News

7th Annual Kemosa Scholarship Now Open for Submissions!

October 6, 2023

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

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Tell Us About Your 2023 Books

September 10, 2023

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

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Golden Pen Nomination Form

September 7, 2023

The Golden Pen Award We cordially invite WGA members to submit nominations for the 2026 Golden Pen Award. Nominations for the 2026 award will be accepted until December 1, 2025. 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

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WELCOME TO NEW STAFF

September 6, 2023

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

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Write/Right: Law For Writers WestWord Columns

September 2, 2023

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

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NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

August 28, 2023

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:

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Save the Date: 2024 ALBERTA LITERARY AWARDS HAVE A NEW SUBMISSION DEADLINE!

August 16, 2023

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

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2024 Alberta Literary Awards: Call for Jurors

August 6, 2023

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

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New Podcast Episode: Writers Outside, But Inside

July 27, 2023

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!

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Winners of the 2023 Alberta Literary Awards

June 3, 2023

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

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WGA 2022/23 Annual Report Available Online!

June 1, 2023

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.

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2023 WordsWorth Instructors & Courses

May 31, 2023

Registration is now closed(After June 26th, RDP room availability cannot be guaranteed.) Week 1 (ages 11 – 14): July 9th – 14th, 2023 | $610  Week 2 (ages 15 – 19): July 16th – 21st, 2023 | $610  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 artist-instructors, writers will experience

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WGA Conference Office Hours

May 29, 2023

Please be aware that the WGA office will be closed June 5 & 6 following our annual conference. Regular office hours will resume on Wednesday, June 7. For more information on our annual conference, please visit: writersguild.ca/wga-annual-conference-2023-origins.

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Alberta Literary Awards Raffle

May 26, 2023

Saturday, June 36:00 pm – 10:00 pm MDTFort Calgary750 9 Ave. SE We’re excited to be able to host a raffle during this year’s Alberta Literary Awards Gala! Raffle tickets will be on sale at the gala registration table for $5 per ticket. Below is a list of items currently included in the draw. (More items will be added as they come in!) **Please note: Raffle is only open to in-person attendees at the Alberta Literary Awards Gala on June

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WGA Website Hack

May 16, 2023

Hello Everyone, You may have heard of a recent flaw in one of the plug-ins on the WordPress platform (Read about the issue HERE). The plug-in flaw allowed hackers to access websites utilizing the Elementor plug-in. The WGA’s website was a victim of this hack last weekend. We want to assure everyone that we do not store any financial or credit card information on our website; however, one of our administrative accounts was the target for the hack, which may have compromised members’

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