Horizons Writers Circle is a program for writers within the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) community, ESL, and underrepresented writers who live in Edmonton and are at the beginning of their literary journey. The program runs for seven months and is fully subsidized, making it cost-free for successful applicants.
Program period: September 2021–March 2022
Application deadline: July 31, 2021 – 11:59 MST
About Horizons Writers Circle
The Writers’ Guild of Alberta (WGA) with the support from the Edmonton Arts Council, we have designed Horizons Writers Circle to yield new literary works, explore the experience of underrepresented writers, and initiate dialogue that celebrates our diversity and contributes to a deeper understanding of one another. The program offers mentorship, workshops, discussions, networking, public reading opportunities, industry events, and more. Horizons Writers Circle runs from September 2021 to March 2022 and is set online, unless otherwise specified for events and activities.
The program reflects the WGA’s commitment to emerging writers from diverse backgrounds. Our hope is to create opportunities for underserved writers, empowering them by supporting their self-determined journey to becoming established members of the literary community. Mentorship is a significant part of the program. Participants are carefully matched with well-established members of the literary community who can address their specific creative and technical writing goals.
The Mentor Matching Panel
Representatives from WGA, the Edmonton writing community, and Horizons former alumni will select this years’ participants. A shortlist will advance to the interview stage. Final list candidates will be chosen from the interview pool.
Mentorship Opportunity
Interested in nurturing upcoming writers and exchanging literary knowledge with the wider writing community? We are looking for established members of the literary community to become mentors for the Horizons Writers Circle 2021-2022. We are looking for individuals who are familiar with aspects of craft and are actively involved in local writing ecosystem.
Mentorship and fellowship are central to the Horizons Writers Circle. Each mentor is paired with one participant and tasked to address their specific creative and technical writing goals. A successful working relationship would cover current or future projects and exploring a path to developing an established writing identity. Periodically, mentors will get together with the coordinator on a one-to one basis to ensure the program is fulfilling its objectives.
Benefits of Mentoring
- Personal satisfaction of guiding and supporting a fellow writer’s development
- The opportunity to further build your own mentorship skills, expanding your own knowledge of global literatures and other literary canons and forms.
- Widening your professional and social networks at a point in Canada’s Literature where the norm is the increased diversification of voices, perhaps even getting acquainted with an entirely new literary community abroad, getting invited, and attending events in other parts of the world, expanding your audience.
Mentor Criteria
Our mentors must meet the following criteria:
- The mentor must be an established member of Canada’s literary scene.
- The mentor must be available for the duration of the program and can attend events and activities with reasonable regularity.
- Experience in mentorship is an advantage, but not required.
- The mentors must live in Edmonton.
Total time commitment: 20 hours (including one-on-one meetings, ongoing feedback/mentorship, and attendance in at least two events)
Wages will be disclosed upon receiving application.
We thank all who apply, however, only those applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.
