Events & Workshops

The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild is seeking a Virtual Writer-In-Residence (VWIR) for a virtual facilitated retreat to be held online February 4-7, 2027. Saskatchewan residency is preferred, but open to writers in Canada. Out-of-province applicants must explain their connections to the Saskatchewan writing community in their application.

The Virtual Facilitated Retreat is open to writers of any genre and at any stage of their career, although beginner or emerging writers will be given preference. The retreat is structured with flexibility and accessibility in mind, where participants can join in or leave at break points that fit best for them if they cannot attend the entire day. The goal of this virtual retreat is to work on developing one’s writing and fostering community online.

This retreat will run from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, and will include a mix of facilitated online interaction and focused independent writing time. Each retreatant will have a 45-minute virtual consultation with the VWIR and the opportunity to read work that they’ve been developing at the Retreatant Reading on Sunday. All of the VWIR’s work during the retreat will be conducted virtually via Zoom (the Guild will provide a Zoom account).

The Virtual Writer-in-Residence will be expected to:

• Welcome retreatants each day during the opening sessions and set the tone for the day through a quick talk, Q+A period, or free-write prompt (45 minutes each day).
• Give a 60-minute virtual talk, with a 15-minute Q&A, about the craft of writing on Thursday, February 4, 2027, at 7:00-8:15 pm (SK time). This is intended for writers of all genres and various levels of experience.
• Meet with each retreatant (max. 10) for 45-minute consultations Thursday-Saturday to give specific feedback on their submitted writing and/or answers to their writing-related questions. In preparation for these consultations, the VWIR is expected to read the submitted writing ahead of time and prepare evaluation comments or questions.
• Host the Retreatant Reading on Sunday, February 7, 2027, from 10:00 am - 12:45 pm (SK time).

Retreat Schedule (excluding one-on-one meetings). The VWiR will get a personalized retreat schedule and information package from the Program Coordinator once hired.

The VWiR will work closely with our Program Coordinator Tea Gerbeza and Program Manager Cat Abenstein, who will be the primary technical hosts of the retreat, facilitators of check-ins, and SWG contacts. The VWIR may send an introductory email to all participants before the retreat. A final report and invoice to the SWG is required by February 15, 2027.

Qualifications:

• Experience in a teaching or mentoring situation with beginning or emerging writers in different genres
• An extensive publication history, including at least two books. The SWG asks applicants to have multi-book publications, or equivalent industry knowledge, to assist participants with their inquiries regarding book publishing, finding an agent, and other book-related knowledge
• Knowledge of the Zoom platform and experience offering virtual workshops or meetings

To apply, please submit your literary CV (max 5 pages) and a letter describing your approach to teaching/mentoring writers, your connection to Saskatchewan, and the names and phone numbers of two people familiar with your teaching/mentoring ability. A demonstrated ability to work with writers of different genres is an asset.

The Virtual Writer-in-Residence will be paid a flat rate of $1500, plus GST, for working with 10 retreat participants. If participant numbers are reduced, a lesser fee will be paid.

Previous Writers-In-Residence for either in-person or virtual Facilitated Retreats should allow three years before re-applying for this position. To help the SWG support writers of diverse communities and identities, we encourage applicants to self-declare if they identify as a writer who is a member of group(s) experiencing marginalization and underrepresentation. (i.e. Black, Indigenous, or Person of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+, or Disability). This self-declaration will be used internally by the hiring committee and will not be publicized.

As the SWG values human expression and creativity, we only accept human-generated work that is not written, developed, or assisted by Generative AI tools, to protect authors, literacy, critical thinking, ethical practices, new ideas, education, professional development and craft, community and against misinformation. VWiRs are expected to NOT use any GenAI tools for any aspect of the retreat (talk notes, retreatant feedback, etc.)

We’re aware that Generative AI is a rapidly changing industry problem, and this is an organic statement that may change. The SWG will protect your work by not using Generative AI in our practices. The SWG does not use Generative AI in our internal practices and policies.

Please email your submission to swgpr@skwriter.com by October 12, 2026 (midnight).