kc November Update

ello fair readers!






Well -- life is certainly interesting, is it not?

Fall is always a busy time for me, but a few family issues have ramped up the pressure a little. Busy is the new black. Or...frantic is the new busy.  Or something like that.

Anyway, this post will have to serve to bring you up to date on A Few Things I Am Up To, as well as A Few Things I Currently Find Interesting. Shall we begin with the former?

On chatting with my Most Wonderful Agent this week, I found myself promising to show her BOTH books I currently have Under Construction by the end of the year. [Insanity runs in my family. Have I mentioned that here before?]

One -- SEVEN DAYS, is a re-write. [In fact it is both a re-write and a co-write, as I am trying a new little social media experiment with the story. I'm hoping to be able to get more specific about this shortly.]

The second is the realization of a project [as yet unnamed] that has been several years in the making. [To give you an idea of just HOW many years, I began working on this story before I took a stroll with a certain Scots colleague through the streets of Edinburgh during the last winter Olympics.]

Yipes! Time flies. I took this picture on that trip. It's a distant shot of Edinburgh Castle taken from the North Bridge and across the city on a moonlit night. I still remember the wind.
Edinburgh in February -- beautiful!

Anyway, this project is the first in what I hope will be a series of steampunk y/a novels -- time travel a required element, of course.

I'm also working on a large desk-topping project [hardly ever do this sort of thing any more, but occasionally the draw of the dollar compels me to creep down out of my artist's garret and make a few bucks]. Not sure where I fit this in, but...will figure it out.

This week I am making a trek to Philadelphia, PA, in order to speak at the NCTE conference. This, for those who don't care to click the link, is the National Council of Teachers of English, and they are holding a giant conference in Liberty City. I'll be going [and appearing] with Kari-Lynn Winters, Lee Edward Fodi and Lori Sherritt-Fleming. Hoping to meet lots of teachers and share as much WALK as anyone will care to listen to!

After I get back, I have the performances of the New Westminster students' plays -- the fruitition of some of the writer-in-res work I've been doing.

And this week I collared Sean Cranbury who was crazy enough to agree to brainstorm a potential collaborative project starting in the new year. In the meantime, make sure you check out his site at Books On the Radio  . He has scored some amazing interviews lately!

More on all of these doings as they ripen. I'll be tweeting @kcdyer if you feel like following the action more closely. 

And to finish -- A Few Items of Interest [aka a tab-closing fest for all!]

*   The first is the blog responsible for the beautiful drop-cap I've inserted here today: DailyDropCap.com A click of the needles to knitting/blogging goddess Leanne Prain for the tip via twitter!

*   The Telegraph's List of a Hundred Books that Defined the Noughties. Definite UK bent, but an interesting means to open debate on the topic, just the same. How many have you read? And which others would YOU add to the list?

*   Just found out there is to be a mini-TED right here! TEDx-Vancouver ... the very idea of it thrills me no end. Not sure how it will all shake down, but you can follow the details HERE.
That's it for now -- more to come. Busy week ahead!

~kc

One thing at a time...

I'm actually so tired that I just typed 'One thong at a time' for my title, and then had to pause a moment to think about how just one letter made such a difference -- AND a better blog entry title. Perhaps another day...

Really, the title is a reference to my little over-commitment problem, but instead of harping, I think I'll just get down to it.

Friday the 13th turned out to be a pretty auspicious night this month, as we had our 'pass the baton' party for CWILL BC.


James McCann and I bid our respective positions as Prez and VP of CWILL good-bye, and we welcomed the new leadership in the form of Pam Withers and Crystal Stranaghan. A good time was had by all.





After the official event, a few of us hied off to a local establishment to finish off the evening in style. Lee Fodi, Kirsti Wakelin, Crystal Stranaghan, James McCann and self joined Kari-Lynn Winters (who took this shot) for some girding of the loins in preparation for Spring Book Hatching, 2008, which was to begin bright and early the following morning.








SBH 2008 took place on an uncharacteristically sunny Vancouver day, but the weather, somehow, didn't keep the crowds from out of the downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library.








The place was packed, and as befit the setting, was filled with all kinds of wild and wonderful creatures,











including a crazed fairy in drag, (aka Dan Bar-El, author of SUCH A PRINCE).











With the SPCA in attendance as a sponsor, even the dogs wanted to come and be a part of the celebration. (Please note: This is a GOOD dog, who came to the event, behaved like an angel and was a total asset to the procedings. This public service announcement is intended as a break from all the usual BAD dog posts you'll find around this joint.)



And we didn't stop there for animal kingdom contributions -- we also had a couple of cute chicks on hand to help direct the crowds...












All in all it was a huge success, and a happy way for James and me to hand over the reins of CWILL to Pam and Crystal. That incredibly organized duo will spearhead the Fall Book Harvest sometime in September. As always, keep an eye on this space -- you'll read all about it here first.

Enough for tonight, I think, except to say...


Make sure to check out the latest SiWC blog post here -- a big shout-out to the dear and delightful Janet Reid, who said some mighty fine things in her blog this weekend.

BC Book Prizes and a Penultimate Moon

It was a gorgeous evening for the BC Book Prize Soiree, held at the Metropolitan Hotel in downtown Vancouver last night. After a day of really weird spring weather (including snow that fell and stayed put all day throughout the city and not just on my mountainside aerie) the moon came out and gave me a chance to play with my camera settings. She's a night away from full, but politely held still for just long enough to have her portrait taken.


Lovely.






Back to the soiree. I arrived late due to an over-scheduled day, and by the time I got there, the party was in full swing. Loads of CWILL BC members in attendance. Here's a shot of Kari-Lynn Winters in a throng of admirers, having a great time celebrating her nomination for picture book JEFFREY AND SLOTH.






Norma Charles, seen here chatting with author and blogger Julie Burtinshaw, is a member of the BC Book Prize committee, and is celebrating the recent launch of her own new book THE GIRL IN THE BACK SEAT.







Also present was nominee Meg Tilly, celebrating the evening with a crowd of well-wishers (and her husband, Don). She looked gorgeous (as usual) but for a glimpse of her earlier hair tribulations, you may want to check out her blog. Meg will be touring the Kootneys soon, on her leg of the BC Book Prize tour. If you get a chance to hear her read from her nominated book PORCUPINE, be sure to grab it. A not-to-be-missed opportunity.







Out-going CWILL BC president James McCann can be seen chatting here with in-coming CWILL vp Crystal Stranaghan. Crystal is the publisher of Gumboot Books, a new independent right here in Vancouver, specializing in kids books.








Artist, illustrator and photographer Kirsti-Anne Wakelin was also at the soiree, here pictured looking kinda the way I do at these things...

Photography is a religious experience for both of us, though she is definitely more Canonical than I (a confirmed Pentaxian).






This is what she looks like with the camera pried off her face, here chatting with blogging whiz and all-round techie guy Boris Mann. Boris is one of the incandescents behind the amazing Northern Voice blogging and social networking conference held yearly at UBC.

Also present from Northern Voice (but sadly unphotographed) was Monique Trottier, who led the rousing 'Authors Who Blog' session. Monique's been busy getting her company re-named and launched, and she designed the beautiful BC Book Prizes website.


The BC Book Prizes will be distributed at a Gala next Saturday night. Stay tuned.

***

And finally, I read yesterday where poet Gary Geddes was awarded the Lieutenent Governor's Award for Literary Excellence in BC. With the award comes a $5000 prize. Geddes, a giant in the Canadian literary scene, told the Vancouver Sun: "What matters to me is not the money, but is the moral support. Nothing a writer appreciates more than some assurance from peers that you're doing a good job."

Now, I don't know Gary, but I feel compelled to protest on behalf of the many poets I do know. The money does matter! The more money directed to the Canadian literary scene, particularly toward poetry, the better. I know too many published poets who never see a royalty for their work, beyond a couple of comped copies of their own books. So, three cheers for the celebration of Canadian poetry -- may there be many more lucrative prizes awarded to allow it to flourish.

~kc

What to Choose, What to Choose...

Things are hopping around here lately. So much going on...I think I may just have to do a bit of round-up.




First, and most importantly, I have just this week fallen for the remarkable Tim Minchin, Aussie comic and musician. IF you are over 18, I might suggest the YouTube version of Inflatable You, performed at the Royal Albert Hall for a recent Think Pink Breast Cancer fundraiser.

Incredible.




Now, what's next?

Well, it's BC Book Prizes time, and this coming Saturday is the big soiree, held at the Metropolitan Hotel in Vancouver from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. This event is a freebie, and it's a chance for you to meet and mingle with the province's literati.


There are still a few tickets left to the actual prize night Gala on April 26th. Dinner, award ceremony and entertainment will set you back $70, but it should be an elegant evening. Fanny Kiefer will emcee.

I'll be there supporting Meg Tilly and Kari-Lyn Winters -- both friends and incredible writers.

Both of these events are a chance to meet your favourite writers up close and in person.

There's more to talk about (always...) but I am going to spend Saturday with two of my favourite writers (and SiWC 2008 Contest VIPs) KC (in upper case, this time) and RH, so I have to get ready for that.

Will report back upon my return.

~kc

Brunch for Books

On Sunday March 30th, award-winning author Kari-Lynn Winters will present her picture book JEFFREY AND SLOTH at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver
for Raise a Reader's Brunch for Books.

Children under 5 are invited to participate for free and $5.00 from each brunch will be donated to the Raise a Reader campaign.

Participants also receive a complimentary copy of Jeffrey and Sloth, which Kari-Lynn will sign at the event.

Brunch is at 11:30 am, with the reading at 12:30p.m. Call 604-691-1991 to make your reservations.

(A reminder that Kari-Lynn's book is up for the BC Book Prizes this year -- this is a wonderful chance to meet this sky-rocketing young author!)

~kc

Chasing my tail...

...after a quick trip to Calgary this week. Much to relate, but for now a quick word of congratulations to all the nominees for the BC Book Prizes, just announced last night.

Shortlisted titles include:

For the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize:

Adam’s Peak by Heather Burt

Conceit by Mary Novik

Radiance by Shaena Lambert

The Reckoning of Boston Jim by Claire Mulligan

Soucouyant by David Chariandy

For the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize:

The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by J.B. MacKinnon, Alisa Smith Everywhere Being is Dancing by Robert Bringhurst

Interwoven Wild: An Ecologist Loose in the Garden by Don Gayton Phantom Limb by Theresa Kishkan

The Triumph of Citizenship: The Japanese and Chinese in Canada, 1941-67 by Patricia E. Roy

For the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize:

Forage by Rita Wong

The Incorrection by George McWhirter

Ox by Christopher Patton

Paper Trail by Arleen Paré

Soft Geography by Gillian Wigmore

For the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize:

The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by J.B. MacKinnon, Alisa Smith Fortune’s a River: The Collision of Empires in the Pacific Northwest by Barry Gough

The Last Wild Wolves: Ghosts of the Rain Forest by Ian McAllister

The Lost Coast: Salmon, Memory and the Death of Wild Culture by Tim Bowling

Spirit In the Grass: The Cariboo-Chilcotin’s Forgotten Landscape by Chris Harris

For the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize:

The Alchemist’s Dream by John Wilson

Baboon: A Novel by David Jones

The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane by Polly Horvath

For Now by Gayle Friesen

Porcupine by Meg Tilly

For the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize:

The Day It All Blew Away by Lisa Cinar

Elf the Eagle by Ron Smith, Illustrated by Ruth Campbell

Jeffrey and Sloth by Kari-Lynn Winters, Illustrated by Ben Hodson

Pink by Nan Gregory, Illustrated by Luc Melanson

A Sea-Wishing Day by Robert Heidbreder, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

For the BC Booksellers’ Choice Award in Honour of Bill Duthie:

The Blue Flames That Keep Us Warm: Mike McCardell’s Favourite Stories by Mike McCardell

Fred Herzog: Vancouver Photographs by Grant Arnold, Michael Turner

The Last Wild Wolves: Ghosts of the Rain Forest by Ian McAllister

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

Spirit In the Grass: The Cariboo-Chilcotin’s Forgotten Landscape by Chris Harris

I am particularly thrilled for Meg, Kari-Lyn, John and Nan -- all members of CWILL BC. Best wishes to all the nominees -- good luck everyone!

~kc

Jeffrey and Sloth...

...get a great review!

The Georgia Straight's John Burns reviewed my friend Kari Lyn Winters picture book this week -- check it out at

http://www.straight.com/article-102884/jeffrey-and-sloth

Kari is a multi-talented person -- founding member of the Tickle Trunk Players, playwright, actress, teacher and one of the most cheerful and upbeat people I know. A month ago we taught together at the CWC summer camp. It was there that I was the lucky recipient of the first reading of a new Jeffrey and Sloth book -- a most excellent story that some clever publisher should snap up right away.

Congratulations, Kari!

~kc