Ronald Mackay feels that his life has been and still remains a series of periods and experiences somewhat detached from one another. He was born during WWII in his grandmother’s rural home in Scotland. In 1946 his family settled in the city of Dundee. Until he attended school, he was bi-dialectal, speaking both Broad Scots and Standard English. On leaving school he worked at a variety of temporary jobs that took him throughout Scotland, England, France and Spain. He has been a market-gardener, a forester, a cod-fisherman, a farm-labourer, a cook, and was employed in the banana plantations in Tenerife where he delighted in learning to use dynamite. Ronald talks about these experiences,his later adventures and how he became a writer.

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Poet Susan Gillis was invited to be the Guest Poet at Cobourg Poetry Workshop’s Third Thursday Reading Series for March. Postponed because of Covid 19, we hope that her reading will take place later in the year, but in the meantime please enjoy our conversation with Susan, which we recorded  recently  by using ZOOM.  Her books include 2018’s Yellow Crane: part love poem to her former home and part meditation on the ecologies of place, writing, and desire. A member of the collaborative group Yoko’s Dogs and the performance group Bon Echo, Susan also co-curates the online journal HALIBUT for micro-poetry, and offers workshops, manuscript services and mentorship online and in person.

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Meet Cobourg poet Marion Fuessel.  Marion describes herself as a late bloomer. She never really thought about school beyond grade 12.  However, as she grew into her skin, she decided to go back.  She graduated with honours from Seneca College in her 30’s, studying part-time while raising three children.  She found she had a vocation to work with young children and was most interested in the Montessori Method. She researched and then pursued this, obtaining her Montessori qualifications and entering a very satisfying career. After retiring Marion and her husband moved to Cobourg and love its beautiful surroundings and friendly people. She has written several children’s stories, but attracted to poetry she joined the Cobourg Poetry Workshop three years ago and has been learning and writing ever since.

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As part of our celebration of Poetry Month we are very pleased to be broadcasting our interviews with poet Anne-Marie Burrus, which we have recorded on Zoom—a new adventure! Anne-Marie who also answers to her pen-name Mia, lives in the country north of Cobourg in a restored one-room schoolhouse, making occasional forays into Toronto, where she continues to provide accounting services for various charities.  She prefers, however, using words and images to explore the boundaries and spaces between what is spoken and silent, solid and ephemeral, known and unknowable, and mindful and mindless.

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This week we talk to Katie Hoogendam. Katie is a writer, artist, educator and communications specialist. Her past vocations include High school teacher, copy editor and radio host and producer. She remains professionally and personally concerned with environmental issues and educational theory and practice. Spirituality, faith, feminism and identity are ongoing topics of interest for her. Katie writes poetry, essays, creative non-fiction and tried her hand at drama last year. Her first play, Plan X, was produced at Spirit of the Hills Festival of the Arts 2019.

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This week we interview, Gwynn Scheltema. Gwynn is a writing jack-of-all-trades: poetry; fiction, editing; memoir, and non-fiction. Retired .from many years as a “working writer” earning a living from writing newspaper columns, magazine feature articles, fiction editing for a literary journal, ghost writing non-fiction books and working as a senior writer and editor for several communications branches in the provincial government, she now lives and writes for pleasure in the village of Trent River. Retirement, however, hasn’t slowed the pace. She’s still a partner in Writescape, providing editing services, a variety of workshops and masterclasses, and retreats for writers. Through Writerscape, Gwynn also blogs regularly in The Top Drawer and 10 on the 10^th.

Gwynn has also been co-host, co-producer and the sound editor for Word on the Hills for over six years. Presently she is making an effort to cut back somewhat on her many activities so that she can concentrate on her current writing projects. Please join us!

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This week we interview Ted Amsden. Ted is well-known as a poet—a very public one as he served as Cobourg’s Poet Laureate, for two four year terms, until June 2019. But he has been living a secret life, as he tells us, as for the past 8 years– his focus has been on prose. Naturally we want to know more! Please join us!

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This week we interview one of our own, Chris Cameron, who in the past year has become our sound editor and a third host for the show. Christopher Cameron enjoyed a successful career as a professional opera singer, retiring in 2009. After some years in IT,  he began a third career, as a freelance writer and editor. His first book, a memoir of his singing years, Dr. Bartolo’s Umbrella and Other Tales from my Surprising Operatic Life, was published in 2017. In June 2017 Chris and his wife Karen moved to the banks of the Trent River in Campbellford, where Chris enjoys working as a very busy editor.

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Meet Anne Marshall whose life-long ambition has been to write and publish a book which she recently did. but for many years, Anne has been involved in volunteer and community organizations while working in the tourism industry of which she has wide experience. Volunteer positions as Chair of Peterborough Kawarthas Tourism,  and Board  member of the United Way of Peterborough gave her opportunities to use her marketing skills in the community as well as her position as Director Sales & Marketing, Human Resources at Elmhirst’s Resort, in Keene, Ontario.   The motivating force in her life has been mentoring and watching former employees and colleagues achieve success. She has pursued her love of writing, publishing her first novel, Reckless, in September 2019. Now, Anne and her partner Peter Elmhirst explore the world on their motorcycles – expanding their network and enjoying semi-retirement.

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Meet Vanessa Westermann. Vanessa’s  debut mystery, An Excuse for Murder, was published in 2019 by The Wild Rose Press, New York. Vanessa is a former Arthur Ellis Awards judge, and has given a talk on the evolution of women’s crime writing, at the Toronto Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Her book review column entitled “Vanessa’s Picks” was published in Sleuth of Baker Street Mystery Bookstore’s monthly newsletter, from 2012 to 2016. The column was developed into a blog, featuring crime fiction reviews and literary interviews. While living in Germany, Vanessa earned an M.A. in English Literature and went on to teach creative writing. Vanessa currently lives in the Havelock area and is working on her next novel, while drinking copious amounts of tea.

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