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Our next virtual Book Chat will take place on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 7 pm. It will feature one of the 2020 Manitoba Book Awards winners, Lauren Carter. Please join us by emailing the Manitoba Writers’ Guild to receive instructions. Lauren is the author of four books. Her poetry collections are Following Sea and Lichen Bright and her novels are Swarm and This Has Nothing to Do With You, which won the 2020 Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction at …

The August Book Chat featured award-winning poet, Angeline Schellenberg. She read from her book Fields of Light and Stone. The first poem she read with her son because she’d written it in the ‘voices’ of her grandparents. Angeline spoke the words attributed to her grandmother and her son read the part of her grandfather. All her touching poems from Fields of Light and Stone were based on her grandparents’ emigration experience and farming life in …

Our first Kids Book Chat did not have as many young attendees as we’d hoped, but it was fascinating to see the interaction between Bill Richardson and his illustrator, Slavka Kolesar. It was the first time that they’d had the chance to ‘meet’, even if it was only virtually. Bill read their book, The Promise Basket, a touching story about a Mother’s love for her child and how she expressed that love, even though she …

Before delving into our programs, if you are a member writer wanting to join a Writing Group, look for the link to our Writing Group Survey in your inbox. If you did not receive the email and wish to take part in the survey to find a group tailored to your needs, please email us for the link at:(). Now for our upcoming events: August 4th at 1 pm: Kids Book Chats We want to …

With the success of our evening online Book Chats and, with social distancing still an issue with kids as well as adults, we have come up with a way to reach out to the children and grandchildren of members, providing some free afternoon literary programs. During the month of August, we are lining up writers for a series of Kids Book Chats, beginning with those who were a part of this year’s Manitoba Book Awards, …

Book Chat # 3 with Joan Thomas was a lot of fun! Joan read a new piece of writing. Getting this sneak peak was very exciting for those in attendance, of which there were seven. Three participants read their own work during the Open Mic. The rest of us preferred to sit back and listen. Our fourth Book Chat will take place on August 12 and will feature poet Angeline Schellenberg. This is a free-for-members-only …

After much animated discussions, we have completed our Strategic Plan for the future. This includes updated Mission, Vision, and Values statements, as well as the things we feel we can accomplish within the next three years. With social distancing, it is difficult to present our plan in person, so we have created a video presentation and posted it on our new YouTube channel, ‘Manitoba Writers’ Guild, 2020 and Beyond‘. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/LR5GovRUYvA Please …

On June 10, the MWG held our second Book Chat. Anita Daher was our Featured Author, who read a chapter from her newest teen novel You Don’t Have to Die in the End. After her reading, she answered some questions which inspired lively conversations on such a variety of topics including how Anita arrived at the title for her book, how chapter transitions transport the reader, story-boarding to maintain flow and setting, how to notice …

    On the evening of the 13th May, eleven members accepted our invitation to attend our first virtual Book Chat. The session was hosted by Susan Rocan, Past President of the Guild. After brief introductions, Margaret Sweatman, who kindly agreed to accept our invitation to be our Featured Author, read a section from her book “When Alice Lay Down with Peter”, a novel with very much a Manitoba connection. The reading was well received. …

PRESENTING . . .    NOUS VOUS PRÉSENTONS . . . * Alexander Kennedy  Isbister  Award for Non-Fiction / Prix Alexander-Kennedy-Isbister pour les études et  essais    Friends, Foes, and Furs: George Nelson’s Lake Winnipeg Journals, 1804–1822 edited by Harry W. Duckworth, published by McGill-Queen’s University Press sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council   * Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award / Prix littéraire Carol-Shields de la ville de Winnipeg The North-West Is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel’s …

Introducing our new MWG Book Chats – virtual events to access from the comfort of your own home! They will occur on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM. Each evening starts with a Featured Published Author, followed by a brief Q&A. After the Q&A, we’ll have an Open Mic where members can share their writing, about 5 minutes per reading. We have quite a line-up of Manitoba Writers willing to participate, for …

 While a writer’s life is usually solitary, either sitting at a table with paper and pencil or tapping away at a typewriter or computer, this time of COVID-19 has us isolated from friends and family, too. So, it is with great pleasure that I share this news from the Manitoba Book Awards Committee: ENGLISH (Winnipeg, MB) – On behalf of the coalition producing the 2020 Manitoba Book Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba, we are excited to …