Online Reading with Alberta Literary Awards Finalists (Online) — May 1, 2025
Online Reading with Alberta Literary Awards Finalists Thursday, May 1st, 2025 at 6:30PM MTWGA YouTube Channel Featuring: Katherine Abbass, E.C. Dorgan, Samantha Jones, Cristalle Smith, and Natalie Sue
Creative Planning Micro-Intensive with Robyn Braun (Online) — March 31, 2025
Creative Planning Micro-Intensive with Robyn BraunMonday, March 31st, 20257-8:30 PM MTOnlineMembers: $25Non-Members: $35WGA Student Members: $10 The intensive will run for 1.5 hours with periods of presentation, periods for participants to write and reflect, and periods for participants to share into the space. First, we will consider writing habits. For this portion of the intensive, I will provide participants with prompts and structures for reflecting upon and modifying their writing habits. Following Helen Sword’s work in Air, and Light, and
*Save the Date* 2025 Alberta Literary Awards Finalist Readings (Calgary)
*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
*Save the Date* – Late Summer Writers’ Retreat 2025
*Save the Date* – Late Summer Writers’ Retreat Thursday, August 28th to Sunday, August 31st, 2025at Sanctum Retreat11 Sanctum Way, Caroline, AlbertaOption to stay two or three nights.Registration information coming soon. Stay tuned. Please join us late this summer as we return to the beautiful Sanctum Retreat Centre in Caroline for a weekend of craft development, creativity, and connection. We are so excited to announce two award-winning Authors in Residence: poet and essayist Jenna Butler and scientist and speculative fiction author Premee
Speak Up: Spoken Word Open Mic Launch (Calgary) — March 27, 2025
Speak Up: Spoken Word Open Mic Launch Thursday, March 27th, 20255:30 PM to 7:30 PM MTSan<k>Juri booksMarlborough Mall3800 Memorial Drive, Unit 34FREE Please join us for the launch of MelVee X’s new spoken word open mic series, Speak Up! Speak Up is a once monthly spoken word open mic night for emerging and experienced poets of all ages. Happening in Calgary’s iconic Marlborough mall in the heart of the city’s northeast, you are invited to come thru and say something! Featuring
Sunday Retreat: Get Writing. Keep Writing (Edmonton) Sunday Retreat: Get Writing. Keep Writing — March 23, 2025
Sunday Writing Retreat Sunday, March 23, 2025 10-4:30pm MTWorkshop West Playwrights Theatre, Edmonton (8529 Gateway Blvd)Facilitated by Conni MassingCoffee and lunch provided Registration $20-40 sliding scale Join us for a full-day retreat designed to nourish your creative process. Writing exercises, inspiring prompts, and focused discussion will get your juices flowing and keep you motivated for days and weeks afterwards. Come and spend the day in the supportive company of your fellow writers; all styles and genres of story-telling are welcome. About
Pub Night (Edmonton) — March 19, 2025
WGA Edmonton Pub NightWednesday, March 19, 20257-9pm MTRooster Bar & Kitchen, 10732 82 ave, EdmontonFREE Join us for our WGA Pub Night in Edmonton! There are special guests and an open mic. It’s a free event. All are welcome!
Poetry Parlour (Calgary) — March 18, 2025
Poetry Parlour (Calgary) Tuesday, March 18th, 20257:00pm – 9:15pm MTPachamama Soul Flavour Emporium #2110, 380 Canyon Meadows Drive SE, Calgary FREE 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 March, we are excited to feature powerful spoken word artist, Shafraz Ladak. About the Featured Reader Shaf is a writer, poet, spoken word artist, activist and organizer. The 3x Calgary Poetry Slam champion, Shaf’s
Join Us in Nurturing Alberta’s Creative Voices: Become a Monthly Donor Today!
At the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, we believe in the transformative power of storytelling and the vital role that writers play in shaping our communities. Every story deserves to be told, and with your help, we can ensure that aspiring and established writers alike have access to the resources they need to thrive. By setting up a monthly donation through Canada Helps, you become an integral part of our mission. Even just a few dollars a month can have a
Drink the Wild Air — (Sylvan Lake) March 14-16, 2025
Drink the Wild Air 2025 Date: March 14-16th, 2025Location: Camp Kannawin, near Sylvan LakeCost: $230 While we wait within our homesAnd wintry winds blow through slumbering grovesThere is a place both fresh and rareA place called Drink the Wild Air Where friends can come and share their wordsAnd minds and hearts, their voices heardHappy to be back in-personWe’ll have a blast, that much is certain! Drink the Wild Air is a Creative Writing Retreat for Youth ages 11 – 19. This year
Youth Committee Book Swap (Calgary & Edmonton) — March 12, 2025
Youth Committee Book SwapMarch 12th, 2025 at 6:30pmRising Tides4545 Bowness Rd NW, CalgaryOREdmonton: March 12th, 2025 at 6:00pmTowersMacEwan University, 10700 104 Ave NW #6-101, Edmonton This event is hosted by the WGA Youth Committee.Bring a good book you don’t mind giving away, and get a book in return! This event is free to attend.
Connections Brewing — (Calgary) March 10, 2025
Connections Brewing (Calgary) Monday, March 10th, 20256:00pm – 9:00pm MSTLast Best Brewing & Distilling607 – 11th Ave SWFree. 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. Venue is wheelchair accessible by request, using the back entrance. Please email Ashley Frerichs at [email protected] ahead of time if you have accessibility needs and she will arrange use of the wheelchair ramp. Come ready to mingle and network with the Calgary literary
EMAIL SCAM ALERT TO WGA MEMBERS
EMAIL SCAM ALERT TO WGA MEMBERS We have been made aware of a recent email scam targeting members of our community. It has come to our attention that some individuals are receiving fraudulent emails from scammers pretending to be representatives of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. These scam emails may request you to download files or documents, claiming they contain important information. We urge you not to download any suspicious attachments or click on links within these messages. To help
Freedom to Read Week Discussion (Online) — March 1, 2025
Freedom to Read Week Discussion (Online)Saturday, March 1st, 202510:00am to 11:00am MTOnline via ZoomFREE Please join us for a virtual conversation with Kit Dobson and David A. Robertson for Freedom to Read Week. The authors will discuss the importance of intellectual freedom, and share their own experiences with writing, teaching, and reading banned and/or challenged books. About the Speakers David A. Robertson is the author of When We Were Alone (2017 Governor General’s Literary Award), The Barren Grounds (2020 Governor General’s Literary Award finalist),
Controversy @ Noon 2025 – Writers Against AI (online) — February 26, 2025
Controversy @ Noon 2025 – Writers Against AI Wednesday, February 26th, 202512-1 PM MSTOnline via ZoomFREE The AI debate is heating up and every day there are new questions about the ethical and environmental impacts of this technology, especially when it comes to literature and the written word. The time for hypothetical discussions is ending and it’s time to ask the stakeholders of the literary community like writers, booksellers, and readers about why and how we should reject this technology
8th Annual Kemosa Scholarship Winners Announced
Winners of the 8th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write The Writers’ Guild of Alberta and Nhung Tran-Davies are pleased to announce the winners of the 8th 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