There are a lot of new and exciting things on the horizon for the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop, including the introduction of innovative events to get writers of all skill levels putting pen to paper, welcoming a new president, and bringing in world-class literary talent to inspire.
The 2019/2020 NOWW season kicked off with its Annual General Meeting on Friday, September 13, where NOWW members welcomed new president, Jodene Wylie. For the past three years, Wylie has served as a member of the board of directors and she will now be bringing new and exciting ideas to the organization to engage and inspire the members.
“I am very excited to be taking on the role of president of the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop,” Wylie said. “NOWW has so much potential to provide opportunities for writers across the region to engage with one another, learn new skills, and share their work. This is going to be a very exciting year and we have so many new things planned.”
New events coming this year include Write-in-Wednesday, a monthly gathering for writers at a local coffee shop to provide an opportunity to engage with other writers and gain some inspiration. Writers will be invited to come out, work on their latest project, or take advantage of writing prompts and work through ideas and projects with other writers of all skill levels.
NOWW will also be offering a peer-to-peer review this year, where writers can submit their work to be reviewed and critiqued by other writers to gain insight on what’s working, what needs improvement and receive constructive feedback.
“We want writers to engage with other writers,” Wylie said. “Writing is often seen as a solitary endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be. Everyone needs a little help every now and again and who better to get that help from than other writers. We want to offer that opportunity to everyone.”
This year will also include many of NOWW’s staple events, including monthly public readings to allow writers and poets an opportunity to come out and share their work, workshops throughout the year, the always popular Ask an Author event, and the annual Writing Contest and literary gala.
The next reading will take place on Oct. 17 at the Mary J.L. Black Library with the theme: Orange, the next Write-in Wednesday will be held on Oct. 23 at Seattle’s Coffeehouse, and Marion Agnew will lead the next workshop on creative nonfiction on Oct. 26 at the Waverley Library.
For more information on all the upcoming events, visit www.nowwwriters.ca.
