The Dash

Joyce Nickel Harback grew up on the road with her family, The Nickel Family Singers, traveling summers and weekends throughout the school year. They sang over 200 times each year in churches, camps, hospitals and nursing homes. She attended public school in her hometown of Springfield, Missouri, graduating near the top of her class in 1976. She obtained a Bachelors degree in Music from Grace University, Omaha, Nebraska, May 1981. She married and moved to Canada the same year.

Her varied work experience includes working in Social Services for the Alberta Government, Computer Security programmer with Husky Oil, Administrative Supervisor with Nova Corporation, and an airline Customer Service agent. Most recently she served as Communications Manager for First Alliance Church.

As a volunteer, Joyce coordinated two choir trips to Europe, performed in the Netherlands' official Liberation Festivities and sang at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. She directed and participated in church choirs, small ensembles, musical theatre productions and solo concerts. She and her husband served as youth group leaders, co-led Bible studies and coordinated activities for a group of young married couples. Joyce speaks to women's groups, leads two Bible studies, sings at Christian Women's Clubs and occasionally helps lead worship in her church. 

Joyce now writes from her home in Calgary, Alberta, serves on the volunteer board of InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship and is a member of Alexandra Writers' Centre and Utmost Christian Writers. When not writing or singing, Joyce loves to hike and travel. She is a wife to a humorous man, mother to a freestyle skier and master to an old dog.

You can find a scattered volume of her personal musings online here and limited samples of her poetry here.