The Newfoundland Writers' Guild
Members of the Guild
- Alison Melvin
- Amelia Hodder
- Anne Galway
- Annamarie Beckel
- Bobbie Brennan
- Bernice Morgan
- Barbara Hoben
- Catherine Lanari
- Catherine Daley
- Cathy Smallwood
- Cecilia Moloney
- Cindy Andersen-Lavigne
- Danette Dooley
- Don Steele
- Doreen Ayre
- Dylan Seaward
- Eileen Dicks
- Elizabeth Siegel
- Elizabeth Tobin
- Ellen Reid
- Esther Slaney Brown
- Florence Edwards
- Fran Baird Innes
- Georgina Queller
- Geraldine Flannigan
- Geraldine Chafe Rubia
- Grace Bavington
- Gwen Brooker
- Helen Fogwill Porter
- Helen White
- Hilda Chaulk Murray
- Janet McNaughton
- Janice Wells
- Joan Scott
- Jo Shawyer
- Judy Gibson
- Kate Evans
- Kate Morrison
- Kathleen Knowles
- Katrina Johnston
- Laura Jackson
- Laura Morry Williams
- Libby Creelman
- Lillian Bouzane
- Lily Bursey
- Lis Laverty
- Marilyn Porter
- Melba Rabinowitz
- Paul ONeill
- Phillip Brooks
- Raoul Andersen
- Roberta Buchanan
- SheilahRoberts
- Sheila Sullivan
- Tina Chaulk
- Trudy Morgan-Cole
- Violet Squires Ruelokke
Alison Melvin has lived in Burnt Cove, NL all her life. She is a retired high school English teacher. In addition to her writing, she enjoys family, church and RV'ing activities.
Bernice Morgan
Bernice Morgan is a Canadian writer, born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Morgan was born in preconfederate Newfoundland. She worked for many years in public relations, first with Memorial University of Newfoundland, and later with the Newfoundland Teachers' Association. Many of her short stories have been published in small magazines, anthologies and school textbooks.
Her second novel, Waiting for Time (1994), was awarded the 1995 Thomas Head Raddall Award. Her third novel Cloud of Bone was released in August, 2007
EC Daley has been happily writing poetry for the past 4 years. She is a member of the Ship Poets, the Newfoundland Writers' Guild and WANL. Courtesy of WANL, she recently participated in a mentorship programme with poet and writer, George Murray. Catherine has completed her first manuscript and is putting the finishing touches on a few other projects.
Cecilia Moloney lives in St. Johns, NL, and is a professor of engineering at Memorial University. She is a co-author of a chapbook of poetry titled Spring Anti-spring which was published in 2007. She has been a member of the Newfoundland Writers' Guild since December 2007.
Danette got her start in writing over a decade ago when she took her first creative writing course. The instructor, Helen Porter, has since become her mentor and friend. As a freelance writer, Danette’s work has been published, provincially, nationally and internationally. She is a past NWG and WANL board member.
Eileen Dicks was born in London, England and came to Newfoundland in 1946. She has been a copywriter/production assistant in radio and television, wrote drama for both media and co-produced a TV documentary on the History of the Sisters of Mercy in St. John’s. Eileen continues to write poetry and short pieces on her wartime experiences in England. Eileen is one of the Guild’s Honourary Life Members.
Elizabeth has been a Guild member since 2007. She began writing poetry while doing a graduate education program at Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. She is presently working on a series of poems based on a journal she kept while her mother was in hospital.
Ellen Reid's publishing credits include contributions to TickleAce, NFLD Quarterly and the Telegram. She is co-author of two poetry anthologies:Once on a Tuesday Night and Spring Anti-Spring. She has received two Arts and Letters awards, published poetry nationally and internationally and been a member of the Newfoundland Writer's Guild since 2007. She teaches pre-school in St. John's.
“I grew up “around the bay” so from an early age I was exposed to many great storytellers, the greatest being my grandparents especially my grandfather. I think I would rather be known as a good storyteller than a great writer.”
Fran Baird Innes was born in Grand Falls in 1924, graduated from Mount Allison University in 1946, had two children, and worked as a journalist in print, radio and television, including CBC's Here and Now. Fran was a founding member of the St John's Status of Women Council.
A native of St. John’s, Georgina Queller nevertheless lived on the mainland for 16 years. While away she lived in Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, Regina, Truro and Halifax and a winter in Northern England. After studying sociology and agriculture, doing research and visiting cows all over the Atlantic region for a period of time, she came back home to a job in Craft Marketing and later worked as a Training Co-ordinator in agriculture with the provincial government. Since the early ‘90s she has been writing poetry and prose, editing the same and been active with the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and her book group.
Geraldine Flannigan was born and grew up in Chapel's Cove. She has been writing poetry and prose for many years and won several poetry contests. She is published in Take a Deep Breath and in the Canadian National Migraine Newsletter. She has been a member of the Writers' Guild for about twelve years.
Geraldine Chafe Rubia writes poetry, plays and prose. She has won awards in each category and published in periodicals and anthologies. Her plays have been performed on stage and on CBC radio. With the Longside Club she has initiated performing arts opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Helen Fogwill Porter was born and grew up in St. John’s where she still lives. She was educated at Holloway School and Prince of Wales College. She has been writing steadily since the 1960's and has published prose and poetry across Canada and overseas. Helen has been a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild since its inception in 1968 and is now an Honourary Life Member.
Hilda Chaulk Murray, resides in Mount Pearl since 1963, but she grew up in Maberly, Elliston, near the tip of the Bonavista Peninsula. Her books More Than 50% (1979) Breakwater and Of Boats on the Collar (2007) Flanker deal with that area of NL. Her second book, Cows Don't Know It's Sunday (2002) ISER is concerned with agricultural life in St. John's prior Confederation in 1949. She retired from Cabot Institute (now College of the North Atlantic) in 1989. Hilda is a 3 time former Guild President.
Janet McNaughton is the author of six novels for young people, one picture book and one junior novel. She writes historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy. She is currently working on a fantasy about a dragon from Orkney who lives in St. John’s. Her work has won eleven awards.
Joan Scott
Joan Scott, mother, retired teacher, and sadly, for only a little while, companion to Siggy. She writes to the "letters" sections of newspapers and list serves, and on request. When old, she will write a memoir. She rejoices in membership of both the Guild, and a constellation of other friends and acquaintances.
Jo Shawyer is a geographer. In her academic career, living in different places, she has studied and written about many landscapes and historical events.Recently, Jo has been trying her hand at historical fiction. She enjoys creating fictional stories around a documented historical event.Twenty-dollar Reward is historical fiction for children based on a true incident of a baby left on a doorstep more than 100 years ago.It is published by Scholastic Canada for grades 4 to 6, children aged 9 to 12.
Kate Evans is an Irish born writer who lives and works in St. John's, Newfoundland. She is a teacher of English as a Foreign Language. She started writing ten years ago, drawing for her material on her passion for travel and her love of the theatre. Four years ago she decided to head for the Far East, where for two years she taught English in Bangkok, and traveled extensively in India, Nepal, China and Thailand. She has a recently completed novel Where old Ghosts Meet.
Kathleen Knowles is the author of A Rock And A Hard Place, a collection of personal essays, and editor of To Honour The Holiday , a compilation of Christmas reminiscences from the diaries of Canadian explorers. Two of her short stories and a set of haiku are included in A Charm Against the Pain, an anthology of writing by members of the Newfoundland Writers' Guild. On three occasions she was won awards in the Atlantic Writing Competition. Kathleen has served on the board of both the Guild and of the Writers' Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Laura Jackson spent nearly 20 years doing community development for MUN Extension in Labrador, and as many again as an adopted townie, doing wilderness conservation. Now, with a continuing interest in travel, animals, film, literature and music, she is finally getting to explore a long-neglected love of writing.
A member of the Guild since 1996, Laura was born in Ferryland and developed an interest in writing when a student of the Sacred Heart Convent School. Laura enjoys reading, writing, gardening and caring for her three cats. She has self-published two books, a collection of her poetry My Many Moons and a novel Becoming Sarah.
Libby’s short stories have been published in literary magazines across the country and have been included in 99: Best Canadian Stories and The Journey Prize Anthology, numbers 10 and 11. She has been Executive Director of the Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador since 2003.
Lillian Bouzane
Lillian Bouzane is an award winning writer. She has written two books of poetry Back to Back with Harold Paddock and Point Blank with Grace Butt and one novel - In the Hands of the Living God which you can buy at The Rooms.
A member of the Newfoundland Writers' Guild since 2001, Lily has served on the Guild's Board of Directors for 6 years. She is a former Guild President and has published a poem in Charm Against the Pain," the Guild's 4th Anthology (2006). Her first book will be published by Flanker Press in 2010
Born in North Wales, educated in England and Ireland, Marilyn arrived in Newfoundland in 1980. She has taught and researched sociology and women's studies at Memorial University. She has a son (living in Halifax) and a daughter (living in the UK) and two granddaughters.
Paul O'Neill
Paul was born in 1928, St John's, Newfoundland, Paul O'Neill graduated from the National Academy of Theatre Arts in New York in 1948, and was a professional actor in the U.S. and England until 1954, when he became a CBC producer. He retired in 1986 as executive producer of performance programming. He was the founding president of the Newfoundland Writers' Guild, and has been a volunteer with over fifty organizations, frequently serving as president or chair. He has also lectured part time at Memorial University. Today he continues to write and is frequently called on as a guest speaker. In 2004 his contributions to St. John's were recognized with a Freedom of the City award.
Originally from Illinois, Raoul retired from teaching at MUN after long service in anthropology, and continues research and writing. He presently has an interest in the use of personal narratives that capture and convey life experience. He has done anthropological research in the west (with Nez Perce, and Alberta Stoney/Assiniboine Aborginal communities) and fisheries in Newfoundland and elsewhere. His works include the popular: Voyage to the Grand Banks: The Saga of Newfoundland Captain Arch Thornhill. (1998 -- Creative Press), and the most recent Mi'sel Joe: An Aboriginal Chief's Journey (2009 -- Flanker); as well as many other academic titles.
Roberta Buchanan was born in South Africa, educated in England and emigrated to Canada in 1964. She taught English and Women’s studies at Memorial University and is now Professor Emerita. She writes poetry and memoir.
Sheilah Roberts
Sheilah Roberts is a Newfoundlander, history lover, music teacher, singer, and the mother of two teenagers and one large dog.
She currently resides in St. Philips, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Her first book,
For Maids Who Brew and Bake , was short-listed for the Cuisine Canada’s National Culinary Book Awards in 2004 and will soon be reprinted as a second edition.
She has a short story The Wheel, soon to be published in EarLit.
Trudy Morgan-Coleis a prolific St. John's writer who also teaches English and creative writing to adult learners at The Murphy Centre, not to mention raising two young children with her supportive husband Jason. In addition to the books listed in the author book list, Trudy has written numerous spiritual books for young adult readers published and distributed throughout North America by Review & Herald Publishing.
Violet Squires Ruelokke is a retired Registered Nurse, and among her volunteer work has been, for the past five years, Provincial Advocacy Officer for the National Association of Federal Retirees in this province. She is the author of And this is called love... ESP Press.