June 25, 2025
by Steve Oetting Do you yearn for a story of suspense and intrigue that grabs you within the first few paragraphs and never lets go? If so, Marjorie DeLuca, under the pen name M. M. DeLuca, offers a myriad of novels that might be the answer to appease your unsated thirst. Here is an excerpt from the second page of her most recent novel, The Divorce Party. In just a few short paragraphs, Ms. DeLuca …
June 5, 2025
By Sharon Hamilton The email below flew from Ottawa into my inbox within an hour of the end of the Dave Reception. It was a perfect encapsulation of the evening from our first prize winner, Amber Fenik. Thank you so much for the wonderful news tonight! I’m honoured! I felt overwhelmed and shocked in the moment, but I loved hearing excerpts from the other writers’ stories. I was also impressed by this hybrid event. I …
May 27, 2025
by Steve Oetting The intriguing story depicted in Madison Kehler’s historical fiction novel, Journey of Hope, transports us back to 1915 to the Pale of Settlement, an exclusive zone in the western Russian Empire where Jews were allowed to live at that time. The expression “beyond the pale” was derived from folks emigrating out of that area, mostly to eastern Europe, which is exactly what Madison’s main character intends to do. Her reading of Chapter …
May 27, 2025
by Jenna Brignoly The spring book launches continued on April 27 with a stunning new collection of poetry and photography titled Beyond the Gate: Poetry and Photography by Doug Jordan and Sidney Shapira. As always, Jessica Smithies did a wonderful job creating a welcoming environment and facilitating discussion afterwards. Sydney Shapira was joined by his wife in greeting guests and offered refreshments to all. Co-author Doug Jordan was unable to attend the reading. Nevertheless, Shapira …
May 20, 2025
The short list for the 2025 Rabindranath Tagore Poetry Competition has been announced. The nominated works are: The finalists and winners will be celebrated during the Rabindranath Tagore Poetry Competition Awards Ceremony on Friday, June 6, 2025, at 7 p.m. in the Video Pool at Artspace, 100 Arthur St. Please RSVP by June 2 to attend.
May 13, 2025
Fifteen Poets from across Manitoba have been longlisted for the 2025 Rabindranath Tagore Poetry Competition. The list of poets in alphabetical order are: The longlist was selected from 34 submissions, and we thank our preliminary judges, including Josiah Neufeld, Yelani Peiris, and Paul Morris, for their notable work. The shortlist will be announced shortly, and the winners will be announced at a reception on Friday, June 6, 2025. — Christiane Dunia
May 2, 2025
Choosing the best among many good stories is not so straightforward a task as one might imagine. Our three lead judges, Michael Hutchinson, Zilla Jones, and Mitchell Toews engaged in energetic discussions focusing on the craft of writing and the elements of fiction, ultimately deciding on the following seven stories for our shortlist. The finalists for “The Dave” 2025 are:(in alphabetical order) “The Opposite of Comforting” by Agata Antonow (Hamilton)“Tides” by Amber Fenik (Ottawa)“Chaiwali” by Sarah Israr (Toronto)“Wild …
May 1, 2025
By barb janes Against the stereotype of the lonely writer pecking away at a keyboard in some dreary attic, the Manitoba Writers’ Guild Critique Circles offer great community with fellow wordsmiths, and opportunity to share work. More, the Circles also expect participants to read the submissions of other writers and offer feedback. As a participant, I take notes of feedback offered…but, as I’m churning out the first draft of a novel (vomit edition!), I’m squirrelling …
April 18, 2025
We are thrilled to announce the longlist for this year’s David Williamson National Short Story Competition (aka “The Dave”). We received 125 entries, a steady growth over our first year with 96 entries, once again ranging from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. The judges have been busy reading this diverse range of stories and have made their selection. Names of the authors are being withheld until the short list is announced, but scan these tantalizing …
April 7, 2025
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 …
