Spring Fiction Colloquium Accepting Applications!

Program Dates:
May 16-24, 2026

 Location:
In Person at St. Peter’s Abbey, Muenster, SK

Application Deadline:
Due to deadline extension requests, we are accepting late applications until April 4, 2026.

The Spring Colloquium is a facilitated, in-person retreat for a group of about nine writers.

In a small group context, focus is on individual manuscript consultations with the faciliator, and on seminar discussions dealing with technical, philosophical, or conceptual issues in contemporary writing. Instruction occurs within a deep-immersion setting, with an emphasis on individual writing and manuscript revision.

Facilitated by Kevin Chong

Kevin Chong is the author of seven books of fiction and nonfiction, most recently the novel The Double Life of Benson Yu, which was a finalist for the 2023 Giller Prize and named a Best Book of Canadian Fiction by the CBC. His creative nonfiction and journalism have recently appeared in Time, Literary Hub, Montecristo, and the Globe and Mail. An associate professor at UBC Okanagan, he lives in Vancouver with his family.

For more information and to apply, visit our colloquium page!

“The Sage Hill Spring Fiction Colloquium provided the perfect storm of inspiring craft talks, group writing sessions, one-on-one sessions with our incredibly generous instructor, nightly post-dinner walks, and free time to write. Over a ten-day period, I made more progress on my novel than I would have in ten weeks at home. The feedback and support I received was invaluable.” 
~ Lesley Trites, 2024 Spring Fiction Colloquium Alum

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The Online Fundraising Auction Is Now Open!

Bidding open March 27-31, 2026

Funds raised by Sage Hill’s first online charity auction will help make our 2026 summer programs a success.  Your bid will support emerging and established authors refining their craft, as well as youth beginning to find the joy of writing.

View and bid at:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/sage-hill-writing-fundraising-auction

All auction items have been generously donated by our supporters and partners.

Please bid generously, spread the word, and help us make this auction a big win for our participants!

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Announcing our Summer Courses

Location:
ONLINE programs are held via Zoom
IN PERSON programs are held at St. Peter’s Abbey, Muenster, SK

Application Deadline:
April 20, 2026

ONLINE
Emerging Prose with Conor Kerr
Emerging Poetry with Neil Aitken
Creative Nonfiction with Jenna Butler
Playwriting with Vern Thiessen

IN-PERSON
Summer Fiction with Lauren Carter
Poetry with George Murray

Work on your writing project at our facilitated summer courses!

Writers at our summer programs develop their skills and their manuscripts in a small group context. These courses focus on works-in-progress and offer group discussions / seminars, industry talks, writing time, and individual one-on-one meetings with the instructor.

Check out the links above for the specifics of each summer program.

For more information and to apply, visit our writing retreats page!

Sage Hill came at the exact right time that I needed for my project. I feel it was the wind I needed in my sails. Sage Hill helped me establish some foundational skills in nonfiction and help ground me in a supportive community.
~ Brian Braganza, 2025 Summer Nonfiction Alum

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Tuition Funding Opportunities

Did you know that you can apply for grant funding to support your attendance at Sage Hill? 

And that you can apply for a Sage Hill Scholarship or Bursary?

Sage Hill offers scholarships and bursaries to our participants.  To apply for a bursary or scholarship, include a letter of request with your application to a Sage Hill program.

To learn more about Sage Hill’s scholarships and bursaries, as well as other funding sources – including provincial and national support, visit our scholarship and bursaries page!

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How to Contribute to Sage Hill’s Scholarships & Bursaries for Writers

Bursaries and scholarships are made available through the generosity of people who believe in Sage Hill’s work. To contribute an award, contact us or visit our Support page.

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Sage Hill Alum Q&A – Diana Davidson

Sage Hill Writing recently caught up with Diana Davidson, alum of Sage Hill Writing’s 2013 Fiction Colloquium facilitated by Lawrence Hill.  Her novel, Liberations, is forthcoming with NeWest Press.

What impact did Sage Hill have on your writing process or career?

When I attended Sage Hill in July 2013, I was two months away from my first novel Pilgrimage coming out in the world (published by Brindle & Glass). I had a draft of another manuscript and was churning away on it and brought it to work on at Sage Hill. But I still didn’t feel like a writer.

Sage Hill showed me what a writing community could look like and feel like. Sharing time and space with people who also think that spending 10 summer days on the prairies creating stories was a good thing to do was affirming.

Even though I shelved the manuscript I worked on (I realized my heart wasn’t in that story in the right way), when I went home to Edmonton, I felt like a writer. Sage Hill gave me confidence and community. And I was able to bring that to my readings and book club visits and blogs to promote and share Pilgrimage with readers. Sage Hill was such a gift for me.

What did you like the most about your Sage Hill experience?

Everything. It was incredible to work with Larry and have a writer whose work I admire spend time engaging with my ideas and encouraging me in my craft. Meeting other writers was a highlight of course and has led to incredible friendships. I loved the readings of people’s works-in-progress: both instructors and students would share what they were working on during a few of those long sun-soaked evenings. Maybe it was the space or the generous vulnerability of people sharing unpolished pieces in a room full of other writers, but there was something sacred about those evening gatherings.

Congratulations on your forthcoming novel! Tell us about your book in three words.

Thank you. Three words! This is a brilliant but difficult exercise: love, war, ghosts. I am so excited that my next novel Liberations is forthcoming with NeWest Press in Edmonton. I have just started working with my editor Thomas Wharton, a writer whose work I admire very much, and the whole NeWest team is amazing (Fawnda, Meredith, Christine).

Liberations begins when a Dutch girl meets a Canadian soldier on Liberation Day at the end of World War Two. The novel tells a story of people rebuilding their lives after war and is inspired by real events: my Dutch grandmother met my Canadian grandfather in Amsterdam on May 7, 1945. The book takes place in Amsterdam and in Buffalo Lakes, Alberta (near Grande Prairie). While the book is about the aftermath of WWII, its themes of fighting fascism and seeing Canada as a promise resonate in our current troubling times.

While I hope my novel will have broad appeal, it is a story I am uniquely qualified to tell. And the telling of it, and the sharing of it, is only possible because of the confidence I gained at Sage Hill.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

For me, Toni Morrison’s advice “If there is a book you want to read and it does not exist, write it” is wise. Sometimes I write about what I know and sometimes I write about what I want to know and most of the time I write somewhere in between. For me as both a reader and a writer, I connect with a story or a character when I feel empathy: is this person experiencing something I can relate to and see in a new way and, I think, more importantly, is this person experiencing something I can’t relate to but I understand it a bit now because I’ve connected with a character on the page? And perhaps what I experience in a story means that in my life-in-the-world I can have more empathy and more connection with the people I meet.

What advice or tips do you have for people who’ve never attended Sage Hill and are considering applying? What can they do to prepare or how can they make the most out of their time at Sage Hill?

Apply! Invest in your writing. Explore your idea, workshop your manuscript, believe in yourself as a writer. Go to Sage Hill with an open mind. The big wide prairie is a creative space and place. Having time, quiet, and connection to tell your story is a gift you can give yourself.

Even though I attended thirteen years ago, I think about my Sage Hill experience all the time. On my last day at St. Michael’s, a fellow writer gifted me a small bundle of sage that she picked in the nearby fields on the hill. I still have that sage and it has a place on a shelf in my bookcase. It is in a small vase in front of a shelf of books written by authors I met at Sage Hill. When I need to remind myself that I am a writer, and when I need to remind myself that I need to keep writing, I hold that sage and I look at those books and I think of all the wonderful/important Canadian stories out there in the world written by people I was fortunate to work with and become friends with (some just for the time there and some still dear friends).

Any final thoughts?

The world needs more Canadian stories right now. We are living in dark, polarizing, scary times. We need more diverse stories, we need comforting stories, we need stories that challenge us, and stories that remind us. Stories bring connection and stories bring community. And connection and community are what we need to set things right. Sage Hill is a wonderful place to nurture your story so you can share it with readers. If you are thinking about going, go.

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Diana Davidson lives and writes in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in Treaty Six territory and in the homeland of the Métis Nation. Her novel Liberations is forthcoming with NeWest Press: it is a story about a Dutch girl and Canadian soldier who meet on the last day of WWII in Europe as the Canadians liberate The Netherlands from Nazi occupation. Her first novel Pilgrimage (Brindle & Glass, 2013) explored women’s life in Northern Alberta at the turn of the twentieth century. Pilgrimage was a finalist for the 2014 “Alberta Readers’ Choice Award”. Davidson’s creative nonfiction essay “Ahead of the Ice” won the Writers Guild of Alberta Jon Whyte Memorial Essay award and her story “Marilyn and the Bears” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by The Copperfield Review. Her most recent publication is the story “Waxwings and War Brides” in Consequence Forum 17.1 Spring 2025.

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🎊 Thank You, Tara Dawn Solheim, 🎊

For Your Years as Executive Director!

We are excited to share the news of a leadership transition at Sage Hill Writing.

Tara Dawn Solheim has moved on from her role as Executive Director of Sage Hill Writing. From 2016 to 2024, Tara Dawn made a lasting impact on hundreds of writers who attended our programs.  She oversaw a tremendous period of growth for the organization and saw Sage Hill through pivotal changes, including a flood, a fire, changes of venue, and the development and introduction of online writing programs.  With a strong commitment to crafting an exceptional experience for our participants, Tara Dawn is a passionate and devoted supporter of artists.

While recently spending a year on respite from service to Sage Hill, Tara Dawn determined it was time to shift her focus to her own creative work as a musician, writer, and performer.  We are delighted to learn that she has been invited to do a three-month artist residency in Spain!

After nearly a decade of service, we can not thank Tara Dawn enough for her contribution to Sage Hill and the writing community.  Tara Dawn, we wish you success in all of your future endeavours!

“It has been a blessing to work with Sage Hill over the past 10 years. I believe in the value of the experience that Sage Hill offers and it has been a joy to be part of this tradition. I have had the opportunity to meet many amazing writers, to support them in their creative journeys, and have grown so much in the process. I am confident that the Sage Hill community is in good hands with Caitilin Terfloth at the helm! Appreciation to Caitilin, Program Assistant Tia Hendricks, and the Board of Directors for their expertise in steering the ship as I move forward in my own creative adventures. After experiencing breast cancer, I am grateful to now be in a thriving state of being and I feel compelled to use my energy to create art. I’m excited to continue pursuing my own practice in music, singing, DJing, somatic exploration, and poetry.”
– Tara Dawn Solheim

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“I had the pleasure to attend with Tara at the helm, and wow, what a treat! She brings such a wonderful presence — she’s calm, and fun, and supportive.”

– Past Participant

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“I want to thank Tara Dawn and Caitlin for an amazing job! The demands are constant, things come up – and you both handled everything with humour and grace! You created a warm, inviting, creative, friendly environment and that is everything in these situations! It was an honour to be faculty in this kind of nurturing environment! Thank you so much!”

– Jeanette Lynes

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🎉 Welcome to Our New Executive Director 🎉

We are delighted to introduce Caitilin Terfloth as Sage Hill Writing’s Executive Director.

Caitilin has been with Sage Hill since 2016, serving as our Program Manager until she stepped up as Acting Executive Director in August 2024.  During her year as Acting Executive Director, Caitilin developed new community partnerships, increased funding, championed accessibility, streamlined organizational processes, and engaged with staff, board, and participants to develop and implement program improvements – and she’s just getting started!

Caitilin has a deep commitment to helping writers develop, a love of writing, and over a decade of experience in non-profit administration and management.  She has been an editor and volunteer coordinator, has served on several boards, and has a long history of volunteerism.  Her open, collaborative leadership approach, her familiarity with Sage Hill’s inner workings and history, and her dedication to Sage Hill’s mission and values are just some of the reasons why she is so well-suited to guide our organization into the future.

“This past year, my priority was to provide a steady transition, ensuring rewarding experiences for our participants, staff, and facilitators.  I could not have done this without Sage Hill’s Program Assistant, Tia Hendricks, the Board of Directors, and years of learning how to run an arts non-profit from Tara Dawn.  Going forward, you can expect the same high-quality programming for which Sage Hill is known.  I am happy to meet Sage Hill’s supporters and alumni, and anyone who is curious about Sage Hill; don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or would like to connect!” 
– Caitilin Terfloth

It is with confidence that we welcome Caitilin more permanently into the Executive Director role, and foresee an exciting future for Sage Hill Writing!

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“I was so moved by the care and attention to detail and hard work that went into the in-person experience. If I could come back in person every single year I absolutely would. And I am so grateful to Caitilin and Tia for all the thought, effort, and heart that they put into this.”

– Past Participant

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