Spotlighting RWA chapters
By Roxy Boroughs,
past president and charter member
The Calgary Association of the Romance Writers of America (CaRWA), the only Canadian and only international chapter at present, began March 4, 2003, twenty years ago, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Over the years, we’ve met at libraries, restaurants, community centers, and held catered events at hotels and mountain retreats. Currently, our monthly meetings/workshops are presented via Zoom, increasing our ability to welcome members who live outside the city, the province, and the country, and to host a wide variety of speakers. All meetings/workshops are included with membership, are recorded, and are available to current and new members alike.
Recent guests include Jennifer Probst, Eve Silver, Nancy Herkness, Dete Meserve, LaQuette, Cathy Yardley, Tracee Lydia Garner, Jennifer Snow, Olivia Gains, Kate McMurray, and Allison Lyons, editor at Harlequin Intrigue. We’ve also hosted agents, freelance editors, and publicists. In September, we’ll be joined by bestselling author and founder of Tule Publishing, Jane Porter.
This year, our president, Katie O’Connor, began an in-house mentorship program for our newer novelists.
In addition, we’ve initiated group publications, including several series (Bandit Creek, The Thurston Hotel, Women of Stampede), and Hugs, Kisses and Mistletoe Wishes, an Amazon bestselling romance anthology. Our newest collaboration, A Cowboy This Christmas, will launch in the fall, with two more group projects scheduled for 2024-2025.
Our chapter has two Facebook pages to connect with. On our public page (@CalgaryRWA) we share our chapter’s upcoming workshops. On our private page (@CARWAAuthors), we celebrate our members’ accomplishments, and invite our members to seek advice, discuss the industry, announce new releases, and suggest topics for future programming. You can also visit our website for details on our chapter’s activities and events.
Want to learn more? We invite you to attend two meetings before joining. And, if you offer a workshop, let us know about it. Just contact us through our website.
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Are you a chapter leader and would like your chapter featured in the RWR? Email [email protected].