Click on the program title for more information.

• 50+ Writing Challenge 2017 Awards Ceremony & Winning Entries
• 50+ Writing Challenge: March - June 2017
• Public lecture: Martin Parnell - “Ordinary to Extraordinary – One Step at a Time”
• Public lecture: The Music of Words and the Magic of Ordinary Days
• The Story Within, the Creative Writing Project for Mature Adults
• Fireside Chats with members of the Write Away Writers' Group

The first-ever Seniors Writing Challenge (55+) was held June 1 - August 31, 2015. 

An Awards Ceremony Wine & Cheese was held Friday, the 23rd of October, 2015 where the winners of the contest were announced. A big thanks goes to the Okotoks Art Gallery for donating prizes for all winners and to the Write Away! Writers Group for organizing the contest rules and judging the entries. In total, 21 works were submitted.

And the 2015 winners are:

• Poetry - "Sharin' the Wealth" by Barbara Brown
  • Honourable Mention - "Wild Rose of Alberta" by Marlene Wilkie

• Reminiscence - TWICKENHAM by Herb Robertson
  • Honourable Mention - Pan/Dora's Tissue Box by Grant Sullivan

• Short Story - Finding an Old Friend in a New Life by Irma Connell
  • Honourable Mention - The Ballad of County Hall by Herb Robertson

Library Board representative and member of the Write Away! Writers Group Marius Oelschig acted as Master of Ceremoniesduring the Awards celebration Wine & Cheese held at the Okotoks Public Library on October 23, 2015.

Here are the contest details:

Who May Enter:

• All residents of Okotoks and the M.D. of Foothills who are members of the Okotoks Public Library, 55 years and older.
• Seniors who are not members of the library, but who would normally use the Okotoks Public Library are also invited to enter.

What: Entrants are invited to submit poetry, a short story or reminiscence. Only one entry per category, but writers may enter all three categories. No entry fee!

Details:

• Entries are to be posted to, or handed in at the circulation desk of the Oktoks Public Library on or before August 31st.
• All entries need to be typed, double spaced, printed on one side only using Times New Roman 12 font.
• The identity of the writer is not to appear anywhere on the poem, short story of reminiscence - but on a separate sheet of paper.
  • Poetry: one poem, no longer than two pages
  • Reminiscence: based on personal experience, no longer than 1,500 words
  • Short Story: a maximum of 1,500 words

Watch during the month of June 2016 for an annoucement of the next Seniors Writing Challenge.