Board of Directors
Jodene Wylie - President
Jodene Wylie has lived in the Thunder Bay region all her life. She has a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Lakehead University and is a lover of books, stories and mystical lands. She occasionally writes short stories and is currently working on her first novel with the hopes of one day publishing. She has a dog named Bailey and is an avid tea drinker, a novice gardener and traveller (as much as she possibly can).
Elizabeth Pszczolko - Vice President
Elizabeth has been involved with NOWW since its early beginnings more than twenty years ago. She recalls early meetings with fellow writers and feeling she had found her "kindred spirits." Since those early days, Elizabeth said it has been wonderful to see how much NOWW and the writing community has grown and developed through the region. Recently retired as manager of the Thunder Bay Public Health Laboratory, Elizabeth is looking forward to finding her writing legs again. because she believes, "writing is about learning and exploring." Her work has been published in the NOWW magazine and she recently started her own blog: www.awonderinglittlevoice.com/ |
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Tessa Hargreaves - Secretary |
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Tessa Hargreaves is a mother of three beautiful boys and an employee of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Lakehead University and loves to write and perform poetry. She is an avid consumer of the YA and Fantasy genres, wether it be books, TV shows or movies. She loves dreaming of far off lands and mystical beings and one day she hopes to have the time and commitment to create her own YA novel. |
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Graham Strong
Graham is a full-time freelance marketing writer, journalist, and ghostwriter and has been a writer his entire life. Graham is a former Editor-in-Chief of Argus, the Student Newspaper of Lakehead University, and helped transition it into one of the first digitally produced newspapers in North America. Graham won an Honourable Mention in NOWW’s first writing contest in 1998 for his short story Hat Trick. Professionally, Graham provides marketing writing services to businesses and organizations around the world. He also writes for several news outlets including the Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal and the Northern Ontario Medical Journal, and has written for Canadian Press. In his spare time he is writing his first novel. Graham lives in Thunder Bay with local potter Noël Keag and their three incredible sons. His favourite writers are Paul Quarrington, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Hunter S. Thompson.
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Doug Diaczuk Doug Diaczuk is a writer and journalist in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He has a master’s degree in English Literature from Lakehead University and is currently working as a reporter/photographer with the Thunder Bay Source. Doug has been a member of the Northwestern Ontario Writer’s Workshop for the past two years. His work has been published in Geist, Quill and Quire, and Subterrain. In 2015, Doug won the 38th annual 3-Day Novel Contest for his novel Chalk, which was published in 2016. Chalk has also been shortlisted for the Northern Lit Award. Doug’s short story, Frogs Don’t Swim, was included in the NOWW collection, Twenty Years on Snowshoes. |
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Siobhan Farrell
Siobhan Farrell was born in England, moved to Toronto as a child and moved to Thunder Bay as an early adult. Both her parents were journalists and avid readers, so she acquired a love of reading from a young age. Today, she writes mostly poetry, but has also started to write in other genre such as plays and creative non-fiction. She loves to travel, hike and camp. She is however starting a campaign to abolish winter.
Siobhan Farrell was born in England, moved to Toronto as a child and moved to Thunder Bay as an early adult. Both her parents were journalists and avid readers, so she acquired a love of reading from a young age. Today, she writes mostly poetry, but has also started to write in other genre such as plays and creative non-fiction. She loves to travel, hike and camp. She is however starting a campaign to abolish winter.
Support Staff
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Don Parsons
Don is our administrator and comes to us with a wealth of experience ideally suited to the position. He was a teacher, Vice -Principal, and Coordinator of Student Services for the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, He also held positions as an Education Officer for the Northern Schools Resource Alliance and was the Mental Health Project Lead for the Superior Greenstone DSB. Don comes to NOWW with strong public relations, communication, and problem solving skills, and is deft at various social media platforms. |
Meagan Botterill
Contest Coordinator
Meagan has called Thunder Bay home for the last 17 years. Originally from southern Ontario, but moving to the north for University, Meagan has a Master's of Arts degree in English Literature from Lakehead University. Meagan has worked in the non-profit sector in event and volunteer management, and is a creative business owner - nominated for an Influential Women of Northern Ontario award, as well as a Woman in Business award. She is a self-proclaimed nerd, avid movie watcher, and has a love for books and tea. Meagan was previously employed by NOWW as their Administrator and is excited to take on her new position as Contest Coordinator.