Ann Douglas is the author of 28 books and the creator of The Mother of All® books series, which focuses on pregnancy and parenting. She writes "The Mother of All Parenting Blogs" for Parent Central at The Toronto Star, the "Yahoo! Parenting" blog for Yahoo! Canada, and the "Misconceptions" column for Conceive Magazine. She is a member of the bloggers' panel for "Power and Politics with Evan Solomon" on CBC News and the parenting columnist for CHEX-TV's Lifestyles with Rita. She has contributed to a number of anthologies related to motherhood, technology, and politics, including The Maternal is Political by Shari McDonald Strong, and Mothering and Blogging: The Radical Act of the Mommy Blog by May Friedman and Shana Calixte. A former president of PWAC National, Ann is a strong advocate for writers' rights. She will discuss negotiating and retaining your rights; recognizing when your work begins to have value in the marketplace (and ensuring that you're paid fairly for it); and creative ways to get what you want, whether it's motivating clients to pay up on long-overdue invoices or finding better-paying gigs.

Gordon Dobbin is a Certified Financial Planner who has represented Investors Group Financial Services for over 18 years. He also represents additional well-known investment and insurance companies. Gord is particularly proud of the decision early in his career to offer investment solutions that included strong social, ethical and environmental screens. As a CFP, he learns about each individual client and his or her family to provide comprehensive advice and help them attain their financial goals. He provides solutions to issues ranging from estate planning to tax planning and risk management for individuals and small companies. Gord will discuss how freelancers can stay financially healthy through challenging economic times and become engaged in the financial planning process.

After 25 years in sales, marketing, training and keynote speaking, Louise Smith left the corporate world and created LouiseSmithConsulting Inc. Here she focused on communication/presentation skills for individuals, businesses and organizations. She is also a writer. Louise has self-published several training manuals, and recently launched a sad, funny and inspirational book titled Death: and the Lessons I've Learned. Louise and her husband recently moved to Horseshoe Valley where she is now focusing on her writing, inspired by nature in her new life of semi-retirement.

Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Time: Registration 7 p.m. Seminar 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Post-seminar Cheers with Peers Networking at O'Grady's Tap and Grill, 171 College St.
Location: Room 106, Health Sciences Building, University of Toronto, 155 College St.
Cost: FREE for PWAC Members/Students
$15 for Non-Members

New! $10 for Associate Writer Group Members