Gail Anderson-Dargatz will be holding readings, workshops, one-on-one consultations, and more throughout the region.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional Library (TNRL) residency program returns this fall: The library welcomes Gail Anderson-Dargatz as its third Writer in Residence and invites residents to get to know her and learn more about the art and craft of writing.
Anderson-Dargatz, who lives in Shuswap, is an internationally recognized author whose award-winning works span multiple genres. Her first novel, The cure for death by lightningwas a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the British Betty Trask Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Vancity Book Prize. Her second novel, A recipe for beeswas nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
The spawning grounds was nominated for the Sunburst Award and the Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award and was shortlisted for the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Fiction. Her latest novel, The Almost Widow (2023) was nominated for the Crime Writers of Canada’s 2024 Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada and is a sequel to her 2021 national bestseller The almost-wife.
Anderson-Dargatz also has extensive experience in mentoring and workshops, and her residency – which runs from September to December 2024 – will focus on encouraging participants to explore their own voices and narratives. She will lead workshops, readings and one-to-one sessions across the region, highlighting the importance of storytelling and giving people the opportunity to develop and refine their own writing. All of these events are free to attend/participate in.
The residency begins on Thursday, September 5, with a meet and greet event at the Kamloops Library (Victoria Street) from 6 to 7 p.m. During September and October, Anderson-Dargatz will visit communities around the TNRL to discuss The Almost Widow and answer questions about the writing craft and the publishing industry.
Clearwater Library: Saturday, September 7, 1:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Accessible Library: Saturday, September 14, 12:30–14:00
Ashcroft Library: Saturday, September 28, 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Logan Lake Library: Saturday, October 5, 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Merritt Library: Friday, October 18, 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Chase Library: Saturday, October 26, 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
From September 19 to November 28, Anderson-Dargatz is hosting Writer’s Circle events every other Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Kamloops Main Library. These sessions are for writers of all levels working on memoir or fiction of any kind, including children’s and young adult literature, and include discussions on craft, writing exercises, and suggestions for stimulating your muse.
There will also be a Neurodivergent Writer’s Circle where participants can meet like-minded writers who identify themselves as highly sensitive, ADHD, autistic or gifted. Writers of all levels are welcome at the North Kamloops Library on November 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Want to take part in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge? It’s an annual international creative writing event where participants attempt to write a 50,000-word manuscript in November. Anderson-Dargatz will host three NaNoWriMo Prep 101 sessions where participants will learn how to outline a novel in preparation for writing a draft. The sessions will be held on September 12, September 15 and October 24 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Kamloops Main Library.
Are you looking for personal support and/or advice? You can book a one-on-one consultation with Anderson-Dargatz to discuss your work and develop as a writer. For more information and to book a consultation, visit www.tnrl.ca/residencies.
A closing ceremony and conclusion of this year’s residency program will be held on Thursday, December 5 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Kamloops Main Library, where Anderson-Dargatz and authors from the various workshops will read from their works.
Anderson-Dargatz is the fifth in TNRL’s residency series, which began in 2019 with Writer in Residence Deryn Collier and continued in 2021 with Screenwriter in Residence Ken Hegan. In 2022, the Musician in Residence program included Jeremy Kneeshaw, Margit Gossage, and Tina Hebner, and in 2023 the Writer in Residence program returned with Jennifer Chrumka.
