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About Us |
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Durham Region is alive with all kinds of wonderful celebrations,
festivals and events. While music, children and ethnic culture are
popular themes, Stella Ducker noticed there was no event
to celebrate the best of Durham Region's poets, authors, writers,
readers, story tellers, filmmakers and songwriters.
Stella brought up the subject with
Garth
Riley, who agreed there was a need for such an event and
the duo started to lay the groundwork for a festival a few years
ago. Although it wasn’t meant to be at that time and the plans never
progressed beyond the initial stages, Stella was ever hopeful and
determined to meet someone who would help her with her vision.
In September 2006, while working on another event, Stella began
sharing her goal of one day establishing a literary festival in
Durham Region. Listening to her that night were her husband, Graham,
and two friends, Winnie Chapman and John Duarte. The three
looked at each other. Looking back to Stella, John said, “Let’s do
it,” and Graham and Winnie agreed.
The trio began laying the foundation for the new event and the
inaugural Stellar Literary Festival was presented in the fall of
2007 in the beautiful setting of the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens
in downtown Oshawa.
Stella,
Graham, Winnie and John were encouraged by the reception of the
first Stellar Literary Festival and set about planning the 2008, and
in 2009 had a successful two day event at the Peony Festival &
Parkwood
Estate.
Currently in 2010, on to June 27th at Parkwood Estate in Oshawa;
August 22nd in Hastings ON
and we are in negotiation to launch another inaugural festival in
2011 in a 3rd location.
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FESTIVAL PRODUCER /
TALENT / MARKETING /
WEBMASTER |
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Stella
Ducker
Stella has devoted herself to promoting Durham Region &
Canada's musical talent through the Stellar Showcase, which
she founded in 1998. She recently expanded Stellar Showcase to
include authors, writers and poets saying “if musicians need
promoting, so do writers.”
She operates and broadcast on an internet radio
to promote talented musicians and poets.
Stella is a founding board member of FAMEd.ca (Film Arts Media
Entertainment of Durham) and has been involved in film
production and background acting for local and international
film. Stella is involved in various aspects of local
television broadcasting and has directed province-wide shows. |
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Stella has
volunteered at Rogers Community Television for the past 10
years, where she worked as a camera operator, in audio and
mobile production, as floor director and production director.
She was named Rogers Volunteer of the Year in 2001 and
received the Ontario Volunteer Award in 2001 and 2004. Stella
was a nominee at the Durham Region 2003 Women of Distinction
Awards.
Stella was active
member of Oshawa's Downtown Action Committee (communications
sub-committee) and
has been a volunteer for the Oshawa Jazz &
Blues Festival since its inception and worked on the Oshawa
Celtic Festival. She's a member of the Writers' Circle of
Durham Region (volunteered on the Chapbook committee), the
Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (volunteer as Photo Editor), the
Ontario Poetry Society, the Canadian Poetry Association and
was appointed as chairperson for the Durham Region chapter
of the Canadian Federation of Poets.
Stella was involved with the St. Marks Players production of
‘Where's The Minister?’ and kept everyone 'on book' and
assisted in the sound engineer (thanks to her Rogers TV
training).
Stella is a Co-founder and the Editor for the Stellar Showcase
Journal, which is published quarterly online and in print and
receives submissions and has subscribers around the world. |
| LOGISTICS /
TREASURER |
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Graham
Ducker
Graham is a retired teacher and principal, a
published author and poet, speaker, instructor and an artist.
One of his paintings was used as the cover for his poetry
book.
In February 2005, Graham was honoured as the
Featured Poet of the Canadian Federation of Poets and was
invited by the association’s president to judge its rhyming
poetry contest. He was named the Ontario Poetry Society Member
of the Year for 2006 and presented with the award by society
founder Bunny Iskov. Graham is currently the Oshawa branch
manager of the Ontario Poetry Society and leads monthly poetry
meetings. In 2006, he was also the winner of the Lichen Arts &
Letters Preview Epistolary Fiction Contest. |
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Graham operates his own business, J. Graham
Publishing, and has co-founded the literary Stellar Showcase
Journal for poets and writers, both online and in print.
He is a member of FAMEd.ca (Film, Arts, Media, Entertainment
of Durham), the Writers' Circle of Durham Region, the Durham
Folklore Society, the Canadian Federation of Poets, the Canada
Cuba Literary Alliance, the Canadian Authors Association and
Toastmasters International.
Graham has volunteered at Rogers Community Television a camera
operator and dabbled as an actor in the St. Marks Players
production of Mike Kashmanian’s ‘Where’s the Minister?’
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Stellar Literary
Festival Videographer
Chester Stocki Featured on
Hollywood.com |
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Chester Stocki being
interviewed on Rogers TV
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Chester is on record as being the FIRST
Canadian independent film produced 1971
"The Proud Rider"
Chester Stocki: Director / 1971
/ Released / CFP Distribution
Chester Stocki: Screenplay / 1971 / Released / CFP
Distribution
Chester Stocki,
Co-founder & Vice
President of FAMEd
Chester creates real
estates commercials of residential
homes & commercial buildings for sale.
He also produces short movies.
Chester is very active promoting the film industry
and the music community in the Durham Region / GTA.
Video-Pro-Motion
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Poster
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Archieves
Thank you Winnie & John for all of your help.
We will miss you, but understand that you also have other
commitments pressing.
Wishing you all the best in your new ventures.
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Winnie Chapman
Winnie brings years of valuable experience
in organizing and staging events. She is, without a doubt, the best
volunteer coordinator in the region and has put her talent to work
on such events as the Oshawa Jazz and Blues Festival and the Oshawa
Celtic Festival. She is an active member of the Oshawa Valley
Botanical Gardens Task Force. Winnie’s work has appeared in several
publications and she is currently working on a series of children
stories which she hopes to start publishing in the near future.
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John Duarte
John is a talented writer with over 20
years of experience in the newspaper industry, both as a reporter
and an editor. He formed his own company in 2001 and, through Duarte
Communications, has expanded his field of expertise to include
promotion and public relations work and graphic design. He has
helped organize and produce events such as the Oshawa Jazz and Blues
Festival and Toronto's People's Comedy Festival. John defines his
first novel as "a work in progress", while he continues to regularly
contribute to publications like East of the City and Durham Trade
and Commerce magazines.
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