Canadian Authors Association
Canadian nonprofit organization
The Canadian Authors Association is Canada's oldest association for writers and authors. The organization publishes several periodicals, organizes local chapters and events for Canadian writers, and sponsors writing awards, including the Governor General's Awards.
History
The Canadian Authors Association was founded in 1921. The founding organizers included John Murray Gibbon, Bernard Keble Sandwell, Stephen Leacock, and Pelham Edgar. By the end of its first year the organization had more than 700 members.
In its early years the association was known for its conservative views on literature and its support of traditional writing genres, including colourful idealized stories in quaint local settings. Local chapters of the CAA organized activities to encourage and develop the skills of Canadian writers, including study groups, readings, and workshops.
In 1919, the CAA founded a magazine, Canadian Bookman. In 1936, the association founded Canadian Poetry, edited by E. J. Pratt.
The Canadian Authors Association discussed the idea of awards with Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir (1935-1940) who approved the use of the name of his office in the establishment of the Governor General's Awards in 1936, the first ones being awarded in 1937.
The public source identifies “Canadian Authors Association” as canadian nonprofit organization. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Canadian, Authors and Association.
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Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16736135. VIAF identifies the subject as 142587924. The Library of Congress control number is n50036086. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1921, 1919, 1936 and 1935.
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This entry incorporates text from “Canadian Authors Association” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.