THE TEAM

Reach out anytime, ask questions, we're here to help.

Robin
​van eck

Executive Director
​

CONTACT

Robin has been with the AWCS in various capacities since 2003. First as a member learning to write, as a board member for several years, as office personnel and eventually, when there was more team to manage, Executive Director. 
Robin is a writer like everyone else with several short stories and personal essays published. Her first novel, Rough, came out in November 2020.

KIM
​firmston

Program Director:
​Youth Education​

CONTACT

Kim is a published writer of YA novels, short stories, and articles, and has plays produced worldwide. She is a writing mentor and instructor for the AWCS, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, and the Alexandra Centre Society’s DramAntics Theatre camp. Kim specializes in collaboration projects with people of all ages.

precious de leon

Program Director:
​Community Engagement

CONTACT

Precious is a poet and speculative fiction writer. She writes through the lens of a Filipino Canadian settler in Mohkintsis/Calgary. Following her stint as a business journalist and editor in the Middle East, her creative writing journey started with the 2019 Borderlines Writers Circle Calgary (now Own Voices Alberta), a program she now works on with the AWCS team since she joined in 2020.

NICOLE
ROCHE

Program Director:
Feature Initiatives

CONTACT

Nicole is a published author of short stories, articles, and technical papers. She self-published a children’s book titled When I Grow Up. Her passion is in creative writing, and she is working on a novel within the romance genre. She has been an active member of the AWCS community since 2017. She has 17 years of experience in learning and program development for adult learners.