The Word Guild

 This June, Wendy Nelles resigned as Co-Director of the Write! Canada conference.

Wendy attended her first conference (then known as God Uses Ink) in 1988, and was asked to become part of the conference committee. In 2001, after co-founding The Word Guild, she became co-director of the conference.
 

Wendy gave the following speech at the 2010 Write! Canada closing plenary after she was presented with an inscribed picture of some of the conference grounds. She received an extended standing ovation from the 200+ faculty and attendees who attended Write! Canada 2010.

Read Wendy's farewell speech 

The official press release plus a few comments

Additional details plus an interview with Wendy

Saturday, August 21

9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Vancouver Bible House

700 Kingsway, Vancouver BC

9:30 a.m. – Registration

10:00 a.m. – Workshop 1: The Art, Craft, Business, & Ministry of Writing with N. J. Lindquist

11:30 a.m. – Update on The Word Guild with Q & A

12:00 p.m. – Lunch and Networking

1:00 p.m.  – Workshop 2: What Writers Needs to Know about Trends in Publishing with Les Lindquist

2:30 p. m. – Wrap-up

Click here for more details

Printable Flyer

Beloved Children’s Author Jean Little to Receive
2010 Leslie K. Tarr Award for Outstanding Career Achievement

Gifted storyteller Jean Little has won young readers and awards by not sugar-coating life’s challenges.

Mississauga, Ontario — Jean Little, 78, of Guelph, Ontario, award-winning children’s author and member of the Order of Canada, will receive the twenty-second annual Leslie K. Tarr Award for outstanding career achievement.

The award will be presented on Wednesday, June 16th, during The Word Guild awards gala at the World Vision headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario.

Named in honour of its first recipient, the late Leslie K. Tarr, a Toronto journalist, editor, and teacher, the Tarr Award celebrates a major career contribution to Christian writing and publishing in Canada. Previous recipients include author Rudy Wiebe and poet Margaret Avison, both two-time Governor General’s Literary Award winners, and Janette Oke, whose inspirational novels have sold over 28 million copies.

The Leslie K. Tarr Award is sponsored by Tyndale University College and Seminary and administered by The Word Guild.

Read the complete press release

Download the press release as a Word document

Note: To see the complete shortlist of finalists for The Word Guild 2010 Writing Awards, download the Word document titled “TWG Awards Finalists 2010″ at www.thewordguild.com/media.

May 13, Toronto, ON

An ex-gang member, a Dead Sea Scrolls expert, a political scientist, award-winning journalists, pastors, and well-know novelists, among others, are shortlisted for The Word Guild’s 2010 Canadian Christian writing awards.

TORONTO — The growing popularity of The Word Guild’s annual writing awards is evidenced again this year with a record number of submissions. A total of 245 entries was received, up from the record number of 237 set last year.

“Entries this year represent work by Christians from across the denominational spectrum,” says Denise Rumble, managing director of The Word Guild. “There are differences in how writers express their faith but these awards unite us in the elements of Christian belief and witness common to all who follow Jesus Christ.”

Finalists in the 34 categories, that include non-fiction books, novels, articles, columns, blogs, poems, and song lyrics published in 2009, are distributed across seven provinces. British Columbia writers account for 19 finalist placements; Alberta 7; Saskatchewan 5; Manitoba 5; Ontario 38; New Brunswick 1 and Nova Scotia 2. Each winner will be presented with a cash prize, a certificate and a specially designed lapel pin to mark his or her achievement.

Among the 61 finalists is world-renowned expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls Craig Evans of Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, whose recent book Jesus, the Final Days is shortlisted in the “Book–Biblical Studies” category. Award-winning journalist Thomas Froese’s book Ninety-Nine Windows: Reflections of a Reporter from Arabia to Africa and Other Roads Less Travelled is shortlisted in three categories.

Political scientist John Redekop, previous winner of the prestigious Leslie K. Tarr Award, is shortlisted with five articles. Well-known novelists N.J. Lindquist (Markham, Ontario), Bonnie Grove (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), Marcia Lee Laycock (Blackfalds, Alberta), Linda Hall (Fredericton, New Brunswick) and Eric E. Wright (Colborne, Ontario) are all shortlisted. Laycock and Lindquist are finalists in the blog series, a new category for the awards this year.

One new author of interest is Michael “Bull” Roberts (Mississauga, Ontario), an ex-gang member and formerly one of Canada’s wealthiest drug lords, now the sponsor of a Christian newsletter that reaches into more than 700 prisons in North America and Hong Kong. His autobiography The Tender Heart of a Beast is in the running for a prize in four separate book categories.

The above mentioned authors, along with dozens of other Canadian writers, many of them finalists for the first time, will be honoured at the 2010 Awards Gala in Mississauga, Ontario.

A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the first ever Grace Irwin Award. The $5,000 award — donated by retired book publisher John W. Irwin (nephew of the award’s namesake) and his wife Eleanor—represents Canada’s largest literary award for writers who are Christian. It will celebrate the best book published in 2009 by a Canadian author who writes from a Christian worldview.

The books entered into this contest are those of all finalists in the 2010 book award categories. For the winner this will be the “icing on the cake.”

The evening will also see the presentation of two other key awards: The Leslie K. Tarr Award for career achievement and The Word Guild Partnership Award for exceptional support and encouragement for Canadian writers who are Christian. Last year’s winners were Ray Wiseman (Tarr) and Brian Stiller (Partnership).

For the third year in a row, the black-tie gala will be hosted by Herbie Kuhn, popular speaker and in-house announcer for the Toronto Raptors basketball team. It will be held on Wednesday June 16 at 7:30 p.m. at World Vision Canada, 1 World Drive, Mississauga, Ontario. The public is cordially invited. Tickets may be ordered online at www.canadianchristianwritingawards.com or by e-mailing info (at) thewordguild (dot) com. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 at the door.

You can see the complete shortlist of finalists for The Word Guild 2010 Writing Awards at www.thewordguild.com/media.

Following the gala, 250 writers, editors, agents and publishers will meet in Guelph, Ontario, from June 17 to 19 for Canada’s largest Christian writers’ conference, Write! Canada (www.writecanada.org), also sponsored by The Word Guild.

God Uses Ink Novice Contest 2010 Media Release from The Word Guild

May 4, 2010

WRITING CONTEST UNCOVERS NEW TALENT, AWARDS PRIZES

The Word Guild rewards writing excellence by never-before-published authors in its 2010 “God Uses Ink” writing awards.

Guelph, Ontario— Seven novice writers have been awarded prizes in The Word Guild’s “God Uses Ink” writing Contest for 2010. These winners represent a group of emerging writers ready to augment the already large number of award-winning Canadian writers who write from a Christian worldview.

Each year The Word Guild, a Canadian association of writers and editors who are Christian, recognizes the talents of aspiring writers who have never been published.  Awards are given in three age groups—14 to 19, 20 to 39 and 40-plus.

“The entries in the 20 to 39-year category were solid and varied,” commented Violet Nesdoly, one of the two judges.  “There was not a big range between the bottom and top marks with a nice mix of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. For readers of Canadian writers who are Christian, there is an interesting variety of voices waiting in the wings.”

Joanne Walton of Kingston, Ontario, won in the 20 to 39 year-old category and Maureen Newman of Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia, took top honours in the 40-plus category.

Jordana Shell of Claresholm, Alberta, and Anita Rossi McQuarrie of King City, Ontario, took second place in the 20 to 39 and 40-plus categories respectively.

Third place finishes went to Corrine Clyne of Winnipeg, Manitoba in the 14 to 19 category, Heather Boersma, also of Winnipeg, in the 20 to 39 category and Dean Crawford of London, Ontario, in the 40-plus category.

The first prize in each division—free registration to Write! Canada, Canada’s largest Christian writers’ conference—is worth nearly $400. Second prize is a $100 gift certificate for The Word Guild and third prize is a $50 gift certificate for The Word Guild, both of which may be used for conference registration, membership, etc.

This year’s topic was a challenging one, “Ignite the Creative Side of Your Brain,” which is also the theme for the 26th annual Write! Canada conference, to be held from June 17 to 19, 2010, in Guelph, Ontario.

Entries could be submitted in fiction, non-fiction or poetry. The contest received 27 submissions.

Read the rest of the release

You might notice this site looks a little different. That's because we've been doing a massive makeover.

We've created four different sites to make information faster and easier to find:

1. This site, which is the main source for information about The Word Guild, its mandate, its programs and membership.

2. The Word Guild Awards, which is about our five writing awards programs and our Awards Gala.

3. Where Two Paths Converge, which is our site for connecting readers with writers.

4. The Write! Canada site, which we launched last year to give lots of details about our flagship annual conference.

The Write! Canada site and this site are pretty well done. Just some behind the scenes things to work on.

So if you notice links that still go to the old site or anything that doesn't open in a new window or that doesn't work, please let us know. We want everything working.

Or if you're looking for something you think ought to be here, let us know. The link to Member Pages is down at the bottom of the sidebar.

Are we finished starting new sites? Well, I'm not sure. We may decide we need something else.:)

But first we have to finish up the work in progress. "Where Two Paths Converge" still has a lot of info to come, as does "The Word Guild Awards" site.

We also have several blogs you can check out:

1. Canadian Authors Who Are Christian, where a variety of authors from within TWG's ranks record their reflections on writing, life and faith.

2. Future Tense, which discusses the changing writing, publishing and book retailing industry.

3. Just A Word…, where The Word Guild's managing director Denise Rumble comments on issues related to TWG's activities.

In addition, you can read interviews with Canadian authors who are members of The Word Guild at the Hot Apple Cider site. Hot Apple Cider is a Canadian bestseller, an inspirational anthology which features the work of 30 Canadian authors who are Christian, all members of The Word Guild.

We have challenged our members to use their talents to write about the devastation in Haiti and Canadian Christians’ response to it in their blogs, in newspapers and magazines, and whatever other media they normally write for. Links to what they write will be posted on a new  site called Where Two Paths Converge… Connecting Readers with Writers that we have recently created. Other information about our members (publications, book launches, readings, speaking engagements, awards, etc.) will also be posted on this new site. Where Two Paths Converge

Ever wanted to stock your shelves with books by Canadian authors who are Christian? 

With The Word Guild Authors' Books in Print, The Word Guild helps you connect with authors who are Canadian and Christian.

In this catalogue, you will find a comprehensive list of books by our members, including a description of each book, distribution information, price, reviews, and awards won.

Use this document to build up your collection of books by Canadians, to locate unique books, to find an author for a book signing, or to find an author who can speak at an event you are organizing.

Read or print the pages from a PDF file.

Stock the inspirational shelf of your library, augment your collection of books by Canadian Christian authors, browse for gift ideas, or find a speaker for your next church event or radio interview.

See the 2009/2010 Readers' Guide To Books and Publications by Canadian Christians.

To obtain printed copies of this full colour, glossy publication for your bookstore, church library or book club, contact us.

The Word Guild's professional writers and editors have a variety of skills and expertise – dealing in a wide variety of topics. Some are experts at substantive editing, some are PR specialists, and others can help you polish your manuscript to diamond quality. All have been published and/or make their living as writers and editors. 

With this Professional Directory, you can find the individuals with the experience and skills most suited to your needs. Over 70 professionals from across Canada are listed.  Professional_Directory