Lois is a writer and editor. She has published several humorous essays in anthologies and articles which have appeared in lifestyle magazines. Her second mystery novel, “Death at Iron House Lodge”, was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis “Best Unpublished Novel” award in 2016, and several essays have won awards. Currently, she works part-time as an editor for a digital marketing company. Lois wrote her first stage play four years ago for a community theatre in Ancaster, Ontario. The new experience rekindled her passion for writing and she has since written three more scripts for the amateur acting company. Since moving to Northumberland three years ago, Lois has volunteered with community theatre and the Northumberland Festival of the Arts, hoping to become more fully involved with the vibrant arts scene in the county.
NFOTA 24
Fabian Arciniegas
Fabian Arciniegas is a versatile Colombian-Canadian singer-actor. He brings a wide range of repertoire to life, from Baroque to Contemporary. Inspired by his love for chamber singing, Fabian discovered a passion for new composers and successfully toured in Canada and internationally as part of the series Crossing Borders. He has premiered new compositions by composers such as Saman Shahi, Chia Yin Wu, Mario Gómez Vignes and has performed with prestigious organizations including the Canadian Opera Company, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Opera in Concert among others. He is the creator and performer of The Colores, a show that invites audiences to engage with classical and contemporary music through pop music and storytelling. He is premiering his new show Yo And My Shadow in September 2024 as part of the Northumberland Festival Of The Arts.
D’Arcy Jenish and Samantha Clark
D’Arcy Jenish has written histories of the Stanley Cup, the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL, an acclaimed biography of David Thompson and an award-winning account of the 19th century Canadian West – from the perspective of four great Indigenous leaders— Piapot, Poundmaker, Big Bear and Crowfoot. His most recent: The Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hands of the FLQ. His play The Tilco Strike was produced at 4th Line Theatre in July 2023 and his two short plays – Ray’s Big Day and The Last Time- were performed at the Port Hope Arts Festival in 2022and 2023 respectively. He will be back at Port Hope again this year with Tick Talk – a play set at the Peterborough Westclox factory in May 1969 which will also be [performed at Northumberland Festival of the Arts, NFOTA 2024
Samantha Clark grew up in the Northumberland arts community; dancing competitively, studying voice, and volunteering in all aspects of theatre production. She studied Drama and English at Queen’s University and completed a summer intensive inside The Shaw Festival’s 2017 season. Sam then earned a Graduate Degree in Arts Management specializing in marketing from Queen’s and her Bachelor of Education from Trent University. This September will be Sam’s second year running the Port Hope High School Drama Department. Sam recently appeared in the staged reading of Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson at the Peterborough Theatre Guild but she feels most at home in the world of Musical Theatre. She has performed leading roles in Guys and Dolls (Sister Sarah), White Christmas (Judy Hanes), Company (Joanne),and in Nunsense (Sister Mary Leo).
Shannon and Jakeb
Shannon and Jakeb are a folk-pop duo known for their dynamic vocal synergy and vibrant performance style. Characterized by percussive guitar and soaring harmonies, their songs are honest and vulnerable with a lighthearted spirit. Shannon Linton is a classically trained singer whose love of singing harmonies found its perfect match with multi-instrumentalist and vocal powerhouse Jakeb Daniel. They are both proud to call Cobourg, Ontario their home, and to be part of its flourishing music community. Shannon and Jakeb have played the Blue Skies Festival, Cultivate Launch, Hibernate and Cultivate Festival. They are looking forward to returning to the Cultivate stage this September, hosting and performing a show at the Northumberland Festival of the Arts, and performing at the Shelter Valley Concert Series in October. Follow @shannonandjakeb on Instagram and Facebook for news and show upcoming announcements.
Shane Joseph
WORD ON THE HILLS, Sundays at 1.00 pm, archived at wordonthehills.com
Shane Joseph is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers in Canada. He is the
author of eight novels and three collections of short stories. Shane’s second novel, After
the Flood, a dystopian novel of hope, released in 2009, won the Write Canada Award
for best novel in the futuristic/fantasy category. His short fiction and non-fiction have
appeared in literary journals and anthologies all over the world. His blog is widely
syndicated, he has a monthly column in The Sri Lankan Anchorman journal in Toronto
and is the Book Reviews Editor for Devour Art & Lit Canada magazine. His most recent
novel, Victoria Unveiled, will be released in September 2024. Shane is the owner and publisher of Blue Denim Press (www.bluedenimpress.com), a literary press he founded in 2011.
More details on Shane’s work, blog and book reviews can be found on his website
Fringe Fest episode 2: Dave Carley, Celia McBride and Dave Dines
Today, we are delighted to have a visit from Celia McBride, Dave Dines and Dave Carley, who are all playwrights and have written 10 minute plays which will be twice presented at Fringe Fest on September 14th as part of Northumberland Festival of the Arts. Dave Carley is a Canadian playwright. His plays for stage and radio have had close to 500 productions across Canada and the United States, and in many countries around the world. They include Writing with our Feet (nominated for the Governor General’s Award), The Last Liberal, The Edible Woman and, most recently, Twelve Hours, and Canadian Rajah. Celia McBride is a writer and spiritual director from the Yukon now living in Port Hope. She had a 20 year career as a playwright and theatre artist. Celia published a memoir called “O My God: An Un-Becoming Journey” in 2022. Her plays have been produced across Canada and she is still writing new ones. Dave Dines is the co-owner and manager of the Ganaraska Brewery in Port Hope built by and for local people. Growing this successful business has kept him very busy since its opening in 2021 but in his spare time he writes plays.
Gwynn Scheltema
After over 20 years of diversified experience in accounting, education, and administration GWYNN SCHELTEMA decided to stop counting beans and start counting words. Since then, Gwynn has been a columnist, magazine article writer, ghost writer and a fiction editor for Lichen Arts & Letters Preview literary journal. Her award-winning fiction and poetry have appeared in literary magazines and anthologies and, Ten of Diamonds was published in 2021 by Glentula Press. Her latest poetry collection Everchild was published by Aeolus House in 2023. Gwynn co-hosts and co-produces Word on the Hills radio series on Northumberland 89.7FM and writes, edits, coaches and teaches creative writing. At present however her focus is on the preparations for NFOTA24 which she leads. This year the festival will take place in September again and Gwynn is here to tell us all about it.
Gwynn Scheltema
After over 20 years of diversified experience in accounting, education, and administration Gwynn Scheltema decided to stop counting beans and start counting words. Since then, Gwynn has been a columnist, magazine article writer, ghost writer and a fiction editor for Lichen Arts & Letters Preview literary journal. Her award-winning fiction and poetry have appeared in literary magazines and anthologies and, Ten of Diamonds was published in 2021 by Glentula Press. Her latest poetry collection Everchild was published by Aeolus House in 2023. Gwynn co-hosts and co-produces Word on the Hills radio series on Northumberland 89.7FM and writes, edits, coaches and teaches creative writing. At present however her focus is on the preparations for NFOTA24 which she leads. This year the festival will take place in September again and Gwynn is here to tell us all about it.
Antony di Nardo
Word on the Hills welcomes Antony di Nardo to talk about the poetry event, WOW, scheduled for September 15th as part of the Northumberland Festival of the Arts and his own work. Antony has written seven books of poetry. His work appears widely in journals and anthologies across Canada and internationally, and has been translated into several languages. His long poem suite May June July was winner of the Gwendolyn MacEwen Poetry Prize for 2017 and was short-listed for a National Magazine Award. He spent the last years of a teaching career in Beirut where he launched his first book of poetry Alien, Correspondent in 2010. He is an active member of the League of Canadian Poets and the Cobourg Poetry Workshop. The winner of the inaugural Don Gutteridge Poetry Award, Through Yonder Window Breaks has been published by Wet Ink Books. His latest collection Forget – Sadness – Grass was released by Ronsdale Press.
Drama at NFOTA24: episode 1
This week, Word on the Hills is delighted to have four playwrights with us to tell us about the plays they have written and will be presenting this September at Northumberland Festival of the Arts NFOTA 24. Anne Page has been a performer, writer and producer in and around the Canadian theatre scene for many years. Anne has a deep connection with Cobourg. Her parents grew up, met and married here and though they moved away frequently returned to spend time with their extended families. Peter Paylor’s plays will be produced this year in Brockville, Belleville, Elliot Lake, Port Hope, Sault Ste. Marie, and Wilberforce and Cobourg . Peter is Artistic Director for River & Main Theatre Company at Theatre in The Wings in Belleville. For over thirty years, Marcia Johnson has been a Toronto-based theatre artist, who also works in audiobooks as a director and narrator. She has written numerous plays which have been performed by companies across Canada including Stratford. At the end of last year, she was in the first cohort of playwrights to take part in the Slaight Playwrights Residency at the Banff Centre. Sean Carthew is a long-term Port Hope resident. He is the Founder and artistic Director of Port Hope’s Ontario Street Theatre, which has produced, created and performed well over 250 productions in and around Northumberland County. Sean will have two plays performed at the Port Hope Arts Festival in August and one, Go Fish, at NFOTA.
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