by Marianne Foscarini
Alberta author Janette Oke
received the Leslie K. Tarr Award for lifetime achievement in promoting
Christian writing in Canada at Write! Canada in Guelph, Ontario,
recently. Oke, who has sold more than 20 million of her best selling
series of historical pioneering and family themes books accepted the
award and participated in a workshop answering questions on writing
best-selling novels. Close to 300 people participated in this history
making event, a sold-out crowd for the third successive year, as the
writing conference celebrated its 20th anniversary, and the launching of
its new name.
Formerly known as God Uses Ink,
founded by then editor of Faith Today magazine, Audrey Dorsch, Write!
Canada was born out of desperation when Faith Today could no longer
sponsor the event. Alumni brainstormed on how it could keep going and
The Word Guild was formed, surprising everyone at the huge response from
writers, editors and publishers across Canada.
Murmurs of "this is history in
the making" swept the party following the gala awards night when Janette
Oke received the Leslie K. Tarr Award along with other rising literary
stars who received cash prizes and a gold pin for their poetry,
periodical writings, science writing and more.
The Word Guild Writing Award
2004 winner for best mystery was keynote speaker and author of nine
books, Linda Hall from New Brunswick. She inspired the audience to write
with "passion and integrity." A video of the brief three-year history of
The Word Guild, produced and written by Patricia Paddey, with the
support of 100 Huntley St., received acclaim for an outstanding
presentation.
Co-founders Wendy Nelles and
Nancy Lindquist constantly received accolades from participants for the
high level of inspiration and organization at the conference and the
encouragement through the year via listserv, and the day-long city
seminars in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver Island. Lindquist insists
they have little to do with the success of the new organization. "This
is a ‘God-thing’," she said, as she explained that all she and Nelles
are trying to do is be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Cori
Mordaunt attended the conference after many years of absence, "I feel
God is raising up an army…we need more reading material to offer
Canadians to combat the moral degeneration that’s taken place in the
past 50 years." Nelles spoke at the last session reminding the audience,
"We fight not against flesh and blood…" paraphrasing Ephesians 6.
Marion Croft attending for the
first time said, "I got goose bumps when Nancy said that The Word in The
Word Guild doesn’t mean words, but it means THE WORD," referring to John
1:1. Croft was amazed at the mingling of professional and beginner
writers. "I went by myself," she said, "and I met all these wonderful
people. It’s like we all knew each other. It’s hard to describe…the main
thread throughout was that they were all Christian people."
A new connection linking
writers and editors in Canada, regardless of their skill levels, is
changing Canada’s identity through writing from a Christian worldview.
Writers from Write! Canada 2004 will one day share the ranks with award
winners Janette Oke and Linda Hall promised Nelles. It may be more than
a promise; it seems prophetic as inspired writers caught planes and
buses to far away homes in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick and
even California, hinting at the influence The Word Guild is having
beyond our borders. Write! Canada 2004 is history in the making.
