My friend Jenna Butler and I judged the Edmonton Journal poetry contest, which received 200 entries! The winner of the contest won a meet and greet with Maya Angelou. You can read the story about the contest here.
Tag: writing
Fall happenings….
My day job is full time, but it does have a seasonal aspect to it. I am busiest when people are NOT farming. In the summer time, all the farmers are busy and our paper is a lot smaller. From September to April, the farmers are busy going to conferences and planning their next season, […]
What every writer can learn from seeing Kenneth Oppel…
Last night, I ventured out to the Arden Theatre in St. Albert to attend a talk given by writer Kenneth Oppel. I’m a huge fan of his SIlverwing series, which explores the world of bats, and I loved his book “Half Brother”, a novel based on the Project Nim study and language acquisition in chimpanzees. […]
I didn’t win any awards….
My second book “13” came out in 2011. It was eligible for a few awards, but it didn’t even longlist for any. Now this could make me feel like a loser, but you know what? It doesn’t. Of course I would like the recognition, and would love to have some sort of award to add […]
Summer’s here
I thought things would slow down, but that hasn’t been the case. I recently accepted a posting as a blogger for Green Hectares , so that’s a little more on my plate. In May, I did two trips to Saskatchewan. One was a visiting trip, just to hang out with my parents and dog. On […]
Why I teach teenage writers….
When I was about 15, I started attending writing programs at my local library. I was very lucky to live in Saskatchewan, a province with a long history of mentoring young writers. I learned a lot from teen writing camps and had the opportunity to meet other teens who liked to read and write as […]
It really is the little things….
Last week, I received some very happy news. Here’s the back story- I occasionally read completed manuscripts before the writer submits them for publication. I offer my edits and suggestions and consult with the writer on how they can make their book better. It’s a good exercise for me as it teaches me how to […]
Hunter S. Thompson’s job letter to the Vancouver Sun
My friend Melissa sent me the following, which is a letter that writer Hunter S. Thompson wrote to The Vancouver Sun, before he was famous. TO JACK SCOTT, VANCOUVER SUN October 1, 1958 57 Perry Street New York City Sir, I got a hell of a kick reading the piece Time magazine did this week […]
Advent Book blog
It’s that wonderful time of year again. December has become a bit of a relaxing month for me. My day job slows down a little, which means that I spend more time at home. Since I’m an Oscar fiend, I also start going to movies as vigorously and with as much devotion as an Olympic […]
Publishing a book makes you kind of crazy
One thing they don’t tell you is that publishing a book makes you a little bit insane. I was completely unprepared for this when I published my first book in 2007. I cried several times before I held the book in my hand, and probably cried once or twice after I had the finished product. […]