Waited for the TTC for too long in -20 degree weather on Christmas Eve? Fell in love at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair? Survived a January in Montreal?

We’ve all got that winter experience. Love it or hate it, the snow blizzard is inherently part of our culture. Canada Writes is looking for personal nonfiction winter-themed stories for Winter Tales to be featured on their website. The winner will receive a $1000 prize from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Entries for Winter Tales will be accepted from November 2 (the CBC’s 75th anniversary) through November 20, and should be between 400 and 500 words long.

Canada Writes – Winter Tales celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Governor-General’s Literary Awards in conjunction with the Canada Council for the Arts. CBC Massey Lectures also celebrates their 50th anniversary with famed New Yorkermagazine contributor Adam Gopnik and his latest lecture Winter, Five Windows on the Season broadcasted from November 7 – 11, 2011 (9pm nightly, 9:30 NT). The book can be purchased here.

Over the next five weeks, the Canada Writes website will feature winter-worthy works of fiction by former Governor General’s Literary Award-winning writers such as George Elliott Clarke, Judith Thompson and Kate Pullinger with stories featured on CBC Radio’s The Sunday Edition in November.

Get your heater started and let the writing begin!

~ Erin Pehlivan