Whistler Writer in Residence
The Whistler Writer in Residence program (WIR) is now open for 2025.
The WWIR is an intensive workshop program for emerging or established writers seeking to raise the level of their writing craft, while working on a specific writing project.
We are thrilled to announce the 2025 Whistler Writer in Residence is…Chelene Knight!
Chelene Knight is the author of five books including Safekeeping: A Writer’s Guided Journal For Launching a Book With Love (Anansi 2025), Let It Go: Free Yourself From Old Beliefs and Find a New Path To Joy (HarperCollins Canada 2024), Braided Skin (Mother Tongue 2015) the memoir Dear Current Occupant, winner of the 2018 Vancouver Book Award, and long-listed for the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. Her novel, Junie (Book*hug 2022) is winner of the 2023 Vancouver Book Award, long-listed for the inaugural Carol Shields Fiction Prize and a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Prize for LGBTQ fiction.
She is founder of her own creative studio, Breathing Space Creative through which she’s launched the Thrive Coaching Program where busy creatives can learn how personal development creates the mindset needed to better manage their energy and make space for all the things they are passionate about. www.breathingspacecreative.com
Chelene was the previous managing editor at Room magazine, festival director for the Growing Room Festival in Vancouver and worked as a literary agent with the Transatlantic Agency for multiple years. She has also worked as a professor of poetry at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia.
“I take a coach-like approach to writing critique, leading with questions to help writers deepen their understanding of their own decision-making process. I’m bold in suggesting ways to reshape and restructure a book, always keeping the big picture in focus. At the heart of my feedback is your why—the core driving force behind your project—which guides every editorial recommendation I make.” ~ Chelene
Open to all residents of the Sea to Sky Corridor, participants receive feedback on their manuscripts from our WIR guest author during three one-on-one sessions, and at three group lectures focusing on various aspects of the writing craft, writing life or publishing industry.
The program is held at the Alta Lake Artists’ Cabin on the shores of picturesque Alta Lake, next to The Point Artist-run Centre. In 2025, the program takes place from September 20 to November 20. This year, we offer an in-person program with online options as needed, on a case-by-case basis.
Participants submit their manuscripts by August 1st, (up to 15 double spaced pages, size 12 font, approx. 4000 words), in the genres of fiction or non-fiction—although other genres will be considered depending on the background of the guest author. There is some flexibility with the critique of submissions, and writers can choose to submit one piece and re-write it over the period of the residency based on feedback from the WWR guest author or receive feedback on multiple submissions.
The cost of the program is $450. Applicants are enrolled in the Whistler Writer in Residence program on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Previous Whistler Writer in Residence guest authors have included: Cody Caetano, Paulette Bourgeois, Joseph Boyden, Candas Jane Dorsey, Wayne Grady & Merilyn Simonds, Brian Brett, Sarah Selecky, Ania Szado, Fred Stenson, Michael Winter, Susan Juby, Caroline Adderson, Claudia Casper, Cornelia Hoogland, Shaena Lambert, Jennifer Manuel.
One scholarship is available for Sea to Sky Residents as part of our equity initiative program. The Amplifying Voices Scholarship supports underrepresented voices in Canadian publishing, particularly those who are Indigenous, racialized, Deaf or hard of hearing, living with a disability, and/or LGBTQ2S+. Click here for more information on how to apply for this scholarship.
“In the one-to-one, Cody [Caetano] helped me find the voice of one of my protagonists–makes all the difference. Cody also enlightened me about where I’m going wrong in querying. In the workshops I learned to eschew the verb ‘to be’ (so static) and invent fun new custom verbs. That’s how it helped my writing. As to how it helped me, it brought the joy of collaboration, and it led to the formation (I think) of a little writers’ community.”
“I enjoyed the group aspect of the craft sessions and being engaged in the “writer community.” Caroline [Adderson] has a great, “see the essence,” way of assessing writing and providing feedback – she has helped move my manuscript along in a significant way.”
“I like the content of the workshops, the input and comments of the instructor, having deadlines to submit work, opportunity to hear a professional advice on my work. The Writer in Residence, Susan Juby, was a wealth of information and support and a wonderful person to converse with.“
We are grateful for the funding assistance from the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s Community Enrichment Program and the BC Arts Council.
Are you looking for accommodation?
The naturally spectacular, Fairmont Chateau Whistler delivers an ideal setting for families, meetings, and weddings from a landmark slope-side location. A mere snowball’s throw to the mountain, it is home to adventure seekers, the mountain’s best après ski, legendary year-round pools, and signature Fairmont service.