Write! Vancouver, a power-packed one-day writers’ conference, promises to raise the proficiency level of both emerging and experienced writers of all ages.

VANCOUVER—Featuring a high-profile, award-winning faculty, Write! Vancouver presents a rare opportunity for writers, students, songwriters, screenwriters, and radio and television producers to boost their competence and connections.

On Saturday, May 26, 2012, the one-day conference offers a wide variety of intimate workshops to emerging and professional writers.  Write! Vancouver is presented by The Word Guild, the organization behind the annual Write! Canada and other regional writing events across the country.

“Our conference is the first of its kind in Vancouver,” says organizer Beverley Boissery, who is slated to teach workshops ranging from novel writing to website building.  “This intensive day of connection and empowerment is the Lower Mainland’s response to the success of other Write! events across the country.  It provides an intersection point for a diverse community of writers; an accessible opportunity for professional development that offers valuable tools to both the student or emerging writer, and the seasoned professional.”

Guest Speakers & Instructors:

·         Dr. Iwan Russell-Jones, a BBC producer and director with more than 25 years’ experience and head of Regent College’s Christianity and the Arts program, will deliver the keynote address and lead a workshop on writing for television and radio.

·         Marnie Wooding, writer and story editor with HarperCollins, and author of more than a dozen books, conducts two workshops: “The Story Editor” and “Adaptation: Making Sense out of Chaos.”

·         Carolyn Arends, winner of two Dove Awards, teaches a two-session workshop on songwriting.  Recognized as the West Coast Music Awards' Songwriter of the Year, Carolyn is a three-time Juno nominee who has released 10 albums to date.

·         KC Dyer, freelance writer, speaker, and educator, and author of nine young adult books including the Eagle Glen Trilogy, will lead the specialized Youth Track for writers in grades six through twelve.  KC brings a wealth of experience from numerous associations, including that of being New Westminster Secondary School’s writer-in-residence.

·         Eileen Cook, a multi-published author with books in six different languages, teams up with KC to run the Youth Track.  Her latest release, Unraveling Isobel, came out in January of this year.            

·         Beverley Boissery—author, editor, teacher, publisher, and scholar—offers an intensive on novel writing and a workshop on building your website in an hour.

·         Diane Tucker (BFA in Creative Writing from UBC), runs the “Poetry Boot Camp” and “Writers Helping Writers” workshops.       

·         Marilyn Norry, with 30 years’ experience in Canadian film and theatre, explores the essentials of memoir writing in her interactive “Writing Mom’s Story” workshop (www.mymothersstory.org).

·         Tanya Hawke, a copywriter with 25 years’ experience in corporate communications and a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University, presents “Writer for Hire: The World of Corporate Communications.”

Novelists Kathy Tyers and Mel Anastasiou will participate with others in the networking reception and Blue Pencil—one-on-one critique sessions with professional editors and writers.  Book signings will be available onsite with conference faculty and featured authors of The Word Guild.

Online registration is now open at www.thewordguild.com.  The conference is $99 for adults and $59 for youth, with discounts available to university students and members of The Word Guild.  Coffee, lunch, and refreshments are included.  Register by April 30 for a $10 Early Bird Discount.  Cutoff date is May 18 – no onsite registrations can be accommodated.

For the full media release go here

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This is available as a downloadable Word document at www.thewordguild.com/media

The Word Guild rewards writing excellence by never-before-published writers in its 2012 God Uses Ink writing contest.
 
BRANTFORD, ONTARIO—Nine novice writers have been awarded prizes in The Word Guild's God Uses Ink writing contest for 2012. These winners represent a group of emerging writers ready to augment the already large number of award-winning Canadian writers who work from a Christian worldview.
 
Each year The Word Guild, a Canadian association of writers and editors who are Christian, recognizes the talents of aspiring writers who have never been published. Prizes are given in three age groups: 14 to 19, 20 to 39, and 40-plus.
 
“This year’s entries in the youth and young adult categories of the God Uses Ink competition were fresh, appealing and captivating,” commented judge Wayne Hagerman. “Many of these young participants show great potential, and I would not be surprised to see future books and publications by many of them.”
 
Winners:
 
AGE 14-19
First: Esther Roth —"The Greatness of I Am"
Second:  Emily VanMarion —"Time the Thief, Time the Giver"
Third:     Tracey Dyck —"Redemptive Scars"
AGE 20-39
First:   Laura Bokma —"Poems for the Head and the Heart"
Second:  Elizabeth Michel —"Peacock Praise"
Third: Anita Neuman —"BEYOND: Chapter Two"
AGE 40+
First:   AJ Brown —"Forgiveness The Easy Way, or How-To-Keep-Your-Socks"
Second: Ches Hill —"From I.V. to Ivy League"
Third:    Lynne Collier —"Raising Benjamin Frog"
 
The first prize in each division—free registration to Write! Canada, Canada's largest Christian writers' conference—is worth over $400. Second and third prizes consist respectively of $100 and $50 gift certificates for The Word Guild, both of which may be used toward national or regional conference registration or membership. This year’s contest received over 60 submissions! Entries could be submitted in fiction, non-fiction, article, or poetry genres. The 28th annual Write! Canada conference will be held from June 14 to 16, 2012, in Guelph, Ontario.
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Congratulations to The Word Guild member Connie Brummel Crook, who is nominated for a Diamond Willow Award, a Saskatchewan-based readers' choice award for her 2010 novel No Small Victory. This title tied for best children's book in last year's The Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Awards. There's an interesting article about Connie in The Peterborough Examiner.

Connie also received a review in the March 2012 issue of Quill and Quire, Canada's magazine of book news and reviews, for her latest book Acts of Courage: Laura Secord and the War of 1812 (released to commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812). It's a fictionalized biography of Canadian heroine Laura Secord. The reviewer stated, "Given her knowledge of the subject, it's not surprising that Crook's attention to detail and setting is excellent, providing the reader with insight into the social and political situations of the time. The use of primary resources – such as weaving the testimony of Secord's granddaughter into a character's dialogue – is a nice touch that highlights Secord's bravery." 

 

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