Welcome to the Winnipeg River Arts Council

April 2025

For this month, WRAC revisits the artistic career of local writer Donna Besel. Although she grew up at West Hawk Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park and went to Falcon Beach School, she has numerous connections throughout the rest of Eastman. After she attended high school in Whitemouth, she taught in Powerview, lived in Lac du Bonnet and St. Georges, and often visits Beausejour friends she met when her children were younger.

She loves writing of all kinds, and does presentations at workshops, schools, libraries, universities, conferences, and retreats. Her work has gained recognition from CBC Literary Awards (three times) and won national contests. Her nonfiction writing and short stories have appeared in literary journals, anthologies, and magazines. Both of her books, a collection of stories and a memoir, have been best-sellers and sold widely across Canada and in other countries.

In 2009, Besel helped found Winnipeg River Arts Council (town of Pinawa, town and RM of Lac Du Bonnet, RM of Alexander, town of Pine Falls/Powerview). Since then, she has served as WRAC’s secretary/communications chair, and written more than 150 artist profiles for the council’s newsletter and local media. For decades, she has founded and participated in writer’s groups, and, for several years, she volunteered as secretary of Manitoba Writers’ Guild board.

She said, “Over the years, the huge importance of art in people’s lives has been reinforced again and again. My biggest honour – in 2021, Manitoba Arts Council presented me with their biannual Rural Recognition Prize ($10,000 award) for my work as a writer and my efforts to promote the arts in Eastman.”

Along with instructing at different levels, Besel has taught creative writing in Manitoba Writers’ Guild’s Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program, Manitoba Arts Council’s province-wide Artist in Schools program, and Creative Manitoba’s Rural Youth Mentorship program. Also, she has led Writers’ Critique Circles for Winnipeg Public Libraries, judged national writing contests, done readings across Canada, and participated in webinars, podcasts, interviews, and seminars dealing with writing and trauma.

She said, “A burn survivors’ conference was one of the most interesting places to do a presentation. The large audience welcomed me with enthusiasm, and the host and other speakers made incredibly funny jokes. I’ll always remember this experience and their positive approach to life.”

In addition to writing, Besel plays guitar, writes songs, and sometimes sings at house parties, workshops, and other venues. She enjoys drawing and water colour painting, and her photographs have appeared in magazines and other publications. In April, the province-wide Flash Photographic Festival, sponsored by WRAC, included her photos in exhibitions hosted by Lac du Bonnet Library and Allard Library.

Besel said, “The forest and lakes of Eastern Manitoba, where I’ve always lived, provide endless ideas and settings for my “boreal stories.”