Connecting with the Word through words
EMMC/EMC/SBC writer’s conference 2024
Luann Hiebert, literature professor
Writers with connections to the Evangelical Mennonite Conference (EMC), and Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (EMMC) and Steinbach Bible College (SBC) students gathered—both in person at Steinbach Bible College (SBC) SBC and online—on November 2, 2024, to learn how to better practice their craft.
Luann Hiebert, a literature professor at both SBC and Providence University College, opened the event with prayer that participants would be able to “share [God’s] love and [God’s] Word to others through words.”
Will Braun, editor of Canadian Mennonite, gave the first presentation, “Deep Calls to Deep.” “There’s something within us,” Braun said, “that wants to connect with the deep in other people. And there’s something within us … that needs to connect with the great deep that is God. And I think that writing at its best can connect the deep and the deep.”
He presented tips on finding good stories, asking good questions, and conducting good interviews.
Geralyn Wichers, agricultural journalist
The second presentation was given by Geralyn Wichers, an agricultural journalist: “I [Don’t] Know What You Did Last Summer.” Using “what I did this summer” as a jumping-off point, Wichers walked participants through an exercise in learning how to write a narrative, non-fiction story. She warned participants that, to report on an event, “it’s preferable that you’re actually there.… I have heard of people reporting on things by watching them on TV. No, don’t do that,” said Wichers.
After a break for lunch, participants heard again from Hiebert on “For the Love of the Word.” Telling participants “For me, words matter … a lot,” Hiebert described her love for poetry and Scripture. “Can we with our words and our eyes,” she asked, “offer light and beauty and hope and love to those around us?” She concluded with some practical tips to writers, such as using their own honest and true voice and the need to declutter their work.
Will Braun, editor of Canadian Mennonite
The writer’s conference ended with a time for participants to ask questions and share their takeaways from the day.