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2022 WCWF Writing Contest winners

Faye Arcand

Winners in the contest will all receive an Anthology.

Anthologies will be available for sale after the contest for $18.

And the winners are:

Poetry

Honourable Mention: Reaching

by

Kisti Ornellas of Lanesborough, Massachusetts

~~~

Third Place: Little Girl World

by

Madeline Medensky of Kitchener, Ontario 

~~

Second Place: A Vernal Vision

by 

Daniel Moreschi of West Glamorgan, 

South Wales UK

~~~

First Place: The Moment in Which I Love Her

by 

Lesley-Anne Evans or Kelowna, B.C. 

Nonfiction

Honourable Mention: Paris Attacks

by 

Cherie Hanson, Kelowna, B.C.

~~~

Honourable Mention: Roller Magic

by 

Ryan Murphy of Staten Island, New York

~~~

Third Place: Tentacles

by 

Heather MacDonald of Penticton, B.C.

~~~

Second Place: From Rats to Monks: A Needed Tune-up

by 

Rosemary Potter of Hartland, Wisconsin

~~~

First Place: Cabin Seizure 

by 

Marilyn Kriete of Kelowna, B.C.

~~~

Fiction

Honourable Mention: Birthday Camel

by 

Jay Royston of Coldstream, B.C.

~~~

Third Place: Time Capsule

by 

Kim Bigelow of Edmond, Oklahoma

~~~

Second Place: Liebert’s Report

by

Brian Davidson of Surrey, B.C.

~~~

First Place: Everything’s got a moral only if you can find it.

by 

Kelley Jo Burke of Regina, Saskatchewan

Here are some pix of the contest winners. Centre is owner/operator of Raven’s Oddities the sponsor of the Writing Contest and standing to the right is Kara Antifeau, the WCWF contest coordinator.

(if you have a pic of yourself with your certificate and anthology please send it to us and we’ll post it.)

Lesley-Anne Evans accepts her award

Lesley-Anne Evans (l) first place poetry
Brian Davidson, second place fiction, accepts his award

Brian Davidson (l) second place fiction

Heather MacDonald accepts her award.

Heather MacDonald (l) third place non-fiction

Brian Davidson with his award and anthology.

Marilyn Krete (l) first place non-fiction

Kelley Jo Burke. 1st place in Fiction shows us her certificate. Congratulations!

UPDATES and NEWS

WCWFest 2023… The Planning Is Happening Now.

Faye Arcand

We’re still in 2022 and it’s not even Christmas yet, but we wanted to remind you to mark your calendars for September 22, 23, and 24, 2023 in Penticton, British Columbia.

Right now we’re taking applications for those who wish to present at WCWFest.

We are looking for presenters who want to promote the community and connection of those involved in the writing world.

We pride ourselves on our boutique style of Festival and want interactions between presenters and guests to be a natural progression of the experience.

This is a paying gig.

There will be an accommodation allowance and honorarium. Some travel allowances as well. If you have any questions please contact either Faye or Jim at wcwfestival@gmail.com

Complete the form. Due no later than January 15, 2023.

Thank you.

APPLY HERE

UPDATES and NEWS

The Power of Words…

Faye Arcand

A few days ago I received a message via Instagram from Ryan Murphy who won an Honorable Mention in the WCWFest Writing Contest non fiction.

It was a surprise and his words made a huge impact on me. Read my blog HERE to get the whole story.

Did You Read the WCWF Newsletter?

I hope you did because it was packed full of information.

You can read a copy HERE. It may be a good idea to subscribe to the newsletter so you don’t miss dates and/or important information.

Make sure you check out the Virtual Book Bar and support of fellow writers.

Books make great gifts.

Happy Holidays to All of You from Both of Us.

We’ll see you in 2023.

Faye and Jim.

UPDATES and NEWS

So What do You Think About Going to Greece?

Faye Arcand

As the winter months start to close in on us, we’re all tucked in and keeping warm, but April 2023 will come quickly.

That of course is the planned writing retreat to Athens, Greece.

If you’re interested please make sure you register and contact the agent at Banks Travel to make a deposit.

You can take a look at the registration form HERE

If there is insufficient interest then the trip will be cancelled and deposits returned.

Stay warm and stay in touch.

Any questions just drop us an email at wcwfestival@gmail.com

UPDATES and NEWS

Let’s Retreat to Write…

Faye Arcand

Hi Everyone.

Can you believe it’s almost the end of October? Time flies. I hope you’re all writing up a storm and of course getting ready for NaNo!

I wanted to update you on the Athens, Greece Retreat in case you missed the newsletter.

The retreat is in April 2023 but in order to secure venue price etc. we’ll need to have registration and a $1000can deposit no later than November 30, 2022.

This can be paid in cash or by credit. The contact info is all HERE

If on November 30, there aren’t a minimum of 15 people committed to going, then the coordinators (myself and Jim) will determine if the trip is still possible from a financial standpoint. If not, deposits will be returned and the retreat cancelled.

Don’t delay. If you have any questions please email us at wcwfestival@gmail.com and we’ll answer all your questions OR directly contact the professional booking agent.

The agent will be collecting all the funds and will also be able to book your flight from wherever you need. It is hoped that most flights can be coordinated so that we can all meet at Athens, Greece airport together.

Have a great day!

UPDATES and NEWS

Meet Kelley Jo Burke! First Place in the WCWF Fiction Category. Congratulations!

Faye Arcand

Introducing Kelley Jo Burke who won first place for her short story Everything’s Got a Moral, if Only You Can Find it. She wasn’t able to attend the Festival so sent us these awesome pix when she received her certificate and anthology in the mail.

Huge congratulations to you Kelley Jo! In her recent note to WCWF, Kelley noted that these pix were taken by Eric Eggertson and that she’d see us next September! YAY!!🎉🎉

If you won or placed in the WCWF 2nd Annual Writing Contest, send us a picture with your certificate and anthology. Always celebrate the victories–it’s a big deal!

UPDATES and NEWS

Meet Brian Davidson. Second place winner of the WCWF 2nd Annual Writing Contest! Congratulations!

Faye Arcand

Brian sent us this picture this morning as he recently received his certificate and anthology.

After coming in second in the fiction category for his short story Lieber’s Report, Brian chose to drive to, and attend, the Wine Country Writers’ Festival. So awesome. We sure hope to see him next year too.

Thanks for sending this Brian!

If you have your certificate and anthology, please send us a pic so we can post it. It’s a big deal to win a writing contest. Don’t under estimate the achievement.

Send to wcwfestival@gmail.com

UPDATES and NEWS

What’s Next for WCW Fesitval?

Faye Arcand

Now that the 2022 Festival has been wrapped up until next September… You marked the dates, right?… we, Jim Jackson and Faye Arcand, are shifting to the WCW Community.

The WCW Community takes us out of Festival mode for a while and into other aspects of the writing community. This will mean retreats, summits, teaching and other great community effort things in line with the Wine Country Writers mission and brand.

Our first WCW Community event is a writers’ retreat to Athens, Greece.

This will happen in April 2023 and be limited to 15-20 like-minded individuals.

The price is $4299 Canadian (depending on exchange rate this is approx: $3200usd) and includes:

  • 5* hotel (double occupancy) near Acropolis
  • breakfast every morning
  • lunches included on workshop days
  • Greek food tour
  • tour of Acropolis
  • three unique workshops on writing (one with guest author and agent Jonas Saul)
  • farewell dinner Greek family style
  • peace and quiet to write and create.
  • and SO much more.

Don’t wait to book. Email wcwfestival@gmail.com and we’ll answer any of your questions and direct you to a professional for booking.

Airfare, insurance, and medical are not included.