Muskoka Novel Marathon

2009 Marathon Winners

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:03:26 +0000

Winners of the 8th Annual Muskoka Novel Marathon have been announced!

(The marathon has now raised over $30,000 for the Muskoka Literacy Council!)

Erin Thomas – juvenile category for her novel Tyler’s Intergalactic Spy School.

Susan Blakeney (first time MNMer) – YA category for her novel River Witness.

Dawn Huddlestone – Adult category for her novel Wry Bread.

PEER NOMINATED AWARDS-

Spirit Award – Bronwyn Russel

Most Prolific Writer – Pat Flewwelling (300 pages)

Rookie of the Year – Pat Flewwelling

B.I.C. (Bum in Chair – Tracey Lapham & Pat Flewwelling

Remy Award – Tracy Nita Pender

Tekkie Award – Amy Caughlin

This year’s total raised: $3918.00

Congratulations to all of the winners.

See you next July! Dates to be announced shortly.

2009 Muskoka Novel Marathon – July 17-20, 2009 in Huntsville, Ontario

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:59:48 +0000

Drawing Courtesy of Elke Scholz

The Muskoka Literacy Council

invites you to participate in the 8th Annual

MUSKOKA NOVEL MARATHON 2009

JULY 17 – 20, 2009 in Huntsville, Ontario

For registration details, please contact Susan Lowe at:

lowes.atthefarm@sympatico.ca or muskokaliteracycouncil@vianet.ca

Press Release – 2008 Muskoka Novel Marathon Results

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:54:26 +0000

On Saturday, September 27, Muskoka Novel Marathon 2008 writers, judges and supporters gathered to award the prizes for this year’s event held July 11-14 at the AETC in Huntsville. Congratulations to the winning writers – Kevin Craig, for his manuscript “The Reasons”, in the Adult category, and to George Alles, for his manuscript “The Onion Man”, in the Young Adult category. The winners will be given six weeks to revise and edit their manuscripts before they are sent to publishers for review. Congratulations also to Murray Milburn who was chosen “Rookie Of the Year”, Kevin Craig who won the coveted “B.I.C. “ Award for the second time, Martin Avery who won both the “Most Prolific Writer” (210 pages) and the “Spirit Award”, and Anne Louise Currie for winning the famed “Remy Award” for most pledges raised ($435).

Thanks again to writers Martin Avery, Tracy Nita Pender, Kevin Craig, Sharon Ledwith, Karen Wehrstein, Shirley Meier, Dawn Huddlestone, Kiaris Gharabaghi, Evelyn Pollack, Georges Alles, Julie Achtermeier, Anne Louise Currie, Erin Thomas, Murray Milburn, Tracey Lapham, Herb Ware, Bronwyn Russel, Kim Russel-Brooks, Lisa Young, Mike Lummis, Sheila Cook, Connie Knighton, Naomi Freeman, Jennifer Creasor, Ellen Pickering and Rob Smit who, not only spent a hot summer weekend sequestered in front of their keyboards but who also raised and donated more than $5000 to support the free adult literacy programs offered at the Muskoka Literacy Council.

Thanks again to Tom Nunn at AETC, The Huntsville Festival of the Arts, the team at Metroland North Media, Larry Greenwood at Tim Horton’s, Manish Patel at Subway, Rick Birkhimer at Mr. Sub, Chris Hayes at Little Caesar’s, Dave Veitch of the Bulk Barn, and Maggie Rittenhouse and Randy Robinson of Robinson’s Independent for donating food for the writers, Pat Murphy at Canadian Tire for the donation of the Muskoka chair as a prize and to judges Anne Millyard, Anne Smith, Marguerite Urban, Noreen Mitchell and Linda Toner Fisher who read and provided feedback on 2000 pages in 8 weeks. Sincere thanks to Catherine Wyle at Coles who generously copied all of the 18 manuscripts for the judges.

Thanks to Mel Malton, Roy MacGregor and Robert Munsch for providing beginnings and endings for the stories of the Story Relay and, most especially, thanks to everyone who made donations to the writers of MNM 2008. Your generosity will in turn make a difference to the lives of those who are involved in improving their skills at the Muskoka Literacy Council.

Sincerely,

Susan Lowe

President, Muskoka Literacy Council

Chair, Muskoka Novel Marathon Committee

2008 Muskoka Novel Marathon Wrap-Up

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:06:56 +0000

The Muskoka Novel Marathon Wrap-Up is fast approaching! Trophy presentations and feedback from the judges await. Good luck to all of the marathoners who submitted manuscripts!

Date: Saturday, September 27th, 2008

Time: 1:00pm

Location: Muskoka Literacy Council

60 King William Street, Huntsville, Ontario (Across from the Shoppers Drug Mart)

All winners will be announced here during the week following the wrap party.

Another Muskoka Novel Marathon Completed!

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:08:49 +0000

The 2008 Muskoka Novel Marathon has now come and gone. Thanks to Susan Lowe (Event Planner Extraordinaire) and all those involved in making the yearly event an incredible success!

Sponsorship funds raised by participating writers for the Muskoka Literacy Council: $4,370.00 and counting. Final tally to be announced when all sponsorship forms have been handed in and counted.

Number of writers who participated in the 2008 event: 26

Number of pages written during the 3 day novel writing marathon: In excess of 1,000…but final total is not yet it.

Food consumed and coffee pots drained: Far too difficult to count!

Marathon Wrap Party: To be announced. Hint: See you in September!

2009 Muskoka Novel Marathon: July 10-13, 2009. Huntsville, Ontario. (There’s a countdown ticker in the right column…click it for an exact countdown to the next marathon.)

Words are power. Join the marathon experience and help eradicate illiteracy. To learn how you can be a part of the 2009 Muskoka Novel Marathon, simply leave a request in the comment section here. 3 days of networking, eating and WRITING… and the opportunity to help give the gift of words. What more can one ask for?

Watch the Flipbook Movie? Learn more about 101 year-old Clarence Brazier…

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:09:35 +0000

If you watched the Flipbook movie on the Muskoka Novel Marathon, you can learn more about the gentleman in it who spoke about learning to read and write. He is living proof that you’re never too old to learn how to read and write. If you enjoyed him in the movie, you will enjoy this article on him. It is posted at the Muskoka Literacy Council’s website and it discusses his April 2008 Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award–earned for being a promoter of literacy. Clarence was a student at the Muskoka Literacy Council.

Click on his name here to read more about CLARENCE BRAZIER

2008 Muskoka Novel Marathon – Information & Rules

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:46:34 +0000

INFORMATION

· There are no limits to the length of the manuscript.

· It is not mandatory to submit a manuscript for judging

Tables, chairs and paper will be provided, but any other equipment will be the responsibility of the writer

· Writers are encouraged to bring with them a one-page draft outline; however, the actual writing must take place during the specified dates at the event location.

What to Bring:

· Writing equipment of choice, printers and some computers are available.

· Power bar and 15 foot extension cord

· A favorite lamp

· Books you have had published (if desired)

· Reference books: dictionary, thesaurus etc.

· One page of outline notes

· Munchies and refreshments if desired. Bottled water and snacks will be provided at regular intervals.

· (Paper, CDs and floppy disks will be provided by the Muskoka Literacy Council)

RULES

1. The Muskoka Novel Marathon is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Muskoka Literacy Council. Writers are expected to collect at least $100 in pledges as part of their registration fee. This is a minimum amount. In the past, a typical amount has been in the range of $250-$300. Writers may choose to poll friends, family or co-workers to engender their support. Funds raised directly support adult literacy initiatives at the Muskoka Literacy Council in Huntsville.

2. Entrants will begin writing no earlier than 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 11 and end not later than 7:00 p.m. on Monday, July 14. 2-day participants will finish writing at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 13, 2007. Completed and printed manuscripts will be accepted by the Muskoka Novel Marathon Committee no later than 8 p.m. Monday, July 14. (2-day participants: Sunday, July 13 at 8 p.m.)

Any writing to be submitted for judging, other than the one-page outline, must be done at the event location otherwise the work will not be considered for publication. A non-legal affidavit to this effect must be signed by the author and witnessed and must be attached to the completed work.

4. Completed manuscripts to be submitted to the judges will be double-spaced in 14 point on numbered pages (8 ½” x 11″) with a separate page to include the title of the work only. To ensure the objectivity of the judging process, the author’s name will not appear anywhere on this copy. There are no limits to the length of the manuscript.

5. A CD or floppy disk copy of the finished manuscript will be submitted by each author in the envelope provided. The envelope and floppy/CD will be marked with the author’s name, the manuscript title, the genre and the proposed reading audience.

6. In respect for others, writers are asked to leave their pets at home. Also, cell phone calls should be made and received in the common areas only.

Any questions?

Please contact Susan Lowe at the Muskoka Literacy Council

789-1850

literacy@vianet.ca or lowes.atthefarm@sympatico.ca

Press Release – Muskoka Novel Marathon July 11-14, 2008

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:31:58 +0000

Get ready! At 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 11, 2008, an eclectic group of writers from across Canada will put fingers to the keyboard or, as in the case the last two summers, pen to paper, to begin the 7^th Annual Muskoka Novel Marathon in Huntsville. For the next 72 hours (or 48 hours for the 2-day event) save for a few breaks to eat and sleep, this committed group of writers will remain mostly sequestered until the closing bell rings at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 14 (or Sunday, July 13). Each writer is allowed only a one-page outline going in. What comes out is sometimes a manuscript well in excess of 100 pages.

What motivates writers to participate in such an ordeal? Is it the opportunity to write uninterrupted by the demands of daily life? To devote an entire weekend to what feeds their souls? To reap the benefits of quality time spent with like-minded individuals? To have their work critiqued by a panel of renowned judges? To win the opportunity to have their manuscript sent directly to a publisher? To support a program that will enable others to enrich their lives through the written word? All of the above plus some – probably as many reasons as there are participants.

Even though the event has been organized by the Muskoka Literacy Council for the past four years, it began as the brainchild of writers Martin Avery, Mel Malton, Christina Kilbourne and Ann Vaughn-Evans. It has been supported by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts as a “fringe event” of the summer festival for the past six summers and, when it began in the old National Bank building in 2002 it had just those four participants. Last year’s group of 26 was the largest to date, a group that swells in number each year.

As a result of these annual marathons, Canadians have been treated to several new published novels. Mel Malton’s The Drowned Violin, begun that first marathon, was released at the kick-off event to Muskoka Novel Marathon 2006. Christina Kilbourne released her novel The Roads to Go Home Lake at the same event. Kilbourne, a two-time winner of the MNM, has since had her winning YA manuscript, Dear Jo, published as well. Paula Boon, winner in 2005, has landed a New York agent who is currently looking for a home for her 2006 runner-up manuscript. Kim Russel-Brooks’ winning entry in 2006 is in the process of being reviewed by a publisher. Four-year veteran Peter Brandt has also had one of his works published, albeit from another writing marathon. The Mexican edition of the award winning novel written in Spanish at the MNM 2004 by Martha Batiz was recently published as well. The camaraderie of the group is infectious and any new recruit doesn’t feel that way for too long. Not often does a writer participate for just one year.

The students at the Muskoka Literacy Council are the beneficiaries of this event. For, even though it is all about writers and their craft, it is also about literacy-disadvantaged adults in Huntsville. As important as the writing is, so is the fundraising side of the event. Over the past six years, writers have gathered almost $25,000 in pledges to support the Muskoka Literacy Council. To date, the pledges have gone to improve computer learning opportunities through the purchase of hardware as well as software resources to support the many academic and employment-based programs offered at MLC. Our program is only partially funded by the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities and we rely on fundraising.

Although the agency has been in operation more than 20 years, it has only recently gained renown for its diverse programs. It was not widely known that adult students are able to access free upgrading in reading, writing, math and computers from very basic levels up to and including GED preparation and college entry programs. The new ACE program, a partnership with Georgian College but delivered at the Muskoka Literacy Council in Huntsville, began in January 2007 with Communications and Numeracy classes on Monday and Tuesday nights respectively. ACE classes expanded in January 2008 to include Wednesday evening and Friday morning classes in Chemistry, Communications and Numeracy. Students can conceivably arrive at the Muskoka Literacy with skills as low as Grade 1 and leave ready to enter Community College.

To find out more about the programs or volunteering opportunities at the Muskoka Literacy Council, please contact Pat Peat, Program Coordinator at 789-1850 or literacy@vianet.ca. Check out our website at www.mlch.org .

Thank you for your interest. We look forward to seeing you in July.

Sincerely,

Susan Lowe

Chair, Muskoka Novel Marathon 2008 Committee

President, Board of Directors Muskoka Literacy Council

Story Relay – Join in on the fun!

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:09:05 +0000

The Huntsville Forester has started a new online interactive way for writers everywhere to join in on the fun and excitement of the Muskoka Novel Marathon. You can go to the paper’s site and participate in one of three stories that have been begun there. Roy MacGregor, Robert Munsch and Mel Malton have begun stories on the site… all you have to do is register and you can write along with them. Here’s the STORY RELAY link. Go write for literacy!