How can I participate in this year’s conference?
Our 2023 conference includes in-person events and limited livestreamed events. Attendees can register for the full in-person conference or an online pass for limited livestreamed events. Both passes include access to the recorded events for 30 days after the conference. You can choose the best option for you.
How much are registration fees and what is included?
A full conference pass includes includes all in-person events and access to the recorded livestreamed events for 30 days post-conference. This is a $270 value for SWG members and $315 value for non-members, available for the price of $200 SWG members, $245 non-members, $100 students (post-secondary/high school/elementary).
A full pass includes these events:
- Writing While Black with Khodi Dill
- What’s It All About? (Caroline Heath Memorial lecture) with Alissa York, followed by a onstage conversation with Marina Endicott
- Post-Lecture Reception and Fast Friends: Building Connections event
- Lunch & Conversation with Bob Calder and David Carpenter (including a meal)
- Youth Poet Laureate Showcase
- SWG AGM
- 2023 John V Hicks Long Manuscript Award in Literary Nonfiction ceremony
- Community Stage Open Mic & Social
As well as your choice of the following concurrent event options:
Friday 1:30-2:30 pm talks:
- Country Black: Racial Identities on the Prairies, One Song at a Time with Bertrand Bickersteth
- Storytelling Event with Randy Morin
Friday 2:45-3:45 pm events
- How Poetry Grieves Panel with Louise Bernice Half – Sky Dancer, Katherine Lawrence, Jennifer Still and host Alasdair Rees
- The Business of Combining Writing, Photography and Publishing with Robin and Arlene Karpan
Saturday 9:00-10:30 am workshops
- Symbiosis of Relationships with Marina Endicott
- Inside and Outside All at Once: Poetry and the Body with Jennifer Still
Saturday 10:45 am-12:15 pm workshops
- Sense of Place: Creating a Convincing World with Alissa York
- Landscapes Within, Landscapes Without poetry workshop with Bertrand Bickersteth
Online Pass includes the live-stream and recording of the following events via Zoom webinar:
- Country Black: Racial Identities on the Prairies, One Song at a Time with Bertrand Bickersteth
- How Poetry Grieves Panel with Louise Bernice Half – Sky Dancer, Katherine Lawrence, Jennifer Still and host Alasdair Rees
- What’s It All About? (Caroline Heath Memorial lecture) with Alissa York, followed by an onstage conversation with Marina Endicott
- Lunch & Conversation with Bob Calder and David Carpenter (conversation portion)
- Youth Poet Laureate Showcase
- 2023 John V Hicks Long Manuscript Award in Literary Nonfiction ceremony
The recorded videos of these events are available online for 30 days post-conference. The cost of an online pass is $55 SWG members / $75 non-members / $25 students.
Can I access any of the online offerings after the conference?
If you have purchased a full conference pass, or an online pass, you will be able to watch our livestreamed events for 30 days after the conference. Registered participants will receive links and more information during the week of Oct 24th.
Livestreamed events will include:
- Country Black: Racial Identities on the Prairies, One Song at a Time with Bertrand Bickersteth
- How Poetry Grieves Panel with Louise Bernice Half – Sky Dancer, Katherine Lawrence, Jennifer Still and host Alasdair Rees
- What’s It All About? (Caroline Heath Memorial lecture) with Alissa York, followed by a onstage conversation with Marina Endicott
- Lunch & Conversation with Bob Calder and David Carpenter (just conversation portion)
- Youth Poet Laureate Showcase
- 2023 John V Hicks Long Manuscript Award in Literary Nonfiction ceremony
Do I have to be a SWG member to attend the conference?
No! Our conference is open to anyone interested, although our members enjoy a discounted rate.
Are there any free events?
The following events are free and open to the public:
Friday October 20, from 7:00-9:15 pm
- What’s It All About? (Caroline Heath Memorial lecture) with Alissa York, followed by an onstage conversation with Marina Endicott
- Post-Lecture Reception and Fast Friends: Building Connections event
Saturday October 21, from 2:00-11:00 pm
- Youth Poet Laureate Showcase
- SWG AGM (please note you must be a SWG member in good standing in order to vote)
- 2023 John V Hicks Long Manuscript Award ceremony in Literary Nonfiction
- Community Stage Open Mic and Social (please note this will NOT be livestreamed or recorded but all are welcome to attend in-person).
Can I buy and sell books at your conference?
The SWG will operate a book table during the conference, where you can browse and purchase books written by our presenters or members.
If you are a SWG member attending the conference, you are welcome to drop off your authored books for the Guild to sell on consignment. Book drop offs can be made between 12:30-1:30 pm Fri Oct 20 or by making prior arrangements with Guild staff. Unsold books must be picked up by Saturday Oct 21 between 6:30-8:30 pm.
If I would like to stay at the ParkTown Hotel, how do I book a hotel room?
Hotel rooms are available for conference guests to book directly with the ParkTown Hotel (924 Spadina Cres East) at our conference rate ($129/single queen or $134/double queen plus taxes). Please book your room directly with the Parktown Hotel by calling 1-306-667-6068 by September 30, 2023. Availability is not guaranteed after this date.
Please contact the ParkTown Hotel at 306-667-6068 to book your room and quote code 2310SASKAT.
Do I get mileage reimbursement?
SWG members who attend the AGM on Saturday October 21 get a partial mileage reimbursement for attending the annual AGM at the rate of $.22/km. Please speak to SWG staff about submitting a claim form after the AGM.
Accessibility at the SWG Conference
The ParkTown Hotel venue is wheelchair accessible. The front entry of the hotel is accessible by ramp and automated doors. Our events will take place on the lower level which is accessible via elevator or by stairs. The rooms will be set up with moveable chairs and tables spaced 3 feet apart to accommodate wheelchairs or mobility aids. Nearby washrooms are fully wheelchair accessible. All presenters will use a microphone and may have AV props (like powerpoints). Read-along materials will be available in limited sessions. Our presenters and hosts are also encouraged to give self-descriptions.
The ParkTown Hotel (924 Spadina Cres East) is on numerous City of Saskatoon bus routes, including #1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 17. Free parking is available to all conference guests in the ParkTown's surface lot or parkade: please register your vehicle licence plate with the front desk upon entry. If you are biking to the ParkTown, please speak to the Catering Manager upon arrival about a secure indoor space to store your bicycle.
Free coffee/tea will be offered all weekend, and a free non-alcoholic option will be available during the evening receptions with the cash bar. If you have any dietary allergies or sensitivities and are attending the Saturday lunch, please discuss with SWG staff.
Livestreamed and recorded events will include auto captions.
To ensure that the SWG conference is financially accessible to our members and the public, we are offering 6 free events (see list above in “Are there any free events?”) as well as offering SWG members who attend the AGM a partial reimbursement for mileage if a claim form is submitted after the AGM. SWG members also get a reduced rate for both the full registration pass and the online pass.
