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, in particular, those who wrote books that were submitted to the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award – Younger Category.
Each of these online meetings will begin with a reading from the author, followed by a Q&A where participants can ask questions of the author and, in some cases, with the illustrator as well. This reading series will take place every afternoon for a couple of weeks, depending on how many writers we can get on-board. We’d like to continue the series with other local writers for children and teens, too. Anyone who would like to sign up their kids or grandkids to watch, please email the Manitoba Writers’ Guild () to receive the Zoom links and instructions.
Our first Kids Book Chat will take place on Tuesday, August 4th at 1 pm with Bill Richardson, who was the 2020 winner of the McNally Robinson Booksellers Book for Young People Award – Younger Category with his book, The Promise Basket, a lyrical story which celebrates the love between a mother and her daughter. He will be joined by his illustrator, Slavka Kolesar.
As well as winning this year’s Young People Award, former radio host, Bill Richardson, was also the winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. He has written several other highly acclaimed books for children, including The Ants Come Marching, illustrated by Cynthia Nugent and winner of the Time to Read Award; the children’s novel After Hamelin, which won the Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Award; The Alphabet Thief and The Bunny Band, both illustrated by Roxanna Bikadoroff.
Illustrator, Slavka Kolesar, has a BFA in visual studies and art history from the University of Toronto and trained as an early childhood educator. Other books she has illustrated include Ulysse by Suzanne de Serres, Le Nom de l’arbre by Stéphanie Bénéteau and Le Légende deCarcajou by Renée Robitaille, which was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award. She was chosen as the TD Summer Reading Club illustrator in 2017.
About The Promise Basket:
A stone when it’s thrown can cause damage, can break
but nothing can shatter the promise I make.
So begins the poem a mother writes on a scrap of paper. She wraps the paper around a stone and places it in a basket to give to her daughter on her first birthday. They are poor, but the mother is determined that gifts will be given when gifts need giving. She keeps her promise, and the Promise Basket, too.
Every time there is a need for gifts, the mother finds a pretty stone to tie up with paper and ribbon and gives it to her daughter in the basket. She continues the tradition over the years until her daughter has a baby of her own…
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 event. If you are a current member of the Manitoba Writers’ Guild and would like to take part in this virtual event, please email the Guild () to receive the Zoom information and let us know if you would also like to take part in the Open Mic, which will take place after Angeline’s reading and Q&A.
Angeline Schellenberg is a poet living in Treaty 1 territory (Winnipeg). Her first full-length collection, Tell Them It Was Mozart (Brick Books, 2016) received three Manitoba Book Awards and was a finalist for a ReLit Award for Poetry. In addition to publishing three new chapbooks, in 2019 she was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Arc Poetry Magazine‘s Poem of the Year. Angeline has served as Deep Bay artist-in-residence (Riding Mountain National Park), a Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program mentor, a Poetry In Voice performance judge, and host of the Speaking Crow reading series. Her second book is Fields of Light and Stone (University of Alberta Press, 2020).
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 subscribe to our channel, to which we will post clips of our Book Chats, workshop snippets and other Guild events. Onwards and upwards!
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 plot holes, the editing process, redemption (a theme in Anita’s book), getting writing grants, etc.
During the Open Mic segment, four of the seven participants read passages they wanted to share. David Cramer read from a review of Only to Sleep. Bev Greenberg shared a memory of her childhood, preparing for her uncle’s wedding. MaryLou Driedger read from her work in progress, an historical novel based on events from her father’s immigration to Canada. Barbara Lange shared a piece from her book Memories of the Moonlight Special, based on vignettes from people’s recollections of the beach train era. All readings were highly entertaining and the evening was also quite informative. It was wonderful for Anita to have the opportunity to read from her book because her launch was hampered by the pandemic.
We encourage more people to join us on July 8th at 7:00 p.m. Joan Thomas will be our Featured Reader for the third MWG Book Chat, available to members only. If you are not yet a member and wish to join, please go to our Membership page. If you are a member and wish to participate in the next Book Chat, please email the Guild office () to register and receive the Zoom information.
In case you haven’t heard of Joan Thomas, please keep reading and learn about this talented Manitoba writer:
Joan Thomas is the author of four novels: Five Wives, The Opening Sky, Curiosity, and Reading by Lightning. In 2014, Joan was the recipient of the Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Prize for a writer in mid-career, and in 2019, she was awarded the Governor General’s Award for Fiction for Five Wives. She is a former teacher and book reviewer, and she lives in Winnipeg.
*Note: Joan’s books are available at McNally Robinson Booksellers. Please support our local bookstore, which supports the Manitoba Book Awards.
Manitoba Writers’ Guild Hosts its first virtual Book Chat
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.
After an interesting question and answer session it was time to give the floor to a number of established and aspiring writers present who had indicated that they would be happy to read.
David Cramer, Andy Dutfield, Joyce Clouston, Marylou Drieger, Bev Greenberg, Gloria Moodrey
and John Hill all read something and in the case of David Cramer something that had inspired
him.
The general consensus was the Zoom platform worked well with good video and audio quality.
With the challenge of our busy lives and finding parking at the Guild’s normal venue at the
ArtSpace building it seems that this will be a more practical way of hosting these kind of events
even after the Covid-19 pandemic is behind us.
For those members who couldn’t make our first Book Chat the next one is coming up on the 10th of June.
Our featured writer will be Anita Daher.
* 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 People, the Métis Nation
by Jean Teillet, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
sponsor: Winnipeg Arts Council
* Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book
Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related.
by Jenny Heijun Wills, published by McClelland & Stewart
sponsor: Winnipeg Foundation
* John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer / Prix John-Hirsch pour l’écrivain(e) manitobain(e) le plus prometteur
Lauren Carter
sponsor: Manitoba Foundation for the Arts & Manitoba Arts Council
* Lansdowne Prize for Poetry / Prix Lansdowne de poésie
St. Boniface Elegies
by Catherine Hunter, published by Signature Editions
sponsor: Winnipeg Foundation
* Manuela Dias Design and Illustration Awards / Prix Manuela-Dias de conception graphique et d’illustration en édition
i. Book Design / Conception de livre
ROMANS/SNOWMARE
by Cam Scott, cover and interior design by LOKI, published by ARP Books
ii. Children’s Illustration / Illustration de livres pour enfant
The Grizzly Mother (Book Two, Mothers of Xsan)
by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrations and cover art by Natasha Donovan,
cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience,
published by HighWater Press, an imprint of Portage & Main Press
iii. General Illustration / Illustration et iconographie
Portraits of the Far North
by Gerald Kuehl, art by Gerald Kuehl, design by Dave Maddocks, published by Vidacom Publications
* Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction
This Has Nothing to Do with You
by Lauren Carter, published by Freehand Books
sponsor: Manitoba Arts Council
* Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher / Prix Mary-Scorer pour le meilleur livre par un éditeur du Manitoba
This Place: 150 Years Retold
edited and published by HighWater Press, an imprint of Portage & Main Press,
cover art by Natasha Donovan, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience
sponsor: Friesens
* McNally Robinson Book of the Year
This Place: 150 Years Retold
edited and published by HighWater Press, an Imprint of Portage & Main Press,
cover art by Natasha Donovan, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience
sponsor: McNally Robinson Booksellers
* McNally Robinson Book for Young People: Younger Category
The Promise Basket
by Bill Richardson, illustrated by Slavka Kolesar,
published by Groundwood Books
sponsor: McNally Robinson Booksellers
* Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction
Operation Stealth Seed
by George Amabile, published by Signature Editions
sponsors: Manitoba Writers’ Guild, Prairie Fire, Winnipeg International Writers Festival
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 which we are truly grateful.
All members can participate – and it’s free!
Sign-up in advance, via emails to the Guild (), to receive the on-line invites to join the Zoom meetings. Please let us know if you would also like to read something during the Open Mic segment.
Our first chat occurred on May 13, 7:00 pm and featured Margaret Sweatman.
In case you have not met Margaret Sweatman, here are some things you should know:
Margaret Sweatman is a novelist, playwright, poet, and performer (vocalist and harmonica). Her plays have been produced by Prairie Theatre Exchange, Popular Theatre Alliance and the Guelph Spring Festival. She has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and the National Academy Orchestra, as well as with her own Broken Songs Band and other new music ensembles. Her stories and poetry are published in Prairie Fire, The Fiddlehead, Contemporary Verse 2 and elsewhere. Margaret’s writing has won the Rogers Writers Trust Award for Fiction, the Carol Shields Award, the Margaret Laurence Award, the McNally Robinson Award, and the Sunburst Award.
NOVELS:
(To purchase any novel by Margaret go to your favourite bookstore or use the links below.)
Mr. Jones (Goose Lane 2014)
“Prose as lyrical and transparent as Ondaatje, as political astute and fiercely clear-eyed as Didion. “
— Lisa Moore, author of February and Caught
The Players (Goose Lane 2009)
“… magical … a wonderfully humourous tale ….”
— Andrew Armitage, The Sun Times
When Alice Lay Down with Peter (Knopf 2001)
“… hurtles forward with wit and vitality, deeply satisfying and inspiring.”
— Charlotte Gray, The National Post
Sam and Angie (Turnstone Press 1996)
… gripping … the elegance, precision, and beauty with which the story is told.”
— Letters in Canada, 1996
Fox (Turnstone Press 1992, reissued 2017)
“… an utterly brilliant novel … both intimate and epic.”
— The Globe and Mail
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 share the shortlists for 11 separate awards recognizing excellence in Manitoba writing, book design, and publishing. Congratulations to all the nominees!
As the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic weigh down upon us, we’re seeing artists reach out online to keep us grounded and to lift our spirits. It’s our turn to repay that favour.
Starting today, we will be spotlighting and celebrating these terrific local books—and the writers, publishers, and designers who make them happen—on our social media channels (FB: Manitoba Book Awards, Insta: @mbbookawards). Please connect with us there, then amplify those posts and create some of your own.
The pandemic means we will have to forego the gala celebration scheduled for Friday, May 15, but we will announce the winners of all the awards via media release and social media that day at 10:00am.
(Reminder: All titles are available through McNally Robinson Booksellers, who continue to provide both delivery and curb-side pickup.)
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DETAILS ON ALL ELEVEN AWARDS.
The Manitoba Book Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba coalition—Association of Manitoba Book Publishers, Manitoba Writers Guild, Winnipeg International Writers Festival, and Winnipeg Public Library—is grateful to the award sponsors for their on-going support:
· Friesens Corporation
· Manitoba Arts Council
· Manitoba Foundation for the Arts
· McNally Robinson Booksellers
· Prairie Fire Press
· Winnipeg Arts Council, with funding from the City of Winnipeg
· The Winnipeg Foundation
· Winnipeg International Writers Festival
FRENCH
De la part de la coalition qui produit Les Prix du livre du Manitoba/Manitoba Book Awards 2020, nous sommes ravis de partager la présélection pour les 11 prix distincts reconnaissant l’excellence dans l’écriture manitobaine, la mise en page et l’édition. Félicitations à tous les finalistes!
Alors que les défis de la pandémie de COVID-19 pèsent sur nous, nous sommes émus par le déploiement d’initiatives en ligne menées par des artistes pour nous aider à maintenir le calme et le moral. C’est maintenant à nous de leur rendre la pareille.
À partir d’aujourd’hui, nous mettrons en vedette et nous célébrerons ces livres locaux magnifiques, et les auteures, auteurs, éditrices, éditeurs, conceptrices et concepteurs qui les produisent dans nos réseaux sociaux (FB: Manitoba Book Awards, Insta: @mbbookawards). Veuillez-vous brancher, amplifier ces publications et en créer vos propres.
La pandémie nous pousse à renoncer à la célébration gala prévue pour le vendredi 15 mai, mais nous annoncerons les lauréates et lauréats de chacun des onze prix via un communiqué de presse et nos réseaux sociaux ce jour-là à 10h.
(Rappel: Tous les titres sont disponibles chez McNally Robinson Booksellers, qui continue d’offrir un service de livraison et de collecte à la porte du magasin.)
POUR UNE LISTE DES CANDIDATS SUR LES ONZE PRIX, VEUILLEZ DÉFILER VERS LE BAS.
La coalition Manitoba Book Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba—Association of Manitoba Book Publishers, Manitoba Writers Guild, Winnipeg International Writers Festival et La Bibliothèque publique de Winnipeg—sont reconnaissants envers les commanditaires des prix de la coalition Manitoba Book Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba pour leur soutien continu :
· Friesens Corporation
· Manitoba Arts Council
· Manitoba Foundation for the Arts
· McNally Robinson Booksellers
· Prairie Fire Press
· Winnipeg Arts Council, avec des financements de City of Winnipeg
· The Winnipeg Foundation
· Winnipeg International Writers Festival
For more information on the Manitoba Book Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba:
Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction / Prix Alexander-Kennedy-Isbister pour les études et essais
Don Proch: Masking and Mapping by Patricia Bovey, published by University of Manitoba Press
Friends, Foes, and Furs: George Nelson’s Lake Winnipeg Journals, 1804–1822, edited by Harry W. Duckworth, published by McGill-Queen’s University Press
Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related., by Jenny Heijun Wills, published by McClelland & Stewart
Radical Housewives: Price Wars and Food Politics in Mid-Twentieth-Century Canada, by Julie Guard, published by University of Toronto Press
Radical Medicine: The International Origins of Socialized Health Care in Canada by Esyllt W. Jones, published by ARP Books
Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award / Prix Littéraire Carol-Shields De La Ville De Winnipeg
All That Belongs by Dora Dueck, published by Turnstone Press
Communal Solidarity: Immigration, Settlement, and Social Welfare in Winnipeg’s Jewish Community, 1882–1930 by Arthur Ross, published by University of Manitoba Press
Perception: A Photo Series by KC Adams, published by HighWater Press (an Imprint of Portage & Main Press)
The North-West Is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel’s People, the Métis Nation, by Jean Teillet, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Treed: Walking in Canada’s Urban Forests by Ariel Gordon, published by Wolsak and Wynn Publishers
Eileen Mctavish Sykes Award for First Book
The Accidental Veterinarian: Tales from a Pet Practice by Philipp Schott, published by ECW Press
Even that Wildest Hope by Seyward Goodhand, published by Invisible Publishing
Moon Was a Feather by Scott Nolan, published by The Muses’ Company, an imprint of J. Gordon Shillingford Publishers
Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related., by Jenny Heijun Wills, published by McClelland & Stewart
Perception: A Photo Series by KC Adams, published by HighWater Press (an Imprint of Portage & Main Press)
John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Writer / Prix John-Hirsch pour l’écrivaine ou l’écrivain manitobain le plus prometteur
Lauren Carter
Christopher Ducharme
JH Moncrieff
Lansdowne Prize for Poetry / Prix Lansdowne de poésie
Adagio for the Horizon by Laurelyn Whitt, published by Signature Editions
Mrs. Romanov by Lori Cayer, published by The Porcupine’s Quill
Pressure Cooker Love Bomb by Sharanpal Ruprai, published by Frontenac House Ltd.
St. Boniface Elegies by Catherine Hunter, published by Signature Editions
Manuela Dias Design and Illustration Awards / Prix Manuela-Dias de conception graphique et d’illustration en édition
Book Design / Conception de livre
Carnet brûlé (du monde qui crie) par Marilyne Busque-Dubois, maquette de couverture et mise en page par Urbanink, publié par Les Éditions du Blé
Fanonymous by M.C. Joudrey, illustrations, cover and interior design by M. C. Joudrey and Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Romans/Snowmare by Cam Scott, cover and interior design by LOKI, published by ARP Books
What Fox Knew by Mary Barnes, cover art by M. C. Joudrey, cover and interior design by M. C. Joudrey and Matthew Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Children’s Illustrated Category / Illustration de livres pour enfant
123 Count with Me: Exploring Nature with Numbers by Jessie Thiessen, illustrations and design by Jessie Thiessen, published by Small Jane
Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock by Dallas Hunt, illustrations and cover design by Amanda Strong, interior design by Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press (an Imprint of Portage & Main Press)
The Grizzly Mother (Book Two, Mother of Xsan) by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrations and cover art by Natasha Donovan, cover and interior design Relish New Brand Experience, published by HighWater Press (an Imprint of Portage & Main Press)
General Illustration / Illustration et iconographie
Don Proch: Masking and Mapping by Patricia Bovey, cover and interior design by Frank Reimer, published by University of Manitoba Press
Place into Being by Robert Pasternak, illustrations and cover art by Robert Pasternak, cover and interior design by M. C. Joudrey and Matt Stevens, published by At Bay Press
Portraits of the Far North by Gerald Kuehl, art by Gerald Kuehl, design by Dave Maddocks, published by Vidacom Publications
Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction
Elizabeth of Bohemia: A Novel about Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen by David Elias, published by ECW Press
Even That Wildest Hope by Seyward Goodhand, published by Invisible Publishing
Fanonymous by M. C. Joudrey, published by At Bay Press
Five Wives by Joan Thomas, published by Harper Avenue, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
This Has Nothing to Do with You by Lauren Carter, published by Freehand Books
Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher / Prix Mary-Scorer pour le meilleur livre par un éditeur du Manitoba
Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity by Darryl Leroux, cover design by David Drummond, interior design by Jess Koroscil, published by University of Manitoba Press
Don’t Try this at Home:One Family’s (mis)Adventures Around the World by Daria Salamon and Rob Krause, cover and interior design by Jamis Paulson, published by Turnstone Press.
Nitinikiau Innusi: I Keep the Land Alive, by Tshaukuesh Elizabeth Penashue, cover and interior design by Vincent Design Inc., published by University of Manitoba Press
This Place: 150 Years Retold, edited and published by HighWater Press (an Imprint of Portage & Main Press), cover art by Natasha Donovan, cover and interior design by Relish New Brand Experience
McNally Robinson Book for Young People: Younger Category
123 Count with Me: Exploring Nature with Numbers, text and illustrations by Jessie Thiessen, published by Small Jane
Dinosaur Rodeo text and illustrations by Sheldon Dawson, published by Peanut Butter Press
Entawi Kiskinomakawiyan by Pauline Apetagon, published by Goldrock Press
The Grizzly Mother (Book Two, Mother of Xsan) by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrations and cover art by Natasha Donovan, published by HighWater Press (an Imprint of Portage & Main Press)
The Promise Basket by Bill Richardson, illustrated by Slavka Kolesar, published by Groundwood Books
McNally Robinson Book of the Year
Five Wives by Joan Thomas, published by Harper Avenue, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related., by Jenny Heijun Wills, published by McClelland & Stewart
Perception: A Photo Series by KC Adams, published by HighWater Press (an Imprint of Portage & Main Press)
Radical Medicine: The International Origins of Socialized Health Care in Canada by Esyllt W. Jones, published by ARP Books
St. Boniface Elegies by Catherine Hunter, published by Signature Editions
This Place: 150 Years Retold, edited and published by HighWater Press (an Imprint of Portage & Main Press)
Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction
A Land so Wild by Elyssa Warkentin, published by Carnation Books
Another Spy for Paris by Robert J. Young, published by Signature Editions
Operation Stealth Seed by George Amabile, published by Signature Editions
Ride to Daylight by Alyssa Thiessen, published by Peasantry Press
In light of the COVID -19 situation, the ArtSpace building is closed to the public. As a result the Manitoba Writers’ Guild will be conducting our business virtually by monitoring and responding to emails only, There will not be anybody in the office to answer phone inquiries. All scheduled events will be postponed until further notice.
We will begin accepting submissions to the Manitoba Book Awards in September with a deadline being in mid-November. For further information, go to https://manitobabookawards.com/index.php/en/
We will also be accepting applications for Mentors and Apprentices to the Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program, beginning in September with the deadline for applications being November 30, 2020. For further information, go to the Mentorship page of this website.
All our programming will be delayed because of the current health crisis.
Angeline Schellenberg is a poet living in Treaty 1 territory (Winnipeg). Her first full-length collection, Tell Them It Was Mozart (Brick Books, 2016) received three Manitoba Book Awards and was a finalist for a ReLit Award for Poetry. In addition to publishing three new chapbooks, in 2019 she was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Arc Poetry Magazine‘s Poem of the Year. Angeline has served as Deep Bay artist-in-residence (Riding Mountain National Park), a Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program mentor, a Poetry In Voice performance judge, and host of the Speaking Crow reading series. Her second book is Fields of Light and Stone (University of Alberta Press, 2020).
