Hello! Vanessa, here. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you find my profile informative. Be sure to send me a message if you have any questions or if you're interested in working together! I teach full or half-day writing workshops in the elementary and secondary school system as well as offer guest lectures in post-secondary institutions. I will travel for workshops and events. I am wide open for collaborations and would love to have a conversation with you about your creativity dreams - and bringing them to life in a presentation, workshop, class or mentorship. I have a zoom account and will connect over virtual platform. 

I am the Publicist at Palimpsest Press, an independent publisher in Windsor, ON. (www.palimpsestpress.ca)

I am the owner of Gertrude's Writing Room - A Gathering Place for Writers, Windsor's only creative writing school. I offer writing workshops and classes as well as editing and mentoring. Workshops include but are not limited to: poetry, fiction, comic book writing, spiritual writing. Classes include but are not limited to: poetry, fiction, memoir, ekphrasis and prompt-work. 

I'm a writer, through-and-through. Have been since I was a child scribbling poetry and happenings in my first journal. I have three books published by Black Moss Press. The first, a memoir entitled 'Laughing Through A Second Pregnancy - A Memoir' was published in April 2011. In April 2013, I edited Black Moss Press' 'Whisky Sour City' - an anthology of poetry about the city of Windsor. In January 2014, 'I Am That Woman', my first book of poetry, was published, again by Black Moss Press. It has since gone into a third printing it is selling so well! September 2016 marked the launch of my second collection of poetry, entitled 'Look At Her'. It has gone into a third printing.  In April 2021, my new collection of poetry, 'Thimbles' was published by Palimpsest Press. It was listed as one of CBC Books' Spring Poetry books to read. 

I have self-published four volumes of Poetry On Demand, based on live, interactive poetry-writing I do at festivals, events and in classrooms. A collection of children's clerihew poetry entitled 'From A to Ziffery Zanks' was self-published in 2019. Gertrude's Writing Room published at least one anthology a year. In 2020, we published our first collection entitled 'Words Gathered'. Our second anthology, 'Love - Words Gathered' was published in 2021. Our third collection, dedicated to poetry on the theme of community, will publish in late 2021. 

I created and hosted a storytelling competition series called Mouth Piece Storytelling. I partner with local businesses/non-profits for special events and fundraising. My personal blog is jam packed with information about me, my books, and all things writing in my life.

In 2021, I wrote a poem a day, a dedicated poetry-writing practice that challenged me to write every day.  My words and photography have been published by The Windsor Review, Polar Expressions, The Windsor Star, VerseAFire, and Write Magazine.

I have been a jury member for the Ontario Arts Council Works-in-Progress Grant and the festivals and readings grant, the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the Gerald Lampert Award for the League of Canadian Poetry as well as a jury member for Windsor Endowment for the Arts, BookFest Windsor, Literary Arts Windsor and Arts, Culture & Heritage Fund. I have also been a jury member for the Atlantic Books Awards and the Saskatchewan Book Awards. I do peer reviews for the writers' union. 

I am ready and willing to guest speak in your classroom, at your conference or at your event. Please contact me for further information on lecture themes, Poetry On Demand or other creative writing opportunities.  And... I am a mother, freelance writer, and a film & television producer for Suede Productions. I look forward to sharing creative writing with you! 

*Please note: I am not currently on social media, though my business website and personal website are active.