Board of Directors
Clayton Bye - President
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Clayton has lived in Northwestern Ontario for most of his life and now resides in Dryden. He's a long-time professional writer with well over 100 books to his credit—11 of them are his and the rest are ghostwritten. Clayton writes in many genres, and his published works include novels, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and hundreds of reviews. He is also a small, independent publisher.
Elizabeth Pszczolko - Vice President
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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/ |
Charles Campbell - Treasurer
Charles Campbell is an accountant by day and writer by evening and weekend. Although he has had succesfully submitted his tax returns for decades, he is far more proud of having his plays selected for the 2015 and 2016 10x10 showcases. Charles joined NOWW to get away from financial statements and to dedicate more time to develop his writing, but much like Michael Corleone, he's been 'pulled back in' and is serving as Treasurer.
Laura Beeby
Laura has recently resettled in Thunder Bay after 15 years living in the Netherlands with her Dutch husband and fur kids. She has an Honours Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and History, as well as an Honours Bachelor of Education from Lakehead University. She also has a Graduate Certificate in Book and Magazine Publishing from Centennial College. A former advertising copywriter at Generator, she’s also held various marketing positions in the Netherlands and maintained a blog recounting her adventures as an immigrant. Laura is currently working on her first novel.
Laura Beeby
Laura has recently resettled in Thunder Bay after 15 years living in the Netherlands with her Dutch husband and fur kids. She has an Honours Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and History, as well as an Honours Bachelor of Education from Lakehead University. She also has a Graduate Certificate in Book and Magazine Publishing from Centennial College. A former advertising copywriter at Generator, she’s also held various marketing positions in the Netherlands and maintained a blog recounting her adventures as an immigrant. Laura is currently working on her first novel.
Phil Bullough
Phil is a resident of Pearl Ontario. He was born in Port Arthur and moved with his wife, to Alberta in 1981. He worked in the oil and gas industry in Supply Chain Management and specialized in Contract Administration. After retirement they moved back to the Thunder Bay area in 2015.
Phil loves sports and continues to play golf and hockey. He recently began writing and has recently had a story printed in the Feb. 2020 issue of The Walleye. He is currently working on a full length play.
Phil is a resident of Pearl Ontario. He was born in Port Arthur and moved with his wife, to Alberta in 1981. He worked in the oil and gas industry in Supply Chain Management and specialized in Contract Administration. After retirement they moved back to the Thunder Bay area in 2015.
Phil loves sports and continues to play golf and hockey. He recently began writing and has recently had a story printed in the Feb. 2020 issue of The Walleye. He is currently working on a full length play.
Mary E. Gastmeier
After more than twenty years of studying and working in numerous countries, Mary returned to Thunder Bay with her two young daughters. She attended Lakehead University and attained her M.A. in English Literature with a Specialization in Women’s Studies, as well as her B.Ed. Recently retired as a Vice Principal, she is just now returning to putting pen to paper. Mary finds this endeavour both daunting and enticing and one she is thrilled to pursue.
Support Staff
Don Parsons
Administrator
Don 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.
Joelle Barron
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Contest Coordinator
Joelle Barron is a poet living as a settler on the Traditional Territory of the Anishinaabe of Treaty 3 and the Métis people (Longbow Lake, Ontario). Their first poetry collection, Ritual Lights (icehouse Press, 2018), was nominated for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, and was a finalist for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for Emerging LGBTQ Writers. Joelle lives in an off-grid cabin in the woods with their wife and daughter.