Programs & Services: AGM & Conference

The Writers Guild of Alberta hosts their AGM in conjunction with a writer's conference each year. 

Registrations for our 2011 Conference is now closed. Information on the 2012 conference will be posted in April/May of 2012.

June 10 - 12, 2011

Calgary, Alberta

Palliser Hotel

133 9th Avenue SW

and

W.R. Castell Central Library

616 Macleod Trail SE

 

To Register

Download our Registration Form

or

Visit http://wga30years.eventbrite.com

The Writers Guild of Alberta is pleased to present our 2011 Conference marking the 30th anniversary of the largest provincial writing organization in Canada! We’re planning three days full of interactive panels, workshops, and lectures on the theme of Writing the History, Inscribing the Future, plus Blue Pencil Cafés, speed networking and pitch sessions, the WGA Annual General Meeting, and the 2011 Alberta Book Awards Gala on the night of Saturday, June 11, presented with the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. Come join us for this opportunity for Alberta writers at all stages of their writing life to mingle, learn, discuss, and party!

Conference activities will be presented at Calgary’s Fairmont Palliser Hotel (133 9th Avenue SW) and the W.R. Castell Central Library (616 Macleod Trail SE). The 2011 Alberta Literary Awards Gala will take place at the Calgary Zoo in the Safari Room (1300 Zoo Road NE).

Complete descriptions of sessions and events are listed below.  For more information, contact our office at 1-800-665-5354 or at mail@writersguild.ab.ca.

Registration Packages

Full Weekend Conference Registration

The entire package! Full registration includes Alberta Book Awards Gala admission, four breakout sessions, first-come, first-served access to bonus activities and access to all other events.

WGA Member Rate: $260.00

Non-member Rate: $320.00 (includes a one-year WGA membership)

NEW! Student Rate: $235.00 (includes a free membership to first-time members)

Conference Activities Only

Won't be able to make the Saturday night Gala? Knock the price of Gala admission off your registration and come for the Conference activities only. Conference Only registration includes four breakout sessions, first-come, first-served access to bonus activities, and access to all other Conference events.

WGA Member Rate: $200.00

Non-member Rate: $260.00 (includes a one-year WGA membership)

NEW! Student Rate: $175.00 (includes a free membership to first-time members)

Gala Only

Interested in just the 2011 Alberta Book Awards Gala, or want to bring guest to the Saturday night festivities? Indvidual Gala admissions are available!

$60.00 per person

How to Register

Download PDF registration form

Or

Register online at http://wga30years.eventbrite.com

Or

Call the WGA office at 780.422.8174 or 1.800.665.5354 (toll free Alberta)

Deadline for registration is June 3, 2011, at 2:00 pm!

Looking for accommodation for the conference?

Feel free to secure your accommodations at the Fairmont Palliser. The hotel is offering a group discount rate for WGA conference attendees who wish to stay at the hotel for the nights of June 10th and June 11th. Visit

https://resweb.passkey.com/go/writersguild or call the Fairmont’s Reservations Department at 403-260-1230 or 1-800-441-1414 and give them the following ID #(WRIT0611) to access the group discount rate. (Good for single and double occupancy)

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CONFERENCE INFORMATION

Click here for biography information on this year's line-up!

FRIDAY, JUNE 10

PALLISER HOTEL

Check-in, Registration & Confirmations

4:30-7:00pm

Welcome Address & Panel Discussion

Made in Alberta—Now and Then

7:00-8:15pm

Join us for a welcome address on the role of the writer in the greater community with past WGA president, Aritha van Herk, followed by a panel discussion featuring past and current WGA presidents—Rudy Wiebe, Alice Major, Fred Stenson, George Melnyk, Patricia MacQuarrie and Blaine Newton.  What does our history tell us about the literary future of Alberta, and what does it mean to be an Alberta writer in 2011?

WGA 30th Birthday Party Celebration

8:15-11:00pm

The WGA is turning 30!  Join us for a celebratory reception, a slice of cake, some entertainment and an opportunity meet, greet and socialize with your literary friends.

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SATURDAY, JUNE 11

PALLISER HOTEL

Check-in, Registration & Confirmations

Book Sale Table

9:00 am-4:00 pm

Show your support for local writers by purchasing a book(s)! This might be a great chance to get your book signed by any one of the number of authors who will be at the conference.  

Keynote Address by Marina Endicott

The Writing Life, and How Did I Get Here?

9:30-10:30 am

Preceding the AGM, join us for coffee and a keynote address with Alberta author, Marina Endicott. Marina’s second novel, Good to a Fault, won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, Canada/Caribbean region and was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.  Her new novel, The Little Shadows, follows a vaudeville sister act touring the prairies in 1912. It will be published by Doubleday this fall.

 

Writers Guild of Alberta

Annual General Meeting

10:30-12:00 pm

WGA members are invited to take part in the Annual General Meeting. Meet the Board of Directors, hear what the WGA has accomplished in the past year, elect new Board members and find out what the WGA is planning in the future.

Lunch Buffet

12:00-1:00 pm

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CONCURRENT TO BREAKOUT SESSIONS – 1:00-5:00 pm 

Speed Networking

1:00-4:00pm

Meet the industry insiders who can help you with specific publishing and/or copyright questions. Please sign up for your chosen networking slot—a time limit of 15 minutes per chat will be allotted.

Dustin Smith	Publisher	Recliner Books
Debbie Elicksen	Self-Publishing Expert	Self Publishing 101
Wayne Logan	Entertainment and Copyright Lawyer	Field Law
Lynn Fraser &	Managing Editor	Freefall Magazine
Micheline Maylor	Editor	Freefall Magazine
Susan Toy	Marketing	Alberta Books Canada
Lyn Cadence	Marketing/Publicity	Frontenac House
Marion Vitrac	Grants	ACDI Grant

 

Author Headshot Photos

1:00- 5:00pm

If you’re looking for a headshot picture to be used in portfolios, events, websites, promotional material or for your forthcoming book, these are the people you want to see. ArtLine Photography professionals will be on hand snapping fabulous portraits for $80—this includes the session fee and your choice of one retouched photo (not chosen at the session), with three digital images to choose from. To look at  photographer Tula Edmund's portfolio, visit http://www.artlinephotography.com/  Please sign up for your session before the conference. 

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BREAKOUT SESSIONS - 1:00-2:00pm

Festivus Time!

1:00-2:00pm

What role do festivals play in publishing, bookselling and writer’s careers? Join the team behind WordFest to hear about the year-long process of building a writers’ festival and how books are selected. The team will share submission tips for writers and how the literary festival is one of the best ways to promote your book regionally, nationally and internationally.

Featuring: Jo Steffens, Director; Mary Kapusta, Marketing Manager; Anne Logan, Artistic Associate. Moderated by Leslie Greentree.

 

Walking the Line; Writing for Young Readers— YA and Children's Lit

1:00-2:00pm

What are the writing guidelines for children’s books? How about the key differences between a middle grade and a YA novel? Or just what, exactly, appeals to teen readers and how do you tailor your writing and market it to them?  This panel of published children’s authors will provide you with some valuable insight into the realm of children’s literature.

Featuring Children’s Authors: Dianne Linden, Glen Huser, Judith Graves, Hazel Hutchins.

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BREAKOUT SESSIONS - 2:15-3:15pm

Writers and the Social Network: Twitter, Facebook & Blogs, Oh My!

2:15-3:15pm

Applicable to all writers of all genres! What is social networking? Do I really have to have an online presence as a writer? Why? Are these mediums really that important to my career? How will using social media expand my readership? Can I generate revenue from a blog? An interactive workshop with social networking guru, Shannon Bowen-Kelsick.

Screenwriting, Take One with Geo Takach

2:15-3:15pm

Ever wonder how your writing would play onscreen? With Alberta Screenwriter Geo Takach, discover seven essential ingredients of a successful screenplay, and ways to deploy your wonderful words on a visual canvas. Come away with some inspiration and a nifty list of resources. Warning: this presentation may contain the words “art” and “money” in the same sentence!

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BREAKOUT SESSIONS - 3:30-4:30pm   

On Truth, Genre Crossover

3:30-4:30pm 

A discussion of “truth” as it applies to nonfiction, poetry, fiction and drama. How can writers develop, strengthen and stay true to their intended voice, idea and style?

Featuring: Incoming CPL Writer-in-Residence, Naomi Lewis; playwright and author, Clem Martini, novelist Suzette Mayr and nonfiction author Myrna Kostash. Moderated by Peter Oliva.

 

Getting Published: A Workshop with Freehand Books

3:30-4:30pm  

This workshop covers manuscript development, agents, selecting an appropriate publisher, assembling a submission package, cover letters, the consideration process (both general and specific to Freehand), working with an editor, the production process, marketing and timelines (festivals, reading series, media pitches, review mailings, etc.) and what YOU can do to help your publicist later (websites, social media, contact lists).

Featuring Managing Editor, Sarah Ivany and Acquiring Editor, Robyn Read

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ALBERTA LITERARY AWARDS GALA – 6:00–11:00 pm

Don your best attire and get ready to kick up your heals at this year’s 29th annual Alberta Literary Awards presentation. Come socialize, enjoy a delicious meal, listen to an engaging speaker and watch the awards presentations. Oh what a night it will be!

Cocktails

6:00–6:45pm

Dinner

6:45 -8:30 pm

Keynote Speaker and Award Presentations

Keynote Speaker: Brenda Finley

Hosted by CKUA's Ken Davis

8:30pm -11:00pm

 

2011 Alberta Book Awards Gala Sponsors

Bronze Donors:

Shenaaz Nanji

If you are interested in becoming a gala sponsor this year, please contact Nicholas Mather

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SUNDAY, JUNE 12

W.R. CASTELL CENTRAL LIBRARY

BREAKOUT SESSIONS – 10:00-12:15 pm  

 

How to Seek (And Possibly Find) Grant Support for Your Writing

10:00 - 12:15

 

Stephen Williams and Weyman Chan will discuss a wide variety of topics related to grants for writers.  Broad themes will include finding the right program to apply to, making useful and productive contact with the grantor, presentation and grant writing tips, as well as final reporting.  A panel of past grant adjudicators will join Stephen for the later part of the session to share their experience on the Jury side of the granting process.

 

To The Archives! Get the Facts First—Distort Them Later with Brian Brennan & Calgary Public Library’s History Experts

10:00-12:15 pm 

A presentation and guided tour of CPL’s local history collection with author Brian Brennan and Community Heritage and Family History experts, Carolyn Ryder and Christine Hayes. This session will explore the best ways of researching for journalism, memoir, historical fiction, biographies and just about any project in need of insight and inspiration from the past.

Blue Pencil Cafe

10:00-12:15 pm 

Meet one-on-one with an established author! Ask questions about publishing, chat about the literary life and/or discuss your ideas for articles, books or other projects; ask questions on queries, submissions and more. The Blue Pencil Café will feature a number of authors who write in different genres—choose the author that best suits your work!

Todd Babiak	Fiction/Nonfiction
Lee Kvern	Fiction/Nonfiction
David van Belle	Drama/Play/Screenwriting
Leah Bailly	Short Nonfiction
Jane Cawthorne	Short Fiction
Alice Major	Poetry
Glen Huser	Children's Literature

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Farewell Lunch and Open Mic

12:30-2:30

After check-out or following your morning session at the Library, join us for a farewell lunch and open mic!  Venue details and open-mic sign-up information will be available on the WGA website and publicized in Write Click as soon as possible—stay tuned for updates.