller, single mama to five amazing humans and a midwife in the

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Write Here, Write Now! Springboards Festival One-Day Writers’ Retreat with Conni Massing (Edmonton)

March 22, 202610:00 AM – 4:30 PM MT The Gateway Theatre 8529 Gateway Boulevard Fee: $20 – $40 (Sliding Scale)Lunch is provided Please register by Friday, March 20, 2026 to ensure we can meet your dietary needs. We’re calling all writers to join The Writers’ Guild of Alberta and Workshop West in an all-day writers’ retreat to ignite your imagination and get those words flowing. Led by award-winning writer Conni Massing, you’ll explore creative prompts, and exercises to shake loose

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Alberta Literary Awards Gala (Edmonton)

The Alberta Literary Awards Gala will be taking place on Friday, June 5th, 2026 in Edmonton, Alberta! Join us as we celebrate the finalists and announce the winners of the 2026 Alberta Literary Awards and connect with your Alberta literary community. June 5th, 2026Doors at 6:00 PM MT Dinner at 7:00 PM MT Wyndham Edmonton Hotel and Conference Centre 4440 Gateway BlvdEdmonton  Parking on-site is free.  Ticket PricesEarly-Bird Tickets: $85.00Regular Tickets: $100.00 Tickets will go on sale on February 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM MT at

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Script Salon: International Women’s Day Monologues, Sponsored by the Writers’ Guild of Alberta (Edmonton)

Sunday, March 8, 20267:30 PM MTUpper Arts Space at Holy Trinity Anglican Church10037 84 AveEdmonton Admission is by donation at the door. Refreshments available, and there is free parking on site. Script Salon’s very first International Women’s Day Monologues for Women on invites a wonderful group of playwrights reading their work. We hope to see you on March 8th! Script Salon runs on the second Sunday of the month. You can read more here. Script Salon’s International Women’s Day Monologues are

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The Olive Poetry and Prose Open Mic (Edmonton)

Wednesday, March 11, 20267:00 PM – 9:00 PM MTRooster Bar & Kitchen10732 82 Ave (Whyte Ave)Edmonton Our March reading will feature Erina Harris, author of TRADING BEAUTY SECRETS WITH THE DEAD (2024) and Teren Hazzard, winner of the 2025 CLC Poetry Contest. As always, an open mic will follow, and you can pick up a commemorative chapbook from @baldgopher_ while they’re available! Join us at Rooster Kitchen for food, drinks, and excellent poetry. The Olive Reading Series is generously sponsored

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Single Onion Open Mic Night (Calgary)

Thursday, March 5, 20267:00 PM – 9:00 PM MTStonyslope Brewery Company9620 Elbow Dr SW, Unit 20Calgary Come out for an unforgettable evening at the Stonyslope Brewing Company. Sample the beers and partake of the enticing menu! Sit back and enjoy an evening of poetry, and if you are brave enough, sign up to share your work on the Open Mic. Sign-up starts at 7 pm (10 spots). Our MCs for the evening are Paul Marshall and Josephine LoRe. Featuring Lisa

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Write Night for Youth & Emerging Writers (Online)

March 16, 2026 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM MT Online (Zoom)Registration is required Join fellow youth and emerging writers online for a dedicated session for writers to focus, chat, and share progress, and where all writing is welcome (including academic and personal writing!). The WGA welcomes anyone who feels they fit into this description and wants to chip away at their project for an hour or two. There will be some optional prompts as well if you’d like some guidance

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Save the Date: City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize Awards Finalists Reading (Calgary)

Wednesday, April 8, 20267:00 PM MTShelf Life Books 1302 4th Street SW Calgary Presented by the City of Calgary and the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. The finalists of the City of Calgary Book Prize will be gathering on April 8 for a public reading from their nominated works! While the winners are still being juried at the moment, we invite our audiences to save the date to support local writers in Calgary at local independent bookstore and community partners, Shelf

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IN THE NEWS: CANCELLED FREEDOM TO READ EVENT IN THE MEDIA

February 25, 2026 The Writers’ Guild of Alberta and the Writers’ Union of Canada are grateful for the outpouring of support we have received in the follow-up to receiving notice that our Freedom to Read event venue (the Kensington Legion in Calgary) had cancelled our booking. A joint statement was issued from the Board of the WGA and the TWUC shortly afterwards. Stepping in, the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society was able to secure a new venue at the cSpace Marda

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Speak Up YYC Presents: Tola Dee (Calgary)

Join Speak Up YYC next Thursday for a special Black History Month edition featuring poet Tola Dee! Speak Up is a budding literary community in YYC dedicated to expression; of speaking up, speaking out and speaking truth to power. Hosted by MelVee X. February 26, 2026 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM MT SAN<K>TJURI BUKS in Marlborough Mall Unit 34 3800 Memorial Drive N.E Calgary Tola Dee is a Canadian filmmaker and poet with a degree in Fine Arts. She channels

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Meet in the Middle (Lacombe)

April 12, 202612:00 PM – 3:00 PM MT Blindman Brewing 3413 53rd AveLacombe, Alberta Free RSVPs (below) are appreciated but not required. This event is a collaboration between the Alexandra Writers’ Centre and the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. Join your fellow Alberta Writers for our second Meet in the Middle open mic and gathering in Lacombe, Alberta! Roughly midway between Edmonton and Calgary, this event hopes to bring writers in the region closer together.

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Save the Date: WGA Fall Writers’ Retreat

Save the Date for the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Fall Retreat taking place in October! We are excited to share that we will be joined by two celebrated authors who will facilitate over the weekend: Suzette Mayr and Julie Sedivy. Registration will open in mid-April, so stay tuned! October 15 – October 18, 2026Sanctum Retreat Centre11 Sanctum WayCaroline, Alberta Registration opens in mid-April. Stay tuned for details. Want to learn about past retreats and a typical schedule? Our 2025 Late Summer Retreat took place from

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Connections Brewing (Calgary)

Tuesday, March 10, 20266:00 PM – 9:00 PM MTLast Best Brewing & Distilling607 – 11th Ave SW*Upstairs in the dining roomFREE (No registration required) Open to members of WGA and/or AWCS. Please join the Calgary literary community for another Connections Brewing Pub Night! This event is hosted in partnership between the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society and the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. *Street parking free after 6 PM, and it is a 7-minute walk from 4th street c-train station.

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Poetry Parlour (Calgary)

Tuesday, March 17th, 20267:00 PM – 9:15 PM MTPachamama Soul Flavour Emporium #2110, 380 Canyon Meadows Drive SECalgary FREE Join host Ashley Frerichs for our March 2026 edition of Poetry Parlour! Open mic sign-up starts at 7pm. There are limited slots available and will be filled on a first come, first served basis. In March, we’re so excited to feature, all the way from Edmonton, the fantastic Daniel Poitras! About the Featured Reader Daniel Poitras, a half-breed poet from the Paul First Nation, writes vicious Native poetry. He has been published in

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