ORWA - About ORWA

About ORWA

The Ottawa Romance Writers' Association (ORWA) is a nonprofit organization and a chapter of the Romance Writers of America^®.

ORWA is a small but ambitious group of romance writers at various stages of our careers. We're always looking for new members and enthusiastically support all ORWAns in their individual pursuits.

We currently have approximately 50 members.

2009-2010 Executive

Cynthia Boyko — President
Coreene Smith — Vice President
Lucy Farago — Treasurer
Kris Wong — Secretary

Ex officio Members

Vanessa Kelly, Past President

Non-voting Liaisons

Maureen Fisher - Registrar
Tammy Plunett - Workshop Coordinator
Karen Smock - LoveKnot Editor

The Ottawa Romance Writers' Association (ORWA) was founded by a dedicated group of romance writers in 1985, including published authors Audrey Jessup (its first President), Claire Harrison, and Dinah Shields. In the 1980s, many members didn’t have computers and the Internet was not the prevalent form of communication that it is today. ORWA’s monthly meetings provided important contact and support to members, nurturing and encouraging their writing pursuits. In 1996, ORWA's members voted to affiliate with the Romance Writers of America (RWA).