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.
Thousands of writers, and would-be writers, get seduced each year by NaNoWriMo. November 1 brings the opening day of National Novel Writing Month, in which writers are challenged to complete a 50,000-page novel in 30 days. Committing to writing an average of 1667 words per day over the course of the month, so the theory… Read more »
The final of a three-part series on the AU Library. See parts one and two. The AU Library’s core service is to support “students in AU courses by collecting online, print, and audiovisual resources in subject areas taught at the university, and making these available to the AU community.” Additionally, the library’s staff provide assistance… Read more »
Last week’s article introduced the AU Library and its website. Check out the new look! The library’s new website was launched October 15 and has the same URL: http://library.athabascau.ca/. Using a university library for research requires some creative search strategies, according to Elaine Fabbro, Acting Director of Library Services at Athabasca University’s library. Students need… Read more »
“The only thing you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” – Albert Einstein If there’s one thing you absolutely have to know about the AU Library, It’s that they welcome questions. “Students who ask questions will be more successful,” says Elaine Fabbro, Acting Director, Library Services. At the AU Library, there’s… Read more »
Those who say that nobody uses the public library anymore annoy those of us who do. Contrary to persistent laments on the imminent demise of libraries, Canada’s 22,000 library branches are alive and well—and thriving. Libraries, like other public institutions, have had to change to serve the public’s shifting needs, but they continue to be… Read more »
Last week’s article introduced Mensa Canada, the high IQ society. This week, we look at Mensa from the AU student’s perspective. What’s in it for us? For those who qualify, Mensa provides a rewarding social network that extends beyond Canada’s borders. People with Mensa-qualifying IQ?an IQ that falls in the top 2% of the general… Read more »
At a Mensa event, you could be rubbing shoulders with an archaeologist, a Hollywood screenwriter, or an international spy. Mensa, the high IQ society, attracts such a diverse range of people from every walk of life, you can join and give up reading novels for excitement. You meet “the most amazing people with amazing experiences,”… Read more »
When Athabasca University (@AthabascaU) tweeted on September 2, “Many of you have been back to school for a few hours now…how’s it going?” I was tempted to reply, “It’s going great! I’m taking the day off.” My latest AU course started September 1, but I didn’t. While the majority of Canadian university students trundled off… Read more »
You’ve got your AU course materials. You’ve got a plan. Now if you could just teleport everyone else off your planet, you could get some studying done! Your roommate is gabbing on the phone; your kids are fighting?again?over who started it; your spouse has decided that now is a good time to talk about household… Read more »
Online education brings both exhilarating freedom and sobering responsibility. On one hand, You’re the master of your time. You can study when you want, if you want. You can work on your courses over early morning coffee, during your lunch break at work, or late at night after the kiddies are in bed. There’s no… Read more »