Welcome to the Bolo Tie!

Submissions are CLOSED for Volume VII of The Bolo Tie Collective Anthology.


The Bolo Tie Collective Anthology is available at the MacEwan Bookstore, in person and online!


Newest Blog Post! Fresh From The Bolo!

Creative Writing with Dice and Pen: Using Solo RPGs As a Writing Prompt Generator

By. Brandon Lang

As someone who adores roleplaying games, I cannot help but try and persuade people to try one when the opportunity arises. They are fantastic sources of cooperative storytelling that allow one to exercise their imagination and creativity, all the while being limited to chaotic probability in the form of clicky-clacky dice. With roleplaying games increasing in popularity and the realization that scheduling a time and date to play a game is nearly impossible, Solo-TTRPGs have gained some traction in the tabletop roleplaying game community. Solo RPGs are roleplaying games that can be played by a single person. No need to gather a group of people. All you need is you, yourself, and… you? (Couldn’t think of a third word for me, myself, and I).

            Why am I talking about solo roleplaying games on a website that focuses on creative writing and not roleplaying games? Well, I want to pitch a piece of advice that I think is pretty awesome to the Bolo Tie community and whoever else reads this post.

Here is that advice: If you are interested in creative writing in any way, I highly suggest looking into solo RPGs.  

Continue Reading: https://thebolotiecollective.ca/2023/04/30/creative-writing-with-dice-and-pen-using-solo-rpgs-as-a-writing-prompt-generator/

Getting Creative With Bolo!

Weekend Writing Prompt: Writing About a Little Thing Called Love

A Professor of mine, a photographer, offered some beautiful advice to his students on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. He insisted that when photographing a subject, a sole person, and you wish to capture an emotion, do not ask for the literal. When he hopes to see a subject emote happiness and capture their smile, he tells them to imagine something warm and soft. On the contrary, to capture grief or sorrow, he tells his subject to imagine something heavy and stiff. When you, a writer, wish to capture love, loss, grief, lust, or any synonyms of the latter, a similar exercise may be appropriate…

Continue Reading: https://thebolotiecollective.ca/2023/02/11/weekend-writing-prompt-writing-about-a-little-thing-called-love/


The Bolo Tie Collective Presents: Candas Jane Dorsey Interview

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

The Bolo Tie Collective’s Vice President, Theodora MacLeod chats with Edmonton based author and professor, Candas Jane Dorsey.

Instagram One-Sentence Stories

“As I lay dying on the forest floor the dark towering ents began to swallow me whole.” — Sushami Pomerleau-Piquette

“She tried to take her time, but time took her instead.” — Afton Doe

“Underneath the fog that rose with mornings slumber, she found a new place to call home.” — Amanda Krebes


Treaty 6 Land Acknowledgement

ᓂᓂᓯᑕᐍᔨᐦᑌᓈᐣ ᐆᒪ ᐊᐢᑭᐩ ᑳᑖᑭᐢᑳᑕᒫᐦᐠ ᓂᑯᑤᓯᐠ ᑭᐦᒋᐊᓱᑕᒫᑐᐏᐣ ᑳᐃᑕᒥᐦᐠ
ᐆᑕ ᐁᑮᐅᑕᐢᑲᓀᓯᒋᐠ ᒥᐦᒉᐟ ᐃᔨᓂᐘᐠ, ᐆᑕ ᑮᒫᐘᒋᐦᐃᑐᐘᐠ ᑭᐦᒉᔨᐦᑐᐏᐣ ᐁᑿ
ᑭᐢᑌᔨᒧᐏᐣ ᓂᒥᔮᓈᓇᐠ ᐅᑖᒋᒧᐏᓂᐚᐘ, ᐅᐲᑭᐢᑵᐏᓂᐚᐘ,
ᐅᓯᐦᒋᑫᐏᓂᐚᐘ ᐁᑿ ᐃᓯᐦᑖᐏᓂᐚᐤ ᐆᑭ ᑲᐦᑭᔭᐤ ᐃᔩᓂᐘᐠ
ᑳᑮ ᐃᓯᓈᑲᑌᔨᐦᑖᐦᑭᐠ ᐆᒪ ᐊᐢᑭᐩ, ᑮᐢᑕᓇᐤ ᑕᑮᑲᓇᐍᔨᐦᑕᒫᐦᐠ ᐁᑿ
ᑕᒪᓈᒋᐦᑖᔮᐦᐠ ᑭᑳᐑᓇᐤ ᐊᐢᑭᐩ ᑳᓂᐢᑕᐍᔨᐦᑕᒫᐦᐠ ᐅᑕᐢᑮᐘᐦᐠ, ᐯᔭᑿᐣ ᒦᓇ
ᓂᑭᐢᑌᔨᒥᓈᓇᐠ ᓂᐢᑕᒥᔨᒫᑲᓇᐠ ᐁᑿ ᒦᓇ ᐊᐚᓯᓴᐠ ᐆᑕ ᑳᑮᓇᔨᓀᒋᐠ, ᐊᓯᒋ
ᐃᐢᑵᐘᐠ ᑳᐘᓂᐦᐁᒋᐠ, ᑳᒥᓴᐏᓈᒋᐦᐁᒋᐠ, ᓈᐯᐘᐠ ᐑᐢᑕᐚᐤ, ᐁᑿ ᒦᓇ ᑲᐦᑭᔭᐤ
ᐊᔨᓯᔨᓂᐘᐠ ᑳᒫᒪᐏᓈᑕᐏᐦᐁᐦᐃᓱᒋᐠ ᑖᐱᑕᐤ ᐁᑭᐢᑭᓱᒥᑐᔭᐦᐠ ᑲᐦᑭᔭᐤ ᐁᑖᑯᐱᓱᔭᐦᐠ
ᑭᐦᒋᐊᓱᑕᒫᑐᐏᐣ ᐁᑿ ᑿᔭᐢᐠ ᑲᓈᑲᑌᔨᒥᑐᔭᐦᐠ

ninisitawêyihtênân ôma askiy kâ-tâkiskâtamâhk, nikotwâsik
kihci-asotamâtowin kâ-itamihk ôta ê-kî-otaskanêsicik mihcêt
iyiniwak, ôta kî-mâwacihitowak. kihcêyihtowin êkwa kistêyimowin
nimiyânânak otâcimowiniwâwa, opîkiskwêwiniwâwa,
osihcikêwiniwâwa êkwa isihtâwiniwâw ôki kahkiyaw iyîniwak.

kâ-kî-isi-nâkatêyihtâhkik ôma askiy, kîstanaw
ta-kî-kanawêyihtamâhk êkwa ta-manâcihtâyâhk kikâwînaw askiy.
kâ-nistawêyihtamâhk otaskîwahk, pêyakwan mîna
nikistêyimânânak nistamiyimâkanak êkwa mîna awâsisak ôta
kâ-kî-nahinêcik, asici iskwêwak kâ-wanihêcik, kâ-misawinâcihêcik,
nâpêwak wîstawâw, êkwa mîna kahkiyaw ayisiyiniwak
kâ-mâmawi-nâtawihêhisocik. tâpitaw ê-kiskisomitoyahk kahkiyaw
ê-tâkopisoyahk kihci-asotamâtowin êkwa kwayask
ka-nâkatêyimitoyahk.

We acknowledge that the land on which we gather in Treaty Six
Territory is the traditional gathering place for many Indigenous
people. We honour and respect the history, languages, ceremonies
and culture of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit who call this territory
home.

The First People’s connection to the land teaches us about our
inherent responsibility to protect and respect Mother Earth. With this
acknowledgement, we honour the ancestors and children who have
been buried here, missing and murdered Indigenous women and
men, and the process of ongoing collective healing for all human
beings. We are reminded that we are all treaty people and of the
responsibility we have to one another.