Writer-in-Residence program

The Writer-in-Residence (WiR) program runs every year from October 1 to April 30. The WiR offers new and emerging writers from Manitoba free one-on-one consultations. They also offer group workshops (online and in library branches) and host a writing circle. Visit our Programs & Events calendar for workshop details and to register. Check back often for new programs.    

The WiR’s office is in the Millennium Library.     

Callouts to be the next WiR happen every year in May or June.  

The WiR program is funded by the City of Winnipeg, Winnipeg Public Library, the Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library and Manitoba Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism. 

 

Ariel Gordon, Writer-in-Residence at Winnipeg Public Library, sitting and writing in the reading terrace at Millennium Library

Ariel Gordon WiR 2025-2026

Ariel Gordon (she/her) is a Winnipeg/Treaty 1 territory-based writer, editor, and enthusiast. She is the coordinator of Writes of Spring with the Winnipeg International Writers Festival. She is poetry editor of The Goose, an environmentally-themed journal. Gordon is the author of seven books, the most recent of which are the essay collection Fungal: Foraging in the Urban Forest (Wolsak & Wynn, 2024) and the just-released speculative fiction hybrid novel Blood Letters, co-authored with GMB Chomichuk (Great Plains Press, 2025).  Ariel also worked as a publicist for University of Manitoba Press and the Winnipeg International Writers Festival - and as a copy editor with the Winnipeg Free Press. 

How to submit works for review to the WiR

Submit works for review from October 1 to March 15. The program is open to Manitobans only.  

Submission guidelines 

Manuscripts must follow strict submission guidelines: 

  • typed in 12-point font
  • prose is double-spaced, no more than 15 pages  
  • poetry is single-spaced, no more than six poems 

Include a cover letter with:

  • a brief description of your writing background
  • any specific feedback you would like
  • all contact information including an email address 

Ways to submit

There are three ways to submit work for review: 

  1. Email your submission to wpl.writerinres@gmail.com 
  2. Drop off a copy at the Reader Services desk at Millennium Library 
  3. Mail a copy to:   

Writer-in-Residence
c/o Millennium Library, Reader Services 
251 Donald Street, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3P5

Printed submissions must be copies as they will not be returned. The submissions are shredded after consultations are complete.  

The WiR will review your submission and reply with feedback. You can also meet by appointment. Appointments can be in person, by phone or online (Zoom). Please note that it can take up to 4-6 weeks to reply to your submission.  

The program is entirely free, thanks to our sponsors.

 

History of the Writer-in-Residence program

Since 1985, the WiR program has connected emerging and aspiring writers with established writers. Learn more about its history. 

You’re invited to join a Writing Circle led by Writer-in-Residence Ariel Gordon

This year's writing circle will be open to writers working at every level and in any genre. This writing group is an opportunity to connect with other writers and to receive consistent feedback on your work, from the Writer-in-Residence as well as from your peers. We will write to various prompts and workshop the pieces that come out of those prompts. 

Participants should be prepared to share their work in-person and engage with the work of their peers in a respectful and constructive manner.

This circle will meet monthly in person on the third Tuesday of the month at Millennium Library from December through April. 

To apply, send an email with the following information to wpl.writerinres@gmail.com:

  1. Email Subject Line: Writing Circle Application
  2. Your name, phone number or email address, and confirmation that you are available to participate for five months (December to April). Meetings will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at Millennium Library, 251 Donald Street.
  3. Include an attached sample of your work (max. 2 pages) as a PDF or Word document so we have an idea of where everyone is in their writing process.
  4. Answer this question: What do you hope to get out of the writing circle?

The application deadline is November 21, 2025.

Successful applicants will be notified by the end of November, and the first meeting will be Tuesday, December 16th: 6-7:30 p.m.

For additional questions, please contact Lucie Handley-Girard at Reader Services 204-986-8386 / lhandley-girard@winnipeg.ca 

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