Category: Member News

May 18, 2026

From Immigrant to Published Poet/Artist: Filipino-Canadian Chris Macalino

By Shayla Elizabeth Chris Macalino is a Filipino-Canadian poet/writer, and visual artist, born in Mexico, Pampanya. With his parents, through the Canadian WE program, at age eight, he immigrated. “The first time I saw a library—in school.” At St. John’s high school, he met “really cool” adults—Art, English–leading to submitting an art portfolio to the University of Manitoba’s School of Fine Art. Again, he had great professors, like author Dennis Cooley, where a creative writing …

May 12, 2026

Member Spotlight – Nigel Webber

Nigel Webber was born and raised in Winnipeg and is proud of it. Having written for television and documentary film, Nigel moved to combine his two loves of writing and hip-hop music in 2018 when he began writing for Stylus Magazine. It was while writing for Stylus that Nigel first began looking into Winnipeg hip-hop history and the idea for Gritty City: An Oral History of Winnipeg Hip-Hop Music 1980-2005 was hatched, back in December …

Ainsley Bloomer book launch

April 7, 2025

A Viking Legend Book Launch

by Roxane Anderson Jessica Smithies, MWG’s Book Launch Coordinator, welcomed author Ainsley Bloomer to present her book, A Viking Legend: The Descendants of Odin, in front of a captive audience at Artspace on a sunny Sunday afternoon on April 6. Ainsley Bloomer is passionate about Old Norse Mythology. The audience was spellbound by her descriptions of Norse Eddas and Sagas, gods and goddesses, the nine realms of the Norse universe, and of Odin, the supreme …

AGM board

November 4, 2024

MWG Annual General Meeting

by Steve Oetting Are you up on your Mushkegoinnimowin? The Annual General Meeting for this year was held at the Bill and Helen Norrie Library Oct. 19. This lovely new library is one large rectangular room with solid windows on each side, offering a bright and sunny welcome to all of the MWG members that attended. The boardroom, spacious and equally luminous, was humming with the conversations of three to four dozen members as I …

Set of Agency

August 5, 2024

Perspectives of Complexity

By Lynda Faye Schmidt I arrived at the Asper Theatre on the University of Winnipeg campus with time to spare and no expectations. The quaint venue was buzzing with anticipation for barb janes’ play, Agency, and I was full of curiosity. My colleagues and I were waiting for the theatre doors to open, engaged in conversation, when who should appear but barb janes herself! I was fortunate to be introduced to the burgeoning new playwright, …

Alison York

June 5, 2024

Alison M. York – A Serendipitous Book Launch

By Stacey Lupky Warm, inviting energy greeted the standing-room-only crowd gathered for the book launch of Alison York’s novel, Tartan Threads: Serendipity In Scotland. Throughout the event, hosted by the Manitoba Writer’s Guild, of which Alison is a member, Scotland played a welcoming role in bringing the crowd together. Scottish-themed dainties such as shortbread, scones and jam were on offer, while Scottish music gently lilted in the background. At the front of the room at …

Death at the Point cover

April 7, 2024

An Enchanting Book Launch

By Steve Oetting The energy in the room was palpable. In spite of the bitter March wind that whistled through the streets of the Exchange District, the room reserved at ArtSpace on March 17 was well-populated by members of the Manitoba Writers’ Guild with a shared fondness for the book’s author. It was the book launch of Andy Dutfield’s Death at the Point.