2015 / 2016 ANNUAL REPORTEncourage writers at all levels; offer opportunities for support, education and networking; and promote the value of writers and writing.

The President’s Report

What an inspiring year it’s been for me as your pres-ident. Hectic—yes. Exhausting—no question. But I honestly believe that through the chaos of delving into what you love, great things are accomplished. It might feel like a messy scramble in the moment, but after-ward, when you look back over the distance travelled, you can see the forward strides you’ve made and smile. I smile a lot.

The past twelve months brought about both endings and beginnings.

We finished our contract at the Ajax Convention Cen-tre and found a new home with Durham College at the Centre for Food in Whitby. I love that WCDR now supports the youth and education of our community. It’s a lovely space, bright, fully accessible, and a green, sustainable facility.

The Trillium Grant term ended. My wholehearted thanks go out to past president, Sally Moore, and Crys-sa Bazos for taking on the arduous tasks of compliance with, and completion of, our WCDR Trillium Grant. With those two ladies focused on finalizing our com-mitment to Trillium, the current board and I were able to focus on the ‘creative and fun’ stuff. I don’t think it would shock anyone who’s met me to learn I’m not a fan of regulations, expectations, and getting bogged down in business-y details. I am beyond thankful that these ladies have those professional skills in abundance and tackled the task on the WCDR’s behalf.

Another ending is a bitter-sweet goodbye to Maureen Curry as Membership Coordinator. After eight years serving our membership as the first contact, Maureen has stepped down to enjoy a full retirement with her husband. We’ll miss her. The board values everything she’s contributed: eight years of coming to meetings, organizing tables in local events, preparing welcome bags, awarding membership recognition . . . and, of course, making us cupcakes.

During those eight years, she made our group more of a family than an organization. Thank you, Maureen.

Now to the beginnings:

We began the 2015-2016 season in September with our 20th Anniversary Gala, an evening which gathered seventy members, spouses, and industry profession-als to celebrate our great organization. The Centre for Food’s atrium created a beautiful backdrop and a memorable evening for all.

Ushering in a new board is an exciting time. While we will miss Yvonne Hess, Barb Hunt, and of course, Maureen, we welcome four new members to sit on the board of directors: Tobin Elliott as Member at Large, Lisa Liscoumb as Membership Coordinator, Dale Long as Public Relations Coordinator, and Tamara Petrou Cormack as our new Workshop Liaison. I’m looking forward to hearing what plans they each have for their portfolios.

Bookapalooza built on the solid foundation of our inaugural event held in 2014, and in 2015 we gathered to celebrate authors and craft once again. Industry professionals and award-winning guests helped us make the event even more successful. With the help of the incredible Dawn Riddoch on admin, and Gwen Tuinman rallying donations for the silent auction, we brought the event from a $2000 expense in 2014 to a $2000 profit in 2015. Join us this year on Saturday, November 19th.

Members are embracing the Skip the Slush On-line Pitch program and are actively pursuing agent repre-sentation and publication. I’m thrilled to see members pushing forward and reaching for their goals, but if publication isn’t your goal, that’s fine too. We’ve also got our Blue Pencil Bonanza, Words of the Season, Master Classes, Mini-workshops, and, of course, the RoundTable meetings to offer.

I can’t express how much I enjoy being part of the WCDR collective, especially holding a position where I have the privilege to dream up ways to keep your membership dollars working for you. I’m proud to be your president and look forward to bringing you another exciting season.

Yours in all things writerly,

Jenny

WCDR PresidentJenny Madore

Vice-President and Member at LargeMarissa Campbell

The core initiatives of the WCDR are to produce, pub-lish, and promote. Marge Green our founder had a

vision to bring writers together for workshops, train-ing, and networking. When I joined the WCDR, I was looking for those exact values and opportunities. Organizations such as the WCDR are as vital as air for a writer. We need to connect with people of like mind. We need to learn and grow from the experiences of our peers. We need to keep our skills sharp, honing and improving our craft through workshops and courses. We also need a means of sharing our tears and tribulations. We need a place to shout to the roof-tops our greatest achievements and successes. In short, we need community.

2016 marked the fifth year I’ve been a part of this dy-namic community, and my first year as Vice President and Member at Large.

As vice president, I supported our membership by helping our new president, Jenny Madore, bring the WCDR’s core values and goals to the forefront. The previous board did an incredible job ensuring the current board had the resources it needed to move for-ward with a solid foundation. This enabled us to find exciting ways for members to get involved in fresh, new initiatives. Under Jenny’s expert guidance, we cre-ated the Skip the Slush Pile online pitch submissions, connecting our members with agents and editors from an incredible array of publishing houses and agencies.

The board continued its mission to support and promote the incredible and diverse talent within our writing community by opening up our table at Word On The Street in Toronto, giving our published au-thors a venue to showcase and sell their work. Our second annual Bookapalooza event was bigger and better than last year, drawing more local attention and even greater crowds.

As Member at Large, I became involved with the Word Weaver, our quarterly newsletter. I am now the edi-tor for this awesome publication and look forward to bringing exciting, relevant content to our membership.

There was much to learn and discover this year, and I am grateful to be part of this wonderful organization.

With new members stepping forward, I have passed the baton for Member at Large, but look forward to continuing my position as your vice president.

In gratitude,

Marissa

TreasurerConnie Di Pietro

It is difficult to believe an entire year has passed with me as treasurer to an organization that has held such an import-

ant place in my life. To say it has been a pleasure to work amongst the talent and dedication of the entire board and our admin assistant, Dawn Riddoch, would be an understatement. I have learned so much and look forward to another year of managing the funds that provide valuable and coveted member benefits.

We continue to move forward into another year with a strong and stable financial position. Through the monies raised by membership fees, full-day and mini workshops, raffles, and donations, we were able to finance the myriad of benefits offered to our members:

•The monthly RoundTable meetings •Exposure of your craft at community events like Words of the Season, Bookapalooza, and the Summer Slam •The WCDR Phoenix Short Fiction contest •Paid publishing credits for Word Weaver submissions •Promotional merchandise like welcome bags, t-shirts, postcards, reminder bookmarks, and our ever popular 12 Days of Christmas gift giveaway •Financial sponsorships for other worthy, writing related local organizations •WCDR grants and scholarships •The 5-year strategy session to map out the future path of our beloved WCDR

One of the greatest accomplishments this year was the completion of the requirements and commitments for the Trillium Grant. This would not have been possible without the dedication of every member of this year’s and last year’s board.

What a pleasure it was to join the board and take over the workshops portfolio this year. Many thanks to Sharon Over-

end who left the post well-organized, with some amaz-ing facilitators lined up for the 2015-16 season ready to share their wealth of knowledge.

Master Classes: The name of the WCDR sponsored workshops was changed to Master Classes this year. This title better reflects the advanced level of learn-ing offered by sought after, world-class industry pro-fessionals who have ‘been there, done that.’ We are pleased to be able to offer these opportunities to our membership. Best of all, these facilitators come to our own backyard and for a fraction of the cost of going to an event in Toronto.In October, award-winning novelist and professor, Dennis Bock, presented: Crisis, Personality and Dynamics in Narrative Fiction. Participants explored how to challenge their work and that always pesky issue of ‘show don’t tell.’ Dennis’s thoughtful presenta-tion demonstrated elements and techniques in writing fiction.

In February, Alyssa York led the day with an engag-ing class on Inspiration, Perspiration, Celebration! Through several hands-onwriting exercises, attendees discussed and analyzed various aspects of the writing process. Alyssa’s personable and eloquent presentation provided participants with focused takeaways on creat-ing in-depth characters and plots that sparkle.

In April, we welcomed award-winning, historical nov-elist, Anne Weisgarber. Joining us all the way fromTexas on special invitation by Sally Moore, Anne gave an inspiring talk as speaker at the April RoundTable

then followed up by delivering a full-day class on TheFirst 3 Pages–How to Hook Agents and Editors. A detailed study of several well-known novels’ first pages provided insight and inspiration on preparing our own work before sending out for query and increasing the chances of success.

In addition to the Master Classes, the WCDR also sponsored the Writing Circle Facilitation & Accred-itation workshop. This two-day intensive class gave members an opportunity to learn the skills of critiqu-ing and providing supportive feedback to others and how to listen and accept feedback as part of a writing circle. Successful participants received a certificate of accreditation as writing circle facilitators. This was also an excellent workshop for those who wanted to active-ly and effectively participate as a member of a writing circle, but not necessarily lead one.

Work is currently underway to finalize the upcoming lineup of Master Classes to start this fall. Members will be very pleased with what’s coming. In the meantime, if you have a topic or facilitator suggestion, please con-tact workshops@wcdr.org. We will do our best to meet the demand.

We hope to see even more members come out and participate in one of the amazing workshops in the 2016-17 season. These are sought after, world-class facilitators who are also industry professionals.

Mini-Workshops: Presented by our members, many of this year’s after RoundTable mini-workshops were sold out. The wide range of workshop topics provided reg-istrants with more tips, tricks, and tools of the trade, focusing both on craft and the business.

October: Susan Blakeney: An Insider’s Guide to Creating Short Stories for a Targeted MarketNovember: Rich Helms: PodcastingJanuary: Heather Hamilton-Senter: Indie Publish-ing—the Smart WayFebruary: Gwen Tuinman: Memoir and Creative Non-FictionMarch: Dorothea Helms: Presenting with Pizzazz May: Anne MacLachlan: How to Develop a SocialMedia/Digital Marketing Strategy

The 2016-17 mini-workshop line up will be finalized and announced soon and promises to be another great year!

All the best,

Yvonne

Workshop CoordinatorYvonne Hess

Moving into the next year, I hope to continue to help build the WCDR into a widely recognized and respect-ed organization that supports its members with their writing goals and endeavors. I am blessed to be sur-rounded by strong and focused individuals who share one goal: supporting and representing a dynamic and diverse group.

Teach Peace,

Connie

RoundTable CoordinatorJackie Brown

As someone new to the WCDR and new to the board, I par-ticularly enjoyed the variety, diversity, and entertainment

we provided to the RoundTable meetings through the speakers. The highlights for me included a biographer to the stars, Christopher Heard, and renowned literary critic, Donna Bailey Nurse, as they are both successful expats of Durham Region who returned to tell us ex-actly how they got their start and inspiration, making it clear that we could all do it too.

Attendance was consistently high, and the energy in the room was always friendly yet inquisitive. The at-mosphere encouraged sharing and relationship-build-ing—new and old members mingled comfortably.

This year we left the Ajax Convention Centre whose elegance was a delight. The new venue, the Centre for Food, knew they had a tough act to follow, and they quickly made us happy for the switch! They impressed us with the excellent quality of the food—with most of it grown directly in the fields around the facility. As a community of writers continually developing our talents, it is good to support a learning facility (the CFF staff are all hospitality students getting a practical opportunity to apply what they are learning in class).

This year we started a new tradition: Skip the Slush Pile, where we found editors and agents interested in working directly with us to mine the talent that we have in the WCDR membership. It was far more suc-cessful than I expected—virtually every agent and edi-tor contacted enthusiastically said yes, and we quickly filled all available slots. Members are keen to get those works in progress complete to take advantage of this unique member benefit.

Serving on the board has been a busy and fulfilling opportunity. I got to know the members through the RoundTables, plus I represented the WCDR to pub-lishing professionals in Canada and the US. I look forward to serving for another year.

One love,

Jackie

History inspires. It educates. It helps to define us as individuals and as a group. As this busy season draws to a close, take a moment to

contemplate our own history.

It is 1995. Marge Green has a dream. Writers will meet to workshop, to network, and to train. Sixty-five peo-ple respond to her call. Twenty years pass. The fledg-ling group flourishes and develops into The Writers’ Community of Durham Region.

It is September 2015. The 20th Anniversary Gala. The WCDR members and friends gather at Bistro ‘67. They raise glasses and exchange stories to celebrate a milestone. That evening, they honour Marge Green, Lucy Brennan, Dorothea Helms, Patricia Smith, Diana Cawfield, Ruth Walker, and Heather Whaley for their longstanding membership.

The WCDR adapts to the changing needs of its mem-bers. The Word Weaver, Grants and Scholarships, Words of the Season, Bookapalooza, On-Line Pitches, and the Summer Slam exemplify the resources avail-able to members. And we must not forget, the WCDR does not function in isolation. This year I assisted Stephanie Curry and Sharon Overend in Life Writing Workshops at the Oshawa Community Health Centre.

This has been another year of growth and change. Sixty writers joined the WCDR and twenty lapsed members returned. With our Associate Members, this brings our total to 291 members. And to recognize our established membership, we awarded over thirty-four Appreciation Certificates for five, ten, fifteen, and twenty years of support.

It saddens me to write this, my last Annual Report. At the same time, I feel a sense of fulfillment. During the past eight years, I interacted with an incredible num-ber of people. In the end, it is the warmth of human contact that makes this position so rewarding. Before closing, I wish to thank Dawn Riddoch and all of the board members with whom I have served. Together we played a part in the history of the WCDR.

To our continuing story,

Maureen

Membership CoordinatorMaureen Curry

Working behind the scenes has always been something I've sought out. As a volunteer at my kids' elementary school,

I didn't head for the front line of the classrooms or even the playground but instead sought out the quiet world of barcode scanners and carts of books awaiting shelving in the library, doing work that would benefit both staff and students alike. In a similar manner, as secretary for the WCDR board, I am not always on the pointy end of decision-making and planning regard-ing speakers, workshops, and other events but instead assist behind all the action to help it come together.

The secretary's job is to prepare meeting agendas, take detailed notes of the discussions at every meeting, and to disseminate that information back to the board members. The physical and digital archives of the WCDR are also maintained by the Secretary. I'd like to thank my predecessor, Gwen Tuinman, for leaving things in such great order and helping me to transition into the position.

An unusually, high turnover on the board resulted in all but three of the board portfolios being held by new people. Under the leadership of our president, Jenny Madore, the guiding experience of Maureen Curry, and Gwen Tuinman, along with the tireless support of our administrative assistant, Dawn Riddoch, the fledgling board members quickly settled into their new roles and set about producing a season that was both engaging and rewarding to the WCDR membership. During the season, we also gained two new members. Doreen Fernandez stepped into the Events Coordi-nator position, and James Dewar and Sue Reynolds together assumed the role of Speaker Liaison.

At the end of the season, we bid farewell to Maureen Curry who has served on the board for the past eight years as Membership Coordinator. Many of us can re-member being warmly greeted at the door by Maureen as we attended our first RoundTable meeting. She has been a fixture at the podium each month, keeping us up to date on the ebb and flow of membership statis-tics. Thank you, Maureen, for all you have contributed to the work of the board. Yvonne Hess, Workshop Coordinator, is also stepping down after overseeing a

successful season of Master Classes and workshops, and laying the groundwork for the season to come. The remainder of the board will continue in their current portfolios, and we look forward to welcoming several new members after the AGM.

I have enjoyed my first year as secretary, getting to know my fellow board members, and working with them at every RoundTable, as well as on projects such as Bookapalooza. Our meetings continue to be pro-ductive and fun, and even as we wind the year down, we are looking forward to making next season both in-teresting and fulfilling for all members of the WCDR.

Cheers,

Janet

SecretaryJanet Nichols

Events CoordinatorDoreen Fernandez

When I was accepted to join the WCDR board as Events Coordinator, I felt like I had won the lottery! I had also just

joined as a member and therefore not entirely clear what this group was all about. A friend invited me to a RoundTable breakfast meeting, and at my first one, I was sold.

I was caught up in the excitement with all the mem-bers in attendance and was in awe of the guest speaker who I found inspirational in developing my own craft. That is one of the things at the breakfast meetings that I absolutely love—the inspiration and the personal life lessons that make me want to forge ahead.

Another fantastic eye opener for me was how the board worked so well together. They are a group of professional women who I have learned so much from in just such a short while. They have the best interest of the membership at heart and are always innovating ideas on how to add value for the community.

My first event to plan was the quarterly Words of the Season. With the aid of my predecessor, a new venue was established, a new program was created, and the evening of poetry, song, and prose was a resounding success. As an observer, I was humbled at the talent

How has it already been a year since I joined the WCDR board as Web Liaison?

As Web liaison, I was glad Dawn Riddoch was so helpful and patient as I learned the many technical aspects of running the WCDR website. I’m proud to say, I’m now quite confident in my daily web tasks for the board, thanks to Dawn.

I worked hard to take down old info and make the site easier to navigate for all. Thanks also to Rich Helms who helped on several occasions when the website did things neither Dawn nor I could figure out.

Recently, due to some changes in Wordpress, I also changed our website theme. (Thanks to Rich for the suggestion.) So far, things are looking like the change was a good thing, and all aspects of the website are functioning as they should.

Jenny Madore started a Skip the Slush, WCDR, mem-ber-only pitch idea this year. I was responsible for setting up the information on the website, as well as a new, closed Facebook group exclusively for our mem-bers to pitch in.

I removed all our old member pages and redesigned

Web Liason/Social mediaMel Cober

in the room. I was transfixed as many of our mem-bers came up to read excerpts of their creations. I also realized that we were like one big happy family, full of encouragement and support. I learned a lot that evening.

Next to come is the much talked about Bookapaloo-za in November. I am excited and also a bit nervous about coordinating such a big and noted event. But I also know that I have the support of my fellow board members and look forward to working with them to put on a fabulous experience for all.

The WCDR has been pivotal and a refreshing change for me, and I have to acknowledge the appreciation I feel to be allowed to grow and develop in such a won-derful environment.

Let me write your story,

Doreen

them, allowing for more social media to be featured oneach member’s page. The feedback from members has been nothing but positive.

I also helped Dawn with the Bookapalooza website— that was a ton of work! But I think each year we learn easier, better ways of organizing this event.

I almost immediately took on the social media for the WCDR as well. One of the reasons I joined the board was that I felt we weren’t using a valuable resource enough. Over the past year, I’ve been working hard on utilizing our social media accounts, increasing our followers, and spreading the word about the WCDR. I also added the WCDR on Instagram.

To gain more member interaction on the WCDR Facebook page, I started #WCDRWednesday, where I post a writing-related question every week to our social media accounts (99% of interactions happens on the FB page). This has often sparked a lot of comments on the previously under-used page.

I also created Facebook Events, which were shared to all our FB page followers. It seemed to gain interest in our RoundTables, Master Classes, and more. Several members told me they appreciated the extra reminders via Facebook, plus they could ask questions about the speakers etc. right on the event pages.

All in all, I’ve learned far more than I thought I would this last year, and I’ve enjoyed almost all of this learn-ing process. I look forward to a long future with the WCDR.

“Orange is the happiest color” - Frank Sinatra

Mel

Acquiring paid publishing credits is important for professional recognition, eligibility for grants, and growing as a writer. Submit to our WCDR newsletter. If you have an idea for a writing or writer related topic, send a query to wcdrwordweaver@wcdr.org

Full page article (500 – 600 words) earns $50Half page article (250 – 300 words) earns $25

Year End Financials

THE WRITERS CIRCLE OF DURHAM REGION (Incorporated under the laws of Ontario) BALANCE SHEET (UNAUDITED) AS AT MARCH 31, 2016

ASSETS:

CURRENT: Cash and investments Prepaid deposit

LIABILITIES

CURRENT: Accrued liabilities Gift Certificate

Excess of revenues over expenditures

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS Opening balance Prior year adjustment Income (loss) Excess of revenues over expenditures

BALANCE: Funds allocation: Current expenditures over surplus Designated funds for Trillium grant

$24,284

($6,336)

2015

$24,744 $1,000

$25,744

$0 $1,460

$1,460

$24,284

$25,744

$24,284

$24,284

$ 14,370 $ 9,914

$ 24,284

2016

$20,358 $0

$20,358

$0 $2,410

$2,410

$17,948

$20,358

$17,948

$17,948

$ 17,948 $ -

$ 17,948

Year End FinancialsYear End Financials

THE WRITERS CIRCLE OF DURHAM REGION (Incorporated under the laws of Ontario) BALANCE SHEET

(UNAUDITED) FOR THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2016 REVENUE Breakfast meetings Contests Events Donations - Grants Membership fees Promotional Items Workshops Miscellaneous items EXPENSES Administration expense Breakfast expense Contest expense Event expense Newsletter expense Operating Expense Promotion and web site Trillium Project expense Workshop expense EXCESS REVENUE OVER EXPENSE FOR PERIOD

2016

$19,971$1,620$8,803

$650$15,215

$20$6,280

$14$52,573

$7,589$19,148

$2,939$6,998$2,365$1,700$4,316$9,769

$4,085$58,909

($6,336)

2015

$25,491$2,529$7,006$1,875

$15,865$30

$10,525 $607$63,928

$13,015$21,972

$3,992$10,909

$4,132$1,825$2,993

$11,790 $5,592$76,220

($12,292)

Year End Financials Year End Financials

THE WRITERS CIRCLE OF DURHAM REGIONINFORMATION FOR UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSAS AT MARCH 31, 2016 1 SUBSEQUENT EVENTS Not-for-profit organizations operate on a cash basis, and the financial statements reflect the cash position at the end of the period. CONTESTS: The 2015 Phoenix Short Story Contest Income from contestants Expenses - fees to winners and publication Net profit to March 31, 2015 EVENTS: Bookapalooza Income from booths and advertising Expenses - fees to winners and judges Net profit to March 31, 2015 MEMBERSHIP DUES Membership dues are for the 2015 / 2016 fiscal year and members joining during the fiscal year. The majority of the 2016 / 2017 dues are received in April and May 2016. 2 OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION NEWSLETTER We continue to give the contributors and editor an honorarium, part of the mandate of the organization. ADMINISTRATION WCDR education grants in the amount of $3,250 will be paid in the next fiscal year. The grant expense of $2100 shown in the statements reflect the 2015 grants.

$ 1,620- $ 2,939 - $ 1,319

$ 5,788- $ 3,679 $ 2,109

Year End Financials

WCDR gave the following sponsorships: Driftwood Theatre

Trillium Grant In December 2010, WCDR received a grant from the Trillium Foundation to hire assistance in running the organization. Due to a late start in the program, an extension has been granted to use the funds over a longer period.

Funds received: December 2010. July 2011. March 2012. May 2012. Funds used: Administrative 2012 Administrative 2013 Administrative 2014 Administrative 2015 Administrative 2016 Funds to be used All key deliverables for the funding are completed 3 FINAL REPORT

The organization continues to be in a stable financial position. There are funds available for chosen projects along with the business of the community. The Trillium Funds have been completely used for the administrative position to date. The organization will now fund the administrative position through funds raised and will now choose to retain a minimum of one year’s expenses at all times. 4 DETAILED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For a detailed report, please contact the Treasurer.

$14,50014,50014,700

14,600$58,300

9,39112,51514,69011,790

9,76958,155

$145

$ 500 $ 500

A warm and heartfelt Shout-Out to all those who help make WCDR great. We thrive and grow with the . . .

generosity of time and donations from: Auralim Gift, Mark Cullen and Family,Rich Helms, Inkslingers, Lisa Liscoumb, Writescape and the Ontario Trillium Foundation,

community and organization events which celebrate WCDR members and writing as a whole,

and industry organizations which support the arts and our initatives to promote our members. We thank you.