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Of the reading Ange Sponchia says, ‘It demonstrated the depth of passion and variety in the creative writing pursuits that exist in our wee town.’
The reading was followed up with two workshops on Saturday, for local writers and poets. Thunder Bay poet Mary Frost and children’s author Holly Haggarty ran the show.
Of the workshops participants say:
I was pleasantly surprised with the workshop. Listening to Mary Frost’s deep, round Irish voice as she read poems made me really ‘hear’ the words. Pulling poems apart stating our individual interpretations of their meaning was as different as our personalities are. The couple of word exercises Holly Haggarty had us do were a hoot. I’m so glad they came, I went, and that the library hosted it. ~Janice Matichuk
I really enjoyed the interactive storytelling exercise. It was a challenge to have to create something literary in a group setting. The workshop taught me ways to use language more creatively....I left feeling inspired to write something! ~Anna Fotheringham
For me the main benefit of attending the workshop was having the opportunity to find out who else is active in creative writing in our community. I was surprised at who came out. I also didn’t know there had once been a writer’s group in town. For me, writing is a very solitary experience. It is good to get some impressions of how others respond to my work. I also enjoyed hearing the range of work others are doing. Because my focus is poetry, listening to Mary was a real treat. ~Catherine Reilly
Myself, I became nostalgic for the writing community I had been a part of in Thunder Bay. I was inspired to tackle fiction writing again. And I was tickled by the talent of all the writing folk in Atikokan.
You may be asking, just as a number of reading attendees asked, ‘What is NOWW?’ And, ‘What does NOWW do?’
Mary Frost says:
NOWW also has a manuscript critiquing service, newsletters, and a new literary journal. The readings, workshops, newsletters and journal, and contest entry are free to NOWW members, with the manuscript critiquing service available at a reduced rate. Become a member.
NOWW does make a difference. I have experienced the writing community in Thunder Bay pre and post NOWW. Before there were writers and poets involved in their own small groups and/or writing classes, who never gathered together as a community. They were separate entities that only knew of each other by group overlap. Many NWO writers also felt they didn’t garner as much publisher attention as those writers from the larger city centres.
After, NOWW drew us altogether as one community. Brought us workshops and readings. Contests and parties. Social events that changed our scene from that of the reclusive closet writer to the one you see today where writers have a vibrant literary support network and outreach programs, and are ever the more successfully published.
As founding member Jim Foulds says:
I think it safe to say that NOWW brought writing out of the closet. It enabled writers to stand up and say, ‘I'm a writer!’ whether they had been published or not. Writers are the lighthouse keepers of the arts world. The job is lonely and needs loneliness and privacy. But it also needs a public. More than anything I think NOWW has created a public for the writing community and it has also made the public aware that there is a writing community creating the stories of Northwestern Ontario.
And the future? Founding member Rosalind Maki says:
What satisfies me most about NOWW is how positively writers have responded to the organization by becoming members and participating in the readings, workshops, and the writing contest. It has always been our hope to attract writers from all over Northwestern Ontario, not just Thunder Bay, and we are seeing this hope realized as writers in Fort Frances, Kenora, Sioux Lookout, Atikokan, Dryden, and Longlac join NOWW. I think this is the beginning of a real community of writers in this region of Ontario.
Did NOWW have a positive long-lasting effect in Atikokan? I believe so. Jonathon Lewis said the Atikokan Public Library is interested in supporting more readings and workshops at the library for writers and poets of all kinds. Participants have found inspiration for their own writings. And I think the most interesting possible outcome will be the one Mary Frost points out about us forming our own writing groups:
It was lovely to be in Atikokan and have the opportunity of reading there, but whether our visit was successful or not will depend on what happens after, what happens when we have gone home. It would be so good to hear that people decided to become a resource and a support to each other. That would be the best possible result.
Vive la writing community!
Photo Credit: Radharadhya d
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