Events & Workshops

Sleuthing for facts can provide your stories (and books!) with scope and depth. Whether working on short essays or writing long-form narrative (including books), details and targeted research can take our stories to another level.  This workshop will give examples of how some simple research techniques added depth and scope to sample stories.  We’ll then look at how and where to find both primary and secondary sources of materials. NOTE: This workshop is suitable for fiction writers as well.

Important registration notes:

Members pay less for workshops!

Are you trying to register and you’re being charged the full workshop fee when you’re a current SWG member? To access the reduced member rate for this workshop, please make sure you are logged into this website with your member profile to access the member rate for the session. (The member login link is at the top right of this page (computer) or at the top centre (mobile/tablet).)

If this workshop is sold out, please email swgevents@skwriter.com to be placed on the waitlist.

Please note all times listed are Saskatchewan time. Find your time zone here: https://dateful.com/time-zone-converter

This event will not be livestreamed or recorded.

If this workshop isn’t a fit, we are pleased to offer other paid opportunities and many free workshops, festivals, talks, and industry webinars in partnership with fine organizations throughout our programming year that are listed regularly on our website: https://skwriter.com/events-and-workshops

We hope to see you there!

Accessibility Measures in this workshop

• Live auto-captions through Zoom
• Presenter self-descriptions
• Limited Zoom technical support provided by SWG staff to assist participants while they’re in the Zoom meeting.

To help you prepare, here are the expectations for participants in this workshop:

• Camera optional but greatly appreciated. (Participants may have cameras on or off.)
• Participant discussion is not required but is appreciated. (Either through the chat box or verbally.)
• There is no participation expectation for participants—participants can engage as much or as little as they’d like.
• This workshop is primarily a presentation with discussion.

Workshop registration refund policy:

Please be certain you will be able to attend before you register. Registered participants must promptly email the SWG staff person responsible for the event (Cat Abenstein, Program Manager, swgevents@skwriter.com) to cancel their registration. Otherwise, no refunds will be issued.

• A full refund is available if you cancel your registration one week prior to the start of the workshop (by 11:59 p.m. on November 24, 2026)
• A 50% refund is available if you cancel your registration less than one week and more than 48 hours before the workshop. (For cancellations between November 25 and November 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. SK time)
• There is no refund for registrations cancelled within 48 hours of the workshop or no-shows. (Beginning at 12:00 a.m. on December 1, 2026)
• If you would like to donate your registration fee to the SWG’s Andrew Suknaski Writers’ Assistance Fund in support of accessibility so others can attend events like this in the future, please let us know in your email.

Workshop Facilitator

Sandra Phinney has led a few lives: teacher, social worker/counsellor, farmer, and journalist. Her stories and photography have appeared in over 70 publications including Canadian Geographic and the Toronto Star, garnering many awards. She’s penned five nonfiction books. Her latest, a memoir titled Busted: Confessions of an 80-Year-Old Tree Hugger ~ and Other True Tales of Life in Nova Scotia (Pottersfield Press) was published this past September. She lives off-grid with her husband on the Tusket River outside of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. In her spare time, you can find her paddling in the wilderness.

Funding provided by:

In proud partnership with: