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THE
SPOTLIGHT IS ON . . . |
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LINDA SIEBENGA |
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On a grain farm, in the beautiful countryside of Southern
Alberta with the magnificent Rocky Mountains in
the distance, Linda Siebenga grew up in the perfect surroundings for a
writer to find inspiration. Not only did the outdoors nourish her taste
for words, everyone in her family was a keen reader and held literature
as an important part of their life. Often Linda and her two sisters
would listen to their father, a man with a gift for words, recite
poetry.
Linda is a graduate from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan with a major in English. After the completion of her studies in 1969, she moved to Central Alberta to teach a grade 4/5 split class at Lacombe Christian School. While working in Lacombe, Linda met and married Jack, a dairy farmer, in 1970. Although she assists her husband with farm chores such as baling and driving the combine, she does not consider her career to be that of a farmer. Linda’s career is that of a poet. As Linda patiently waited six years for her first child to arrive, she began weaving words together forming poems that some have said make them feel like worshiping. Others have told Linda they have found encouragement in her poetry and her words convey the feelings they were unable to express themselves. The splendor of nature is the source of Linda’s poetry with which she paints vivid pictures that are alive with emotions. Linda explains her passion to write poetry, "Beauty has a great impact on me. I am a student of cloud-filled skies. The faces of flowers bring me to my knees." |
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Linda has been a member of ICWF over twenty years, and
during 1997 and 1998 she held the position of secretary. Her membership
has proven to be beneficial. "They (ICWF) have provided excellent
encouragement as well as practical information, inspiring speakers and
the chance to be in contact with other people who write." Linda says of
the fellowship.
Linda’s ideal time to write is a two-hour writing slot in the morning but, like many writers, she has not been successful in squeezing her life into that mold. However, she does manage to write for several hours throughout the week including time for mailing submissions, reworking ideas, and reading literary fiction, poetry and non-fiction. In fact, she has learned to multi-task. As she attends to daily chores and the chaos that sometimes her desk is in, Linda’s mind is constantly interlacing words from her heart to create poetry. |
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| Her poetry has won several prizes from ICWF and two from Utmost Christian Poetry Contest. The Christian Courier, Earthkeeping, Inklings, The Western Producer, The Banner, Windhover, and two anthologies entitled Womansong, a Woman’s Anthology of Poetry, and LifeLights have all published Linda’s poetry. | ||||
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| Linda was the poetry columnist for FellowScript for a number of years and the author of three poetry books; Earth Against Your Cheek, 2004, New Leaf Works, Edmonton, AB; Waiting for the Play to Begin, 1997, New Leaf Works, Edmonton, AB.; and Windcatcher, 1989, Welch Publishing Company Inc., Burlington, Ont. | ||||
| Although poetry is Linda’s writing passion, she has also written non-fiction articles, historical fiction, and research material for workshops. She has written two family histories; one comprised of fictionalized stories about her grandmother and based on history Linda was able to collect from postcards dating from pre World War I to the 1920’s; the second book was history on her father’s family which included poetry, factual accounts and genealogies. Her articles have appeared in the Red Deer Christian Current and Christian Courier. One Christmas, Linda wrote a series of Advent devotionals her church. Sometimes she writes simply for recreational purposes but generally it is with a deep-seated desire to represent God and His world to others so that they may see His glory. | ||||
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She has taught numerous poetry workshops at writers’ conferences in
Alberta, and Saskatchewan, and in glass rooms for students and teachers
in Alberta. She has done readings at Chapters in Calgary, Red Deer and
Edmonton; various venues in Alberta; the Michigan Festival of Faith and
Writing; and at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto.
The interest in making books has led to scrap booking. Another one of her hobbies is oil painting which helps to stimulate her writing process. Participating in a local book club and a poetry writer’s group are activities that Linda also enjoys but she wonders just how divergent one can be without draining the creative writing flow. "Living off the beaten track" as Linda puts it, draws her closer to God as she observes nature’s splendor. The farm and the long driveway to the house are, as Linda puts it, "symbolic of my need for space". Although Linda values her quiet times to reflect on God’s creation and describing those thoughts and emotions in poetic words, she also recognizes the need of interaction and dialogue with others. She spends time with neighbors and is involved in her close-knit community to "keep the knitting form unraveling". Although Linda doesn’t see herself or her husband retiring in the near future, they have made major changes to their farm. On their thirtieth wedding anniversary in 2000, all the dairy cattle were sold and now they keep a few beef cattle and farm only three quarters of the land. This adjustment in their lives has provided more time together, to enjoy leisurely meals, to travel, and to engage in hobbies. Travel satisfies Linda’s curiosity and desire to learn about new places. Together they have visited England, France, Holland, United States, and vacationed throughout Canada. Besides being an excellent place of inspiration for her poetry, the farm is also an excellent place for her five grandchildren to explore and enjoy. Her two children, a daughter and a son, often drop in to visit with their children. If you were to watch Linda climb into the tree house to play with her grandchildren, you would no doubt say she is physically fit and still young at heart. It is this youthfulness in Linda that keeps her in awe of God’s creation. ~ @ Shirley S. Tye (more about this author at "Aunt Shirley") |
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© InScribe Christian Writer's Fellowship |
Set 02/22/2008
