Winter WordPlay 2025

Winter WordPlay 2024
For Ages 10+ daycamp 12+ overnight
An unforgettable experience for creative writers to spend time with quality instructors and other talented peers discussing ideas and sharing their work.

$230.00 CAD

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$230 Base Price

+ $NaN Camp Experience

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+ $NaN Add a donation? (with our thanks!)

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+ $230 Subtotal

Registration is now OPEN. Register soon, this camp fills up!

Thank you and can't wait to wordplay!

Winter WordPlay Overnight Experience 2025!

Ages 12-19
January 24-26, 2024 at Providence Centre (3005 119 St NW, Edmonton)
Drop off 7pm January 24th. Pick up 9:30am January 26th.
$230.00
Price includes: tuition, supplies, meals, snacks, accommodation, evening entertainment.

Winter WordPlay Daycamp Experience 2025!

Ages 10-19
January 25th (9am-9pm) at Providence Centre (3005 119 St NW, Edmonton)
$195.00
Price includes: tuition, supplies, lunch, supper, snacks, evening entertainment

Registration closes January 20, 2025!

Please note that the registration process continues on Campfax. Your order confirmation email that arrives after you register on this page will give you the link and all the info you need.

Winter WordPlay Fees include

A full day of instruction and writing activities led by highly qualified instructional and supervisory staff, Saturday entertainment, meals, and for those staying overnight, accommodations.

Please note

All fees include a $100 non-refundable fee. No refunds will be made if registration is cancelled after January 15, 2025. A full refund will be made in the event an applicant is not accepted into the program. YouthWrite Society Canada reserves the right to cancel courses and restrict enrollment. Courses, instructors and supervisors may be subject to change.

An Important Note on COVID-19:

YouthWrite Society Canada remains committed to the safety and health of our youth participants and employees. As such, we will adhere to the guidelines and recommendations of Alberta Health Services and the Public Health Agency of Canada. We recognize this is an evolving situation and will make updates on our website as information from Alberta Health Services becomes available.

Guest Instructors & Workshop Description

great instructors
+ one great weekend (or day)
+ fun and hijinx
= the wordplayfully delightful camp you’ve come to
know as YouthWrite®!!!

With this years special guest instructor: Louise Casemore!

And we have much more in store for you:

Strut your stuff at the Inklings!
Guffaw at the BEEG LEETLE show!
Be wowed by our evening entertainers!
Wordplay because YOU’ve got the write stuff!!!!
Bring along a friend and win a YouthWrite® prize!

Meet Your Instructors!

Louise Casemore

Bio

Louise Casemoreis an award-winning playwright, actor, and proud prairie dweller. Based in Alberta on Treaty 6 and 7 Territory, she is the recipient of the ATP/Enbridge Playwright’s Award, two Elizabeth Sterling Haynes awards, the Edmonton Artist Trust Fund, and was once declared to be the trivia champion of her family household. Original plays she has written and performed include OCD, Functional, GEMINI, and Undressed, which premiered at Alberta Theatre Projects in 2022. Her creative impulse is to explore real life in her writing, investigating the world around her with curiosity and humour. Louise remains active in the community by teaching, research, and hosting readings and artist events. She will make any excuse to spend time with writers, because she thinks they are the very coolest. Fun fact: Louise was a YouthWriter from 1996-1998!

Course

Taking Things Personally: Writing About Real Life - Putting YOU into your work! The best way to truly engage a reader or audience is to write from a place that is personal, playful, and imaginative. Navigate putting real life into your writing, exploring the risks and benefits, and building tools to free your creative ideas (which can sometimes be where we get stuck!). Work towards creating pieces that can be turned into poems, plays, stories, or something even bigger – empowering yourselves as the experts in your own experiences.

Medgine Mathurin

Bio

Medgine Mathurin is a Haitian-born spoken word artist and advocate and a person for whom the love of language and the alchemy of words is second nature. Her multilingual upbringing (French, Creole, English) not only prompted her to begin experimenting with the potential and magic of language, but naturally compelled her into a deep love of poetry. She has been featured on CBC, Global TV, at Skirtsafire Festival and the Edmonton Poetry Festival. Medgine was a selected as a participant in the 2022 Mentorship Program with the Writer's Guild of Alberta's and became a mentor with the 2022 Horizon Circle Writers Program, a writing mentorship program for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC), ESL, and underrepresented writers living in Edmonton. In 2023, Medgine received the Edmonton Artist Trust Fund award. She is the author of Waiting in the Land of the Living / Attendre dans le monde des vivants.

Course

Write Out Loud - Writing isn't just about putting pen to paper; it's about bringing your words to life. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just curious about poetry, explore techniques to make your words jump off the page, add colour and texture to your story. Discover the power of poetry through wordplay, to express the fullness of who you are. Whether you want to write for yourself or share your words with the world, you can paint a clearer picture of the what you want to say.

Meet Your Coordinator and Supers!

YouthWrite Director-Coordinator

Gail Sidonie Sobat

is a multi-award-winning teacher and author, with twelve books for children, teens and adults, and a number of educational and academic articles. A Global News Woman of Vision and an Arts and Culture Citation Award recipient, she is the YouthWrite creator/coordinator, an international presenter, an instructor in the professional writing program at MacEwan University and in the Faculty of Education at U of A. Gail was The Writers’ Union of Canada Regional Representative for Alberta, NWT and Nunavut, and writer in residence with the Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries

She has moved forty times in her life from Badlands to Siksika Nation Reserve to hideous suburbs to Istanbul to the Sunshine Coast to her writer’s garret in a century-old temperamental house. She adores all of her Supers & Coordinators equally, and loves YouthWrite like a Madwoman!

YouthWrite River Valley Coordinator

Marla Albiston

has been involved with YouthWrite for approximately 16 years…she can’t remember the exact number, because she’s been having so much fun! She completed her BEd degree at the U of A, and since then has had the wonderful opportunity to apply her love of education with her passion for movement, teaching Dance at various schools with EPSB. She also works as a freelance dance teacher/choreographer, dances with the local contemporary company ViVA Dance, and performs in aerial circus with Firefly Theatre and Circus. Marla is beyond excited for the magic that once again will be taking place at YouthWrite's Winter WordPlay and to work with Gail who loves her best!

Elise Leske (she/her)

Elise Leske is a past YouthWriter who now dabbles in comedy, camerawork, and crossword puzzles. When she’s not on set or doing stand up, she likes painting and crushing her opponents in board games (she often loses). She is also Gail’s favourite.

Super Joy Love (they/them)

Joy Love (they/them) is a spoken word poet featured by the EPF, Found Fest, and more. They currently reside in Amiskwacîwâskahikan, colonially known as Edmonton, on Treaty 6 territory. Their work often explores queerness, existentialism, and the beauty of questioning, kindling curiosity in their listeners and readers. When not writing, they are likely busy pondering how weird it is to be a person and loving their chosen family & friends like it’s their day job.

Super Joey Lucius (he/him)

Joey Lucius is an educator, performer, and writer from Edmonton. He is a Canadian Comedy Award Winner and Canadian Screen Award nominee for his work on YTV’s That’s So Weird. He's also been a staple at Edmonton’s Rapid Fire Theatre since 2007, where he is also the company's Academy Director. As a writer, Joey has contributed to the online Beaverton and to several television products in development. He thinks birds are cool!

Super Mason Repka (he/they)

Mason is a writer, creator, game master, and wizard-in-training. They love to teach writing through roleplay, whether live-action or tabletop, and are the director of Dark Ascension LARP. Mason also works as a Communications Manager, Supervisor, and Instructor for YouthWrite and is very excited to be a part of Winter Wordplay this year. Mason looks forward to all the word playful fun and being Gail's favourite!

Communications Manager Tania Gigliotti (she/her)

Tania is a powerhouse administrator, amazing client services manager, excel wizard, and an adorable little hobbit. She spends her spare time researching youth engagement in living history museums for the Young People are the Future project, as well as reading a lot of good books and eating a lot of good food. She's also Gail's favorite.

For any inquiries about Winter Wordplay, other YouthWrite Programing, or to contact us, email us at [email protected]

Hope to see you at camp!