News

Arts Funding for Alberta Artists: Presented by the WGA and Canada Council for the Arts (Online)

April 16, 20266:00 PM – 7:30 PM MTLocation: OnlineRegistration is free! Limit: 50 participants Register here to secure your spot today. The Writers’ Guild of Alberta and the Canada Council for the Arts are pleased to offer some learning opportunities for writers to help understand the granting process. About the Session: Meet Francine Cunningham, Artist Liaison Consultant for the Canada Council for the Arts’ Alberta Focus Initiative, and learn about grants, awards and opportunities available to Alberta-based artists. The session

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WGA Conference 2026: Building Craft & Community (Edmonton)

00Days 00Hours 00Minutes 00Seconds PRICING  |  REGISTRATION & CANCELLATION POLICY |  SPEAKERS & SESSIONS | CONFERENCE SCHEDULE | VOLUNTEERING | ALBERTA LITERARY AWARDS GALA | VENUE | ACCOMMODATIONS | PARKING | OUR THANKS Join your fellow writers in Edmonton! The Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s 2026 Spring Conference: Growing Craft & Community will take place in-person in Edmonton, Alberta from June 6-7, 2026. It will focus on craft insight, tools to help your literary practice, and advice on the business of writing, with a special

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Pub Night & Open Mic (Edmonton)

Edmonton writers are making sure that 2026 is off to a hot start. Brave the wind chill and join us for the February pub night and meet and support your fellow writers. Wednesday, February 18, 20267:00 PM – 9:00 PM MTRooster Bar & Kitchen10732 82 Ave (Whyte Ave)EdmontonFREE As always, open mic sign ups are at the door to read. First-come-first-serve. We apologize in advance if we are unable to add everyone to the mic and encourage readers to stay

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Queer Writers’ Collective Meeting (Edmonton)

The Queer Writers’ Collective of Edmonton gives space for writers to gather and build support networks. Typically, the QWC meets on the third Wednesday of every month, right before the regular Writers’ Guild of Alberta Edmonton Pub Night. Writers are welcome to attend and stay for the evening! Wednesday, February 18, 20265:30 PM – 7:00 PM MTRooster Kitchen & Bar10732 Whyte AveEdmonton We look forwarding to connecting with you!

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The Olive Poetry & Prose Open Mic (Edmonton)

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the Olive’s February reading will feature an award-winning poetry power couple: Nisha Patel & Matthew James Weigel.  Wednesday, February 11th, 20267:00 PM – 9:00 PM MTRooster Bar & Kitchen10732 82nd Ave (Whyte Ave)FREE As always, an open mic will follow and you can pick up a commemorative chapbook while they’re still available. Join us at Rooster Kitchen at 7:00pm on Wednesday, February 11th for food, drinks, and some excellent (and possibly romantic?) poetry.  The Olive Reading Series is generously sponsored by The Writers’ Guild

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Poetry Parlour (Calgary)

Tuesday, February 17th, 20257:00 PM – 9:15 PM MTPachamama Soul Flavour Emporium2110, 380 Canyon Meadows Drive SECalgary FREE Join host Ashley Frerichs for the next 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 February, to celebrate Black History Month, we’re excited to feature soulful rapper and poet Polo Sho! About the Featured Reader Polo Sho is a Nigerian-Canadian rapper, producer, and

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A Liverpool Echo: Invisible in Mathew Street—Reading and Q&A (Red Deer)

Saturday, February 14th, 20261:00 PM MT Red Deer Public Library (Downtown)Snell Auditorium4818 49 StRSVP on Facebook (Optional) Between the ages of eighteen and sixty, Kimmy Beach has travelled to Liverpool, UK eight times. It’s the city of her soul and has been her entire adult life. Her sister suggested she write a book about it. And since Kimmy always does what her sister says, she wrote one. Kimmy will read several essays from her new memoir about growing old in

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Connections Brewing Pub Night (Calgary)

Celebrate Black History Month with the AWCS and the WGA! Tuesday, February 10th, 20266:00pm – 9:00pm MSTLast Best Brewing & Distilling607 – 11th Ave SWUpstairs in the dining room Free. No registration required. Open to members of WGA and/or AWCS. Street parking is free after 6PM, and the brewery is a 7-minute walk from 4th street c-train station. There will be a feature performance by Priscille Bukasa, followed by a Black artists literary open mic – where Black writers can

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Controversy @ Noon: Are Children’s Writers the Ultimate Freedom Fighters? (Online)

Wednesday, February 25th, 202612:00 PM – 1:00 PM MTOnline, Zoom (Registration Required) Register here. It’s early 2026 and the world is an especially scary place. Maybe it always has been but our cameras and screens give us a front row seat that feels more immediate. Whatever the case, there is an almost tangible desperation to retain our intellectual freedom like never before. But what about our kids? Isn’t that where it starts? Our February Controversy @ Noon panel will explore

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2026 WGA Mentorship Participants

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is pleased to share that we have now matched the mentors and mentees for our 2026 Mentorship Program! As always, there was a wide and deep pool of applicants for both mentors and mentees, and we encourage those who were unsuccessful this year to apply again next round. Thank you to everyone for their continued support. You can learn more about the mentorship program here, and follow for new intake next fall. Mentor Mentee Genre

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Sh*t That Got Me Published with Regional Writer-in-Residence Lee Kvern (Lethbridge)

Sunday, February 8, 2026 1:30 PM MT Lethbridge Public Library 810 5th Ave SLethbridgeRSVP on Facebook (Optional) Join us in Lethbridge for an author talk and Q&A with Regional Writer-in-Residence, Lee Kvern! Lee’s talk – Sh*t That Got Me Published – will be an opportunity to meet Lee in-person as she wraps up her term serving writers in the Lethbridge area, and around Alberta. About the Talk (in Lee’s words): I’m in my fourth decade as a writer. Over the

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Freedom to Read Panel & Banned Books Open Mic (Calgary)

This event is now taking place at the cSpace Marda Loop, Calgary. Monday, February 23, 2026Doors at 6:30 PM7:00 PM – 9:00 PM MT cSpace Marda Loop (Treehouse) 1721 29th Avenue SW Calgary *Open Mic sign-ups for readings from banned books will begin at 6:30 PM after doors have opened. Join us at the cSpace Marda Loop this February during Freedom to Read Week 2026 where we will be joined by our featured panel guests Tracy Dawson, Uche Umezurike, and

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WESTWORD WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU!

WestWord invites members to answer the following: Most writers work (night shifts, multiple jobs) to supplement their writerly income. What else do you do outside of your writing hours (raising a family, elder care, hobbies) and does it help or hinder your writing? Please send your answers (100 words or less) to WestWord editor Raymond Gariepy at: [email protected]. In the heading, include: Question to Members. The deadline is February 13th for publication in the Spring 2026 issue. 

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Pub Night & Open Mic (Edmonton)

With a frosty start to the new year, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta is hoping to see some brave faces as our Edmonton Pub Night returns on January 21st! We know that you’ve been writing, and we’d love to hear from you. Wednesday, January 21st, 20267:00 PM – 9:00 PM MT Rooster Bar & Kitchen 10732 82 Ave (Whyte Ave) EdmontonFREE As always, open mic sign ups are at the door to read. First-come-first-serve. We apologize in advance if we

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Queer Writers’ Collective Meeting (Edmonton)

The Queer Writers’ Collective of Edmonton gives space for writers to gather and build support networks. Typically, the QWC meets on the third Wednesday of every month, right before the regular Writers’ Guild of Alberta Edmonton Pub Night. This month, writers will be focused on goal-setting for the year ahead! Wednesday, January 21st, 20265:30 PM – 7:00 PM MTRooster Kitchen & Bar 10732 Whyte AveEdmonton You can follow the Queer Writers’ Collective on social media here.

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Accented Words Open Mic (Edmonton)

January 29, 20266PM – 8PM MTPaper Birch Books10825 95 StEdmonton The Horizons Writers Circle is excited to present an Open Mic for all writers in the area – with two special guest features! We will be returning in January to share sound, rhythm, histories and cultures and would love to see our community participate, listen, and support each other. Registering ahead helps us better plan for the Open Mic, but walk-ins will be welcome until we reach capacity! Register at

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