Board Members

Learn more about board member roles and how to join our board.

Other ways to get involved with thin air.

Charles Leblanc, President

Charles Leblanc is a St. Boniface translator, writer, editor, actor and poet. He is a founding member of the Collectif post-neo-rieliste, and helps to create the Foyer des écrivains, the Festival’s francophone programming. He won Manitoba’s Prix littéraire Rue-Deschambault in 2005 for L’appétit du compteur. Charles has served on the board since 1998, and became President at the May 2013 AGM.

Dave Williamson, Vice-President

Dave Williamson has written four novels, a short story collection, and a memoir, and co-authored the play  Anniversarywith Carol Shields. He is currently working on the official history of Red River College, where he founded the Creative Communications Program and for many years was Dean of Business and Applied Arts before retiring in 2006. He has been chair of The Writers’ Union of Canada, president of the Manitoba Writers’ Guild, and chair of the Winnipeg Arts Council. He re-joined the WIWF board in 2009.

Carol Dahlstrom, Secretary

Carol Dahlstrom worked for 20 years at the University of Manitoba Press, where she apprenticed as a copy-editor and moved on to managing all the Press’s projects. She worked for four years as managing editor for Mosaic, an international interdisciplinary literary journal based at the University of Manitoba, before her retirement in 2004. As a freelancer, she now edits academic work, novels, and educational materials. She has given workshops in all aspects of scholarly publishing.

Lise Gaboury-Diallo, Treasurer

Lise Gaboury-Diallo teaches in the Département d’études françaises, de langues et de littértures at the Université de Saint-Boniface. She has published 6 books of poetry and recently 2 collections of short stories in French. She joined the board in 2011.

Steve Locke, member

Steve Locke is a writer, poet, and performer from Winnipeg. His articles and poems have been published locally as well as on the West Coast, and he is a frequent participant in local poetry slams. This past April, he was the city’s representative for the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championships in Vancouver, and he is excited to build and connect with the local literary community. He joined the WIWF board at the May 2013 AGM.

Stefanie Wiens, member

Stefanie Wiens has been an avid reader since she was a small child, and is an actor, producer, playwright and occupational therapist here in Winnipeg. She has acted at many Winnipeg theatres, including Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and MTYP. As a playwright, her plays for children include Saying Goodbye to the Goodwing and Max and Mirabelle, which won the Harry Rintoul Award for best new Manitoba Play at the 2006 Winnipeg Fringe Festival. Stefanie is also a freelance pediatric occupational therapist and, together with her partner Angus Kohm, produces documentaries and educational videos on health care and pediatric topics. They are currently working on their first dramatic feature.

Janet Walker, member

Janet Walker has provided management support to Winnipeg’s not-for-profit sector for over 25 years. Born and raised in Winnipeg, she is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg and has enjoyed a career with organizations including the Winnipeg Core Area Initiative, Tourism Winnipeg and the Health Sciences Centre Foundation. Janet played a key role in the recent capital campaign of the University of Winnipeg Foundation. She runs a small and vigorous consulting practice focused on strategic planning, revenue development, group facilitation, capacity building and communications. She is a student of Oral History and a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals..