Thanks, Denise Anderson, for snapping this great photo from the back of the crowd. What a totally amazing day!!!!
writes about war from a young person's view #bannedbyrussia
What a fabulous Northern Forest of Reading series of events it was last week. The volunteers worked tirelessly. Special thanks to Meredith Gilbert Tutching, our own energizer bunny. The toughest job fell to the students, especially those who carried the signs and made the speeches about their favourite books and authors, like this young lady from North Bay.
I am finally home after a whirlwind week of visits to northern Ontario as part of the OLA Forest of Reading celebrations. Orest flew me to Parry Sound on Sunday night. Here’s a video of us getting ready:
I shared a room with Silver Birch Express nominee, Natalie Hyde. The next day, along with fellow nominees Brit and Kari Trogen, Wesley King, Bill Swan, Evan Munday, Janet Wilson and Steve Pitt we did a dizzy spin of workshops, presentations and signings.
Then Janet Wilson and I loaded into Natalie’s car and headed up the highway to North Bay to do it all over again on Tuesday and Wednesday.
My husband Orest picked Janet and I up at the North Bay airport via Charlie (our little airplane). For the occasion, he dressed in captain’s garb, complete with hat. And he made tickets for us both! Here’s a video of us flying away from North Bay:
It got cloudy the closer to home we got, so for a bit, we were between cloud layers:
We dropped Janet off at the Guelph airport, then flew another 11 minutes to the Brantford airport.
When I got home, I found out that I had WON the BC Red Cedar Award for Last Airlift!
The next day, a bunch of Silver Birch authors flew to Thunder Bay for more fun.
I had a very interesting experience last Monday! I was set to do a google talk “virtual visit” with Manitouwadge students 1173 kilometers away. At the appointed time, as the students were assembling, the northern internet reception became very spotty. There was not enough strength to transmit my image to the students, and on my end, I could neither see them nor hear them! But we persevered. Sandra Woodrow, the library technician at Manitouawdge Public School typed me questions and prompts and I answered them. Just goes to show that there’s always a way!
I met great students at Wilkinson PS and William Burgess PS in Toronto. The Wilkinson Podcast Team interviewed me about Making Bombs for Hitler. Want to listen?
Here it is.