CWLC members received the exciting news of the 2025-2026 program theme at the winter Holiday Party, and it’s time to announce the theme to all.

The topic of “Nobel Prize Winning Authors” has been chosen a number of times throughout our history. When I was compiling the complete list of programs, I wanted to include the year that the author won the prize, and that’s when I discovered authors we assume had won had not done so. Some of these authors include HG Wells, Aldous Huxley, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekov, James Joyce, Henrik Ibsen, and Marcel Proust. As a result, an interesting topic presented itself: “Nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature Who Never Won.”      

The Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded annually since 1901, is not without controversy. While nominators are kept secret for fifty years–presumably to avoid controversy and biases–rumours often circulate about who has been nominated. The awarding institution, the Swedish Academy, has four times awarded the prize to its own members. The committee is often criticized for being white, male, Euro-centric, and being prejudice against writers whose political views are in direct opposition to theirs. Three writers have declined the prize. In 2018, three members of the committee resigned in response to a sexual misconduct investigation involving two board members, and no laureate was chosen.

Despite the controversy, the Nobel Prize in Literature is still regarded as an important achievement in an author’s life and a recognition of the significance of a full body of work. We look forward to hearing from our members about their chosen authors.  

To view the 2025-2026 Program schedule, please go to the PROGRAM section of the website.

Written by Sandra E., Program Chair

What a lively and informative program the CWLC and its members provided over the 2024-2025 year. The theme, Irish Authors, opened literary doors to a rich group of both celebrated and lesser-known writers. Our presenters selected writers and their works that were historical and fact driven, steeped in Irish culture, humorous, spooky, autobiographical, fearless, profanity laden, and often bleak and depressing.

On Tuesday, April 22, Margaret S. wrapped up our program with her candid presentation on Anne Enright. Margaret began by stating that while she appreciates Enright’s skillful writing, she does not enjoy the gloomy, melancholic narratives of Enright’s novels. Dysfunctional families, tragedy, trauma, and the complexity of relationships and identity are reoccurring themes. Within her discussion of these dark topics, Margaret sensitively found ways to make her audience laugh.

Margaret discussed four novels beginning with the 2007 Booker Prize winner, The Gathering (2007), a story that deals with family, suicide, secrets, and redemption. Margaret praised The Green Road (2015) and The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch (2002) for Enright’s shining prose. “Startling and amusing” is how Margaret cooly described some of the graphic and sexually explicit scenes in The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch. Margaret’s favourite of the four novels is Actress (2020). The vivid portrayals of the Irish theatre companies during the 1930s and 40s were of great interest to Margaret. As the narrative moves back and forth in time, the novel often takes place during The Troubles (1968-1998). Margaret lived in nearby Scotland during this time of conflict and violence and recalled her concerns for her own safety while working as a young secretary. 

Enright was born in Dublin in 1963. After studying in Victoria, B.C. on a two-year scholarship she continued her studies at Trinity College Dublin then received an M.A. in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Enright worked a brief time as a television producer then began her writing in earnest in 1993. Enright has received numerous awards and nominations primarily in Ireland and in the UK. In October 2024, Enright was a guest speaker at Wordfest in Calgary. She was joined by Irish writer Roddy Doyle and interviewed by Marina Endicott. Several CWLC members were in attendance.

With great resolve and continued reading, Margaret moved beyond her dislike of Enright’s gloomy narratives and shared with her audience an informative and engaging presentation on this bestselling, award-winning Irish author. Whether giving a presentation or actively listening to a presentation, the CWLC emboldens independent thinking and encourages members to explore and move within and beyond their reading comfort.

Please watch the “Program” section of the CWLC website to learn about the theme for our upcoming 2025 -2026 program beginning on October 7, 2025.

Posted by Mooréa G.

On Tuesday, April 15^th, Anita M. gave an engaging presentation on Irish writer Edna O’Brien. While Anita has a soft voice and a gentle manner, she doesn’t hesitate to tackle writers who have difficult, weighty, and often controversial stories to tell. Anita has presented on writers Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Susan Brownmiller, Rex Murphy, George Jonas, among others. 

Edna O’Brien was born in 1930 and spent many of her adolescent years educated in an Irish boarding school run by Catholic sisters. O’Brien received no formal education in writing; however, she read and observed the style of “great writers,” such as Tolstoy and Thackeray. She was greatly influenced by James Joyce: both the writer and his works. In 1959, O’Brien moved to London with her husband. By this time, she had already developed a writing style “with wide variations adapted for various venues and topics.” 

O’Brien’s six decades of writing produced twenty novels, non-fiction books, short-story collections, dramas, and children’s stories. She wrote mostly while living in London; yet, her ties and literary focus remained mainly in Ireland. In her later years, O’Brien kept her focus on women and girls though expanded to different parts of the world, such as in her final novel, Girl, which tells the story of the abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria. Anita states, “Injustices in Ireland and abroad are highlighted with writing sometimes considered too honest, too raw and too emotional. She wrote passionately about the plight of abused and compromised women and girls, female sexuality and redemption.”

The autobiographical novel The Country Girls (1960) is a frank portrayal of the stifled and silenced female experience in Ireland in the 1950s onward. While the story is published as a single book, it is also part of The Country Girls Trilogy that contains three novels and an epilogue: The Country Girls, The Lonely Girl (1962), and Girls in Their Married Bliss (1964). The novels centre on two Irish schoolgirls, Cait and Baba, who spend their teenage years in a convent school then leave for Dublin as young women. All three novels were banned by the Irish Censorship Board and purportedly burned for their sexually explicit content and their commentary on the Catholic Church and Irish society.

Anita also discussed James Joyce (1999), Country Girl: A Memoir (2012), The Little Red Chairs (2015), and Girl (2019). Anita read compelling excerpts from the novels, and Anna Q. joined Anita to read a passage from the biography James Joyce. From the chapter “Once Upon a Time,” O’Brien pokes fun at her literary inspiration calling him a “lecher” and a “Joyce of all trades.” While she has fun with the “bullock-befriending bard,” O’Brien’s biography illustrates her lifelong admiration and deep connection to the much-celebrated, Irish writer.  

Upon Dame Edna O’Brien’s passing in 2024, Irish President Michael Higgins expressed his great sorrow at the passing of “one of the outstanding writers in modern time.” 

Posted by Mooréa G.

On Tuesday, April 8th, Anne-Marie D. gave a wonderful presentation on well-known Irish writer Maeve Binchy. Anne-Marie’s use of a video, readings, and the Q&A period illuminated Binchy’s great sense of humour and her literary significance.

Binchy wrote about regular people, relationships, and social issues, and her style is playful, sympathetic, and humorous. Her stories, which are set primarily in small-town Ireland, are meticulously planned and give a strong sense of place. A prolific writer, Binchy wrote seventeen novels, numerous short-story collections, non-fiction, and plays. She sold more than forty million books, and her works have been translated into thirty-seven languages. 

In a video entitled “Maeve Binchy: Philosophy of Life,” Binchy states “happiness is making the best of the hand you are dealt.” Binchy was born in Dublin in 1940 and passed in 2012. She was educated at University College Dublin and became a teacher then a journalist for the Irish Times. About writing, Binchy adds, “I always enjoyed writing once I understood it was like talking, and I love talking.”

Anne-Marie shared five of Binchy’s novels: Light a Penny Candle (1982), Circle of Friends (1990), Tara Road (1998), Nights of Rain and Stars (2004), and A Week in Winter (2012). Binchy’s debut novel, Light a Penny Candle, earned a prepublication advance of £52 000: the largest sum ever paid for a British first novel. Anne-Marie’s favourite novel is Nights of Rain and Stars, which takes place in a Greek seaside village among four strangers who witness a boating accident. A Week in Winter is Binchy’s last book and was published posthumously. 

Binchy’s readers are from far and wide. In the United States, Binchy sustained great popularity and her novels earned spots on the New York Times Best Sellers list (Circle of Friends, Tara Road, and A Week in Winter) and in Oprah’s Book Club (Tara Road).

Much discussion was had during Q&A period about Binchy’s genre—popular or realistic fiction—and its significance in literature. While Binchy’s writing is not highbrow literature, Binchy has garnered an enormous international readership, who feels the much-loved author is writing about themselves. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “Binchy makes you laugh, cry, and care. Her warmth and sympathy render the daily struggles of ordinary people heroic and turn storytelling into art.”

Posted by Mooréa G.

Who knew that Bram Stoker was Irish, that his first name was “Abraham,” that he wrote many works in addition to Dracula, and that the novel Dracula can be both a fun and eerie read? One thing CWLC members knew for certain was that Katja W. would give a fantastic presentation on her Irish writer, Bram Stoker.

Abraham Stoker was born in 1847 in Clontarf, Ireland. He studied mathematics at Trinity College then turned his focus to theatre after watching awe-inspiring performances by Sir Henry Irving. Stoker became a theatre critic, manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, and Irving’s friend and international tour manager. Stoker had a penchant and talent for writing: his early publications were printed in periodicals, and he later grew in popularity to become one of the best-selling English writers of the Victorian era.

Stoker published numerous short-stories and short-story collections, novels, and non-fiction. Katja introduced five of Stoker’s works to the club: Under the Sunset (1881), Gibbet Hill (1890), Dracula (1897), Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Company (1908), and The Lair of the White Worm (1911).

Dracula is Stoker’s magnum opus and it remains one of the most popular works in English literature. The novel centres on a young British solicitor who travels to Romania in hopes of finalizing a real estate deal with a charismatic nobleman named Count Dracula. Unlike other clients, Dracula happens to be a vampire: he lives in a menacing castle, is centuries old, only makes his appearance at night, and sucks the blood of unsuspecting victims.

Stoker’s gothic horror is epistolary in form, consisting of letters, diary entries, and newspaper clippings from different narrators. This form offers readers various perspectives, enhanced realism, and a sense of suspense. Stoker’s use of anxiety-filled cliff hangers also maintain a suspenseful narrative and have his audiences wanting to read more. Katja explained the “Dracula Formula,” which Stoker successfully used for his novel: “The narrator is an educated skeptic—rational and grounded—confronted with something he cannot explain. The story is anchored in historical reality, there’s a foreign, supernatural presence and the landscape itself is more than just setting. It acts almost like a character, full of memory, tension, and atmosphere.” Dracula easily falls into the horror subgenre known as “Slow Burn Horror,” which is characterized by a gradual build-up of psychological tension that focuses on atmosphere and character development.

Dracula and Stoker’s vampire prototype have been the inspiration for many adaptions in literature, film, television, comic books, and games. Perhaps Stoker’s vampire wasn’t the first of its kind, as described in Shawna M.’s presentation on Sheridan Le Fanu, but it is Stoker who has made this undead character remain alive.

Katja shared an amusing story as to why she chose Bram Stoker for her Irish writer. Katja’s mother worked in the town of Bistritz, located in Northern Romania (Transylvania). It is in this small town that Dracula‘s protagonist, Jonathan Barker, begins his journey to find Count Dracula. While visiting her mother in Transylvania, Katja and her family hoped to explore Dracula’s Bran Castle. Unfortunately, numerous tourists had the same intention, so Katja and her family opted to read the famous novel instead.

Posted by Mooréa G.

CWLC presenters offer a unique perspective on their selected author and on the session’s theme. We were very fortunate to have our Ireland-born member, Anna Q., give her presentation on Paul Lynch and provide her perspective on Irish literature. Anna is a talented presenter, writer, and curler: her team won their curling league championship only hours before giving her presentation!

Anna’s presentation is entitled: “Paul Lynch, A Study of the Resilience of Human Nature: Tales of Oppression, Emotional Repression, Guilt, Fascism, Famine, Escape, Survival, and Pastoral and Maritime Journeys.” Effortlessly, Anna covers all these elements as she discusses five of Lynch’s novels.

Red Sky in Morning (2013), Lynch’s debut novel, explores the brutal exploitation of the Irish peasantry by the English gentry in the 1800s. Based on historical events, the language of this Hemingwayesque book is poetic, sparce, and melodic.

The Black Snow (2014) is set in 1945 in Donegal, Ireland. It tells the story of an Irish emigrant who returns to Ireland after working in New York. Superstition is pervasive, and Anna found the story very engaging and one that kept her guessing. This book is described as raw, savage, and tender.

Grace (2017) is Anna’s favourite Lynch novel—a beautifully written story that incorporates lyrical and inventive language. Readers learn of a young girl’s relentless fight for survival during Ireland’s Great Famine, and it can be compared to books and television shows including The Road, The Handmaid’s Tale, and “The Last of Us.”

Beyond the Sea (2019) is a highly philosophical novel that questions the meaning of life. Unlike Lynch’s other novels, which take place in Ireland, this maritime journey takes place in South America. This story of isolation is described as stark and mesmerizing.

Prophet Song (2023) is Lynch’s most well-known book and winner of the 2023 Man Booker Prize. This gripping dystopian story is inspired by the Syrian civil war; although, it takes place in the Republic of Ireland, which has fallen into totalitarianism. Mimicking the story’s severity, Lynch’s writing and structure are unconventional, consisting of irregular punctuation and a relentless pace.

Anna chose Lynch for her presentation as his writing is thought-provoking and poetical, he writes about universal themes, and he is a skilled storyteller. Paul Lynch is an internationally acclaimed Irish author who began writing fiction after a career in journalism.

Posted by Mooréa G.

On Tuesday, March 18^th, Betty S. gave an impressive presentation on award-winning, Dublin-born writer Sebastian Barry. This was Betty’s fifth CWLC presentation and her experience as a presenter and close reader certainly showed. Betty’s research and selected readings brought Barry’s stories to life and had her listeners wanting to hear more.

Sebastian Barry’s novels Days Without End, A Thousand Moons, and The Secret Scripture have garnered great acclaim and have been translated into almost forty languages. Barry credits some of his childhood experiences and family members for influencing his works. From Sligo, Ireland to western United States, Barry’s stories traverse time and place with “detailed descriptions of violence and revenge, unforgettable characters, acts of selflessness, and charming bits of humour.” 

In Days without End (2016), seventeen-year-old Thomas McNulty flees the horrors of the Great Famine in Ireland to find himself in the center of the violence and turmoil of the Indian Wars and American Civil War. Warmth and humour make their way into the novel when McNulty meets John Cole, a brother-in-arms and a fellow “saloon girl” dancing for female-deprived miners. The men’s friendship grows into a romantic relationship and then marriage. Barry introduces the orphaned Sioux girl, Winona, who is taken in by McNulty and Cole to create an unusual though loving family. Days Without End is described as brutal, folksy, unsettled, and “a great American novel which happens to have been written by an Irishman.” In addition to other awards, this novel received the celebrated Costa Book Award in 2016.

A Thousand Moons (2020) is a sequel to Days Without End and takes place in Tennessee in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Winona, the novel’s seventeen-year-old narrator and protagonist, tells her story of racism, post-civil war tensions, violence, and young love. 

The Secret Scripture (2008) is a prequel to the McNulty and Cole novels. The story is based on a childhood memory of the author with the protagonist, Roseanne McNulty, residing in a mental institution in Sligo, Ireland. The novel was produced into a movie in 2016; however, according to Betty, it falls shy of resembling Barry’s story. Barry received his first Costa Book Award in 2008 for The Secret Scripture.

Barry’s novels On Canaan’s Side, The Temporary Gentleman, and Old God’s Time were briefly discussed. Betty warns that Old God’s Time is a “terribly dark” novel that centers on child abuse within the Catholic church. 

Betty’s favourite books are the three discussed in detail, which embrace themes of love and relationships of all sorts and the passage of time.

Posted by Mooréa G.

On Tuesday, March 11^th, guest speaker Danny Ramadan provided a powerful and informative presentation on the relationship between author and reader.

Danny is an award-winning, Syrian-Canadian author and an LGBTQ-refugees advocate. Danny’s resume is long and riveting: he has lived in numerous countries, his work and passions are extensive, and he has received many notable awards and honours. Danny is the 2024-2025 Canadian Writer-in-Residence at the University of Calgary.

Crooked Teeth: A Queer Syrian Refugee Memoir (2024) begins with the line “Writing this memoir is a betrayal.” Danny half-jokingly states that he wrote his memoir against his will. Personal Danny is protected and reserved: Author/Public Danny is calculated. According to Danny, fiction provides a shield and a safe platform in which to write, whereas Crooked Teeth exposes his private self and dark memories: memories that have been intentionally locked in vaults of the past. Resilience is a word that aptly applies to Danny’s memoir and his life’s journey.

Danny shared his favourite childhood memory of his paternal family’s 300-year-old home in Damascus. His discussion illustrates how he uses parts of his life, such as this special family home, in his fictional works. Danny emphasizes that although his fictional stories incorporate real-life experiences, these books are not memoir.

Danny’s other books include The Clothesline Swing (2017) and the 2023 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction winner, The Foghorn Echoes (2020). The Salma children’s series, which includes one picture book and three chapter books, has won numerous awards. Danny describes his children’s books as a welcome break from his more serious writing. 

The CWLC is grateful to Danny for sharing his works and for trusting our members with aspects of both his public and private self.

dannyramadan.com

Posted by Mooréa G.

The CWLC Spring 2025 session has begun, and we continue our focus on Irish Writers.

Lynn B., a new member as of 2024, kicked off the session with her inaugural presentation on Jess Kidd. Kidd was an unknown writer to Lynn, as well as to most of the club’s members. Lynn provided a superb introduction to this Irish writer through her use of an author’s biography, book summaries, personal reflections, and readings.

Although born in London, Kidd belongs to a large, Irish family that moved to England from County Mayo, Ireland. With the encouragement of her family, Kidd began to read and write at a young age. Numerous trips back to Mayo, along with the “magic” of the region, greatly influence Kidd’s writing. 

Kidd’s works include dark humour, magical realism, historical fiction, and even ghost stories. Kidd’s first novel, Himself (2016), begins with a descriptive, violent murder of a young women. After attempting to read this award-winning novel, Lynn was unable to move past the violence and set it aside for a later read.

The Night Ship (2022) is based on the true story of the Batavia shipwreck. The story follows two different narratives (from 1692 and 1989) and takes place in Geraldton, Australia. Lynn found this novel very enjoyable and relatable, as she had spent time in Western Australia.

Mr. Flood’s Last Resort (2017) takes place in a Gothic mansion inhabited by a lonely caregiver, a cantankerous old hoarder, and numerous ghosts. According to Lynn, this novel illustrates Kidd’s adeptness at incorporating numerous plots and characters into one book. 

Things in Jars (2019) is a Gothic mystery, which takes place in Victorian London. Auditees and curiosities, ghosts, and supernatural powers have this novel’s readers questioning “how we see others and how we see ourselves.”  

Kidd holds a Ph.D. in Creative Writing, she has earned numerous literary awards from England and Ireland, and—in addition to her novels, short stories, and children’s books—she is currently developing her own original television project.

Author and public speaker Danny Ramadan will be our guest speaker at next week’s meeting. Mr. Ramadan is the 2024-25 Canadian Writer-in-Residence at the University of Calgary. 

Posted by Mooréa G.

Cicero’s “A room without books is like a body without a soul” is a quotation that book lovers and literary enthusiasts can fully appreciate. Shelves with perfectly aligned books and wobbly stacks of novels bring character and warmth to any room.

Yet, a lack of time, a lack of motivation, and/or an absence of a reading community often get in the way of pursuing literary goals and enjoying books to their fullest. Is it a room filled with books or a room filled with stories, emotions, and knowledge from the pages within the books to which Cicero makes reference? Alexander Pope cleverly writes in his “An Epistle to the Right Honourable Richard Earl of Burlington” (1731) that book collectors may not know their books are merely blocks of wood covered in beautiful velum, since the books have never been opened or read.

It is a luxury for people to have homes filled with books at the ready. Public libraries, such as the Calgary Public Library’s twenty-two locations, provide a boundless number of books for all who are interested in pursuing literature. Libraries also offer many services, programs, and events. It is not necessary for books to permanently inhabit a room in order for one to be a reader.

The Calgary Women’s Literary Club is an option for those who want to learn more about literature, discuss books with like-minded people, and become motivated to read various authors and genres. Unlike other book clubs, CWLC members are not required to read a new book every month. Instead, at every meeting, one member presents on an author of choice based on a predetermined, yearly theme. This year’s theme has been “Irish Writers”–presentations have been informative, hilarious, sobering, and always thought-provoking.

The CWLC meets every Tuesday afternoon in the months of October/November and March/April at the Memorial Park Library. Our club consists of thirty intelligent, kind, and dedicated women who inspire one another to be curious and confident readers. Members are required to present a paper every other year, regularly attend meetings, and pay a small membership fee. Guests and prospective new members are always welcome. Guests may attend three meetings prior to joining the club.

For more information or to attend the first meeting of the Spring 2025 session on Tuesday, March 4th, please click HERE.

Whether it is dusting off your stacks of books, taking your first steps into a library, or attending a CWLC meeting, the CWLC wishes you the very best with your 2025 literary pursuits.

Posted by Mooréa G.