Mississauga Writers Group writes anthology for Canada's 150th

In a year where Canadians are encouraged to celebrate the 150th year of Confederation, the Mississauga Writers Group (MWG) chose to voice their patriotism in the manner most familiar to them. 

Formed in 2013, the Mississauga Writers Group began with eight enthusiastic writers, recognizing the passion for writing in each other, and determining to share in the nurturing of said passion. In the relatively short span of four years, the MWG has rapidly grown to include over 100 members and has developed strong ties with the Mississauga Library system. The vision of the MWG is to encourage the artistic endeavours of their members, while also sharing writing opportunities. One of the group’s accomplishments is the publication of a yearly anthology, which features member’s contributions. For 2017 MWG founder Elizabeth Banfalvi wanted to pay tribute to Canada’s 150 and decided to do this through the Canada Our Home anthology.

The response was very enthusiastic. The strength of the group comes partly through its diverse members. The anthology is thus filled with the same sort of multiculturalism which is so vigorously declared as a true Canadian trait. The writers delve into the stories of their arrival to Canada, or the arrival of their families. Tribute is paid to Canada in the beginning of the book, which serves to imprint the identity, traits, and values that are held up as Canadian. 
However, in a departure from previous anthologies, the MWG moved beyond their own members for contributions. Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie provides a message of congratulations for the book, and the city’s Inaugural Poet Laureate, Anna Yin, recounts the journey which brought her to Canada. Banfalvi also visited Philip Pocock CSS and St. Elizabeth Seton School to give youth the option of submitting their own stories for the anthology. The end result is that the anthology captures views of Canada from almost every age group, whether they were born in Canada or were newly arrived. 

If nothing else, “Canada, our Home” is a work of passion and pride. There is a love for Canada which can be felt on every page of this book. It represents not just the achievements of a writers group collaborating on a personal project, but also the very essence of multiculturalism itself. 

“Canada, our Home” will be available on June 3, in the Atrium outside of the Mississauga Central Library.

mississaugawritersgroup.com