Please join The Writers’ Guild of Alberta for a weekend of writing and togetherness. This retreat is a perfect opportunity to work on your craft and connect with your peers — don’t miss out!
We are so excited to be welcoming two world-class facilitators, Saskatoon-based poet Leah Horlick and Calgary-based fantasy author, C.L. Polk. You can expect a talk from Leah Horlick as a welcome address on Friday evening, two interactive workshops (one with each facilitator) on Saturday, a group discussion and Q&A session on Saturday evening, and a farewell address from C.L. Polk on Sunday morning. All sessions are optional, and time is otherwise self-directed.
About the Facilitators
Leah Horlick (she/her) is the author of three collections of poetry: Riot Lung, For Your Own Good, and Moldovan Hotel. She is the past recipient of a Stonewall Honor Title and ARC Poetry Magazine’s Poem of the Year Award, among others. Leah lived on Unceded Coast Salish Territories in Vancouver for nearly a decade, during which time she and her dear friend Estlin McPhee ran REVERB, a queer and anti-oppressive literary reading series. Last year, Leah was the 2022-23 Canadian Writer-in-Residence with the University of Calgary’s Distinguished Writers Program. She has since returned to Saskatoon, on Treaty Six Territory and the Homelands of the Métis, where she grew up as a settler.
C. L. Polk (they/them) wrote the Hugo-nominated Kingston Cycle, including the World Fantasy Award winning Witchmark, The Midnight Bargain, and the Nebula-winning Even Though I Knew The End. Before writing fantasy novels, they worked as a film extra, a costermonger, and also identified lepidoptera by eye. Mx. Polk lives in Calgary, on the territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, and the Métis Nation (Region 3). Mx. Polk is represented by Caitlin McDonald of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Sanctum is surrounded by beautiful boreal forest and is close to the Raven River for those who find inspiration from nature. We hope to see you there!