St. Eugene will host the inaugural St. Eugene Writers Conference from May 13-20. Drawing writers from across Canada, the conference will connect established writers with aspiring writers seeking to develop their craft.
The format will consist of three- and six-day intensive small group workshops led by writers with a distinct Western Canadian flavor. Beyond the workshops, a wide variety of writing and publishing activities will be offered. Panel discussions on writing, self-publishing, traditional publishing and author readings will be held and open to the public at no cost.
St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino offers an ideal setting for immersing writers in their craft. The resort sits on the plain of the St. Mary’s River surrounded by the rugged peaks of the Rockies and Purcell Mountains.
St. Eugene is a former residential school that closed in 1970. The property is now owned, developed and guided by three First Nations partners, the Ktunaxa Nation of B.C., the Samson Cree Nation of Hobbema, Alta., and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation of Rama, Ont.
The resort features restaurants, a championship golf course and the first and only aboriginal owned casino in B.C. Completely self-contained, St. Eugene is the ideal location for writers to retreat, rejuvenate and revitalize their work.
A key component of the conference fosters the building of a strong writing community in the Kootenays and Western Canada. The conference will offer reduced tuition to individuals committed to building and mentoring writers and will also help arts councils in establishing and building local literacy and writing programs.
Assembled, ordered and printed, individual words become our stories. Our stories link our generations. No story is too small. No story is too large. All stories hold a special place for each writer and, eventually, the reader. At St. Eugene, the stories will begin anew.
For more, visit www.steugenewriters.ca.
— ST. EUGENE WRITERS CONFERENCE