And the Nominees Are…

Congratulations to all those nominated for this year’s Cybils, the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards.

Featured CWILL BCers include Christina Leist for Jack the Bear, Fiona Bayrock for Bubble Homes and Fish Farts, David Smith for If America Were a Village, Tiffany Poirier for Q is for Question, and Don Calame for Swim the Fly.

 

Launch Pad

Don’t miss the launch of Michelle Mulder’s After Peaches this weekend!

Ten-year-old Rosario Ramirez and her family are political refugees from Mexico, trying to make a new life in Canada. After being teased at school, Rosario vows not to speak English again until she can speak with an accent that’s one hundred percent Canadian. Since she and her parents plan to spend the whole summer working on BC fruit farms, she will be surrounded by Spanish speakers again. But when her family’s closest friend Jose gets terribly sick, Rosario’s plans start to unravel. Neither Jose nor Rosario’s parents speak English well enough to get him the help he needs. Like it or not, Rosario must face her fears about letting her voice be heard.

 

A Harvest Slideshow

Della Burford has put together this wonderful slideshow with the help of Mary Jane Muir and various other CWILL BC photographers. If you missed the Fall Book Harvest, this is the next best thing.

 

CWILL BC Tip of the Week

Each week, a CWILL BC member offers a tip about writing or illustrating, the creative process, or getting published.

This week’s tip comes from illustrator Kirsti Wakelin, who posts images from her most recent projects on her blog, My Secret Elephant.

Kirsti’s tip:
Do not be too afraid or too lazy to redraw.

 

The Magic of an Author Visit

Mr. Wiz (a.k.a. Lee Edward Fodi) leads a cheer at an elementary school in Summerland, B.C. Each student was given a copy of a Kendra Kandlestar book as part of the Raise-a-Reader program.

This past week I travelled to the South Okanagan along with fellow CWILL author James McCann to participate in a fabulous literacy project. Through the auspices of Raise-a-Reader and the tireless work of Yasmin John-Thorpe of the Penticton Writers and Publishers, over eight hundred books by James McCann and myself were distributed to kids in schools in Penticton and Summerland.

Each highschool student that James met was given a copy of his book Pyre, while each elementary student in my presentations was given a copy of one of my three Kendra Kandlestar books.

It was a whirlwind trip for us. Between us, James and I presented workshops at eight different schools, interviewed with two radio stations, and were covered by two newspapers. We earned our keep—but it was our privilege.

Even though we both now live in metro Vancouver, we both have childhood connections to the Okanagan. I myself grew up in Osoyoos (the southern-most town in the Okanagan Valley), where I spent many hapless days struggling to fit into a rural lifestyle while having visions of one day becoming a published author. I eventually achieved my dream—but it was often a lonely and anxious journey; I can only imagine what a profound impact an author visit would have had on me as a child.

Both James and I work hard in our presentations to provide a connection between the visual arts and reading and writing. It’s a tactic we’ve had a lot of success with. It’s one thing to talk about literacy, but when each student actually leaves the presentation with an actual book in his or her hand—well, the whole relationship between the student and the author takes on a different meaning.

Our thanks to all who supported the tour: Raise-a-Reader, The Penticton Writers and Publishers, and all the schools, principals, administrators, teachers—and, of course, the students.

James McCann is hoisted like a superhero on the shoulders of students he presented to at a highschool in Penticton, B.C. Each student was given a copy of Pyre.

 

Launch Pad

Robin Stevenson is launching her new novel In the Woods (Orca) at the Belfry Theatre in Victoria on October 28, 7pm.

A number of other authors, including John Wilson, Michelle Mulder, Nikki Tate, Laura Langston, Mike Deas and Sigmund Brouwer, are also launching new books. Everyone’s invited to head on out and help celebrate!