Category: News

Creating a Docudrama – again!

Our Creating a Docudrama workshop series was so popular last fall, we are hosting it again, beginning October 20, 2022. Our participants learned the process from idea to script in eight weeks, culminating in the performance of each project; a family discussing the lives of their parents, an art teacher reliving a bad experience, a house haunting, a discussion between daughter and father, the plans of a young emigrant, the experience of a student returning to university after many years and a writer whose doubts become manifest on a plane.

We bound the scripts so each participant received a copy, with a cover depicting aspects of each story.

If you have something that you are passionate about and want to share it with others, whether it’s just for family and close friends or to be performed at an event such as the Fringe Festival, then sign up to be a part of this innovative program.

For more information, email . To sign up, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/self-publishing-basics-tickets-411520979327

Accepting submissions to the SOMP

It’s that time of year again when we are looking for applicants to our Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program. Those interested in applying please read the requirements here. The deadline for submissions by both Mentors and Apprentices is November 30, 2022. This year we can accept TWO Mentor/Apprentice pairs!

We have received much acclaim for the program, like this comment from an Apprentice: “During this program, I grew as a writer in several ways. The first way was that I had the opportunity to prioritize my creative writing. The second was that I increased my knowledge in areas related to writing, publishing, and marketing. I also had the opportunity to develop a plan for my current writing project…”

A Mentor commented: ” We began by discussing [the writer]’s high-level goals as a writer and how this project relates to those goals. I reviewed a plot outline for the first novel of the trilogy and we discussed some of the possible plot problems in that story and how they might be addressed. We also discussed the pros and cons of different publication strategies.”

This is an exciting opportunity for emerging writers looking to improve their writing skills and for established writers who want to share their knowledge with those who are eager to learn.

2022 Manitoba Book Awards Winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Manitoba Book Awards!

Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction /
Prix Alexander-Kennedy-Isbister pour les études et essais
Sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council

WINNER: Dadibaajim: Returning Home Through Narrative by Helen Olsen Agger, published by University of Manitoba Press


Nominees:
Manitobaines engagées par Lise Gaboury-Diallo et Michelle Smith, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Persephone’s Children: A Life in Fragments by Rowan McCandless, published by Dundurn Press
Returning to Ceremony: Spirituality in Manitoba Métis Communities by Chantal Fiola, published by University of Manitoba Press
We Are All Perfectly Fine: A Memoir of Love, Medicine and Healing by Jillian Horton, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.


Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award /
Prix littéraire Carol-Shields de la ville de Winnipeg
Sponsor: Winnipeg Arts Council, through the City of Winnipeg

GAGNANT: Mont-Blanc-Winnipeg Express par Seream, publié par Les Éditions du Blé

Nominees:
Did You See Us? Reunion, Remembrance, and Reclamation at an Urban Indian Residential School by Survivors of the Assiniboia Indian Residential School, foreword by Theodore Fontaine, edited by Andrew Woolford, published by University of Manitoba Press
Mosienko The Man Who Caught Lightning in a Bottle by Ty Dilello, published by Great Plains
Publications
Scofflaw by Garry Thomas Morse, published by Anvil Press Publishers
The Strangers by Katherena Vermette, published by Hamish Hamilton Canada


Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book
Sponsor: The Winnipeg Foundation

CO-WINNERS:
Persephone’s Children: A Life in Fragments by Rowan McCandless, published by Dundurn Press
We Are All Perfectly Fine: A Memoir of Love, Medicine and Healing by Jillian Horton, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Nominees:
Lessons in Fusion by Primrose Madayag Knazan, published by Yellow Dog (an imprint of Great Plains Publications)
Lost on the Prairie by MaryLou Driedger, published by Heritage House Publishing
Run As One: My Story by Errol Ranville, published by Great Plains Publications

John Hirsch Emerging Manitoba Writer Award /
Prix John Hirsch de l’écrivain.e émergent.e manitobain.e
Sponsor: Manitoba Foundation for the Arts

WINNER: Chimwemwe Undi

Nominees:
Wren Brian
Teresa Horosko
Joanna Graham
Sam K MacKinnon

Lansdowne Prize for Poetry / Prix Lansdowne de poésie
Sponsor: The Winnipeg Foundation

WINNER: The Lost Cafeteria by Joel Robert Ferguson, published by Signature Editions

Nominees/Candidats :
Cattail Skyline by Joanne Epp, published by Turnstone Press
L’ivresse fragile de l’aube par Laurent Poliquin publié par L’Harmattan
Tablet Fragments by Tamar Rubin, published by Signature Editions
The World Is Mostly Sky by Sarah Ens, published by Turnstone Press

Manuela Dias Book Design and Illustration Awards /
Prix Manuela-Dias de conception graphique et d’illustration en édition

I. Book Design / Conception de livre

WINNER: Warehouse Journal Volume Thirty edited & designed by Chelsea Colburn & Teresa Lyons, published by Warehouse Journal, Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba

Nominees:
Dadibaajim: Returning Home Through Narrative by Helen Olsen Agger, cover design by Mike Carroll, interior design by Jess Koroscil, published by University of Manitoba Press
Ex Nihilo by J. R. Léveillé, cover & interior design by M. C. Joudrey & Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Frame by Frame: An Animators Journey by Co Hoedeman, cover & interior design by M. C.
Joudrey & Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Gibbous Moon by Dennis Cooley, cover & interior design by M. C. Joudrey & Matthew Stevens,
published by At Bay Press
Spíləx̣m: A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence by Nicola I. Campbell, cover &
interior art by Carrielynn Victor, interior design by Jennifer Lum, published by HighWater Press

II. Illustration
Category held over until 2023. / Catégorie suspendue jusqu’en 2023.

III. Children’s Illustration/ Illustration de livres pour enfants

WINNER: You Came From My Heart by Brenlee Coates, illustrations by Roberta Landreth, published by FriesenPress

Nominees:
Jigging for Halibut With Tsinii by Sara Florence Davidson & Robert Davidson, illustrations &
cover art by Janine Gibbons, design by Jennifer Lum, map by John Broadhead, published by
HighWater Press
Molly’s Magic Door by Kirstin Link, illustrations & design by Jason Doll, published by Peanut
Butter Press
The Wolf Mother by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrations & cover art by Natasha
Donovan, design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
We Dream Medicine Dreams written & illustrated by Lisa Boivin, design by Jennifer Lum,
published by HighWater Press


Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction
Sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council

CO-WINNERS:
Hour of the Crab by Patricia Robertson, published by Goose Lane Editions
Prodigies by Bob Armstrong, published by Five Star (an imprint of Gale, a Cengage Company)

Nominees:
So Many Windings by Catherine Macdonald, published by At Bay Press
Status Update by George Toles, published by At Bay Press
The Strangers by Katherena Vermette, published by Hamish Hamilton Canada

Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher /
Prix Mary-Scorer pour le meilleur livre par un éditeur du Manitoba
Sponsor: Friesens Corporation

WINNER: Did You See Us? Reunion, Remembrance, and Reclamation at an Urban Indian Residential School by Survivors of the Assiniboia Indian Residential School, preface by Theodore Fontaine, edited by Andrew Woolford, design by Vincent Design, published by University of Manitoba Press

Nominees:
Coming to Canada by Starkie Mak, design by M.C. Joudrey & Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Double Wahala, Double Trouble by Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, cover design by Fred
Martins, interior design by Rachelle Painchaud-Nash, published by Griots Lounge Publishing
Canada
Jigging for Halibut With Tsinii by Sara Florence Davidson & Robert Davidson, illustrations &
cover art by Janine Gibbons, design by Jennifer Lum, map by John Broadhead, published by
HighWater Press
Spíləx̣m: A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence by Nicola I. Campbell, cover &
interior art by Carrielynn Victor, interior design by Jennifer Lum, published by HighWater Press
The Frog Mother by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrations & cover art by Natasha
Donovan, design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press


Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction
Sponsor: Manitoba Writers’ Guild, Winnipeg International Writers Festival

WINNER: So Many Windings by Catherine Macdonald, published by At Bay Press
Nominees:
Alternate Plains: Stories of Prairie Speculative Fiction edited by Darren Ridgley & Adam Petrash, published by Great Plains Publications
Manistique by Craig Terlson, published by Ethelbert House
Prodigies by Bob Armstrong, published by Five Star (an imprint of Gale, a Cengage Company)
The Unpleasantness at the Battle of Thornford: A Father Christmas Mystery by C.C. Benison,
published by At Bay Press

 

McNally Robinson Book for Young People (Younger Category)
Sponsor: McNally Robinson Booksellers

WINNER: I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillett-Sumner, published by Owlkids Books

Nominees:
Glory On Ice: A Vampire Hockey Story by Maureen Fergus, published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young People (an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada)
T. Rexes Can’t Tie Their Shoes by Anna Lazowski, published by Doubleday Books for Young
People (an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada)
The Eagle Mother by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), published by HighWater Press

McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award
Sponsor: McNally Robinson Booksellers

WINNER: Out of Mind by David Bergen, published by Goose Lane Editions

Nominees:
Gibbous Moon by Dennis Cooley, published by At Bay Press
Life in the City of Dirty Water by Clayton Thomas-Muller, published by Allen Lane Canada (an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada)
Searching for Signal by Lori Cayer, published by Signature Editions
The Strangers by Katherena Vermette, published by Hamish Hamilton Canada
We Are All Perfectly Fine: A Memoir of Love, Medicine and Healing by Jillian Horton, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Congratulations to all the winners!

For further information on the Manitoba Book Awards, please visit the website.

 

 

June Book Chat

Please join us for a chat with Harriet Zaidman, whose book, Second Chances, was just nominated for the 2023 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Northern Lights Award.
To attend this event, email to receive the Zoom instructions.
Harriet Zaidman is a 3rd generation Canadian, the descendant of Russian Jews who experienced all the hardship and discrimination society had to offer in the early 1900s. Her successes are a result of their hard work and sacrifice. She’s a retired K-Gr. 8 teacher librarian, a book reviewer for the Winnipeg Free Press and CM Canadian Review of Materials and a freelance writer. She’s written 3 picture books and two novels; her first novel – City on Strike (Red Deer Press, 2019), follows children whose family is caught up in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. It has many of her own family’s stories woven in. City on Strike received nominations for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Children and the Diamond Foundation Prize.
Her latest novel, Second Chances (Red Deer, 2021), is based on real events. It recalls the tragic polio epidemics of the 1950s, just as the life-saving Salk vaccine was developed. A teenage hockey star paralyzed by the disease develops feelings for a girl in hospital. She’s worried about the fate of her family, which is facing eviction from the Metis community of Rooster Town because of the racist attitudes of the city and greedy developers, who want their land. He must deal not only with his physical challenges, but decide if he has the courage to face down societal prejudices so he can follow his heart.

August Book Chat

Our August Book Chat will feature Guild member Nancy Chislett. She recently launched her debut novel Bombing the moon.
To hear her read from her novel and answer questions, such as what it was like to launch her first novel, email for the Zoom instructions.
About Nancy:
Nancy is an avid traveler, having visited almost 50 countries on six continents. She also plays classical music on piano and composes a little jazz. Career-wise, she has worked as a high school teacher and as a university administrator of an international student program. Bombing the moon is her debut novel. She recently received a grant from the Canada Council of the Arts to support her while writing her second literary work, entitled, Saving Fictions. She lives in the eclectic city of Winnipeg with her spouse, Grant, and dog, Simon.
About Bombing the moon:
At 24, Devin Rush’s future is unknown and his parents don’t support his dreams of becoming a songwriter. Add to that North Korea’s nuclear threats, a corporate world of greed, and impending automation, Devin feels like the world is rigged against him.
Conflict boils at home. Devin is jobless and antagonistic. His parents, wondering if he’ll ever man-up, fear he’ll depend on them for life. But when Devin’s grandfather gives him a one-way ticket to Nairobi, Devin sees no alternative and leaves, and is thrust into a world unlike any he’s ever seen.
Stunned by his sudden departure, Devin’s parents and sister are pushed further afield of the control they crave. Resentment and guilt nudge his parent’s marriage closer to collapse, and abandonment triggers his sister’s long-buried shame. When Nairobi’s election approaches and tensions erupt, Devin is faced with choices and consequences that are all too real. Beautifully written, often subversive and darkly funny, ‘Bombing the moon’ is an honest, intimate exploration of the promises and limitations of tough love.

Creating a Docudrama – take 2

The Manitoba Writers’ Guild is delighted to announce the return of our much-heralded Docudrama Workshop series.

“I had an idea for a story, but what to do with it? This Docudrama workshop was the perfect solution for me. I would give it a 5-star recommendation!” –Marilynn Slobogian (Participant in the 2021 workshop series)

Creating a docudrama involves many of the literary arts, as it can include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music, song, dance, film clips – whatever you need to bring your passion project to life in a 10-15 minute presentation. The form is as fluid as your ideas. The classroom support provided by the instructor will focus primarily on writing, but the collective interests and talents of the whole class can enrich each participant’s final product. So, if you have a story to tell about your life, your family’s life, current political or social strife, the future of our planet, or any other idea grounded in reality but open to being framed within a story, docudrama is for you.

The classes are lively, fun, and full of vivid imaginings.

Sessions will include:

• Developing a tightly-plotted exploration of an issue, concern, or question of interest to participants

• Realistic and engaging dialogue

• Authoritative knowledge or research that informs but does not overwhelm

• Collaborative and independent work.

Each workshop is designed for small groups of 2-4 people working together. However, we can also accommodate those who prefer to work independently.

WHY CREATE A DOCUDRAMA?

• It’s a focused, fairly short format that incorporates all aspects of both fiction and non-fiction writing. All course participants will have opportunities to hone and refine their writing skills. It can, but does not need to, include poetry, song, and even dance.

• It is performable, so you will create a product that can be used for a variety of purposes, from launching a book to giving a talk on a contemporary social issue, to discovering the many voices that speak to a particular social concern, to simply entertaining others.

• The performance can be acted (drama) or read (reader’s theatre).• It is publishable in the same way that short stories are publishable. The MWG will maintain a collection of all docudramas produced in this new program, with a future goal to publish a collection of them.

For more information, contact the Manitoba Writers’ Guild at or check out our YouTube ads at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAn9KB47Fj1Ynulv8bs3MA

Tickets go on sale June 1 with EventBrite (see below), but to get your name on the list or to get more information, email

To register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/writing-for-children-tickets-321507366187

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

Dr. Sharon Hamilton, Professor of English (Emerita), has enjoyed a lifetime of writing, drama, and teaching. In addition to her published memoir and over a hundred professional articles and book chapters, she is working on her fifth novel and has written two plays, performed in Winnipeg, Indianapolis, and Texas. She developed a senior level docudrama course at Indiana University and has adapted it as a 8-session workshop for the Manitoba Writers Guild. She created a docudrama for the 2019 launch of her fourth novel, Manitoba MAID, at McNally Robinson.

2022 Manitoba Book Awards shortlist

Announcing:

Manitoba Book Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba
2022 Nominees / Candidats 2022

From the official Manitoba Book Awards website: https://manitobabookawards.ca/index.php/2022-2/shortlist-liste-de-preselection/

Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction /
Prix Alexander-Kennedy-Isbister pour les études et essais
Sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council
Dadibaajim: Returning Home Through Narrative by Helen Olsen Agger, published by University of Manitoba Press
Manitobaines engagées par Lise Gaboury-Diallo et Michelle Smith, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Persephone’s Children: A Life in Fragments by Rowan McCandless, published by Dundurn Press
Returning to Ceremony: Spirituality in Manitoba Métis Communities by Chantal Fiola, published by University of Manitoba Press
We Are All Perfectly Fine: A Memoir of Love, Medicine and Healing by Jillian Horton, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.


Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award /
Prix littéraire Carol-Shields de la ville de Winnipeg
Sponsor: Winnipeg Arts Council, with funding from the City of Winnipeg
Did You See Us? Reunion, Remembrance, and Reclamation at an Urban Indian Residential
School by Survivors of the Assiniboia Indian Residential School, preface by Theodore Fontaine, edited by Andrew Woolford, published by University of Manitoba Press
Mont Blanc-Winnipeg Express par Seream, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Mosienko: The Man Who Caught Lightning in a Bottle by Ty Dilello, published by Great Plains
Publications
Scofflaw by Garry Thomas Morse, published by Anvil Press
The Strangers by Katherena Vermette, published by Hamish Hamilton (an imprint of Penguin
Random House Canada)

Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book
Sponsor: The Winnipeg Foundation
Lessons in Fusion by Primrose Madayag Knazan, published by Yellow Dog (an imprint of Great
Plains Publications)
Lost on the Prairie by MaryLou Driedger, published by Heritage House Publishing
Persephone’s Children: A Life in Fragments by Rowan McCandless, published by Dundurn Press
Run As One: My Story by Errol Ranville, published by Great Plains Publications
We Are All Perfectly Fine: A Memoir of Love, Medicine and Healing by Jillian Horton, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.


John Hirsch Emerging Manitoba Writer Award /
Prix John Hirsch de l’écrivain.e émergent.e manitobain.e
Sponsor: Manitoba Foundation for the Arts
Wren Brian
Joanna Graham
Teresa Horosko
Sam K MacKinnon
Chimwemwe Undi


Lansdowne Prize for Poetry / Prix Lansdowne de poésie
Sponsor: The Winnipeg Foundation
Cattail Skyline by Joanne Epp, published by Turnstone Press
L’ivresse fragile de l’aube par Laurent Poliquin, publié par Éditions L’Harmattan
Tablet Fragments by Tamar Rubin, published by Signature Editions
The Lost Cafeteria by Joel Robert Ferguson, published by Signature Editions
The World Is Mostly Sky by Sarah Ens, published by Turnstone Press

Manuela Dias Book Design and Illustration Awards /
Prix Manuela-Dias de conception graphique et d’illustration en édition

I. Book Design / Conception de livre
Dadibaajim: Returning Home Through Narrative by Helen Olsen Agger, cover design by Mike
Carroll, interior design by Jess Koroscil, published by University of Manitoba Press
Ex Nihilo by E.D. Blodgett & J. R. Léveillé, cover & interior design by M. C. Joudrey & Matthew
Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Frame by Frame: An Animator’s Journey by Co Hoedeman, cover & interior design by M. C.
Joudrey & Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Gibbous Moon by Dennis Cooley & Michael Matthews, cover & interior design by M. C. Joudrey
& Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Spíləx̣m: A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence by Nicola I. Campbell, cover &
interior art by Carrielynn Victor, interior design by Jennifer Lum, published by HighWater Press
Warehouse Journal Volume Thirty edited by Chelsea Colburn & Teresa Lyons, design by Chelsea Colburn & Teresa Lyons, published by Warehouse Journal, Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba


II. Illustration
Category held over until 2023. / Catégorie suspendue jusqu’en 2023.


III. Children’s Illustration/ Illustration de livres pour enfants
Jigging for Halibut With Tsinii by Sara Florence Davidson & Robert Davidson, illustrations &
cover art by Janine Gibbons, design by Jennifer Lum, map by John Broadhead, published by
HighWater Press
Molly’s Magic Door by Kirstin Link, illustrations & design by Jason Doll, published by Peanut
Butter Press
The Wolf Mother by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrations & cover art by Natasha
Donovan, design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press
We Dream Medicine Dreams written & illustrated by Lisa Boivin, design by Jennifer Lum,
published by HighWater Press
You Came From My Heart by Brenlee Coates, illustrations & design by Roberta Landreth,
published by FriesenPress

Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction
Sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council
Hour of the Crab by Patricia Robertson, published by Goose Lane Editions
Prodigies by Bob Armstrong, published by Five Star (an imprint of Gale, a Cengage Company)
So Many Windings by Catherine Macdonald, published by At Bay Press
Status Update by George Toles & Cliff Eyland, published by At Bay Press
The Strangers by Katherena Vermette, published by Hamish Hamilton (an imprint of Penguin
Random House Canada)


Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher /
Prix Mary-Scorer pour le meilleur livre par un éditeur du Manitoba
Sponsor: Friesens Corporation
Coming to Canada by Starkie Mak, design by M.C. Joudrey & Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Did You See Us? Reunion, Remembrance, and Reclamation at an Urban Indian Residential
School by Survivors of the Assiniboia Indian Residential School, preface by Theodore Fontaine, edited by Andrew Woolford, design by Vincent Design, published by University of Manitoba Press
Double Wahala, Double Trouble by Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, cover design by Fred
Martins, interior design by Rachelle Painchaud-Nash, published by Griots Lounge Publishing
Canada
Jigging for Halibut With Tsinii by Sara Florence Davidson & Robert Davidson, illustrations &
cover art by Janine Gibbons, design by Jennifer Lum, map by John Broadhead, published by
HighWater Press
Spíləx̣m: A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence by Nicola I. Campbell, cover &
interior art by Carrielynn Victor, interior design by Jennifer Lum, published by HighWater Press
The Frog Mother by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrations & cover art by Natasha
Donovan, design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press

Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction
Sponsor: Manitoba Writers’ Guild, Winnipeg International Writers Festival
Alternate Plains: Stories of Prairie Speculative Fiction edited by Darren Ridgley & Adam Petrash, published by Great Plains Publications
Manistique by Craig Terlson, published by Ethelbert House
Prodigies by Bob Armstrong, published by Five Star (an imprint of Gale, a Cengage Company)
So Many Windings by Catherine Macdonald, published by At Bay Press
The Unpleasantness at the Battle of Thornford: A Father Christmas Mystery by C.C. Benison,
published by At Bay Press


McNally Robinson Book for Young People (Younger Category)
Sponsor: McNally Robinson Booksellers
Glory On Ice: A Vampire Hockey Story by Maureen Fergus, published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada)
I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillett-Sumner, published by Owlkids Books
T. Rexes Can’t Tie Their Shoes by Anna Lazowski, published by Doubleday Books for Young
Readers (an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada)
The Eagle Mother by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), published by HighWater Press

McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award
Sponsor: McNally Robinson Booksellers
Gibbous Moon by Dennis Cooley & Michael Matthews, published by At Bay Press
Life in the City of Dirty Water by Clayton Thomas-Muller, published by Allen Lane Canada (an
imprint of Penguin Random House Canada)
Out of Mind by David Bergen, published by Goose Lane Editions
Searching for Signal by Lori Cayer, published by Signature Editions
The Strangers by Katherena Vermette, published by Hamish Hamilton Canada (an imprint of
Penguin Random House Canada)
We Are All Perfectly Fine: A Memoir of Love, Medicine and Healing by Jillian Horton, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Congratulations on making the shortlist and best of luck to all nominees!

Stay tuned. Winners will be announced on June 9, 2022.

Writing Non-Fiction Presentation with Bob Chrismas

Are you interested in writing non-fiction but not certain how to get started? Bob’s presentation will help you delve into the world of nonfiction and explore:

Different types of Non-fiction

  • Are you clear on what you are writing? Is it literary non-fiction, memoir, for trade, or academic publication? Do you know the market for your work?  Bob will review and explore the different forms of non-fiction.

Writing styles and process

  • What is your process, for researching, drafting, and editing? Do you have the right tools and a winning method? Have you heard of the rule of threes and how to research for a non-fiction book? Bob will provide some winning strategies for creating high quality literature.

How to get published

  • So you have a nearly finished manuscript; what now? Bob will walk you through the publication process, from the author’s point of view, from manuscript preparation to the query letter, how to find a publisher and then work with them.

When: Sunday, July 10, 2022 at 2:00 pm
Where: 424-100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba and virtually for out-of-towners
To attend, here is the EventBrite link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/writing-non-fiction-presentation-tickets-326106071037

For more information, email

About the instructor:

Bob Chrismas, PhD, has written prolifically on justice issues, and recently tried his hand at fiction writing. Bob is a Staff Sergeant in his 31st year with the Winnipeg Police Service. He completed his Master of Public Administration (MPA) at the U. of Winnipeg and U. of Manitoba in 2009 (distinction) and Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Peace and Conflict Studies at the U. of Manitoba in 2017. Bob was awarded the University of Manitoba Distinguished Dissertation Award for his doctoral research on modern-day slavery in Canada’s criminal sex industry. Bob is married with four kids.

Bob’s publications include numerous peer-reviewed book chapters, journal and magazine articles and books on justice related topics. His first book Canadian Policing in the 21st Century: A Frontline Officer on Challenges and Changes (McGill-Queens University Press, 2013), is a widely used text on modern policing. Bob’s newest book, Sex Industry Slavery: Protecting Canada’s Youth (University of Toronto Press, 2020), provides a gut-wrenching account of sex trafficking in Canada and many tangible strategies and solutions. Bob has also co-edited collected editions including Our Shared Future: Windows into Canada’s Reconciliation Journey (Lexington, Rowman and Littlefield, 2020).

Bob’s newest book, The River of Tears (DIO Press Inc., 2021) is a literary fiction novel about a missing person case, giving deep insights into sex trafficking and Indigenous-police relations in Canada. He is also writing a memoir of his three decades in Canadian policing. Learn more about Bob and his publications and speaking events at his webpage at bchrismas.com.

Workshop – Writing for Children

Do you have an idea for a children’s book but don’t know how to get started? Whether your idea is more suitable for young readers or older, now’s the time to dust off that idea and turn it into a reality.

During this workshop, some of the topics covered will be:

– writing for a specific age group

– setting the scene

– developing characters

– developing plot

–  illustrations

Come prepared to write! Bring along writing tools so you can practice writing for children and get feedback.

About your instructor:

Susan Rocan is an educator turned writer. She has two Bachelor of Education degrees, first majoring in Speech Pathology and Audiology, then Elementary Education. Although she has always loved creative writing, she didn’t seriously start to write until her youngest began Kindergarten and she finally had some free time. She has written short stories for those in the younger grades, as well as those in Middle School. She also has two Young Adult novels, Withershins and Spirit Quest, both published by Great Plains Publications here in Winnipeg. She is now the grandmother to a ten-year-old, who continues to inspire her love for children’s literature.

When: Sunday, June 5, 2022, 2:00 pm
Where: Room 424 – 100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, as well as virtually for out-of-towners
For more details, email
EventBrite link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/writing-for-children-tickets-321507366187

Spring Writing Contest

“PHOENIX RISING!” A SPRING SHORT STORY CONTEST

The deadline has been extended to April 30th!

Despite the last few days of rough weather, (at least here in Manitoba!) that doesn’t mean we, at the Writers’ Guild, aren’t gearing up for Spring. That includes our latest short story contest.

The theme? What’s normally associated with Spring? Snow melting and nature coming out of a big sleep! The end of the old and the beginning of something new. The circle of life. What better represents that than the mythical creature of legend (and several Marvel Comics) – the Phoenix?

That’s our only theme criterion for this contest. It can be a story set at the end of time or even a romantic comedy. If it incorporates the Phoenix in some capacity, if it’s about life reborn, or about rebirth (renewal), it’s a go.

Feel free to send your manuscripts following submission guidelines (below) to . We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Submission Guidelines

Deadline: April 30th, 2022

Prize: $100 McNally Robinson Gift card
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