WGA Fall Writers’ Retreat (In-Person)
Friday, September 20th to Sunday, September 22nd, 2024
Check-in: 3:00pm on Friday, September 20th
Check-out: 2:00pm on Sunday, September 22nd
Sanctum Retreat Centre
11 Sanctum Way, Caroline, AB T0M 0M0
$575 for members*
$675 for non-members*
(Cost includes private room accommodation–double and queen rooms available upon request–meals, and quality programming throughout the weekend.)
Registration opens Monday, June 17th at 10:00am MDT
Please join us for a weekend of writing and togetherness. This retreat is a perfect opportunity to work on your craft and connect with your peers — don’t miss out!
We are so excited to be welcoming two world-class facilitators, Saskatoon-based poet Leah Horlick and Calgary-based fantasy author, C.L. Polk. You can expect a talk from Leah Horlick as a welcome address on Friday evening, two interactive workshops (one with each facilitator) on Saturday, a group discussion and Q&A session on Saturday evening, and a farewell address from C.L. Polk on Sunday morning. All sessions are optional, and time is otherwise self-directed.
About the Facilitators
Leah Horlick (she/her) is the author of three collections of poetry: Riot Lung, For Your Own Good, and Moldovan Hotel. She is the past recipient of a Stonewall Honor Title and ARC Poetry Magazine’s Poem of the Year Award, among others. Leah lived on Unceded Coast Salish Territories in Vancouver for nearly a decade, during which time she and her dear friend Estlin McPhee ran REVERB, a queer and anti-oppressive literary reading series. Last year, Leah was the 2022-23 Canadian Writer-in-Residence with the University of Calgary’s Distinguished Writers Program. She has since returned to Saskatoon, on Treaty Six Territory and the Homelands of the Métis, where she grew up as a settler.
C. L. Polk (they/them) wrote the Hugo-nominated Kingston Cycle, including the World Fantasy Award winning Witchmark, The Midnight Bargain, and the Nebula-winning Even Though I Knew The End. Before writing fantasy novels, they worked as a film extra, a costermonger, and also identified lepidoptera by eye. Mx. Polk lives in Calgary, on the territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, and the Métis Nation (Region 3). Mx. Polk is represented by Caitlin McDonald of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Sanctum is surrounded by beautiful boreal forest and is close to the Raven River for those who find inspiration from nature. We hope to see you there!
The Sessions
You Are Your Friend: persistence & strategies for a whole weekend of writing
With Leah Horlick
This welcome talk with award-winning poet Leah Horlick will help us ease into the retreat and prepare you for a constructive weekend. We’ll plan to manage some common retreat anxieties (you know the ones—they’re lurking—what if I can’t get anything done? what if I hate everything I write?), set realistic expectations for ourselves as artists, and tune in to a sustainable pace. Leah will make sure everyone starts off in a dreamy, creative headspace, balanced with a full toolbox of practices for staying motivated and an extra boost of inspiration.
Adaptations: a poetry fix-it workshop
With Leah Horlick
It’s time. Bring your problem poems. They’re the ones keeping you up at night or holding you back from sending the manuscript. The thing you wrote this morning that you nearly recycled. The poems that are so, so close but just…not right. Gently, carefully, and patiently, we’re going to fix them. Better yet, we’ll adapt them until you’re satisfied with their new forms (or as satisfied as a writer can ever be). Can’t even get started, let alone write a poem you don’t like? We’ll fix that too. Don’t think of yourself as a poet? We’ll adapt! This workshop will benefit writers of all genres and all levels of experience.
How and Why Characters ARE Your Story Workshop
With C.L. Polk
More information on this session coming soon
Carrying the Treasure With You: A Guide to Resilience Farewell Talk
With C.L. Polk
More information on this session coming soon
Please register here:
WGA Fall Writers’ Retreat 2024
*Cancellation Policy: Any cancellations made on or before August 20, 2024, will receive a full refund minus a $50 administration fee. Cancellations made between August 21 – September 6, 2024, will receive a 50% refund minus a $50 administration fee. Refund requests made after September 6, 2024, may be considered on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed. Refund requests must be made in writing to the Writers’ Guild of Alberta.