Jean-Daniel Lafond is the Viceregal Consort of Canada, an award-winning filmmaker and a tireless arts advocate. That’s why Rideau Hall has held over 20 Art Matters events across the country since 2006, opening a dialogue between Canadian citizens about the role of art in society. The latest Art Matters event, titled Art During Boom-Time, takes place at the High Performance Rodeo and will be attended by both Lafond and Governor General Michaëlle Jean. Everyone is welcome to throw their voice into the ring at the Big Secret Theatre (second floor, 225 8 Ave. S.E.) on January 19, 2 p.m. to join the nation-spanning dialogue. Call 264-3224 to reserve a spot, or take your chances at the door.

Since 1996, Sustainable Calgary has been one of the city’s most vocal proponents for sustainable development. Now, it has a book club. The first book under its lens is Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees, a tool kit for everyday sustainability. Join the discussion at McNally Robinson (120 8 Ave. S.W.) on January 20, 2:30 p.m.

Every Monday, you can head down to the University of Calgary for Monday Night Shakespeare with Dr. Jim Black, weekly lectures and discussions about the Bard’s work. This week, the lecture is titled Two Noble Kinsmen: A Medieval Knight’s Dream, and you can learn more in the Boris Roubakine Recital Hall (Craigie Hall, U of C) on January 21, 7:30 p.m.

Lisa Robertson is one of Canada’s most innovative poets, best known for collections like XEclogue, Debbie: An Epic and The Weather. Christine Stewart is the author of several critical articles on women’s experimental poetry, not to mention two collections of her own poetry. Robertson and Stewart read from their work at Pages Books (1135 Kensington Rd. N.W.) on January 22, 7:30 p.m., and then participate in a round-table discussion at the University of Calgary (Room SS 1339) on January 23, 3 p.m.

Just in case you don’t already work in oil and gas, Catherine Brownlee has your inside scoop on the industry. In Want to Work in Oil & Gas?, she outlines key strategies to land your dream job — though it might get you banned from the Sustainable Calgary Book Club. Brownlee signs copies of her book at McNally Robinson on January 23, noon.

Keeping with the trend of self-explanatory titles, Jaynie L. Smith’s new book, Creating Competitive Advantage, teaches you how to create competitive advantage! Through anecdotes, exercises and deal-closing strategies, she gives you the tools you need to become a killer capitalist in a competitive market. Learn more at McNally Robinson on January 24, 7 p.m.

Aspiring young writers, take notice: the Writers Guild of Alberta and the Memorial Park Library have teamed up to present a series of Generation Y writing workshops, starting with Natalee Caple’s Linking Character to Action: A Guide to Making the Narrative Move. The two-day workshop will focus on developing realistic, interesting characters that reveal their motivations through their actions. It runs January 26 to 27. Visit www.writersguild.ab.ca to register.