Plume Winnipeg
Our purpose is to strengthen and support a broad reading community by curating and presenting two annual festivals celebrating writers and reading, as well as by acting as a reading resource. To serve those ends, we showcase quality writing, we create forums for conversation, creativity, and learning, and we share our enthusiasm.
Events
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AfterWords Meets Speaking Crow
Help us wrap up THIN AIR/Livres en fête 2024 with a poetry celebration and our annual Haiku Death Match! Steve Locke, Angeline Schellenberg, Sue Sorensen + Haiku Death Match ft. Winnipeg Poetry Slam Team This year, our closing event combines our monthly Speaking Crow reading with our annual Haiku Death Match. The event begins with…
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Writing Craft with Ariel Gordon
Up in a Tree: a nature/eco writing workshop Wild turkeys roaming the back alleys. Elms with Dutch elm disease losing their leaves. Coyotes running down the street. What does it mean to slow down and pay attention to the urban ecosystem? What lives in the urban forest with us? This workshop focuses on what it…
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Niizhotay Stories with Andrea Currie
On the eve of the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we once again honour treasured Elder and tireless community-builder Theodore Niizhotay Fontaine with Niizhotay Stories, an annual event which calls on us all to forge a healing path in the spirit of “two hearts.”For this year’s installment, we welcome Andrea Currie back to Winnipeg to celebrate…
Our Festivals
Thin Air Festival
THIN AIR / LIVRES EN FÊTE is an annual fall celebration of books and writing. Discover some of the most exciting new books, both English and French, from writers across Canada and beyond. Our line-up is eclectic! Event highlights include Niizhotay Stories, Afternoon Book Chats, the Haiku Death Match, La Plume et le pinceau, our evening MainStages, and more. Spend some time with fascinating people, and find your new favourite book!
Thin Air Kids Festival
THIN AIR KIDS / Livres en fête juniors is the new addition to our programming. In the middle of February, we celebrate I Love to Read Months with three days of readings and book-related activities in English and French, for kids of all ages—and their families. We’re investing in future writers, dreamers, leaders, citizens!
What’s New
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THIN AIR / Livres en fête 2024 starts today
Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for! It’s September 20, and we are thrilled to kick off our much-anticipated 12-day writers festival, a celebration of books and stories, creativity and community! From today through October 1, we invite you to be part an unforgettable journey through the world of words, featuring a diverse lineup of…
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THIN AIR Festival / Livres en fête 2024 is just around the corner!
Wow, THIN AIR / Livres en fête 2024 kicks off next Friday, September 20, ONE WEEK from today! We’re taking care of all the last details now so that our visiting writers will get a taste of true prairie hospitality, and our local writers will have a chance to share their brilliance with all of us.…
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SUBMISSIONS CLOSED – Writes of Spring 2024 Call for Submissions!
Writes of Spring, a poetry initiative of the Winnipeg International Writers Festival led by Winnipeg writer Ariel Gordon in partnership with the Winnipeg Free Press, is just around the corner! This year, Writes of Spring is working with the City of Winnipeg’s Winnipeg 150 theme, “Our shared stories. Our shared future.” Winnipeg 150 marks the…
Browse Our Series
Find out more about all the programming we do!
Speaking Crow
Speaking Crow is our monthly poetry open mic series happening the first Tuesday of the month. Most gatherings kick off with a reading from a Manitoba poet, followed by an open mic. Most of our meetings are in person, but we also have lively international gatherings online several times each year. Bring your poems for three minutes at the mic!
Voices in the Circle
We champion Indigenous writers in all of our programming streams, and make them easier for interested readers to find by gathering under the banner of Voices in the Circle.
Writes of Spring
Writes of Spring is our April collaboration with Ariel Gordon and the Free Press, celebrating National Poetry Month. An annual open submission results in a curated group of original poems published in the Free Press with a public launch.
Our Supporters
Contribute
Want to lend a hand to a feisty non-profit with big dreams?
Donate
You love books. We love books. We believe that books and ideas deserve to circulate freely and that healthy exchange is at the heart of healthy communities. That belief underscores our determination to present events which are low cost or free. Please support our efforts to keep our year-round programming open to all! We’re a registered non-profit with a great record of fiscal responsibility, and will put your gift to good use. Donate now. You’ll receive a tax receipt along with an extra helping of gratitude from all of us!
Volunteer
Volunteers are the backbone of public events, and we treasure ours! If you are outgoing, fun, love to read, and just want to give a little something back to your community, you might be a perfect fit for us. Take a moment to register in our volunteer portal and let us get to know you!
