Alexis Kienlen talks to Anne Logan about her new novel, Mad Cow.
*Original air date September 10, 2020*

Alexis Kienlen - WGA Online Reading Series

Carleen Marie reads from her new memoir, Orchid of Fate.

Carleen Marie - WGA Online Reading Series

Alison Clarke will read from her new poetry book, Phillis, followed by a conversation with Brandon Wint, and an audience Q&A via YouTube chat.

*NOTE* There is a brief technical interruption at the 5:56 minute mark. Our apologies for the disruption.

**Original air date: Oct. 15**

Alison Clarke - WGA Online Reading Series

This is audio recorded during the live reading with finalists from the Alberta Literary Awards. Readers, in order of appearance:

Katie Bickell

Timothy Caulfield

Tyler Enfield

Lee Kvern

Annette Lapointe

Clem Martini

Peter Midgley

Beth Sanders

Barbara Scott

Gina Starblanket & Dallas Hunt

Reading with Alberta Literary Awards Finalists (Part 1)

This is audio recorded from the live reading with finalists for the Alberta Literary Awards. Readers, in order of appearance:

Omar Mouallem

Natalie Meisner

Bertrand Bickersteth

Gabe Calderon

Kat Cameron

Ellen Chorley

Jannie Edwards

Will Ferguson

Alexandra Latos

Amy Leblanc

Harnarayan Singh

Kim Smith

Stephanie Tamagi

1:49:53​ - Debby Waldman

Reading With The Awards Finalists (Part 2)

The WGA is proud to partner with the Listen 2 Me podcast. Listen 2 Me is a podcast for creatives, by creatives. Your hosts, Gio and Renée, two lifelong friends and queer creatives, talk about the very real highs and lows of making art while staying grounded.

Episode 14 - Kelly Small:Have you ever wondered how to keep your sanity as a career creative in today’s cutthroat capitalist economy? This episode is all about how to consciously elevate your pursuit of creative success and sustainability. Gio and Renee have the incomparable pleasure of speaking to Kelly Small (they/them), the author of The Conscious Creative. Kelly left their marketing management position at a big Toronto agency and embarked on a years-long journey that led them through the ups and downs of an existential career crisis, returning to school, stress and illness, culminating in their creation of the incredible resource that is The Conscious Creative.

Listen 2 Me Podcast - E14 - Kelly Small

How magical! This week Renée and Gio sit down with the kind and talented Jessica Renwick (she/her), award-winning author of the fantasy middle-grade Starfell series. The first two books, The Book of Chaos and The Guitar of Mayhem, are out now. Her short story “The Witch’s Staff” will appear in the forthcoming anthology book Magical Girls from Celticpress Publishing. We talk writing characters we can see ourselves in, the adventures of self-publishing, and the importance of writing with diversity. Bonus topics include branching into editing, how to harness ideas and turn them into something substantial, and Gio's horse girl history. You can find more of Jessica's work at jessicarenwickauthor.com and across social media @jessicarenwickauthor.

Listen 2 Me Podcast  - Jessica Renwick

Get ready to level up! Have you ever wondered what it takes to write your own video game? Let Davis G. See (he/him) tell you, as he walks Gio and Renée through the path that led him to freelance writing, creating interactive fiction, and becoming one of Edmonton Public Library's featured writers. Topics include how to build your client base as a freelancer, gay poetry binders, why queer representation in everything is important, and what to do when writer's block gets you down. CW: Mention of cock (not the animal), erotic Kingdom Hearts fan fiction, and Davis' game Post-Apocalyptic Gay Sex Simulator v0.1. You can find Davis' games at davisgsee.itch.io, more of his writing on Patreon @davisgsee and follow him on Twitter @davisgsee for updates!

Listen 2 Me Podcast - Davis G. See

Jennifer Bowering Delisle reads from her book, Deriving, followed by a conversation with host Katherine Abbass.

*Original recording date: September 29, 2021*

Jennifer Bowering Delisle: Deriving

Ali Bryan reads from her new novel, The Hill, followed by a conversation with host Heidi Klaassen. Sponsored by Read Alberta.

*Original recording date: Oct 13, 2021*

Ali Bryan: The Hill

Micheline Maylor reads from her new book, The Bad Wife, followed by a conversation with Anne Sorbie. Sponsored by The University of Alberta Press.

*Original recording date: October 20, 2021*

Micheline Maylor: The Bad Wife

Farzana Doctor and Kelly Kaur talk about what goes into writing that first novel, and what comes next.

Farzana Doctor And Kelly Kaur

As the presence of Artificial Intelligence evolves and its reach continues to expand, writers are forced to ask themselves: What does this mean for me and my work? The topic of AI is multi-faceted, and while AI promises endless possibilities for artists and writers alike, it also brings with it fear and uncertainty. What lines have been drawn between AI as a supplemental tool and AI as the career-crushing thief many believe it could be?

Controversy @ Noon

We are thrilled to present the latest episode of the Canadian Literature Centre podcast. In this episode, also part of the “Air and Fire” series of readings and conversations this year, Hari Alluri, Alice Major, and Michelle Porter explore the literal and metaphorical significance of fire in a brilliant, wide-ranging reading and conversation.

Alice Major hosts Michelle Porter and Hari Alluri

The ethics of writing on social issues can be a complicated topic of conversation for writers: What does it mean, really? Are certain issues off-limits for particular writers? What are the types of issues that fall under this very broad theme? How can we strive to write characters and narratives that feel meaningful, informed, and appropriate to the story we’re trying to tell? Join our group of panellists as they discuss the ethics of writing on social issues during our first Controversy @ Noon panel in 2024.

About The Panellists
Dr. Jenna Butler (she/her)
www.jennabutler.com

Dr. Jenna Butler (she/her) is an award-winning poet, essayist, mentor, and editor.

She is the author of three books of poetry, Seldom Seen Road, Wells, and Aphelion; a collection of ecological essays, A Profession of Hope: Farming on the Edge of the Grizzly Trail; and the Arctic travelogue Magnetic North: Sea Voyage to Svalbard. Her book, Revery: A Year of Bees, essays about beekeeping, climate grief, and trauma recovery, was a finalist for the 2021 Governor General’s Literary Award in Non-Fiction and a longlisted title for CBC Canada Reads 2023.

Butler teaches creative writing at the University of Saskatchewan and serves as the Environmental Writing Fellow for the Spring Creek Project and Oregon Wild. She teaches for Calgary’s Alexandra Writers’ Centre as their outgoing Writer in Residence, focusing on ecological writing. Her work has its roots in the off-grid organic farm she runs with her husband in northern Treaty 6, Alberta.

Natasha Deen
natashadeen.com

Recent works: The Spooky Sleuths series, Book three, Don’t Go Near the Water!

Guyanese-Canadian NATASHA DEEN is a best-selling author, with novels for kids, teens, and adults, and she’s a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. Her novel, In the Key of Nira Ghani, won the Amy Mather Teen Book Award and her most recent YA title, The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad was a Globe & Mail‘s Top 100 Books for 2022. When she’s not writing, she teaches Introduction to Children’s Writing with the University of Toronto’s SCS and spends an inordinate amount of time trying to convince her pets that she’s the boss of the house. 

Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike
www.instagram.com/uche_peter_umez/

Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike is the author of literary works such as there’s more (2023), Double Wahala, Double Trouble (2021), Wish Maker (2021), and a co-editor of Wreaths for a Wayfarer (2020).

Rayanne Haines (she/her)
www.rayannehaines.com/

Rayanne Haines is an award-winning author, educator, and cultural producer. She is the creator and host of the literary podcast Crow Reads, is the President of the League of Canadian Poets, and teaches at MacEwan University. Her hybrid poetry collection, Tell the Birds Your Body is Not a Gun won the 2022 Stephan G. Stephansson Alberta Literary Award and was shortlisted for both the Robert Kroetch Award and the ReLit Award. She’s been published in the Globe and Mail, Minola Review, Fiddlehead, Prairie Fire and others. A CNF poetry and essay collection exploring grief, identity, and gendered trauma is forthcoming from Frontenac House September 2024

Bibliography:
1 - https://bookriot.com/mistreatment-of-women-in-game-of-thrones/
2 - https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/kosoko-jackson-a-place-for-wolves.html#
3 - https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/american-dirt-book-controversy/
4 -https://lareviewofbooksorg/article/my-taco-laughs-at-you-on-death-threats-aimed-at-women-of-color-who-dont-fellate-white-supremacy/

Controversy At Noon: The ethics of writing on social issues

With book banning in Alberta and Canada seemingly on the rise, it’s left many wondering what this means for writers, for readers, and for the community at large. What are the ways in which censorship affects and/or impedes the literary world, and what can we do to maintain the creative freedom to read and to write what we choose to?

Controversy at Noon: Book Banning in Alberta and Canada

This recording is from an online reading featuring finalists for the 2024 Alberta Literary Awards. 
Antoinette Bekker
Astrid Blodgett
Kate Boorman
Jennifer Bowering Delisle
Natasha Deen
Julie Sedivy
Josée Thibeault

*Note. The audio volume drops at the end of the recording during Astrid Blodgett's reading. Apologies for the inconvenience*

Reading with Alberta Literary Awards Finalists

As writers, we are told that rejection, a lot of rejection – most likely – is par for the course. Some of us cope by making light of the situation, framing rejection letters and showcasing them on an office wall or shelf. Others opt to go back to the drawing board, reframing their process, their work, or even their overall career plans. When is enough enough? Is there a point where we accept that something isn’t working and move on to the next project? Where is the line that separates resilience from naivety? Join our panelists as they discuss the complexities of dealing with rejection during our May Controversy @ Noon panel.

About The Panelists

Ali Bryan – Moderator

Ali Bryan is an award-winning novelist and creative nonfiction writer who explores the what-ifs, the wtfs, and the wait-a-minutes of every day. Her work has been shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, nominated for the Pushcart Prize, longlisted for both the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing prize, and has been optioned for TV by Sony Pictures. Her sixth book, a YA contemporary novel, Takedown, was released in May. Born and raised in Halifax, she now lives in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies on Treaty 7 Territory. When not writing, she operates Parlay Manuscript Services with her business partner, Sandra McIntyre.


Sandra SG Wong- Panelist
Sandra SG Wong writes fiction across genres. The cross-genre Lola Starke novels and Crescent City short stories have garnered finalist nominations for the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence. The standalone thriller, IN THE DARK WE FORGET, was an Anthony Awards finalist and Canadian bestseller. In addition to being a speaker, mentor, and community organizer, Sandra is a Past President of Sisters in Crime, and an active member of Crime Writers of Color.


Nisha Patel – Panelist

Nisha Patel (Nee-Sh-aww, Put-ell) (She/her) is a Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Edmonton and a Canadian Poetry Slam Champion. A queer and disabled artist, Nisha is a recipient of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal and the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund Award. Her sophomore collection of poetry, A Fate Worse Than Death, engages in the necropolitics surrounding disability, and is out now with Arsenal Pulp Press.



Lauren Seal – Panelist

Lauren Seal is a writer and former St. Albert Poet Laureate. She mentors the teen and young adult poets of SWYC, the Spoken Word Youth Choir, and performs in the adult incarnation of the group. Her debut novel-in-verse, Light Enough to Float, is forthcoming October 2024 with Rocky Pond Books, a Penguin-Randomhouse imprint.

Controversy at Noon: Rejection. "Frame" or Reframe?

Folks in the writing world continue to talk about AI and how they are using – or not using – it as a tool, a test, or even a novelty party trick. The writing seems to be on the wall when it comes to the inevitability of AI and its use in everyday life, but have writers and readers had their say about how AI creates new works of art? Some groups of writers are speaking out against the use of their writing to train Large Language Models (LLMs) without recognition and compensation, but is that enough? Are writers and consumers of literature willing to say they are not interested in purchasing new stories and books that are written entirely by AI? Is there a strong enough case for Human Intelligence and Human Creativity or is there just no stopping technology?

Join us for a spirited discussion of what we value as writers and as humans and the ways in which we can fight back.

Panel includes: Alison McBain, Christine Taylor, Matthew Stepanic, and Travis Croken.

Matthew Stepanic – Moderator
Matthew Stepanic (he/she/they) is a queer writer who lives and works on Treaty 6 territory in Edmonton. He edits and designs chapbooks for the recently launched Agatha Press. He is a co-author of Project Compass (Monto Books, 2017) and the author of Relying on that Body (Glass Buffalo, 2018). His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Queer Little Nightmares (Arsenal Pulp, 2022), Plenitude, FreeFall, and others.

Social handles on Twitter & Instagram are: @mlstepanic

Alison McBain- Panelist
Alison McBain’s novels are the recipients of over 13 awards, including the Foreword INDIES. When not writing for herself, she’s a ghostwriter who has penned over two dozen books for clients, as well as an award-winning editor who has worked with both celebrity and NY Times-bestselling authors. She’s currently pursuing a project called “Author Versus AI,” where she’s writing a book a week over the course of a year, using NO AI at all (52 books total). When not writing, Ms. McBain is associate editor for the magazine ScribesMICRO and draws all over the walls of her house with the enthusiastic help of her kids. She lives near Edmonton in Alberta.


Author Versus AI website
Author website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube

Christine Taylor – Panelist
Christine Tsai Taylor is a writer, storytelling consultant, and diversity specialist. The biracial daughter of a Taiwanese mother and American father, Christine grew up in the US, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland. She moved to Edmonton in July 2021 after seventeen years in The Netherlands. Her Substack newsletter is Wanderings.

Travis Croken – Panelist
Travis J. Croken lives in Ottawa, Canada and writes in a variety of genres. He is the National Co-Chair of the Canadian Authors Association, a member of the Ottawa Independent Writers, and Society for Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. Croken hosts several writing programs including the Writer’s Chat, Scribe’s Journey Podcast, and After the… literary talk show. He owns Wax Seal Productions where he designs literary cocktails and helps authors reach their goals through coaching, editing, and other supports.

Socials:

Instagram: @thecalmscribe

Twitter: @thecalmscribe

TikTok: @thecalmscribe

Controversy at Noon: Saying NO to AI

Marty Chan (Moderator): Marty Chan writes books for kids, theatre for adults, and social media posts for fun. The 2024 recipient of the WGA’s Golden Pen Award, Marty has written dramas, comedies, fantasy, and suspense. He works and lives in Edmonton with his wife Michelle and their two cats, Minnie and Hugo. For more information about Marty, visit martychan.com. 

Social handles:
X: Marty_Chan
Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/martychan.bsky.social
Threads: @martychanwriter
Facebook: MartyChanAuthor
Instagram: martychanwriter

Julie Sedivy (Panelist): Julie Sedivy is a writer and linguist whose love of language extends to many literary genres and whose work often intertwines aesthetic and scientific perspectives. Her publications include three books of nonfiction, a forthcoming children’s picture book (co-authored with Souad Shehab), a non-boring textbook on the psychology of language, and an edited volume of personal essays (co-edited with Rona Altrows). Her book Memory Speaks was shortlisted for the W.O. Mitchell City of Calgary Book Prize and the Eggleston Award for Nonfiction. She has published dozens of essays and articles in outlets such as Nautilus, The Literary Review of Canada, Scientific American, Discover, Politico, as well as in various anthologies. She occasionally writes and performs poetry as well. She is preparing to launch her scientific memoir, Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love, in October 2024. 

Farah Heron (Panelist): Farah Heron is a critically acclaimed romance author for adults and teens. Her books have been named as best books of the year by CBC books, USA Today, and NPR, and have been praised in Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, and Teen Vogue. She writes contemporary romances and romantic comedies full of huge South Asian families, delectable food, and most importantly, brown people falling stupidly in love. Her adult books include ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED, JANA GOES WILD, and JUST PLAYING HOUSE, and her young adult books include TAHIRA IN BLOOM and HOW TO WIN A BREAKUP. Farah lives in Toronto with her family. 

Social Handles:
Instagram: farahheronauthor
X: FarahHeron
Facebook: FarahHeronAuthor

Conor Kerr (Panelist): Conor Kerr is a Métis/Ukrainian writer living in Edmonton. He is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. His Ukrainian family are settlers in Treaty 4 and 6 territories in Saskatchewan. He grew up in Saskatoon, Edmonton, and other prairie towns and cities. In 2022 he was named one of CBC’s Writers to Watch. He is the author of the poetry collections An Explosion of Feathers and Old Gods, which was shortlisted for the 2023 Governor General's Award and named one of the Best Poetry Books of 2023, as well as the novel Avenue of Champions, which was shortlisted for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, longlisted for the 2022 Giller Prize and won the 2022 ReLIT award. He recently published his second novel Prairie Edge. 

Social Handles:
Instagram: Millcreekcowboy

Controversy at Noon: Genre and Style Bias

The publishing world has gone through tremendous change in recent years, especially post-pandemic. Even established authors who have found great success being traditionally published have aired their grievances about the hardships and uncertainty in the industry moving forward. Self-publishing has become a popular alternative for writers who want more control and autonomy when publishing their work, but it can be expensive and there still seems to be a level of ambiguity that plagues the process. Both avenues have their pros and cons, but what does it really entail to have your work traditionally published? To self-publish on your own? Is one better than the other, or are they simply different? Are works that are traditionally published valued more? If so, why? Which route might be best for you? Join our panelists this September as they delve into the often polarizing topic of traditional publishing vs self-publishing.

Controversy at Noon: Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing

We’re pivoting a bit and looking to have some fun with our October Controversy @ Noon Panel; this may be our most controversial discussion to date! We want to know: Who is the greatest horror writer of all time? From the gothic pages of Stoker and Shelley, to King’s twisty endings or Rice’s description-laden vampire tales, who really takes the cake when it comes to making us squirm, scream, cry, or throw our pages across the room in unabated anger? There are too many writers to list here, but you catch our drift. What makes for excellent horror writing? Are there formulas and tropes we should follow as writers to successfully reach our audience, or is creating timeless horror an innate ability? What do we love to see in horror writing? What do we loathe? Join our panelists this October as they hunt down the nuances of great — and not so great — horror writing.

Moderator: Susie Moloney
Panelists: Richard Van Camp, Jacqueline Baker, and Francine Cunningham

Controversy at Noon: Who is the Greatest Horror Writer of All Time?

Do newcomers and immigrants to Alberta face more pressure to write about current issues in their place of origin (eg, Gaza, Ukraine, Venezuela, etc.) than other writers? How do writers, especially immigrants and refugee writers, deal with the many giant global “distractions” enough to write about anything else? Should current events and related topics be prioritized by all writers in all genres? Why or why not? Join our panelists as they discuss the complexities of writing through a diasporic lens and more in November’s Controversy @ Noon panel.

About The Panelists
Kelly Kaur
Kelly Kaur grew up in Singapore and lives in Calgary.  She was recently awarded the 2024’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrant award. Kaur’s poem, “A Singaporean’s Love Affair,” landed on the moon on February 22, 2024, as part of the Lunar Codex — the first historic library of its kind, declared an Artemis Accords Heritage Site. Her novel, Letters to Singapore, which chronicles the experiences of a newcomer to Canada, will also be going to the moon on the Astrobotic Griffin/NASA VIPER mission in September 2025. Her creative works have been published around the world. Her poems were exhibited in North Dakota, United States, in a one year travelling exhibition that went to art galleries and museums, and other poems were even danced to by the Voices Dance Project in Ottawa who set her poetry to music and choreography. Kaur has a passion for human rights, and she is an editor and judge for the International Human Rights Art Movement, New York (IHRAM). She is an editor for their upcoming fourth quarterly magazine, December 2024: Indigenous Voices of Canada: Heart, Hope and Land. Other anthologies Kaur edited were Her Rights, Our Stories: An African Women’s Anthology and From Africa With Love: Voices of a Creative Continent. She has an upcoming children’s book, Howdy, I’m Singh Hari, the story of a pioneer Sikh rancher in Alberta. Kaur’s poetry collection, to be published by the University of Calgary Press, will be out in 2026.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.kaur.98
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellykaur3/

Mila Bongco-Philipzig
Mila is a writer, visual artist, and community organizer. Her children’s books, poems, essays and podcasts have been published in Canada, USA, the Philippines and Germany. The diaspora of the global majority is a recurring theme in her writings. 

www.milabongco.com
IG: @milabillabong
FB: Mila Bongco

Controversy at Noon: Do Diasporic Writers Face More Pressure to Write About Current Affairs...?

Expanding on our September Controversy @ Noon discussion, which focused on traditional publishing vs self-publishing, our December panel will address questions WGA members and fellow literary folks submitted on the topic. Panelists will also have the opportunity to share their views, insights, and experiences with self-publishing, traditional publishing, and/or hybrid publishing.

Submitting Questions: Our December panel will be pre-recorded, but in an effort to keep things interactive, we would love for you to send any topic-related questions you have to Ashley Mann at ashley.mann@writersguild.ab.ca. We will have our panelists answer your questions – and more – during their discussion. We will be accepting one question/submission per person, and we will attempt to cover as many questions as possible during the panel discussion. Questions should be submitted no later than November 22, 2024

Moderator: Barb Howard
Panelists: Naomi K. Lewis, Charlene Carr, and Jaima Fixsen

About The Panelists
Jaima Fixsen
Jaima Fixsen is a USA Today and International best-selling author living and writing in Edmonton. Her novel, The Girl In His Shadow (co-authored under the pen name Audrey Blake), was selected as Libby’s 2022 Big Library Read, and has been translated into eight languages.
Jaima studied Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta, and her experiences learning anatomy and dissecting cadavers began her fascination with the history of medical science, which often figures in her stories. Her debut crime novel, The Specimen, released this year. Jaima still works in health care supporting children with disabilities and their families. She loves history, snow, reading, snow, mountains and snow. And Diet Coke.

Website: http://jaimafixsen.com/
Instagram: @byjaimafixsen

Barb Howard
Barb Howard has published five books and more than 50 short stories and essays in magazines, journals, and anthologies across Canada. She has been President of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, Writer-in-Residence for the Calgary Public Library, editor of FreeFall Magazine, and a board member for Calgary Arts Development. Barb is currently a mentor in the Newcomer Arts Professional Program operated by the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation.

Website: www.barbhoward.ca
Facebook: @barb.howard.50115
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barb-howard-ab542120/

Charlene Carr
Charlene Carr studied literature at university, attaining both a BA and MA in English, including a study program at Oxford. She has independently published nine novels and her first agented novel, Hold My Girl, sold to HarperCollins Canada, Sourcebooks Landmark (US), Welbeck Publishing (UK) and Alma Littera (Lithuania). It was named one of the Best Books of 2023 by CBC Books, was an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Literature and Fiction, was shortlisted for both the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Dartmouth Book Award, and has been optioned for adaptation to the screen. Charlene received grants from Arts Nova Scotia and Canada Council for the Arts to write and revise her most recent novel, We Rip The World Apart, and is working on her next book. She lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with her husband and young daughters.

Instagram: @charlenecarrauthor
Facebook: @charlenecarrwritinglife (Charlene Carr – Writing Life)

Naomi K. Lewis
Naomi K. Lewis writes fiction and nonfiction, and also works as an editor, currently at Freehand Books.

Instagram: @na.oh.mee
Facebook: Naomi K. Lewis
Website: https://www.naomiklewis.com/

Controversy at Noon: Writers Against AI

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), and Back Water, winner of the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction and the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg.

Kit Dobson is a professor in the Department of English at the University of Calgary. His book Field Notes on Listening was one of the CBC’s top non-fiction titles of 2022. His first novel, We Are Already Ghosts, was released in spring 2024. In the fall semester of the 2024-2025 academic year, he taught a course on banned and challenged books that will inform his comments for this discussion.

Freedom to Read Week Discussion

Alberta Literary Awards Finalists Online Reading

The current trade war between the United States and Canada–including tariffs focused on the book and publishing industry– has people thinking about buying products made in Canada and supporting local companies that keep our money in Canada. With Canadians paying closer attention to how our money is spent, is there now a fresh opportunity to get the word out there about reading books authored by Canadian writers that are also published in Canada? Join our group of panelists as they consider the potential for upward trends in buying local, and the impact the current climate could have on the Canadian literary scene and publishing industry overall.

Laura Rock Gaughan – Panelist

Laura Rock Gaughan serves as the executive director of the Literary Press Group of Canada (LPG), a national arts service organization that supports Canadian-owned literary publishers and promotes the growth of Canadian literary culture through All Lit Up and many other projects. She’s also a writer, with fiction and essays published in Canadian, Irish, and US journals and anthologies. Her first book, MOTHERISH, is a short story collection published by Turnstone Press.

Jay Millar – Panelist

Jay Millar is the co-owner and co-publisher of Book*hug Press, a Toronto-based independent literary publisher working at the forefront of contemporary book culture. He currently sits on the board of the Ontario Book Publishing Organization as Treasurer. Jay operates a secret bookstore called Apollinaire’s Bookshoppe, specializing in the books that no one wants to buy, and is the author of seven collections of poetry, the most recent of which is I Could Have Pretended to be Better than You: New and Selected Poems.

Katie Lafreniere – Panelist

Katie Lafreniere is an Assistant Professor of marketing at the University of Alberta. She has a MSc in management and PhD in business. She studies language and communication, both among consumers (e.g., product reviews) and between consumers and firms (e.g., how managers should respond to reviews). Her research has been featured in Harvard Business Review, CBC, and the Wall Street Journal.

Hazel Millar – Panelist

Hazel Millar is the co-owner and co-publisher of Book*hug Press, a Canadian independent literary publisher working at the forefront of contemporary book culture. Hazel has been working in the publishing industry since 2009. In addition to her work at Book*hug Press, she is the Past Chair of the Board of the Literary Press Group of Canada and sits on several publishing-industry boards and advisory committees. She lives in Toronto with her husband, Jay Millar (aka the other half of Book*hug Press), their sons, and a cool, diva calico cat named Tess.

May Controversy at Noon: Why Buy Canadian

An interview with Paul Gareau about his experiences writing and editing in academia.

Episode 4. masinahikan iskwêwak – Book Women Podcast- Paul Gareau

Shannon Webb-Campbell is a mixed Indigenous (Mi’kmaq) settler poet, writer, and critic. Her books include: Still No Word (Breakwater 2015), the recipient of Eagle Canada’s Out in Print Award, I Am A Body of Land (Book*hug 2019), and Lunar Tides (forthcoming with Book*hug in 2022). Shannon holds a MFA in Creative Writing from University of British Columbia, and a MA in English Literature at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is a doctoral student at the University of New Brunswick in the Department of English. She is the editor of Visual Arts News Magazine.

Committed to reparation, self-education, and healing, Webb-Campbell writes out of a deep sense of responsibility to Indigenous communities. Her collection I am a Body of Land, is, as Carol Rose Daniels puts it, “forces readers out of polite conversation and into a realm where despair and hard truths are being told, being heard and finding the emotional strength to learn from it, find our way out and embrace our beauty as Indigenous women.” In Susan Musgrave’s words, this is “Poetry awake with the winds from the Four Directions, poetry that crosses borders, margins, treaties, yellow tape warning: Police Line. Do Not Cross. Poetry whose traditional territory, through colonization, has become trauma and shame. Unceded poetry. Read. Respect. Weep.”

In this podcast, which includes readings from her forthcoming collection, Lunar Tides, Webb-Campbell’s poems range across theory, the legacies of colonialism, kinship, and Indigenous resurgence. Her words follow the rhythms of the body, the water, the cycles of the moon, and long and deep familial relationships amid the profound grief of losing her mother. You can hear, too, her eloquent review of her recommended pandemic reading: Shalan Joudry’s Waking Ground.

Writers' Guild of Alberta

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