An avid reader of mysteries, Vanessa Westermann is a former Arthur Ellis Awards judge, holds an M.A. in English Literature and a Bachelor of Education, and has taught creative writing. Cover Art, first of the Charley Scott Mysteries, was published to great acclaim in 2022. At the heart of all Westermann’s stories are strong female protagonists inspired by the heroines in her own life. She currently lives in Ontario. Her most recent publication is Shudder Pulp (the second Charley Scott mystery) which was released on May 3, 2025)
Linda Hutsell Manning
Welcome Linda!
Linda has published four picture books, three juvenile plays, two mid-grade novels and Polka Dot Door scripts as well as a literary novel, That Summer in Franklin, a two-act comedy, A Certain Singing Teacher, a memoir, Fearless and Determined about her 1960’s teaching experiences a one room elementary school west of Cobourg. Her latest picture book, Finding Moufette, was released byPandamonium Publishers in 2023. A novella, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose, released by AOS Publishers is available in bookstores and on Amazon. Linda has also written many pieces of short fiction and poetry published in magazines. Find out more at lindahutsellmanning.ca.
Marnie Bickle
Marnie Bickle’s encore presentation will be broadcast this coming Sunday July 6th after being postponed for the Waterfront Festival last week. Enjoy!
Encore presentation with Marnie Bickle postponed to July 6th for Waterfront Festival
Richard Pope
This week we welcome Richard Pope. Richard was born in Toronto and lived and birded there until 2006. He is a retired professor of Russian literature and culture. Richard is a long-standing member of the Toronto Ornithological Club, The Ontario Field Ornithologists, and the Willow Beach Field Naturalists. He is the author of a number of books about birds and their relationship to humans. He and his wife, Felicity, live and bird in Cobourg, Ontario. in Cobourg, Ontario.
Brandon Hahn
This Sunday, June 15th we welcome Brandon Hahn to Word on the Hills. Brandon wears many hats. Mostly a poet, the author of a small pile of chapbooks and a self-help book called Trigger Happy, and a bit of a comedian, Brandon W Hahn has been a professional mental health advocate since 2002 and has written and spoken about mental health all over Ontario. Brandon’s most recent written effort, another self-help book, Trigger Happy Too! – Glimmer Edition is due out in late Spring of this year. His current endeavors centre on his website snackablementalhealth.ca Through this podcast and blog Brandon hopes to reach an international level, speaking and writing about mental health conditions from his personal experiences.
Karin Wells
Karin Wells is a journalist, lawyer and much acclaimed author of When Women Woke Up the Law: Inside the Cases that Changed Women’s Rights in Canada released only weeks ago. Her previous books are The Abortion Caravan short listed for the Shaughnessy Cohen award for political writing and winner of the Alison Prentice Award for women’s history and More than a Footnote: Canadian Women You Should Know. She has been recognized as one of this country’s leading radio journalists. Over her career she worked in more than fifty countries for CBC Radio making radio documentaries about subjects as diverse as post conflict resolution in Sierra Leone; dementia treatment in Denmark and opera in the English countryside. Karin Wells is also a 3-time winner of the Canadian Association of Journalists documentary award for investigative journalism. Her work regularly won international awards and has been recognized by the United Nations. In 2011 she was inducted into the University of Ottawa’s Common Law Honor Society.
Mark Whitney
Mark Whitney grew up and attended high school in Kitchener and Milton Ontario. After earning a diploma from Sheridan College, he attended night school for an additional seven years, finally earning his accountancy credentials in 1994, solidifying his career in the financial services sector. After 30 odd year of office drudgery, he retired in 2019 and pursued an ambition that he had harboured for decades. He wanted to write. His wife of twenty-one years, Joanne Brooks, introduced him to Northumberland County twenty-five years ago. The scenery and the history of the region has been an inspiration for his writing, providing the backdrop for three of his four books.
Celia McBride
This week we welcome Celia McBride.
Celia is a writer and spiritual director from the Yukon now living in Port Hope. After graduating from the Playwriting Program at the National Theatre School of Canada in 1995, she spent the next 20 years writing, directing, producing and performing in theatre and film projects both nationally and internationally. Highlights include making “Last Stop for Miles”, a feature film; co-running Sour Brides Theatre, which toured her play “So Many Doors” (Playwrights Canada Press) across Canada; being commissioned and produced by the Stratford Festival of Canada; writing and directing the Yukon’s Victory Ceremonies show for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics; and publishing a spiritual memoir called “O My God: An Un-Becoming Journey” in 2022. In 2024, Celia was part of the Creator’s Unit at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, and her new play Lessons from Providence, was workshopped and read by professional actors as part of the Capitol’s season last year. Celia is currently seeking a publisher for her first novel, “The Yum-Yum Verse about Chinese food, dysfunctional relationships and the multiverse. Please visit her website celiamcbride.com for more.
Sharon Ramsay Curtis
This is an encore presentation of interviews and readings we made with Sharon Ramsay Curtis in 2023. She has always described her artistic interests as a “mixed bag” sampling many types of activities and learning a great deal in the process. After many years of struggling with this she has made peace with the concept and is enjoying the journey. She has successfully combined her skills as a visual artist and as writer in the production of two picture books and is now transforming them into a new format.
Word on the Hills Radio Program 