Literary arts

ART/Work Professional Development Session: Help us, help you!
Developing Your EPK (Electronic Press Kit) with John Wort-Hannam
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 6:30 - 7:45 pm
In Person: Sisters' Pub Boardroom (814 2 Ave S, Lethbridge)
Online: Zoom link provided upon registration
FREE to attend

Calling all musicians and performing artists! Are you ready to take the business side of your art as seriously as the music? In this hands-on, straight-talking professional development session, we’ll walk you through exactly what venues, festivals, and media professionals need from your online presence and EPK (Electronic Press Kit). You'll leave with tools, checklists, and practical strategies to improve your chances of getting booked and promoted — with minimal stress.

This workshop was inspired by acclaimed Alberta folk artist John Wort-Hannam and his refreshingly honest breakdown of what promoters really need from musicians in 2025.

Limited space available in-person. Please REGISTER to reserve a spot or request a Zoom link. docs.google.com/.../1uqfmvVT4uceRryMz.../viewform...

Artist Bio:

John Wort Hannam has been on his folk and roots-fueled troubadour journey for two decades, spinning song writing gold from the chaff of the lives he has encountered and those within his fertile imagination. Twenty-two years in, he shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, he’s gaining both momentum and a wider audience, winning two 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards for Solo Artist of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year. Add to this a Juno Award nomination, a Kerrville New Folk Win, a previous Canadian Folk Music Award, and it’s easy to see why audiences and critics alike hear something special in his narrative and lyrically driven songs. Effortlessly mixing rich and clear timbered vocals with lyrics that tug at the heart, his sound is both unique and familiar.

Born on the island of Jersey in the UK, he immigrated to Canada at the age of nine. He discovered the guitar and his knack for writing songs in his early thirties while working as a teacher on the Kainai Nation in Blackfoot country. In 2001, John quit his teaching job and made himself a promise - he would try his hand at writing songs for 10 months or until his employment insurance ran out. When time was up, he had a handful of songs. They became his first recording, released in 2002. Twenty-two years later, John is recognized as one of the best folk roots songwriters in Alberta and has released 8 full length recordings.

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This hybrid session will take place in person at the Sisters’ Boardroom and online via Zoom. Space is limited for in-person attendance, so register today to take advantage of the best experience—networking with fellow artists and gaining insight into creating a professional marketing package.

Register here: docs.google.com/.../1uqfmvVT4uceRryMz.../viewform...

ART/Work is an ongoing series of free professional development sessions supported by the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge. These sessions are open to artists of all disciplines, at every stage of their career.

AAC Membership is free for artists in 2025, consider joining us to be the first to hear about future ART/Work sessions.

Learn more about the AAC by visiting artslethbridge.org/

Please join us for the launch of Terrie Shaw’s book on July 13th from 2-3:30 pm. Guests can expect a reading from Terrie Shaw, an opportunity to purchase the book, and light refreshments. 

Terrie Shaw is an Edmonton based artist whose new book, Garden Journey: Stories, Sketches, and Recipes, offers an intimate look at her creative process. Through delicate watercolour sketches, expressive pen-and-ink drawings, and heartfelt journal entries, Terrie’s book captures the ever-changing beauty of the seasons and the quiet magic they bring. Shaw then transforms her homegrown bounty into an array of delicious, garden-inspired recipes, each infused with personal stories and cherished memories. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

When: July 13, 2-3:30pm
Where: Audreys Books, 10702 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, AB

audreys.ca/events 

Workshop Fee: $215 Date & Time: Saturday, July 12, 10 am—1:30 pm MT

Location: Online (Google Meet link sent upon registration)

Join award-winning author, publisher, and creative entrepreneur Alexis Marie Chute for a deep dive into essential strategies every writer needs to thrive in today’s literary landscape. Whether you’re crafting short-form articles or building toward your first (or fifth) book, this session will give you the tools and insights to build a sustainable, income-generating writing career—on your terms.

Schedule:

10 – 11:30 am (1.5 hours)

• Short-form writing, articles, and pitching for publication
• Long-form writing—from book concepts to publication and beyond
• Publishing paths, including traditional, self, and hybrid models
• Building and leveraging your writing portfolio to open new opportunities
• Creative collaborations across genres, disciplines, and media

11:30 am-12 pm – Break for Lunch (30 min)

12 – 1:30 pm (1.5 hours)

• Building your writer platform (website, social media, newsletters)
• Managing your writing life with systems, automation & time management
• Long-game career strategies—becoming your own creative boss
• Financial planning and making money as a writer

This is your chance to invest in your creative future with practical, professional-level guidance tailored to writers who are serious about success.

Join us—and walk away empowered, organized, and ready to grow your writing into a thriving career.

Tickets:bit.ly/4dXMKq6 

Have a blast this summer with art camps at the Central Lions Recreation Centre. All supplies are provided, and no dance experience is required. 

Poetry Party (Ages 8-12) - 9am-12pm - July 7-11 - course # 756369

Need a break from too much screen time? Join Poetry Party's writing camp where there’s loads of fun & games to choose from: The Poetry Candy Jar, One Word Group Poem, Oulipian’s Choice, 100 Billion Link Sonnet, and much more. Let the fun begin!

Royal Castle Ballet Camp (Ages 4-6) - 9am-12pm - July 21-25 - course # 756368

In this royal themed dance camp, participants will learn ballet dance moves and work on their coordination, balance and flexibility. Campers will also have fun and get creative during games and/or crafts. At the end of the week, dancers will perform their new dance moves in a mini performance. 

Beneath the Waves Ballet Camp (Ages 7-10)  - 9am-12pm - Aug. 5-8 - course # 756367

Have you ever wanted to be a mermaid? In this underwater themed dance camp, participants will learn ballet dance moves and work on their coordination, balance and flexibility. Campers will also have fun and get creative during sea themed games and/or crafts. At the end of the week, dancers will perform their new dance moves in a mini performance. 

Register at movelearnplay.edmonton.ca 

Announcing the third year of The Prairie Grindstone Prize — a $50,000 literary award that acknowledges a hardworking, engaged prairie writer. 

Nominations for The Prairie Grindstone Prize open on April 1 and will close on May 15 at midnight.

This annual prize, funded by an anonymous donor committee, alternates between the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. This year, the prize will be awarded to an Alberta writer. The Prairie Grindstone Prize recognizes prairie writers of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction with a cash prize of $50,000 that will enable the writer to focus on their work for a year or more.

This is not a book prize. It is awarded in acknowledgement of an author’s body of work and their contribution to the public’s appreciation for and understanding of Western Canada’s landscape, people, history, and culture.

The writer must have been a resident of the province of Alberta for the past five years, have a minimum of four professionally published books, and be an active member of the local writing community.

Authors may not self nominate and recipients will be selected by a jury of peers.

Full nomination guidelines can be found here: www.prairiegrindstoneprize.ca/nominate Letters of nomination and inquiries can be sent to grindstoneprize@gmail.com 

For more information, please contact
Lisa Murphy Lamb, Jury Chair
Jun Lee, Marketing
e: grindstoneprize@gmail.com 

www.prairiegrindstoneprize.ca
IG: @prairiegrindstoneprize
FB: Prairie Grindstone Prize