The Board

Glenn Lawson joined the board in 2024, became president in 2025 and continues in that role. He co-leads the poetry small writing group. The lifelong dream of becoming a writer began to be realized in 2014 when he took creative writing courses at NIC. Since retirement in 2019 he has committed more time to writing and has completed several short stories, poems, and began work on a memoir. He is as yet unpublished and not bothered by that. He is attracted to the camaraderie, support, and positive environment offered to all writers by CVWS.

Ian McIntyre joined CVWS in 2017 soon after moving to the Comox Valley after serving in the Canadian Armed Forces for over twenty-seven years, first as a technician and then as a helicopter pilot. He has always had an interest in writing and is working on a book about his father. The same year he joined the CVWS, he also started facilitating a Writers’ Workshop course with the Comox Valley Elder College and still does. He served as CVWS Vice-President several years ago and is back on the board now in the same role.

Leslie Cox joined the Comox Valley Writers Society in 1999 to learn more about the craft of writing. Since then, her nonfiction articles have been published in community magazines, Canadian Living, Gardens West, and an English online gardening blog. She has also been writing a regular gardening column for the Record newspaper since March 2004. As a member of the board, Leslie looks after membership and the society’s website. She is also on the committee for the annual North Island Writers Conference.

Sharon McInnes, who joined the board in 2021 and was president for several years, remains on the board as the CVWS newsletter editor and host of Beyond the Page in the Comox Valley. An award-winning short story writer, she has also written a novel, a book of essays, and a memoir, Walking Each Other Home (2026). Sharon loves being part of the amazing CVWS community of writers. She also loves hanging out with her almost-seven-year-old grandson, who lives just down the road.

Paul Tanner has been on the Board for 8 years as a Member-at-Large. He led a writing group at the Courtenay library for two years and is now a member of two small writing groups. He began writing poetry and short stories in 2003, and continues to add to his collection of over 200 poems and stories and enjoys sharing these during Open Mic time at CVWS meetings. The warmth, encouragement, professionalism and supportive environment of the CVWS is a good match for who I am as a writer.

Kay

Sylvia Bourgeois joined the Society's board in 2026 after two years as an active member. A Fanny Bay author, Sylvia has published two Amazon bestselling novels, True Moxie (2022) and Here, Now (2024). She is passionate about self-publishing, using technology to enhance creativity, and is excited to bring her perspective to the Society's board and its members. Outside of writing and her career in construction, Sylvia spends as much time as she can exploring British Columbia with her husband. She also enjoys cooking and often lures her two grown boys home with her legendary chocolate bourbon pecan tart.

Anna McCarthy discovered the Comox Valley Writers Society in 2025. She so enjoyed meeting the many wonderful members that she became a board member in 2026. Anna is an award-nominated children’s author, often collaborating with Vancouver Island artists to create stunning picture books. She weaves a love of music, languages and the natural world into her children’s books, inviting us to explore, imagine and (re)discover our world. Beyond writing, Anna has a 16-year-old son, is a language teacher, loves dance, music, climbing, and new challenges!