Barbara Lehtiniemi is a writer and photographer from Ontario. She’s a graduate of Athabasca University, having completed her Bachelor of General Studies degree in 2018.
A regular contributor to The Voice Magazine for over ten years, Barbara has also contributed to other publications including Chicken Soup for the Soul and Maclean’s. Barbara writes in several genres, including non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. She’s eternally grateful to The Voice Magazine for providing the opportunity to explore an array of topics and writing styles.
Barbara has a fondness for travel, used bookstores, everyday absurdities, and oversized wine glasses. Originally from urban Southwestern Ontario, she now lives on a windswept rural road in Eastern Ontario.
September marks a fresh new year of studies. Earlier this week, I opened my recently-delivered box of course textbooks with the same excitement I give to Christmas presents. I’ve always enjoyed the start of a school year. Learning something new holds endless fascination for me. Starting a new course, and cracking the spine on some… Read more »
There’s a certain point in summer when the days fall away quickly, like the last desperate sands draining out of an hourglass. In early August, the summer—according to the calendar—is barely half over. Yet, just like reaching the halfway point of a one-week holiday, I begin to anticipate the end long before it arrives. Autumn… Read more »
The state of AUSU council is my fault. Full confession: I’m one of the few students who voted in the 2014 general election. In that election, only around 170 out of approximately 25,000 eligible students cast ballots, so each vote carried a heavy weight of responsibility. Many of the candidates I voted for won seats… Read more »
You’re a week away from making a powerful difference to you and every other AU undergraduate student. The candidates running for this months’s AUSU by-election were announced August 6. Fourteen students from five Canadian provinces are vying for the six vacant council seats. Voting takes place online August 21 to 24. Stephen Harper liked the… Read more »
I was born with a book in my hand. At least it seems that way. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading. During my youth, I read everything I could get my hands on. I grew up with Laura Ingalls Wilder, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, and a host of others that lived and… Read more »
Would you write an essay if you were offered hundreds of dollars? If You’re like me, you find essay-writing tedious and agonizing. I spend more time avoiding an essay than writing it (I became so proficient at this, it prompted Essay Avoidance: The Fine Art of Procrastination, my first article for The Voice Magazine.) My… Read more »
The Dog Days of summer find many people looking to escape the heat, escape work, and escape the city. Some people head to the beach, some to the cottage, some to exotic destinations. Others use the long summer days to complete outdoor projects, tend the crops, or chill on the porch. Some people take a… Read more »
What do Marian Engel, Lynn Coady, Charlotte Gill, Lawrence Hill, Michael Crummey, and Margaret Laurence all have in common (besides the letter “L”)? If you identified all of these as prominent Canadian writers you’d be correct, but they have a further connection: each of these writers has served as a Writer-in-Residence at a Canadian university…. Read more »
If You’re a writer, one of the biggest barriers to finishing a writing project is day-to-day diversions. Many writers find success completing projects only by getting away from home and its inherent distractions and responsibilities. Finding a quiet place to write isn’t difficult. Some writers build a little garden hut, others rent secluded cabins, and… Read more »
Many people dream of a little cottage away from it all. A place to retreat from the world for a time, gather one’s thoughts, and maybe write a little. A little Walden Pond of one’s own. If you’re a writer, this dream could be closer than you think. A writers’ retreat may be just the… Read more »