Literary arts

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

Writers’ Guild of Alberta Employment Opportunity: Communications Coordinator (Full Time,
Head Office, Edmonton)
Reports To: Executive Director of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta.

Job Overview

The Communications Coordinator develops and executes marketing and promotional initiatives
to maintain and advance the visibility and public profile of the WGA. This involves creating and
distributing promotional material, and maintaining relationships with media contacts and other
arts contacts who can help promote the organization and our programs and services. The
position includes administrative and communications support for the Edmonton Stroll of Poets.

The position is a 35 hour a week job. Periodic evening and weekend hours are required.

Specific Responsibilities 

• Creating and distributing the weekly email newsletter, WriteClick 
• Updating website content, including text, images, timetables, form, and menus 
• Overseeing social media accounts, including creating and scheduling regular content 
• Providing administrative and communications support to the Edmonton Stroll of Poets,
  including maintenance of the website and online archive, preparing the weekly email
  newsletter, supporting the coordination of the anthology, making bank deposits,
  processing memberships, and communicating with the members and board as required
• Creating and distributing email notices and other promotional material for specific
  programs, in house or liaising with contractors 
• Creating press releases for events and programs such as the Alberta Literary Awards 
• Maintaining contact lists and relationships with media, arts organizations, and
  promotional contacts 
• Creating material for fundraising campaigns 
• Monitoring promotional initiatives and developing new initiatives as required
• Managing communication with select partners and sponsors as requiredOther related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

The Communications Coordinator should demonstrate ability in the following:

•  
• Organizational Skills: Independently set priorities, develop a work schedule, deliver
  communications and promotions initiatives according to schedule, monitor progress
  towards goals, and track data.
• Technical Competence: Demonstrated proficiency in digital marketing platforms,
  Content Management Systems (CMS), social media analytics tools, and other relevant
  software.
• Communicate Effectively: Strong writing and editing skills. Familiarity with and effective
  use of communication tools and techniques.
• Build Relationships: Establish and maintain positive working relationships with others,
  both internally and externally, to achieve the goals of the organization, including
  advancing equity and diversity where needed.
• Creativity/Innovation: Develop new and unique ways to improve the WGA’s marketing
  and promotions strategies and to create new opportunities wherever possible. 
• Focus on Community Needs: Investigate and understand how best to reach different
  audiences in the literary sector, including current WGA members, and underrepresented
  and marginalized groups. 
• Fiscal responsibility: Be able to deliver effective promotions within assigned budgets. 

Education:

• Post-secondary education in Communications, English, Journalism, Arts and Culture
  Management, or a related field with three – five years of work experience. An
  equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. 

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Proficient in English, both written and spoken
• Background in communications and marketing
• Ability to work independently and with others 
• Knowledge of the Alberta literary community 
• Proficiency in the use of computers for: word processing, databases, spreadsheets,
  internet, social media, website administration

Employment Terms:

Start Date: mid-June, 2025
Hours: 35 hours a week, Monday to Friday, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm. Periodic evening and weekend
hours are required.
Starting Salary Range: $43,000 – $45,000
Vacation: Starting at 10 vacation days per year. The office is closed the days between Christmas
and New Year’s Day and all statutory holidays.
Benefits: Group Source benefits after three (3) months.
Probation: This position has a three (3) month probation period.
Office Location: Percy Page Centre, 11759 Groat Road NW, Edmonton, AB. Work from home is
permitted for the majority of the position, with one day a week in the office and occasional onsite work at events.

Application instructions: Please submit a cover letter and resume to mail@writersguild.ca. Please include “Communications Coordinator Application” in your subject line.

Application Deadline: April 25, 2025

The WGA believes in supporting diversity and equity in hiring best practices. We support
actions to advance diversity and equity in the organization.

We wish to express our appreciation to all applicants for their interest and effort in applying for
this position. However, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. 

WordsWorth 2025: OURTIME is open for registration!

Week 1 (ages 11 – 14): July 13-18, 2025
Week 2 (ages 15 – 19): July 20-25, 2025

Early Bird rate: $630
Regular rate: $655

Location: Red Deer Polytechnic, Red Deer, AB

WordsWorth is a week-long sleepover creative writing residency for young artists who believe in the power of words and storytelling. Campers will be completely immersed in the creative and diverse world of writing. Guided by established and respected artist-instructors, the young artists will experience writing through fiction, nonfiction, poetry, spoken word, music, movement, and more. But the experiences don’t begin and end with the classes; WordsWorth is a place where young artists come together to celebrate writing through friendship, campfire stories and songs, concerts, open mic sessions, hikes, haiku, and semi-competitive games outside of class.

Register and learn more: writersguild.ca/programs-services/wordsworth 

Building on the impactful presentations and dialogues held at the 2023 Prairie Art Institute in Regina, we are excited to announce the upcoming Prairie Art Network Institute, scheduled for June 25–27, 2025, in Calgary.

This year’s Institute will take place at the Alberta University of the Arts, with the support of partner institutions across Alberta. We will continue to provide a platform for exchanging pedagogical, curatorial, and research strategies that respond to the transformations specific to the Prairie context while also highlighting the art and culture emerging from local communities.

Sessions will include the following panels;

• Creative Visions of the Land
• Teaching Art History in the Prairies
• Curating and Communities in the Prairies
• Crafting the Prairie: Expanding Possibilities
• Artists, Transformation, and Change in Prairie Environments Since 2000

Details about the Keynote speaker will be announced in early June.
Register for early bird tickets now! 

For further information, check out  Prairie Art Network Institute 2025. 
Find us at Illingworth Kerr Gallery | Alberta University of the Arts for more details, questions, or concerns. 

Image: Prairie Art Institute 2023, June 15–17, 2023, Regina, SK. Image courtesy of Prairie Art Network.