WGA Late Summer Retreat (Caroline) — August 28-31, 2025
WGA Late Summer Writers’ Retreat 2025 The Retreat takes place from Thursday, August 28th to Sunday, August 31st. The full schedule is now available below. Session details are also available below and WGA staff are available to answer questions in person. For information on previous registration and fees, please scroll to the end of the page. Schedule Thursday, August 28 Friday, August 29 Saturday, August 30 Sunday, August 31 8:30 AM Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast 10:30 AM Self-Directed Writing Time Workshop:
Fringe Festival Mini Poetry Slam — August 3, 2025 (Calgary)
Fringe Festival Mini Poetry Slam Sunday, August 3rd, 20259:30 PM to 11:15 PMFestival Hall1215 10th Ave SE Tickets are $22 and available here.*selected participants will have their cover charge refunded Join us for the second annual mini Poetry Slam at Calgary Fringe Festival this summer! Hosted by Calgary Poetry Slam’s Matt Miller. Sign-up starts at 9:30pm.Participants announced at 9:45pm.Show starts at 10:00pm. This is a mini version of the Calgary Poetry Slam. Six performers will be selected by random draw and will each
Connections Brewing (Calgary) — July 29th, 2025
Connections Brewing (Calgary) Tuesday, July 29th, 20256:00pm – 9:00pm MSTLast Best Brewing & Distilling607 – 11th Ave SWUpstairs in the dining roomFree. No registration required. Open to members of WGA and/or AWCS.Street parking free after 6pm. 7 minute walk from 4th street c-train station. Come ready to mingle and network with the Calgary literary community. Our July event will feature literary trivia, hosted by Ashley Frerichs. Prizes for the winning team include a round of drinks and free books!
Pub Night (Edmonton) — July 16, 2025
WGA June Pub Night (Edmonton)Wednesday, July 16, 20257-9pm MTRooster Bar & Kitchen, 10732 Whyte aveEdmontonFREE Join the WGA for our July pub night, with special guests, contributors from Edmonton literary magazine Funicular. Past and present contributors such as Mika Deneige, Jamie Boakee, Robyn Braun, and Theodora Sterling. As always, the open mic starts at 8pm. This is a free event. All are welcome!
WordsWorth 2025: OURTIME Registration Form
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
Gathering of Words: Flash Fiction Improv & Live Edit — July 11, 2025 (Calgary)
Gathering of Words: Flash Fiction Improv & Live Edit (Calgary) Friday, July 11th, 20254:30 PM to 6:00 PMCentral Library800 3rd Street SEUnder the Arch (outside the front doors)FREE (Register here.) Join us for this WGA collaboration with the Calgary Public Library on their series, Gathering of Words! This special event will involve a group generated flash fiction story followed by a live edit, with the goal of showing the process from creation to publication of a piece of short fiction
Tell Us About Your 2025 Books
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 Awards Winners
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
2025 WordsWorth Instructors & Courses
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
Coffee & Chat (Calgary) — June 28th, 2025
The Calgary Coffee & Chat Saturday, June 28th, 202510:00 AM to 11:30 AM MTMemorial Park Library1221 2nd Street SW, CalgaryMeeting Room 1 Please join host Ashley Frerichs for the next Calgary Coffee & Chat, a place for YYC writers to get together and gab about all things writing! Come enjoy some coffee (and timbits!) and share your recent successes, struggles, and/or bounce ideas and questions off other writers in the community. Sessions will take place one Saturday every two months at rotating library locations. Please email Ashley
Poetry Parlour (Calgary) — June 24, 2025
Poetry Parlour (Calgary) Tuesday, June 24th, 20257:00pm – 9:15pm MTPachamama Soul Flavour Emporium #2110, 380 Canyon Meadows Drive SE, Calgary FREE **Important** Please note, June’s Poetry Parlour is happening on the 4th Tuesday of the month, NOT the 3rd Tuesday as usual. Join host Ashley Frerichs at the next 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 June, in honour of both Pride Month and Indigenous History Month, we are so excited
Pub Night (Edmonton) — June 18, 2025
WGA June Pub Night (Edmonton)Wednesday, June 18, 20257-9pm MTRooster Bar & Kitchen, 10732 Whyte aveEdmontonFREE Join the WGA for our June pub night and help The Rooster with their annual patio inspection* to make sure that everything is ready for summertime on the patio. Special guest poet Marco Melfi will also join us to read from his new book, Routine Maintenance. As always, the open mic starts at 8pm. All are welcome! *weather permitting
Connections Brewing (Calgary) — June 10, 2025 – CANCELLED
Connections Brewing (Calgary) – This event has been Cancelled Our June Connections Brewing has been cancelled. We’ll be back in July!
WGA 2025 Conference – Genre and Form Through Time (Calgary) — June 7-8, 2025
00Days 00Hours 00Minutes 00Seconds Genre and Form Through Time WGA 2025 Conference The Writers’ Guild of Alberta Annual 2025 Spring Conference is now over. The Conference explored major influences on genre and form through time, looking at how writers continue to be inspired and influenced by those before them, and how we shape the landscape for those who come after us. Workshops, masterclasses, and panels delved into the business of writing and how to strengthen craft skills. Conference pathways guided
Under 30 Write Night (Edmonton and Calgary) — May 28, 2025
Under 30 Write Night!May 28th, 2025 at 7pm MTin Edmonton at Block 1912 (10361 Whyte Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 1Z9)and in Calgary at Element Cafe (331 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2S 0A5) A chill event with first come, first serve seating. Come join us for a fun and chill writing session, where you can work amongst like-minded young peers, and inspire each other to start writing (or continue to write) whatever comes to mind.Grab a cup of tea, get
Controversy @ Noon – Why Buy Canadian?(online) — May 28th, 2025
Controversy @ Noon 2025 – Why Buy Canadian? Wednesday, May 28th, 202512-1 PM MSTOnline via ZoomFREE Register here. The current trade war between the United States and Canada–including tariffs focused on the book and publishing industry– has people thinking about buying products made in Canada and supporting local companies that keep our money in Canada. With Canadians paying closer attention to how our money is spent, is there now a fresh opportunity to get the word out there about reading