WHEN WORDS COLLIDE

Goblin market donations

2/2/2026

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO THINK ABOUT RE-GIFTING

It's the post-holiday crash. It's that time of the year when we look at the stuff we were gifted and wonder where to put it or if we should just leave it on the floor in the middle of the living room because we don't know what else to do with it.

That's right. The tree is long gone and decorations put away, but maybe there's 2 or 3 gift bags sitting there with rando stuff. Like branded water bottles from your Workplace Secret Santa, or a thrifted t-shirt from your neighbour's White Elephant party, or maybe another inspirationally quoted mug from your grandparents who still send you dollar store trinkets.

Or like, candles. We all have them. So many candles.

Despair not!

You can find a good home for these semi-wanted things at the Goblin Casino and Market! We are looking for your weird leftovers - or even sometimes awesome things that you have doubles of! Or just don't care for.

bring out yer weird

For instance, do you have...

Oracle cards that are giving you bad vibes
Weird dolls
Books on necromancy or macrame or whatever creeps you out
Temu Tragedies or Dollar Store gifts
Anything in your house that seems to watch you when you walk by
Something won at a sketchy carnival
Uncomfortably large or small items: stuffed animals, trolls, trinkets
Crystals and gems that no longer spark joy
Duplicates of nice things you want to go to a good home
An odd number of Bay-Day cut-crystal white wine glasses from the 80s given to you by your mother-in-law who is getting rid of stuff that she no longer loves but hopes you like instead. "These are basically VINTAGE!"

Donate all these and more to the Goblin Casino & Market

Based on the SMASH HIT SUCCESS of 2025's Goblin Casino and Market, we're gonna do it again. It's a fun night where you come and gamble some freely-given Goblin Bucks on ridiculous games and silly party tricks in order to win FABULOUS PRIZES! Examples of which are named above.

Bring your donations to the Alexandra Writers Centre during business hours from now until August 1st, 2026. We'll free them of any bad juju energy and give you a hug for your efforts.

Questions?
Email Kim: [email protected]

SPECIAL GUEST CECE LYRA

1/12/2026

CECILIA "CECE" LYRA

Wendy Sherman Associates

Cecilia “CeCe” Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates representing a range of fiction and nonfiction authors writing for the adult market. Born and raised bilingual and bicultural in Rio de Janeiro, CeCe is passionate about representing under and misrepresented voices. She is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) and a co-host of the podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, which has over four million downloads. A mixed-race Latina, CeCe is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing. She is also a recovering lawyer but asks that you do not hold that against her.

FILE UNDER BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS

12/3/2025

FIRST THE LESS GOOD NEWS

Let me tell you something you haven't learnt yet, something you learn only by living awhile.
As you get older, you find that life begins to wear you down.Doesn't matter who you are or what you do, it happens."
― Terry Brooks, The Elf Queen of Shannara

Okay, so... Terry Brooks SWORE up and down and sideways that he would be in Calgary come heck or high water in August 2026… and then he retired. Look, we can’t blame the guy. At 81 years old, he’s been working harder than almost anyone would (Face it, some of us are just counting down the days until we can collect CPP/OAS/GIS). He deserves a break.

However, he knows how excited we all were to meet the writer of the epic fantasy series, Shannara. So he has offered to come and meet us in the virtual realm. Stay tuned for details on a very special online In-Conversation with Terry during the festival.

We love you, Terry.

Hurt leads to bitterness, bitterness to anger. Travel too far that road and the way is lost.”
― Terry Brooks, The Elfstones of Shannara

NOW THE BETTER NEWS

Give me power and also weakness, struggle but also reams of joy. Our lives are made of this fabric--our stories deserve nothing less.”
― Amanda Leduc, Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space

We are excited to tell you that Amanda Leduc has just confirmed she will join us as a Special Guest for 2026.

Long-listed for the 2025 Giller Prize for her novel, Wild Life, Amanda is a writer of magical realism, as well as a notable non-fiction writer and disability rights advocate. Amanda is speaks regularly at festivals, conferences, and events across Canada, the US and Europe on accessibility, inclusion, and disability in storytelling, and contributes regularly to publications across Canada, the US, and the UK.

Read an interview with Amanda.

Amanda Leduc’s dazzling new novel follows two walking, talking hyenas as they interact with humans over decades. Blurring the line between human and animal, these strange messengers reveal what is possible when the cages that contain us are broken."
― Penguin Random House

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Goblin market donations

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO THINK ABOUT RE-GIFTING

Despair not!

bring out yer weird

Donate all these and more to the Goblin Casino & Market

SPECIAL GUEST CECE LYRA

CECILIA "CECE" LYRA

Wendy Sherman Associates

FILE UNDER BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS

FIRST THE LESS GOOD NEWS

NOW THE BETTER NEWS

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our policies

Alexandra writers centre society

CONTACT US

BLOG: THE LATEST & GREATEST

Goblin market donations

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO THINK ABOUT RE-GIFTING

Despair not! ​

bring out yer weird

Donate all these and more to the Goblin Casino & Market

SPECIAL GUEST CECE LYRA

CECILIA "CECE" LYRA

Wendy Sherman Associates

FILE UNDER BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS

FIRST THE LESS GOOD NEWS

NOW THE BETTER NEWS

Author

Archives

Categories

Stay Connected!

Thank you!

our policies

Alexandra writers centre society

CONTACT US

Despair not!