Glenna has a strong background in editing manuscripts prepared by academics and consultants whose first language is not English and who wish to publish in English language academic journals or development bank publications. She edits and writes with precision and economy. She organizes concepts, ideas and information with the reader in mind. In her non-academic writing, she never uses jargon or references to theories that are not commonly discussed in the broader world. Good writing aims to respect the reader.

Publications include: Regional Development in Nova Scotia: Theory, Policy and Practice, 1957-1983, as a requirement for completion of a graduate degree in Economics; Biotechnology in Atlantic Canada: A Review of Current Research, published by The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council; and Small Business Financing in the Maritime Provinces: A Background Study for a Proposed Venture Capital Program, published by the Council of Maritime Premiers. In addition, Glenna was either the sole author or a contributor to a number of studies completed for the Federal Department of Finance, the Asia Pacific Foundation, and the former Economic Council of Canada.

Glenna is also a graduate of Humber College’s Novel Writing Program, and recently published a short story in Riptides: New Island Fiction, edited By Richard Lemm, and published by Acorn Press, in 2012. Her novel Somewhere I Belong, will be published in 2014, also by Acorn Press.

Enter Robin Sheppard Dixon, mother, daughter, writer, and self-proclaimed adventurer. “I knew that I had words that were screaming to come out, a daughter who was screaming for more than Bermuda could offer and a mother who never screams at all but is content to be near her granddaughter.” What better place to live out all three agendas than the ever-pristine environment so well worn by Nova Scotia?

Robin comes from an advertising, marketing, and promotions background, having held the position of Senior Copy Writer at the BBC, Bermuda Broadcasting, the Island’s largest television and radio station. She was asked by one of her major clients to form an in-house advertising department and became the Advertising & Marketing Manager for leading import agency, Butterfield & Vallis Limited, where she created successful ad campaigns for such international players as Kraft, Pillsbury, Mars International, Unilever, and others.

From there Robin Sheppard Advertising & Promotions was born as an independent A/P Marketing firm, specializing in radio & video presentations, promotional material, and annual report editing. The client list included The Bermuda Hospitals Board, The Bermuda International Business Association (BIBA), and Baptist Builders Supply for Kohler, Delta, and American Standard. There were more, but you never want to lose your audience.

Listen out on CTV and you might even hear one of Robin’s voiceovers as she has been voicing over the airwaves since grade school.

In 2007, the trio of Sheppard Dixons set up camp overlooking the waters Mahone Bay and have been individually and happily writing, enjoying childhood, and being the world’s best grandmother ever since.

The word they often use is ‘Grateful’.

As a freelance writer, John has contributed to The Literary Review of Canada, Event, This Magazine, Maisonneuve, and many other Canadian and American periodicals. As well, his work has appeared in The Canadian Encyclopedia and more than two dozen anthologies and collections, including Nova Scotia: Visions of the Future (2009) and Salt Lines (2012).

John has also had considerable experience as an editor, having served on the editorial boards of such magazines as Borealis, Arc, Archivaria, and The Griffin. Moreover, he has edited ten anthologies and collections, including Halifax: A Literary Portrait (1990) and Against the Raging Sea: Stories from the Golden Age (2002).

In addition, John has served as the senior curator and editor of several major exhibitions and websites for the National Library and the National Archives. These include Guardians of the North: The National Superhero in Canadian Comic-Book Art, First Among Equals: The Prime Minister in Canadian Life and Politics, and A Real Companion and Friend: The Diary of William Lyon Mackenzie King.

John’s editorial skills run the gamut from basic proofreading and copyediting to more demanding stylistic and structural editing. He has also managed several large-scale writing and research projects. As well, John is an experienced researcher, having worked as a senior archivist at the National Archives for nearly thirty years. Furthermore, he has prepared several detailed book indexes.

For more information, see the following webpages:

http://writers.ns.ca/members/profile/28
http://www.pottersfieldpress.com/authors/bellj.html
http://www.dundurn.com/authors/john_bell