September 2026 Controversy at Noon

We say literary merit is a subjective topic, but do we really think that? Is it a matter of taste or is there criteria that defines why some works are thought to carry more literary weight than others? How do we decide which works deserve literary prizes, or what is included in the CanLit canon? How do we judge the qualifications of who does the judging for said prizes? Does how we define “literary merit” exclude genre fiction or marginalized writers? Since the topic seems to be so subjective, would we say determining literary merit is a community initiative? Join our September panelists as they examine these types of questions on the subject of literary merit and more.

About Our Panelists

Matthew James Weigel | Social

Dr. Matthew James Weigel is a Dene and Métis author and artist from Edmonton. His debut poetry collection Whitemud Walking was the winner of the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, the Indigenous Voices Award, and the Alcuin Society Award for book design as well as a finalist of the Writers’ Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize. Matthew’s multimodal work is situated in his relationship to the land and considers the historical, archival, and ecological connections between stories and place. His doctoral dissertation: On the Legibility of Trees works across genre and medium as Matthew endeavours to tell new stories in old ways, and share old stories in new ways. He currently works as an assistant professor of Indigenous literatures at the University of Calgary.

Anne Logan | Website

Anne Logan has been working in the non-profit sector for over 17 years as a festival programmer, fundraiser and book reviewer. She has previously sat on the board of directors of Calgary Reads and the Writers’ Guild of Alberta as Past President, and is currently the Vice-Chair of the Calgary Arts Development Board of Directors. In addition to reviewing books for CBC radio and television, her writing has also been published in Alberta Views, Quill and Quire, Write and WestWord Magazine. She is currently the Associate Director of Development at Calgary Public Library Foundation.

Photo Courtesy of Sarah Bodri

Jael Richardson | Website | Social

Jael Richardson is the founder and Executive Director of the Festival of Literary Diversity or FOLD. She is the author of two books for adults, three picture books and an anthology for middle grade readers.

Shawn Hamm | Bolo Tie Collective | Wordstock

Shawn Hamm is an English instructor at MacEwan University, a writer, a Gothicist, and grave keeper. He founded the MacEwan publishing student-focused juggernaut known as The Bolo Tie Collective and is a fierce supporter of the Edmonton writing community through his Wordstock author showcase events. His research delves into the Gothic Mad Science of the Long 19th Century, which has fed his love of writing gothic folk horror and science fiction, often incorporating Frankensteining elements of both into academic and creative work. His fiction has been published through The Lamp and Bolo Tie, while his research and papers are regular fixtures through the International Gothic Association. He has recently unearthed the ethereal genre of non-fiction, entirely inspired by his work amongst the graves, and is currently working on two manuscripts of short story collections. Though much of his writing revolves around our relationship with death, he much prefers the living.