On November 11th, Remembrance Day is observed in Canada to mark the anniversary of the end of World War I and provide an opportunity to honour and remember the men and women who have served and continue to serve during times of conflict and peace.

There are many ways in which we honour those who have served on the battlefield and those who have supported them on the home front. Some may attend large commemorative services, while others choose to reflect quietly. There is no right or wrong way to observe this important day.

In my CWLC posts, I always try to write in third person. I prefer to remove myself from the presentation, keeping the spotlight on the author and speaker. Today, however, on Remembrance Day, I would like to share how I observe this meaningful day and why veterans, those currently serving, and those on the home front are important to me.

My grandfather was a tiny man who sat quietly in his chair and pulled dollar bills out of his sleeve to give to us grandchildren. A butcher by trade in Scotland, he became a farmer by necessity in Saskatchewan. At the dinner table, after sharpening his carving knife before each meal, he would quietly mumble a prayer.

My grandfather, Private James Good, served in the 203rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during World War I. He was later transfered to the 18th Reserve Battalion, and eventually joined the 44th Battalion when he arrived in France in March 1917. Like many other Canadian soldiers, my grandfather fought in the Battle of Arras, which included the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Somehow, miraculously, he survived Vimy Ridge, but he suffered GSWs (gun shot wounds) to the left shoulder and jaw. He convalesced in military hospitals in England before being discharged in March 1919. During his time in England, he received passes to travel to Scotland, where he began courting my grandmother. Following his discharge, he returned to Saskatchewan and started building a home for his bride-to-be.

My grandfather never spoke to us grandchildren about the war, and we never thought to ask. Although I was young, I understood how much he loved my grandmother and his five children, one of whom is my mother.

Dr. Donna Coates was one of my professors at the University of Calgary, and I took many of her courses in Canadian Literature and War Literature. I must have read about thirty books on war literature, with my favourite being Rilla of Ingleside (1921) and Billy Bishop Goes to War (1978). She also introduced me to the work of the remarkable writer and literary scholar Paul Fussell, particularly his book The Great War and Modern Memory (1975). It doesn’t quite seem appropriate to say that I enjoy war literature. However, the books I read and the stories they tell evoke so many emotions: pride, sadness, wonder, dread, disgust, awe, and even hope. Dr. Coates is also the professor who told me I was a horrible writer. I took her comment as a challenge, and she helped turn my writing around, at least when it came to academic writing.

Throughout the year, I think of my grandpa and the many others who have served. On Remembrance Day, in particular, my thoughts, questions, and emotions sit closer to the surface.

So how do I observe Remembrance Day? I often find myself reviewing my grandfather’s Attestation and Discharge papers, I enjoy listening to the commemorative programs on the kitchen radio, and I often call my mom to ask questions about my grandpa or simply to hear stories and answers I’ve already heard. This Remembrance Day, I am writing a post about my brave grandfather and my late professor, Dr. Coates.

Wherever they are, I hope they know that I have listened, I will never forget, and I will be forever grateful.

Written by Mooréa G.

Philis H. and her husband traveled to Newfoundland in 2014. Inspired by this rugged and beautiful island, Philis began a literary journey reading a number of Atlantic Canadian writers. She discovered that Michael Crummey was her favourite author due to his lyrical prose and vivid descriptions of Newfoundland.

In her inaugural CWLC presentation, Philis provided a glimpse into the history and people of Newfoundland, including the Indigenous peoples, the Vikings, Italian explorer John Cabot, and the settlers from Ireland, France, and England. She also touched on Newfoundland’s Dominion status and passports of 1907, its entry into Confederation in 1949, and the first premier, Joey Smallwood. Philis’s brief lesson provided valuable historical context to better understand Crummey’s writing.

Michael Crummey was born in Buchans, Newfoundland in 1965, spent part of his youth in Wabush, Labrador, and currently lives in St. John’s with his family. He began writing poetry while attending Memorial University in St. John’s. He later completed an M.A. in English at Queens University. Crummey published his first book of poetry in 1996, Arguments with Gravity, and continues to write poetry with his most recent collection, Passengers, published in 2022. From Passengers, Philis read the poem “From the Island, 1860.”

River Thieves (2001) is the first of Crummey’s six historical novels. Set in the 19^th century and based on historical events, the novel explores the volatile and often violent relationship between the European settlers and the Beothuk, an Indigenous people of Newfoundland. Philis showed a map of Newfoundland, highlighting the Bay of Exploits, where much of the story takes place.

Galore (2009) can be described as an Atlantic Canadian “whale of a tale.” Set in the 19^th century, it incorporates the Newfoundland landscape, local folklore, the hardships of outport life, and historical events. In addition to Judah, an albino man discovered in the belly of a beached whale, a full cast of unusual characters makes up Crummey’s story. Galore won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book and the Canadian Authors’ Association Literary Award. It was also shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction.

Philis provided overviews of two other Crummey novels: The Wreckage (2005) and Sweetland (2014). Crummey’s novels and poetry collections have earned a long and impressive list of awards and nominations. His latest novel, The Adversary (2023), has received considerable recognition, including winning the prestigious 2025 Dublin Literary Award.

Congratulations on a spectacular first presentation, Philis!

Written by Mooréa G.

Tobogganing is a popular Canadian winter activity, which includes the necessary and often difficult task of pulling the toboggan up a steep hill followed by the thrill of a swift ride back down. Cathy R. cleverly used a tobogganing analogy to describe reading Wayne Johnston’s books: some require head-down dedication and a bit of sweat, while others have rosy-cheeked readers laughing with glee and eager for another ride.

Award-winning author Wayne Johnston was born in 1958 in Goulds, Newfoundland. Johnston’s writing blends fiction and reality, while incorporating wit, humour, and history. The history of Newfoundland, coming-of-age experiences, the struggles of individuals and families, the culture of Catholicism, and the political, financial, and cultural struggles of Newfoundlanders are reoccurring themes in his novels and memoirs. His influences include Don Quixote, Harold Bloom, Emily Dickinson, Oscar Wilde, his grandmother, and Newfoundland itself.

Cathy began the tobogganing adventure by pulling club members up the hill with Johnston’s semi-autobiographical novel, The Mystery of Right and Wrong (2021). Set in St. John’s, Newfoundland, this book tells the story of four sisters who endure horrible abuse at the hands of their father. The story’s origin comes from long-held secrets surrounding Johnston’s wife and her sisters. Within his family, the book became known as “The Family Book.”

Cathy’s toboggan ride took a joyful turn downhill as she discussed The Son of a Certain Woman (2013). Set again in St. John’s, the novel is narrated by young Percy Joyce, a fatherless boy who is bullied because of a disfigurement. Johnston explores the complexities of love, loss, lust, and religion with intelligence and “laugh-out-loud” humour.

Johnston’s breakthrough novel, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (1998), is a heavy trudge of a book but is well worth the effort of reading. A Canadian bestseller, this work of historical fiction was shortlisted for both the 1998 Giller Prize and Governor General’s Award for English fiction. Cathy provided an interesting glimpse into Newfoundland’s history before introducing the novel’s main characters: real-life premier Joseph R. Smallwood and the fictional Sheilagh Fielding.

Cathy took members on a final rush down the hill with one of her favourite novels, The Divine Ryans (1990). She described it as a “wise and effortlessly funny coming-of-age novel,” bringing a close to the ups and downs of Johnston’s writing.

With snow on the ground and more in the forecast, Cathy’s presentation gave members a sense of what to expect from Johnston’s books. If you’re no longer keen on hitting the slopes, a literary toboggan ride in the safety and warmth of your home is a wonderful way to spend cold winter days.

Written by Mooréa G.

The CWLC membership consists not only of avid readers and engaging presenters but also, not surprisingly, of talented writers.

On Tuesday, October 14, four members shared their writing strategies and experiences during a panel discussion, responding to questions provided by club president, Shawna M. Anna, Barbara, Marika, and Judith are writers of novels, short stories, journal essays, poetry, articles, and plays. They have enjoyed seeing their works in print and on the stage.

The following are a few of the questions presented to the panel, along with an abbreviated amalgamation of the writers’ responses.

Do you work alone or part of a writers’ group?
I mostly work alone. When working on a play, however, it’s very helpful to work alongside actors as they help keep dialogue natural.

What motivates you as a writer?
Reading is a great motivating factor. Call for submissions and other deadlines are also motivating.

What keeps you moving forward with a project? Do you work on one piece at a time or more?
A writing schedule and deadlines move my projects forward. Love for the art of writing makes putting pen to paper (fingers to keyboard) very satisfying. I have an unfinished novel that has been sitting for fifteen years waiting to be completed. Other smaller projects have been completed while this one remains percolating.

What do you enjoy or dread most about the writing process?
I really enjoy hearing from people who have read my book: It’s very rewarding. Guilt often creeps in when I don’t spend enough time on a writing project. It’s difficult to remain motivated when a piece is continuously rejected by publishers.

Do you use an editor?
Editors are invaluable as they help make decisions and keep writing from going off on tangents. Good editors make corrections and recommendations while keeping the writer’s voice. Unfortunately, professional editors can be very expensive.

Do you use AI as an editor?
No! There is a lot of buzz and questions about what is acceptable when using AI. Are spell and grammar checkers considered AI? Why is a human editor acceptable but not AI? Is research performed by AI acceptable? Submissions to publishers often require that a writer confirms they have not used AI (in any form) in the creation of their work. Writing is a skill that requires practice: It should not be written or edited by AI.

How do you know when you’re done a project?
It seems there is endless tweaking and a project can never be done. At some point, a writer just needs to stop. Deadlines and submissions, once again, are helpful in bringing a writing project to a close.

Thank you to Sandra E. for organizing this special “Calling All Writers” meeting, to the writers for sharing their knowledge and experience, and to Shawna for moderating such a well-run and enjoyable discussion.

Written by Mooréa G.

Some of the longest attending members of our club will remember Margaret (Peggy) Rodway fondly. Peggy was a member from 2010 to 2015, and she was emblematic of our CWLC members then and now: curious, intelligent, warm towards others, and active in the community. She was invited into the club by Ruth Hilland (president 2011 to 2013). Ruth and Peggy both graduated in the new field of Social Work from the University of Manitoba. Both ended up moving to Calgary and pursuing their careers and further studies. Peggy praised Ruth for encouraging and mentoring her through her master’s and PhD degrees. I admired Peggy for working professionally while raising her daughters – a rare feat at that time. After my mother passed away, Peggy reached out to me, suggesting I would be amazed by the caliber of women I would meet if I joined her at a CWLC meeting. That recommendation, in Spring 2012, came from someone I most admired – a true trailblazer.

Even if you did not know Peggy, please click the following link for more about this remarkable woman’s life and contributions. Peggy passed away on September 16 at the age of 100 years.

Obituary for Margaret (Peggy) Rodway

Written by Janet H.

Particularly in autumn, numerous regions across Canada offer exceptionally beautiful landscapes (and seascapes!). Atlantic Canada boasts some of the country’s most spectacular scenery, a distinctive cultural identity, and a strong literary tradition. The CWLC 2026-2027 program brings all these elements together with “Writers of Atlantic Canada.”

Ten-year member Robin S. launched this new session with her engaging presentation on Atlantic Canadian writer Linden MacIntyre. As always, Robin’s presentation was informative, thoughtful, and delivered with calm and humour.

Linden MacIntyre may be familiar to many as a journalist and broadcaster, but he is also an award-winning fiction and non-fiction writer. For nearly four decades, MacIntyre worked for the CBC as a reporter, broadcaster, journalist, and producer. For twenty-four of these years, he served as co-host and investigative journalist on The Fifth Estate. Throughout his distinguished career, he brought audiences stories about “little-known events in Canadian history,” as well as insights on war-torn countries from where he reported. The lasting legacy of war is a reoccuring theme in his writing.

MacIntyre is a father of five and husband to Carol Off, the longtime CBC journalist and former host of As it Happens. Born in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, he was raised in Port Hastings, Nova Scotia. MacIntyre strongly identifies as a Cape Bretoner, and the island often serves as the setting for his stories.

As a journalist and longtime resident of Cape Breton, MacIntyre’s writing is firmly grounded in fact and has strong ties to the Maritimes. Perhaps due to his many years of conducting interviews, his writing also features well-developed, natural-sounding dialogue.

Robin discussed two novels from MacIntyre’s Cape Breton Trilogy: The Long Stretch (1999) and The Bishop’s Man (2009). The Bishop’s Man won the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Robin humorously recalled MacIntyre’s acceptance speech as surprised, kind, humble, and a bit “tipsy.” Robin also explored MacIntyre’s non-fiction book An Accidental Villain: A Soldier’s Tale of War, Deceit and Exile (2025), which focuses on Sir Henry Hugh Tudor, a friend of Winston Churchill, and his role in the Anglo-Irish War of 1919-1921.

MacIntyre appeared at Calgary’s Wordfest in 2025 and is known for being generous with his time and gracious with his attention to his audience.

Next week, there will be an exciting change to our regular schedule with a special meeting: “Calling All Writers.” A panel of five writers from our club will share different aspects of their writing and creative processes.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Reading!

Written by Mooréa G.

Online scams have become more prevalent and more difficult to identify, especially with the expansion of AI. Unfortunately, writers are not immune to being targets of predatory schemes.

In 2026, the Calgary Women’s Literary Club (CWLC) has received emails from writers reporting they had been contacted by an international book club similar in name to the CWLC.

In detailed emails, this alleged club offers writers the opportunity to have their work featured at an upcoming book club meeting, with promotion through banners, flyers, community announcements, and reader reviews. Of course, this is all for a hefty fee!

Writers from around the world have contacted the CWLC to share these emails, identifying them as likely scams. This “book club” may be using a name similar to the CWLC to gain the trust of unsuspecting writers.

The Calgary Women’s Literary Club NEVER charges guest writers/speakers or featured writers who fall within our scheduled program. In addition, the CWLC rarely approaches writers or accepts unsolicited writers to be featured at our meetings.

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta (WGA), The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC), and various Canadian publishing houses have issued statements about these author-targeted scams. For further information, please refer to the June 2026 article from The Calgary Herald.

Written by Mooréa G.

This spring, I read The Diviners by Margaret Laurence. It was a re-read for me, yet there was so much I had forgotten, and I know my perspective has changed. How could it not have? The first time I read it, I was fifteen years younger than the author and also the main character. This time, I was fifteen years older. Of course I understood the novel differently.  

Margaret Laurence was born on July 18, 1926, in Neepawa, Manitoba. As avid readers will know, her fictional town of Manawaka is modeled on the town where she was born. Her first novel, This Side Jordan, was set in the Gold Coast, but her most notable books, and the ones she is remembered for, are set in Canada. Her most memorable characters – Hagar Shipley, Morag Gunn, and Christy Logan – are prairie people. Her books examine small town social structures and the meaning of home. Even when Morag (The Diviners) is living in Ontario, Laurence’s description of her view out the window seems more like a prairie landscape: “The long sweep of grass down to the river…and purple thistles, regal, giant. And those flowers like pale yellow snapdragons. Now it had gone to wild high seed-headed grasses.”  

Laurence was always encouraged to write: first by her aunt, who was also her stepmother and a former librarian, and by teachers in Neepawa, and later at the University of Winnipeg. She won Governor General’s Awards for both A Jest of God (1966) and The Diviners (1974). She helped found the Writer’s Union of Canada and the Writer’s Trust of Canada. She was the Chancellor of Trent University (1980 to 1983) and was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. Laurence died in 1987 at the age of sixty-one. The house where she lived from 1935 to 1944, her grandfather’s house, has been preserved as a museum. A women’s shelter in Victoria, BC is named for her, and there are two lecture series that bear her name: The Margaret Laurence Lecture at Trent University and the Margaret Laurence Lecture series sponsored by the Writer’s Trust of Canada.  

Her books examine what “home” means and the necessity of returning home in order to come to terms with the past. Laurence examined a character’s ancestors, who they were and how they formed the present character. Of one character, she wrote about growth and maturity as “shedding the skins of life – but they remain.” Morag leaves Manawaka at eighteen to attend university in Winnipeg, and she rarely returns for visits. Yet, throughout the book voices echo, memories return, and experiences resonate again and again to remind her of where she is rooted.  

Writing in the Afterword to The Fire-Dwellers (1969), Sylvia Fraser states that the women’s movement in Canada was not expressed in demonstration as it was in the United States. Instead, “the energy … expressed itself … subtly and … characteristically through the power of its female fiction writers – Adele Wiseman, Alice Munro, Marian Engel, Margaret Atwood and, of course, Margaret Laurence.”

If, like me, you read Laurence years ago and have not since, what better way to celebrate the anniversary of her birth than rereading her novels?  

Written by Sandra E.

Every Tuesday in the fall (October and November) and again in the spring (March and April), the CWLC explores various authors and their works through lively weekly meetings held at the Memorial Park Library. Our 2025-2026 session came to a close on Tuesday, April 28 with our annual Spring Luncheon and AGM. Members gathered to visit, reflect on the year’s presentations, and share literary recommendations for the summer. The Glencoe Club (downtown) provided a lovely lunch and venue for this special year-end occasion.

This year’s Spring Luncheon guest speaker was Dr. Tamara Seiler, Professor Emerita in Canadian Studies at the University of Calgary. In addition to her extensive teaching career, Dr. Seiler has written numerous articles and book chapters, and has co-edited and co-authored three books on Alberta history and culture. She has served on many boards and committees, and has received notable honours, including the Order of the University of Calgary in 2010.

Dr. Seiler’s presentation, “Telling The Terrible Truth, Alberta Style,” explored the ways tragic, real-life events are reimagined through artistic expressions. Drawing on her interests in Alberta history, true crime, grand opera, Alberta literature, narratology, metafiction, and historical fiction, she discussed “Filumina,” the 2003 Canadian opera with music by John Estacio and libretto by John Muriell, and the novel The Boy by Betty Jane Hegerat (2011). Dr. Seiler’s fascinating presentation generated numerous questions from CWLC members about respectfully transforming historical events into artistic forms such as opera and literature.

After a summer’s break, the CWLC will reconvene on Tuesday, October 6 for the start of the fall session. A new theme has been chosen, and thirteen club members — six presenting in Fall 2026 and seven in Spring 2027 — have already begun preparing for their presentations. The theme will be announced on the website in the coming weeks. In the meantime, enjoy the following “between season” excerpts, which offer a glimpse of what lies ahead for the coming session.

“He looked up at the hills surrounding the cove, sunlight making them ring with meltwater. He’d always loved that sound, waited for it each spring. Hearing it made him certain of the place he came from.”
Michael Crummey, Sweetland (2014)

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer—one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going—one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”
L.M. Montgomery, Anne’s House of Dreams (1917)

The CWLC wishes you a wonderful summer of “delightful weather, delightful friends, and delightful doing.” Hopefully, there will be time for delightful books, as well.

Written by Mooréa G.

Barbara J. chose Cormac McCarthy for her debut presentation, bringing the author to life through a combination of research, readings, videos, and summaries. McCarthy (1933-2023) is a celebrated American novelist known for his Western and Post-Apocalyptic genres, distinguished by sparse punctuation, realistic dialogue, and graphic depictions of violence. He was raised primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee in a middle-class, Irish Catholic family. It is suggested that his empathy for poor families and children, evident in his writing, stemmed from his association with the families in his Knoxville community.  McCarthy wrote almost exclusively on an Olivetti Lettera 32 typewriter, which he purchased in 1963 for $50 and sold at auction in 2009 for $254,500. 

McCarthy wrote twelve novels, several plays and screenplays, essays, and short stories. Barbara did a superb job of introducing many of his works, including The Orchard Keeper (1965), The Counsellor (2013), and McCarthy’s masterpiece Blood Meridian (1985), which was inspired by Samuel Chamberlain’s memoir, My Confession: Recollections of a Rogue (1850). 

All the Pretty Little Horses (1992) is a coming-of-age story set in 1949, following a journey from Texas to Mexico. While a bestselling and award-winning novel, the inspiration behind the novel is equally intriguing. Sixteen-year-old Augusta Britt was a “Finnish American cowgirl,” who McCarthy fell in love with at the age of forty-two. Britt became the “secret muse” for many of McCarthy’s central characters: both male and female.

No Country for Old Men was originally written as a screenplay, then published as a novel in 2005, and adapted for film in 2007, for which it won four Academy Awards. The title is drawn from the first line of W.B. Yeats’s poem “Sailing to Byzantium.” Barbara read a compelling review of the novel by Annie Proulx, published in The Guardian. Proulx describes the novel as “[transforming] a standard western good-guy-bad-guy plot into serious literature.” 

The Road (2006) received numerous awards including the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. This post-apocalyptic, deeply moving story follows a father and son’s journey of survival and was inspired by a trip McCarthy took with his young son, John, to Tucson, Arizona. The novel was adapted for film in 2009.

For further exploration on McCarthy and his works, Barbara provided two videos: an interview with McCarthy by Oprah Winfrey (2008); and a posthumous interview with Walter Kirn (2023). As is common with most of our meetings, an impassioned Q&A period followed Barbara’s talk. 

Barbara’s presentation wraps up our 2025-2026 session on Nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature Who Never Won. This year, our presenters, many who gave their debut presentations, showcased writers who may not have received the Nobel Prize in Literature but have produced remarkable and varied works. Awards and prizes are not the only indicators of literary achievement, and this session offered a welcome reminder that great literature extends beyond a subjective shortlist. 

Our exciting new theme for the 2026 – 2027 session has been selected, and the schedule of presenters and authors is already full! Please watch for the program theme and schedule, which will be posted shortly on our website. 

Written by Mooréa G.