Edmonton Under Fan

Am currently at the Canadian Authors Association CanWrite Conference in Edmonton, a hot town with plenty of cool writers these days.

Suzanne Harris and her gang have put on a fabulous event, and I listened to a number of excellent speakers today. This evening I watched a performance done by the Spoken Word Choir, under the direction of author and creative hurricane Gail Sidonie Sobat. The group is made up of a bunch of teens who love to write, and they gave a knock-down performance that wowed the audience gathered at the Timm Centre for the CAA national Literary Award Readings.

Unfortunately, my camera battery died mid-day today, (too many pictures of baby Ronan in Calgary, methinks), but I should have a few shots to post when I get home.

Just posted a discussion of the terms 'advanced' and 'master' writer at the SiWC blog, too.

Now off to escape the heat with a cold shower and a fan...

~kc

Parapatesis...

...is this a word? It should be, I think -- to describe the state of being parapatetic, which, if you want to get technical, is not a state, but a fluidity of movement, n'est-ce pas? All this to (most ridiculously) describe the upcoming bit of summertime. First, off to Calgary this week, with a side trip to Edmonton for the CAA CanWrite Conference. This Alberta jaunt is to be followed by another, when fellow author James McCann and I head off with the latest installment of the Chocolate & Chat Tour. Here's our media release: Chocolate & Chat: Writing for Teens and Young Adults Media Release Just in time for summer reading, authors James McCann and kc dyer are pleased to announce the ‘Chocolate & Chat: Writing for Teens and Young Adults’ tour. These prolific authors will be touring through Western Canada and the Rocky Mountains from July 7-15th, 2008, with stops in Banff, Calgary, Red Deer, Cochrane, Kamloops, Salmon Arm and Kelowna. They’ll be talking about their own novels and answering questions from people interested in writing for kids and teens. James and kc have spoken to thousands of children and adults about reading and writing. This free event promises to have something for readers and writers alike. At each location, the authors will be on hand to autograph copies of their books and give a presentation for aspiring writers about breaking into the Canadian writing market. Don’t miss the hottest event of the summer…they will bring the Chocolate and YOU bring the chat! ………………………………………………………………  I'm really looking forward to this -- it's going to be a blast and I'll blog as much of it as I can. Comic Life has come on board as a sponsor, so we'll be giving away very cool software packages at every stop. But first -- a pause for Canada Day, and the inherent celebration that will occur to mark the 16th year since the birth of my boy. An auspicious day! ~kc

Crazy Season

Ay yi yi.

This is crazy season. I am currently gearing up for the CWILL BC wrap-up party and Spring Book Hatching this week. The edits on my new book are arriving Monday. Tour planning for the latest incarnation of the Chocolate & Chat Tour (with James McCann) is in high gear. Before that can happen, I have to nip over to Calgary and then up to Edmonton for the CAA CanWrite conference. The brochure and website for SiWC, 2008 are demanding daily attention.

(New post up for SiWC...with a little teaser here.)



But fiddle-dee-dee...I'll think about it all tomorrow. Because right smack in the middle of all of this...my girl is graduating high school.




This is a shot of her when she was just two -- the first Hallowe'en where she understood the whole costume thing. Her choice was to go as PuppyCat, the eponymous character in her favourite book of the time. (The stuffed version is beside her on the couch. And no cracks about the costume made out of a thermal onesie spotted with black magic marker-- I am a writer, not a seamstress, okay?)


On Saturday, she'll wear the dress she wore to her semi-formal this year. She's giving up a day of a big swim meet (apparently the kid suffers from a touch of the family's little over-commitment problem...) to traipse across the stage in order to please her mother, having eschewed all the other trappings of graduation this year as nonsense.



The look is a little different from Puppy Cat, but she chose this costume, too. Thankfully, her mother had nothing to do with costume design this time. (Here the stuffed friend is upgraded to the real thing -- her friend Berta, who will also graduate from grade 12 this spring.)


And, though I'm not really encouraged to say it aloud (and certainly all other expressions of outward affection or soppiness are MOST strongly discouraged)...

I'm pretty proud of her.


~kc

On Teaching, Writing, Conferences and One Sweet Baboo

Where to begin....

I've been running on too little day for all those things needing my attention, lately, so will try to catch up here a bit.


Let's start with a shout out to James McCann's CWC class, who welcomed me as their guest-teacher last week. We talked about escape and time travel and had a wickedly competitive game of pictionary with words from the very funny (very Dalh-esque) YOU ARE A BAD MAN, MR. GUM, by Andy Stanton.



These shots (deliberately anonymous) were taken as the kids spent time on their own writing projects. By the end of the session, each student will have written a novel to call their own.















On Wednesday night, I had a great time participating in a panel discussion on the subject of writing for young people. The evening was put on by the Canadian Authors Association, and fellow author (and CWILL BC members) James McCann and Meg Tilly were the other panel members. We had a packed house, and the questions from the audience (and from most excellent moderator Jean Kay) drove the evening. Two hours went by in a flash. Thanks to all the CAA exec for their warm welcome!

While we're on the subject, one of the things on my agenda for this summer is to attend CanWrite, the CAA AGM in Edmonton this year. Conference coordinator Suzanne Harris and her team are going to put on a great show.

And to finish, for now -- allow me to formally introduce Ronan:



You've seen his picture before, but now that he is actually home in Calgary, I can proudly proclaim him as my newest canine nephew -- cousin to Seamus and Silas Ermineskin. (Silas is currently in the doghouse [both literal and figurative] after eating the steering wheel of the vehicle in which he was reposing during the lacrosse game today. Pictures to follow.)

Of course, Ronan will never do anything like that.

Isn't he a beauty?


~kc