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Dianne Warren
Dianne Warren is the author of the novels The Diamond House, Liberty Street and Cool Water, which won the Governor General’s Award for Fiction in 2010. She is also the author of three books of short fiction and three plays, one of which was short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Drama. She has won the Marian Engel Award from the Writers’ Trust of Canada, the Saskatchewan Book of the Year Award, a National Magazine Gold Award for Fiction, and the Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence. Her most recent novel, The Diamond House, was awarded the 2021 Glengarry Book Award. She is on the faculty of the Humber School for Writers and is currently at work on a new novel.
Photo credit: PQ Anthologies
Prairie Quills Writer’s Group
Years ago, Madelon Smid, instructor of adult writing classes at Cypress Regional College (now Great Plains College), invited members of her class to form a group. This was the origin of the Prairie Quills. The group commits to providing support, inspiration and opportunity for its members, as well as for writers in the greater community. We pledge to entertain, inspire, and support people of all ages and literary interests with our writing. Members must be actively writing, make a commitment to the group meetings, take their turn in leadership roles and be actively involved in our projects. Members shall respect each other’s diversity, culture, beliefs, experiences, developmental level and efforts. The group shall create a safe and inclusive environment to nurture the creative writing process.
“...give(s) new members the opportunity to learn from discussion and occasional workshops.” - Dianne Warren
Prairie Quills is a writing group in Swift Current. Although their members are not all emerging writers, they welcome emerging writers to the group and give new members the opportunity to learn from discussion and occasional workshops. I wanted to nominate a writing group because, when I was just beginning to publish, I was welcomed into a writing group in Regina called the Bombay Bicycle Club. That group was instrumental in my development as a writer. We were all craving the company of other writers and serious literary discourse. We celebrated first books together, went on to careers as writers, and became lifelong friends. It can be difficult for emerging writers to find like mind. Writers’ groups can provide a peer group and affirm that a career as a writer is possible. Since Swift Current is my hometown, Prairie Quills is my nominee.