Keynote Sessions
Our conference theme for 2012 is "Write with Purpose and Joy"
Thursday, June 14, at 2:15 pm – "The Adventure of Writing" with Sheila Wray Gregoire
You can't plan a writing career. Writing is more like an adventure, with moments of grace that propel you to the next level. And that's the joy of writing–doing all you can to prepare for when the wind of the Spirit strikes–but then, when He comes, to take a deep breath and enjoy the ride.
In this talk, author Sheila Wray Gregoire will focus on how we can do our part to write and speak the message God gives us, but how we must also leave room for God to nudge us, push us, or even shove us towards a path we could never have foreseen.
Sheila Wray Gregoire never meant to be a writer. She sold a joke to Reader's Digest in 1997 for $200 and she caught the bug. She's now a syndicated columnist, an international speaker, and the author of five books, including The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex (Zondervan, 2012).
She speaks all over North America at women's retreats and outreaches, and together with her husband, Keith, she speaks at FamilyLife marriage conferences. She has a passion for family, and God has been moving her more and more into marriage ministry.
Friday, June 15, at 7:30 pm – "My Fortune Cookie Was Wrong" with Jean Little
Jean Little, 80, of Guelph, Ontario, is an award-winning children’s author and member of the Order of Canada.
She's written over 40 novels and picture books, as well as poetry, short stories, and two autobiographical books. Among them are some of Canada’s best-loved works for children, such as From Anna and Pippin the Christmas Pig.
Jean is recognized throughout Canada and the United States for her candid and unsentimental portrayals of adolescent life. Once a teacher of handicapped children, Jean herself is only partially sighted, and she uses much of her real-life experience as the basis for her books.
Her characters often deal with physical disabilities, including cerebral palsy or blindness, or confront psychological difficulties involving fear or grief. However, none of her characters find magical cures for their problems. Instead they learn to cope with and survive the challenges they face, and thus they are led to greater self-understanding. "Ultimately," explained Meguido Zola in Language Arts, "that is the real thrust of Jean Little's novels—recognizing and mastering the enemy within rather than tilting at the one without."
For her writings, Little has won numerous awards, including a Canadian Children's Book Award, a Governor General's Literary Award, and a Vicky Metcalf Award. In 2010, she received the 22nd annual Leslie K. Tarr Award from The Word Guild for outstanding career achievement.
Saturday, June 16, at 3:30 pm – "Finding Joy in the Challenges" with Thom Froese
Flannery O’Connor said that “People without hope do not write novels. Writing a novel is a terrible experience during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay.”
Where is the joy in that? And for what purpose would anyone want such an affliction?
Come and hear international author and journalist Thomas Froese share more about how to find lasting purpose and joy amidst the challenges of the writing life. Froese will share how to listen to your muse and use your own life as your best creative source.
While sharing some of his experiences from Africa and the Middle East, Froese will also address issues that include how to write from the heart without sentimentality, how to approach your work as both a servant and an artist, and how to be true to your calling as a writer in a culture of convenience.
Thomas Froese is an award-winning author and journalist of 25 years who has written widely about his experiences in the Arab World and Africa. He lived in Sana’a, Yemen for several years, where he was a senior editor at The Yemen Times. Since 2005, he’s been based in Kampala, Uganda.
His columns on life and culture have appeared in various Canadian and international newspapers, often in the Hamilton Spectator. His column "Out of Africa" appears in ChristianWeek.
Froese is also a 2012 graduate of Seattle Pacific University’s MFA in Creative Writing, specializing in Fiction.
A native of Berlin, Germany, Froese grew up in the Niagara Region. He lives in Hamilton, ON for four months a year and is married with three children.
See his work at http://www.thomasfroese.com and learn about his award-winning book, Ninety-Nine Windows: Reflections of a Reporter from Arabia to Africa and other Roads Less Travelled.
Thursday, June 14, at 8:30 p.m. – Special Bonus Seminar with Thomas Umstattdt, Jr.
Technology is Your Friend but Not Your Master
Technology can turn your book idea into a best seller. It can also be a colossal waste of time.
In this session, you will learn how to use technology effectively without wasting a lot of time.
