about the QWF
The Quebec Writers' Federation (QWF) is playing an increasingly prominent role in the life of the Quebec English-language literary community as an arts presenter and professional and community educator, as well as the representative of Quebec's English-language writers. The diversity of its activities reflects the diversity of its membership. Along with professional and emerging writers, the QWF includes those who have a personal interest in writing and many who have joined because they are interested in high quality literary events, activities and programs. All of these constituents are linked by the QWF vision that works toward ensuring a lasting place for English literature and its practitioners on the Quebec cultural scene.
QWF is a registered charity (14031 9518 RR 0001) with the following legal purposes:
- To provide tangible community support for the promotion and encouragement of English language literary arts within the province;
- To recognize the achievements of Quebec's English language writers through the establishment of annual literary awards;
- To undertake activities which will increase public awareness of the literary arts and of literary institutions within the province;
- To apply for, raise and receive grants, bequests, legacies and devices and to hold, administer, invest, expand or deal with the same in furtherance with the purposes of the Society.
2012 QWF Board Members
- Executive Committee
- President: David Homel
- Vice President: T.B.D.
- Treasurer: Mélanie Grondin
- Secretary: Gina Roitman
- Directors
- Larissa Andrusyshyn
- Clayton Bailey
- Peter Casey
- Daniel Allen Cox
- Bryan Demchinsky
- Ian Ferrier
- Allan Mass
- Ian McGillis
- Elise Moser
- Louis Rastelli
- Raquel Rivera
- Deanna Smith
- Merrily Weisbord
What we do
In order to promote and encourage English language writing and writers in Quebec, QWF is involved in a wide range of activities, publications and programs. They include:
- A Mentorship Program that pairs emerging writers with established authors on writing projects
- Writing workshops to hone skills, such as travel-writing, marketing for freelancers, novel-writing, poetry, songwriting, writing for children, etc.
- Writers in Schools and Writers in CEGEPs programs, which bring authors into the education system;
- Writers in the Community, a new program that the QWF has undertaken in partnership with a number of community groups to bring the literary arts to those who are left out of the artistic mainstream;
- Writers Out Loud, a reading/interview series that features internationally acclaimed fiction, non-fiction and poetry authors from Quebec;
- QWF Literary Database, an online searchable database of English Quebec authors
- QWrite, a quarterly newsletter with information on literary events, programs, contests and news from members;
- A book collection of all former QWF Award winners, dating to 1988, housed at the Atwater Library in Montreal;
- Maintenance of a growing database of all English language Quebec writers and their books on the web.
In addition, QWF collaborates with the following programs and partners:
- Montreal's Blue Metropolis Festival
- Voix d'Amériques
- The Quebec Writing Competition, in partnership with CBC Radio One.
- Batshaw Youth and Family Services
- Jeunesse 2000
- The Centre for Literacy of Quebec
- Ministère de la culture et des communications et condition féminine
- The Morrin Centre of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec
- La Maison de la poésie de Montréal
- L'Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois
- QWF is a founding member of, and serves as the secretariat for Quebec's English-Language Arts Network (ELAN)
- QWF is a member of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN)
The QWF awards
Every year, QWF shines the spotlight on the best English-language writers to emerge from Quebec. The Awards Gala, which began in 1988 under QSPELL, has grown into one of Montreal's most eagerly-anticipated literary events, and includes the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction, the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction, the A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry, The McAuslan First Book Prize, the Translation Prize, the QWF Prize for Children's & Young Adult Literature and the Community Award. Past winners include Neil Bissoondath, Anne Carson, Claire Dé, Trevor Ferguson, Sheila Fischman, Elyse Gasco, Taras Grescoe, Julie Keith, Yann Martel, Mary Meigs, Mordecai Richler, T.F. Rigelhof, Hélène Rioux, Witold Rybczynski, Jack Todd, Rawi Hage, Heather O'Neill, and Neil Smith.
Benefits of membership
QWF members receive:
- A membership card that entitles them to reduced subscription rates to certain Quebec-based magazines, as well as discounts at selected bookstores, literary events, and various arts events in Quebec.
- Quarterly newsletter QWrite
- Regular e-mailings to members with calls for submission, contests, and red-hot literary news
- Reduced rates for QWF Workshops
Major funders
Major funding for QWF comes from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ). We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $37.8 million in writing and publishing throughout Canada. Additional funding is provided by the Canadian Heritage, Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM), prize sponsorships, membership fees and donations.
