NOWW Celebrates Local Literary Talent at LitFest
Submitted by Don ParsonsNOWW, Administrator
THUNDER BAY, ON – Local literary talent was celebrated during an evening to honour of the written word that included a reminder of the importance of storytelling from an internationally best-selling author.
The Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop hosted the 2019 Write NOWW LitFest at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery on Saturday, which included a keynote address by Deborah Ellis, best-selling author of The Breadwinnerand Sit.
“I’m so glad we were able to partner with the Thunder Bay Art Gallery for this event. Gathering a bunch of normally reclusive writers in a space filled with great visual art brought an extra spark of celebration to the event, and our keynote speaker, Deborah Ellis, reminded us of the importance of good children’s literature. When we think about the books that had the biggest effect on our lives, often, they are ones we read as children.”
said NOWW president, Elizabeth Pszczolko
The evening also included announcing the winners of the 21stAnnual NOWW Writing Contest and the recipient of the Kouhi Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the literature of Northwestern Ontario.
This year’s Kouhi Award recipient was speculative fiction writer Heather Dickson. The self-proclaimed indie author has self-published eight novels and does graphic design work for her own books and many others.
Dickson has hosted several workshops with NOWW and is a founding member of the Laughing Fox Writers Group.
“Heather is such a dynamic member of our writing community. A visual artist as well as a highly imaginative writer, Heather is a great role model for how to succeed in the emerging world of self publication.”
Pszczolko said.
The annual writing contest was also celebrated for another successful year with entries received from all across the country.
“Last night was a night to remember for the literary arts community in Thunder Bay, so many incredibly skilled and talented writers were honoured by some of Canada’s most esteemed authors. Our community continues to grow and build each year and last night’s event at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery was a reflection of this vibrant literary space.”
said NOWW contest coordinator, Jodene Wylie.
This year’s winners include:
Poetry judged by Jane Munro
- 1stplace: Sherri Lankinen
- 2ndplace: Sue Blott
- 3rdplace: Kevin Brooks
Creative non-fiction judged by M. G. Vassanji
- 1stplace: Bruce McCallum
- 2ndplace: Margie Taylor
- 3rdplace: Siobhan Farrell
Middle grade novel excerpt judged by Eric Walters
- 1stplace: Donna White
- 2ndplace: Glenn Ponka
- 3rdplace: John Pringle
Short fiction judged by Guy Vanderhaeghe
- 1stplace: Sue Blott
- 2ndplace: Mark Munger
- 3rdplace: Jane Crossman
Bill MacDonald Prize for Prose (fiction)
- 1stplace: Sue Blott
- 2ndplace: John Pringle
- 3rdplace: R. Cecil Burns
