May 2026 Controversy at Noon: Is an online presence vital for today's writers by Writers' Guild of Alberta

2026 Alberta Literary Awards finalists online reading by Writers' Guild of Alberta

February 2026 Controversy at Noon: Are Children’s Writers the Ultimate Freedom Fighters? by Writers' Guild of Alberta

November 2025 Controversy at Noon: The Things They Never Told Me About Publishing by Writers' Guild of Alberta

Book banning across the country continues to concern the Canadian literary community, especially in Alberta where certain books are slated to be pulled from school shelves this Fall. What do these types of bans mean for writers and for readers, now and in the coming months? Years? What calls to action might help prevent the banning of books in the future? Join our panelists and experts as they explore the ramifications of banned books and more this August. The Panelists Gail de Vos Storyteller, author, librarian and educator, Gail de Vos has been an active promoter of the oral tradition of literature in Alberta for over three decades. Gail teaches courses on storytelling as well as courses on Canadian Children’s Literature, Indigenous Literature for Young Readers, Comic Books and Graphic Novels at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Library and Information Studies. Gail is the author of ten award winning resource books on storytelling and folklore in popular culture intended for educators working with students in Grade 6 and above as well as numerous guest chapters on comic books and graphic novels, storytelling, monsters, and folklore in popular culture for academic monographs. While her specialty is telling contemporary legends to young and not so young adults, she is equally at ease telling stories to young audiences. She is an active champion for intellectual freedom in her storytelling, writing, course material, and on social media. http://storytellerdevos.com/ Ira Wells Ira Wells is a writer and associate professor of literature at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, and the President of PEN Canada. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Globe and Mail, Guardian, The New Republic, and many other venues. His most recent book is On Book Banning. He lives in Toronto with his wife and children. You can find him at Unacknowledged Legislation on Substack. Peter Midgley Peter Midgley is the author of several books of poetry, children’s literature, non-fiction, and plays. He has received national and international recognition as a writer and editor. His latest book, let us not think of them as barbarians, is an elegy for Namibia, the country of his birth, and a meditation on the multiple legacies of colonialism. His scholarship includes investigations into the relationship between writing, publishing and ideology, and he has spoken internationally on the subjects of censorship and writing as resistance. https://www.midgley.ca/ Malcolm Azania Malcolm Azania (Minister Faust) is an award-winning novelist, award-winning print journalist, radio host-producer, television host and associate producer, sketch comedy writer, video game writer, playwright, and poet. He has spoken and taught workshops widely. ministerfaust.com

The current trade war between the United States and Canada–including tariffs focused on the book and publishing industry– has people thinking about buying products made in Canada and supporting local companies that keep our money in Canada. With Canadians paying closer attention to how our money is spent, is there now a fresh opportunity to get the word out there about reading books authored by Canadian writers that are also published in Canada? Join our group of panelists as they consider the potential for upward trends in buying local, and the impact the current climate could have on the Canadian literary scene and publishing industry overall. Laura Rock Gaughan – Panelist Laura Rock Gaughan serves as the executive director of the Literary Press Group of Canada (LPG), a national arts service organization that supports Canadian-owned literary publishers and promotes the growth of Canadian literary culture through All Lit Up and many other projects. She’s also a writer, with fiction and essays published in Canadian, Irish, and US journals and anthologies. Her first book, MOTHERISH, is a short story collection published by Turnstone Press. Jay Millar – Panelist Jay Millar is the co-owner and co-publisher of Book*hug Press, a Toronto-based independent literary publisher working at the forefront of contemporary book culture. He currently sits on the board of the Ontario Book Publishing Organization as Treasurer. Jay operates a secret bookstore called Apollinaire’s Bookshoppe, specializing in the books that no one wants to buy, and is the author of seven collections of poetry, the most recent of which is I Could Have Pretended to be Better than You: New and Selected Poems. Katie Lafreniere – Panelist Katie Lafreniere is an Assistant Professor of marketing at the University of Alberta. She has a MSc in management and PhD in business. She studies language and communication, both among consumers (e.g., product reviews) and between consumers and firms (e.g., how managers should respond to reviews). Her research has been featured in Harvard Business Review, CBC, and the Wall Street Journal. Hazel Millar – Panelist Hazel Millar is the co-owner and co-publisher of Book*hug Press, a Canadian independent literary publisher working at the forefront of contemporary book culture. Hazel has been working in the publishing industry since 2009. In addition to her work at Book*hug Press, she is the Past Chair of the Board of the Literary Press Group of Canada and sits on several publishing-industry boards and advisory committees. She lives in Toronto with her husband, Jay Millar (aka the other half of Book*hug Press), their sons, and a cool, diva calico cat named Tess.

Alberta Literary Awards Finalists Online Reading by Writers' Guild of Alberta

Please join us for a virtual conversation with Kit Dobson and David A. Robertson for Freedom to Read Week. The authors will discuss the importance of intellectual freedom, and share their own experiences with writing, teaching, and reading banned and/or challenged books. About the Speakers: David A. Robertson is the author of When We Were Alone (2017 Governor General’s Literary Award), The Barren Grounds (2020 Governor General’s Literary Award finalist), and Back Water, winner of the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction and the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg. Kit Dobson is a professor in the Department of English at the University of Calgary. His book Field Notes on Listening was one of the CBC’s top non-fiction titles of 2022. His first novel, We Are Already Ghosts, was released in spring 2024. In the fall semester of the 2024-2025 academic year, he taught a course on banned and challenged books that will inform his comments for this discussion.

Controversy at Noon: Writers Against AI by Writers' Guild of Alberta

Expanding on our September Controversy @ Noon discussion, which focused on traditional publishing vs self-publishing, our December panel will address questions WGA members and fellow literary folks submitted on the topic. Panelists will also have the opportunity to share their views, insights, and experiences with self-publishing, traditional publishing, and/or hybrid publishing. Submitting Questions: Our December panel will be pre-recorded, but in an effort to keep things interactive, we would love for you to send any topic-related questions you have to Ashley Mann at [email protected]. We will have our panelists answer your questions – and more – during their discussion. We will be accepting one question/submission per person, and we will attempt to cover as many questions as possible during the panel discussion. Questions should be submitted no later than November 22, 2024 Moderator: Barb Howard Panelists: Naomi K. Lewis, Charlene Carr, and Jaima Fixsen About The Panelists Jaima Fixsen Jaima Fixsen is a USA Today and International best-selling author living and writing in Edmonton. Her novel, The Girl In His Shadow (co-authored under the pen name Audrey Blake), was selected as Libby’s 2022 Big Library Read, and has been translated into eight languages. Jaima studied Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta, and her experiences learning anatomy and dissecting cadavers began her fascination with the history of medical science, which often figures in her stories. Her debut crime novel, The Specimen, released this year. Jaima still works in health care supporting children with disabilities and their families. She loves history, snow, reading, snow, mountains and snow. And Diet Coke. Website: http://jaimafixsen.com/ Instagram: @byjaimafixsen Barb Howard Barb Howard has published five books and more than 50 short stories and essays in magazines, journals, and anthologies across Canada. She has been President of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, Writer-in-Residence for the Calgary Public Library, editor of FreeFall Magazine, and a board member for Calgary Arts Development. Barb is currently a mentor in the Newcomer Arts Professional Program operated by the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation. Website: www.barbhoward.ca Facebook: @barb.howard.50115 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barb-howard-ab542120/ Charlene Carr Charlene Carr studied literature at university, attaining both a BA and MA in English, including a study program at Oxford. She has independently published nine novels and her first agented novel, Hold My Girl, sold to HarperCollins Canada, Sourcebooks Landmark (US), Welbeck Publishing (UK) and Alma Littera (Lithuania). It was named one of the Best Books of 2023 by CBC Books, was an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Literature and Fiction, was shortlisted for both the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Dartmouth Book Award, and has been optioned for adaptation to the screen. Charlene received grants from Arts Nova Scotia and Canada Council for the Arts to write and revise her most recent novel, We Rip The World Apart, and is working on her next book. She lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with her husband and young daughters. Instagram: @charlenecarrauthor Facebook: @charlenecarrwritinglife (Charlene Carr – Writing Life) Naomi K. Lewis Naomi K. Lewis writes fiction and nonfiction, and also works as an editor, currently at Freehand Books. Instagram: @na.oh.mee Facebook: Naomi K. Lewis Website: https://www.naomiklewis.com/