News

TWUC Parliamentary Petition – Help Spread the Word

March 7, 2022

We want to invite you to sign an important Parliamentary petition that The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) has launched, and we strongly support. For over a decade now, Canadian creators and publishers have not been paid for the copying of their works by Canada’s education sector outside of Quebec. Ten years is an impossibly long time to wait to be paid. The sector can’t afford to wait any longer. TWUC’s petition calls on the federal government to act on its commitment

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We Need to Talk About Cyrpto

March 7, 2022

The WGA and Edmonton Arts Council present: We Need to Talk About Crypto: NFTs and the Future of Literature in Canada Wednesday, April 13. 6PM on Zoom Please REGISTER in advance to gain access. Recently the first ever novel sold as an NFT (Non Fungible Token) was made by former Edmontonian author Todd Babiak to Edmonton businessman Chris LaBossiere and then NFT was donated to the Edmonton Public Library. This ignited a fierce debate over the environmental impact of NFTs

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Drink the Wild Air 2022 – March 18-20

March 5, 2022

March 18 – 20, OnlineCost: $140 Registration is now closed Drink the Wild Air is a Creative Writing Retreat for Youth ages 11 – 19. Typically nestled in the gateway to the rocky mountains in Kananaskis country, this year we’ll come together online to take workshops with working professionals, play games, share our stories, our songs, our poems and our art. Join us on March 18th for orientation, and on March 19th and 20th for a weekend of creative razzmatazz, hijinks, capers,

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The WGA and Horizons Writers Circle Present: Editing 101

March 5, 2022

When: Thursday April 7, 6:00 PM Where: Via Zoom, Please REGISTER HERE Are you an emerging writer and you are wondering how to make your manuscript fit for publishing? What are the necessary steps to make it publishable? How many types of editing does a manuscript need? Our province has top notch editors, and we are asking three of our very best what it takes to turn a manuscript into an award-winning book. Meet editors Peter Midgley, Kimmy Beach and

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2022 Alberta Literary Awards – Online Readings with the Finalists

March 4, 2022

Wednesday & Thursday, April 20 & 21, 7-8 pm Meet the Authors! Join the WGA as we feature the finalists for the 2022 Alberta Literary Awards with intimate readings set over two days. Read more about this year’s finalists here! Online Reading with the Finalists Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 7 PM UTC-06 – 8 PM UTC-06Online: youtu.be & Facebook Virtual readings with finalists for the Alberta Literary Awards Featuring: Theresa Shea Premee Mohamed Ky Perraun Constance Brissenden Rayanne Haines C.J. Lavigne Lori

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SMASH, BANG! – A workshop About Eliminating Writers Block

March 2, 2022

Sunday, March 20, 1:30 PM – 5:30 PMThe Gateway Theatre (8529 Gateway Boulevard)$25 Please register using the form below – Registration closes 2:00 pm, Friday, March 18 Facilitated by:  Beth Graham, Darrin Hagen, and Conni Massing Presented in Partnership with Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre as part of their upcoming Springboards New Play Festival . Writing can be hard work. It can be LONELY work. Especially, if you’re filled with self-doubt OR overwhelmed OR incapacitated by perfectionism OR JUST PLAIN STUCK.

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2022 Alberta Literary Awards Announcement

February 28, 2022

Monday, April 4, Noon (MDT) We invite you to join us for our livestream as we announce the finalists for the 2022 Alberta Literary Awards, Calgary Book Prize, and Edmonton Book Prize. The WGA livestream will begin at Noon on Monday, April 4th through our YouTube page, on Facebook and on our Twitter page. There will be online Readings with the Finalists for the Alberta Literary Awards and City of Edmonton book prize on April 20 & 21, and for

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WGA Welcomes New Executive Director

February 23, 2022

Through January and February, the Hiring Committee of the Board of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta interviewed many talented and progressive people for the position of Executive Director. Both the Hiring Committee and the Board were unanimous in their selection of Giorgia Severini as your new Executive Director, as of April 1st.  Giorgia is a theatre artist and current WGA Program Coordinator/Operations Manager with extensive experience with the WGA over the last dozen years, including program development, financial management, and

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WGA Freedom to Read, Panel Discussion

February 17, 2022

Thursday, February 24, 7:00 pm Join host Benjamin Dugdale as theyl lead a discussion with featured authors: Ms. Ifeoma Chinwuba (UofA WiR) , Shazia Hafiz Ramji, and Theresa Shea, on the importance of freedom to read a wide range of literature. Thank you to Shelf Life Books for hosting this and other events in partnership with the WGA. For those of you who missed the event, the recording is now available! Learn more about Freedom to Read Week HERE Presenters Ms. Ifeoma Chinwuba has an M.Sc

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WGA Virtual Writer-in-Residence – Gail Anderson-Dargatz

February 14, 2022

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is happy to announce Gail Anderson-Dargatz as the new WGA Virtual Writer-in-Residence. The Virtual Writer-in-Residence program launched at the start of January and will continue through to the end of May. WGA Members are invited to request appointments with the VWiR using the form below. GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ’s international bestsellers, The Cure for Death by Lightning and A Recipe for Bees were both finalists for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, among other awards. A Recipe for Bees was also nominated for the IMPAC Dublin

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Single Onion #182

February 9, 2022

SINGLE ONION #182 IMPORTANT: You will need to register for the event. WHAT: The Single Onion features three great poet/performers: Jeff Godin, Walter MacDonald White Bear, and Alycia Two Bears. WHEN: Thursday, March 17, 2022, 7 p.m. WHERE: link coming soon to the FB Event Page About the readers: Jeff Godin has studied dance at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, worked an extra in TV, taken part in a few indy films, did contract stilt walking for The Green Fools, appeared in

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Single Onion #181

February 8, 2022

SINGLE ONION #181 IMPORTANT: You will need to register for the event. WHAT: The Single Onion celebrates Black History Month with a special event featuring Sue-Shane Tsomondo, Autumn EagleSpeaker, aloT of Poetry, Uma Samari, KTheChosen, Kiki Ayudo, and Tola Dee. The event will be hosted by guest curator MelVee X. WHEN: Thursday, February 17, 2022, 7 p.m. WHERE: register here

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Announcing the Winners of the 5th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write

January 31, 2022

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta and Nhung Tran-Davies are pleased to announce the winners of the 5th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write. First established in 2017 by Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies in partnership with Tlicho Dene author Richard Van Camp, the Kemosa Scholarship offers an opportunity for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers to obtain resources to help them complete the work on their writing – whether that be a novel, a collection of

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Grant Writing Tips in Bite Size Pieces

January 26, 2022

Friday, February 11. 12-1pmFree to attend. Space is limited. February is coming!What is less fun than watching the Olympics but more fun than preparing your taxes?That’s right – writing a grant! Join Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) literary consultant Brenda Hennig for a noon hour presentation on Friday, 11 February 2022 at 12 noon. ***REGISTRATION CLOSED***This workshop has hit its attendance cap.

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Grant Writing Tips in Bite Size Pieces

January 26, 2022

Friday, February 11. 12-1pmFree to attend. Space is limited. February is coming!What is less fun than watching the Olympics but more fun than preparing your taxes?That’s right – writing a grant! Join Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) literary consultant Brenda Hennig for a noon hour presentation on Friday, 11 February 2022 at 12 noon. ***REGISTRATION CLOSED***This workshop has hit its attendance cap.

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WGA Member Night: New Fiction with Shelf Life Books – Jan. 27

January 25, 2022

Thursday January 27, 7:00 PM Join the Writers’ Guild of Alberta in partnership with Shelf Life Books as host Marco Melfi welcomes authors of new fiction, on Thursday January 27, 7:00 PM, online. Featured authors are: Lorna Shultz Nicholson, When you Least Expect It; Uzoma Uponi, ColorSTRUCK; and Cyla Panin, Stalking Shadows. See you online for this discussion of new fiction! Featured Authors Uzoma Uponi gained a reputation as a gifted storyteller when her debut novel, ColourBLIND, was a finalist at the Commonwealth

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