The Writers’ Guild of Alberta stands with librarians and educators, echoing their grave concerns about the impact of the Government of Alberta’s ministerial order on the “Standards for the Selection, Availability, and Access of School Library Materials.” Banning books—and make no mistake, this is the intended outcome of this order—has real consequences in our society. This ministerial order infringes on a fundamental charter right: the right to freedom of expression, a right that includes freedom to listen, read, and receive
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Please note that the WGA office will be closed on Monday, June 30th and July 1st for Canada Day. Emails and phones will not be monitored during that time. We will be back in the office July 2nd.
Writers’ Guild of Alberta Employment Opportunity: Regional Writer-in-Residence (6 Positions Available) The Writers’ Guild of Alberta invites all those qualified to apply for the position of Regional Writer-in-Residence (RWiR). There are up to 6 positions available. Alberta regions we are looking to include this year are Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Greater Edmonton, and the Greater Calgary areas. This program provides WGA members access to the services of a Virtual RWiR, with priority given to those who cannot
Following the WGA’s annual AGM, membership have approved a price increase to our member fees that will go into effect on July 2nd, 2025. You can still purchase a membership at our current prices until then with all of the same benefits for 2025-2026, so be sure to buy or renew yours now. New Membership Prices: Regular Members: $95 Senior (60+) Members: $65Low Income Members: $45 And as usual, students enrolled in full-time high school or post-secondary studies can join
Week 1 (ages 11-14): July 13 – 18, 2025 [Registration closes noon on July 11th)Week 2 (ages 15-19): July 20 – 25, 2025 (Registration closes noon on July 18th) Early Bird rate: $630 (until April 30, 2025)Regular rate: $655 Location: Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), Red Deer, AB Classes and Instructors: Learn more about this year’s instructors and classes here. Please select the WordWorth program you wish to register for below. You may pre-order WordsWorth t-shirts and copies of the
We would love to know what our members are publishing in 2025! If you have a book slated for publication in 2025 and would like to tell us about it, please do so via the form below. All books by WGA members that are commercially available in 2025 are welcome, including self-published and ebook or audiobook exclusives. If your book was published in a previous year, past year’s forms can be found here. Submissions to this form may be included
2025 Alberta Literary Award Winners Announced! The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Alberta Literary Awards. This year’s award winners were announced at and in-person gala in Calgary on June 6th. The winner of the Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize was announced in May as part of the Edmonton Arts Prizes. This celebration marked the 43rd anniversary of the Alberta Literary Awards and brought together writers from across Alberta. The Alberta Literary Awards
Registration is open! Early Bird rate: $590 (until April 30th) Regular rate: $630 Week 1 (ages 11 – 14): July 13 – 18, 2025 Week 2 (ages 15 – 19): July 20 – 25, 2025 Location: Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), Red Deer, AB T-shirt: $25Anthology: $12 WordsWorth is a week-long sleepover creative writing residency for young writers who believe in the power of words. Writers will be completely immersed in the creative and diverse world of writing. Guided by established and respected
We have exciting news! We’ve just launched our exclusive WGA-branded t-shirts, and they’re ready for you to wear with pride! They’re perfect for showing your support and participation in the guild. You can find them here!
The Writers’ Guild of Alberta Golden Pen Award is presented to acknowledge the lifetime achievements of outstanding Alberta writers. Past recipients are W.O. Mitchell, Grant MacEwan, Rudy Wiebe, Myrna Kostash, Robert Kroetsch, Merna Summers, Aritha van Herk, Fred Stenson, George Melnyk, Alice Major, Betty Jane Hegerat, Greg Hollingshead, Candas Jane Dorsey, Cecelia Frey, Bob Stallworthy, Vivian Hansen, Chris Wiseman, Joan Crate, and Marty Chan. Richard Harrison was introduced to Alberta as the University of Calgary’s Canadian Writer in Residence with the
2025 Alberta Literary Awards Finalists Announced! The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is excited to announce the finalists for the 2025 Alberta Literary Awards. Each year, the Alberta Literary Awards celebrates the highest standards of literary excellence from Alberta authors. The WGA would like to send our congratulations to those whose work is among this year’s finalists! We look forward to celebrating your creativity and hard work, and we will do all we can to spread the word about the wonderful writing you
*Save the Date* 2025 Alberta Literary Awards Finalist Readings (Calgary) Friday, April 25th, 20257:00pm to 9:00pm MTat the Marriott Residence Inn (Calgary/Beltline District)610 – 10th Ave SWFREE Please join us for a special evening of celebration recognizing the finalists of the 2025 Alberta Literary Awards (not yet chosen), as well as the Calgary-based winners of the 2025 Kemosa Scholarship. Readers will be announced in early April. Stay tuned! This event is sponsored by the Artists Inn Residence Program at the
