Horizons Writers Circle Program period: January 2024–May 2024Horizons is now closed to applicationsDeadline: December 19th Horizons Writers Circle is a program that provides support and mentorship for writers within the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) community, ESL, and underrepresented writers who live in Edmonton and are at the beginning of their literary journey. The program runs for five months and is fully subsidized, making it cost-free for successful applicants. Call for Mentees The Writers’ Guild of Alberta (WGA) with
Use the form below to send us updates to your pre-existing book listing. This form is for updates only, not new book listings. New listings submitted to this form may not be added to the website. Click HERE to submit a new listing. **Please note, you only need to fill in the information to be updated. Updates will be made to the online book listings as time permits. Update Book Listing Information
This holiday season, let’s celebrate the spirit of giving by supporting the W.O. Mitchell Scholarship! Your contribution can make a lasting impact on aspiring writers, helping them find their voices and follow their creative journeys. W.O. Mitchell was a renowned Canadian writer and instructor dedicated to nurturing new writers. You may know him by his iconic Jake and the Kid radio stories on CBC radio. You can donate on our website here. Let’s come together and honour W.O. Mitchell’s legacy
7th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write The Writers’ Guild of Alberta and Nhung Tran-Davies are happy to announce the launch of the 7th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write! Because of the generosity of sponsors like Author Jeananne Kirwin, we will award three scholarships this year: 1st place $3000, 2nd place $2000, 3rd place $1000. Our vision is to effect positive changes in our community through stories. We are so
We would love to know what our members are publishing in 2023! If you have a book slated for publication in 2023 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 2023 are welcome, including self-published and ebook or audiobook exclusives. At the moment we are collecting upcoming releases for informational purposes, but we may pursue initiatives in the future to let readers know about
The Golden Pen Award We cordially invite WGA members to submit nominations for the 2027 Golden Pen Award. Nominations for the 2027 award will be accepted until December 1, 2026. The 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
We are happy to welcome Christyn Carter to the WGA staff as our new Communications Coordinator. With nine years of experience in professional writing, coupled with a background in administrative assistance and social media coordination, Christyn brings a multifaceted skill set to the workplace. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in Creative Writing from The University of Western Ontario. Originally from Ontario, she planted roots in St. Albert in December 2022 and quickly discovered Alberta as
Write/Right: Law for Writers Column Online Archive Since 2018, Edmonton lawyer Jeananne Kirwin, K.C., has contributed a legal column for each issue of WestWord Magazine. With her permission, we are pleased to post this continuing archive of those articles. Please note: The information in these articles is of a general nature only. It does not constitute legal advice or create a solicitor-client relationship. The reader should seek advice from a lawyer pertaining to any particular fact situation. Write/Right: Law for
This Saturday, September 30th is The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. To support marking and honouring this important day, the WGA has compiled a list of a few of events and resources available in Alberta and nationwide. Events and Resources:
2024 ALBERTA LITERARY AWARDS HAVE A NEW SUBMISSION DEADLINE As the Writers’ Guild of Alberta (WGA) is gearing up to open the 2024 Alberta Literary Awards, we wanted to send out an announcement that the deadline for this year’s awards has changed. The deadline for submissions to the Alberta Literary Awards will be December 1, 2023. Please note that the awards will open this year in mid-September, so please stay tuned! Submissions will be evaluated on originality, creativity, and quality of writing, as well as appropriate fit within a category. The
Deadline: September 22, 2023 The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is calling all readers and writers to join our awards jury this season. This is an opportunity to be “in the room” when the 2024 finalists and winners are chosen. The awards season is an important time on the literary calendar. Every year the WGA presents awards in ten categories, plus the city book prizes, and we could not do this without the hard work and deliberation of our juries. We
New Podcast Episode: Writers Outside, But Inside July 26, 2023 was supposed to be an outdoor event featuring writers Katherine Abbass, Meghan Eaker, and Colby Clair Stolson. The event was rained out but the writers were kind enough to jump on a Zoom to be recorded and shared with you now. Please enjoy. Writers' Guild of Alberta · Writers' Outside but Inside!
The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Alberta Literary Awards. This year’s award winners were announced at and in-person gala in Calgary on June 3rd. The winner of the Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize was announced on May 3 as part of the Edmonton Arts Prizes. The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize winner will be announced at The Calgary Awards on June 14. This celebration marks the 41st anniversary of the Alberta
The WGA Annual General Meeting will be taking place June 4, online and in-person during our 2023 Annual Conference, Origins. Sunday, June 4, 2023 | 10:45 am – 12:15 pmHybrid: Virtual AGM / Fort Calgary, Lower Barracks (750 9 Ave SE) The AGM is free and open to all WGA members in good standing. To prepare for the AGM, please review our 2022/2023 Annual Report.
