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I was in Quebec City during the last week of September and had an opportunity to meet Kim Pawliw, the youngest contributor to Kobzar’s Children: A Century of Untold Ukrainian Stories.

We were both on hand to witness the unveilings of plaques at two internment camp sites — one at the Valcartier Military Base and the other at the Beauport Military Base. Kim was asked to read her poem at both plaque unveilings, and she also helped unveil at one of the sites.

The event was given extensive news coverage, including French language media interviews for Kim. Also, CBC am did a 14 minute story on Kim, her poem, and the internment of Ukrainians. The Montreal Gazette did an excellent story. And better yet, the Gazette story was reprinted in a number of newspapers across the country.

Here are the plaques:

I’m doing some Canada Council sponsored readings in Toronto this coming week. If you’re in the area, drop by:

Tuesday, October 10th:

10:30am
Eatonville Branch library
430 Burnhamthorpe Rd

1:30
Riverdale Branch Library
370 Broadview Ave

Wednesday, October 11th:

10:30
Malvern Branch Library
30 Sewells Rd

1:30

Flemington Park Library
29 St. Dennis Drive

I really should be going to bed, but while nearly rear-ending slow driver this afternoon, my head began to make a list of irritating things. So here are some things that I hate:

1. Drivers who slow down to change lanes.

2. Fake looking French manicures. You know, the ones that are so bright white and squared off they look like chicklets? Is that supposed to be attractive? Even bitten off fingernails are better than that!

3. People who fart in a crowd and pretend it was someone else.

4. Joe Volpe.

Well, that’s not such a long list after all. What are your pet hates?

Here’s some things that I love:

1. A brand new fat novel to read.

2. Playing Scrabble with my son.

3. The smell of fresh soap.

4. Fresh ground Kona coffee brewed hot and served black.

What do you love?

I took the one hour trek to Kitchener today to present at Word on the Street. The nice thing about Kitchener is that it isn’t Toronto. It was ever so easy to park because I had a parking pass with a giant R on it, so even though it was pouring rain, I got to my own tent in record time. I haven’t been to WOTS in Toronto lately (dare I admit that I avoid it?) because the last time I went, I had to park so far away that it was a real hike to get to the tents. Not fun.

Even though it was pouring rain, there was a good turnout. I did a presentation of Aram’s Choice. Because of the venue (open tent, lots of noise) I didn’t do a reading, but instead talked about the story behind the story of Aram’s Choice. The organizers had put together a craft table for the kids to participate in once my presentation was finished. I was pleased to see that the kids were given materials to make their own individual carrying boxes. I explained during the presentation the significance of boxes in Aram’s Choice: each child, upon leaving their temporary refuge in Corfu to begin their journey to Canada was given a wooden box. In that wooden box they placed all of their worldly belongings. Also, the children were not known by their names, but by the number on their boxes. After I did my own presentation and signed some books, I trekked over to a panel discussion on blogging featuring James Bow, Derek Weiler of Q&Q, Aimee Morrison, and Alex Good. During the discussion, Aimee mentioned that most livejournal users were 13 year old girls writing about angst. I think she’s wrong about that. What do you think?

You are invited to join author Marsha Skrypuch and illustrator Muriel Wood as they discuss the research and craft that went into the making of Aram’s Choice, a story about the Georgetown Boys.

The evening will be hosted by our very own Carl Georgian, a decendant of the Georgetown Boys.

Based on true events, Aram’s Choice, is a story that follows the life of a boy who loses his family in the Armenian genocide in Turkey and is exiled in Greece. The book follows Aram while he travels to Canada with forty-six other Armenian boys in what was Canada’s first international humanitarian effort.

Marsha first heard about the Armenian Genocide seventeen years ago while doing research for a magazine article about the first Georgetown Boys. After interviewing Carl Georgian, the son of a Georgetown Boy, Marsha was left with more questions than answers. For example, why were all of the rescued orphans male? Why were they all between the ages of eight and twelve? What happened to their parents? What happened to their sisters? Finding the answers to those questions set her on a path of more than a decade of research and resulted a number of books on the Armenian Genocide.

Marsha Skrypuch is the author of many books for children, including Silver Threads and Enough as well as her Armenian Genocide YA novels, The Hunger and Nobody’s Child, which was nominated for the Red Maple Award, the Alberta Rocky Mountain Book Award, and the B.C. Stellar Award.

Muriel Wood has been illustrating books for children since 1964, including the Canadian classic, The Olden Days Coat written by Margaret Laurence.

Word on the Street happens next Sunday in cities all across Canada. I will be presenting at the Kitchener WOTS. Hope to see you there!

Helen Norrie of the Winnipeg Free Press gave Aram’s Choice a lovely review in her column today. Unfortunately, the online view is pay-only, so I’ll quote a bit of it here:

“What makes this story [Aram’s Choice] unique is the inclusion of authentic details provided by a survivor of the “Georgetown Boys,” Kevork Kevorkian.

His vivid memories of diving at night around an undersea wreck in Corfu harbour, of a boy falling out the window of their train in Canada, and of the boys collecting all their precious quarters to help their gym teacher make this an intriguing account.

Muriel Wood’s illustrations show an intensity of expression that adds to the attraction of Skrypuch’s book.”

Elizabeth Yates wrote fabulous articles about both Aram’s Choice and Kobzar’s Children in the Brantford Expositor on Thursday. She also interviewed Carl Georgian, whose father George Georgian (Kevork Kevorkian)  was one of the original Georgetown Boys. Kevork was the inspiration for all of my Armenian novels. I was thrilled to see Carl’s fascinating family history highlighted in the paper.

Since the article appeared, everywhere I go in Brantford, people comment to me about the articles and the fact that I’ve got TWO books out right now.

This afternoon, I did a signing at Green Heron Books in Paris. 

I like signing in independent bookstores. No one asks me where the bathroom is. No one is in the store for candles or croissants. They’re in the store on purpose for books. The signing was from one til two but I stayed til 4pm because people kept on coming. It was a lovely experience!

We did have one challenging dilemma on the Monday of Book Camp. Bill Hanna had kindly offered to give a phoned in presentation. He was in the throes of moving house and it was amazing that he was able to share his expertise with us despite his personal upheaval.

But the only speaker phone available in the Laurier Brantford Student Union Building was in the reception area. This was an open area with offices surrounding it, plus one of the kids’ workshops with Robin Baird Lewis was going on in a board room directly across from the reception area.

The staff in the building benevolently put up with our invasion of their reception area and closed their office doors to minimize the noise. All 16 of the adult participants, plus me and Bobbie, crowded around the speaker phone, trying not to cough or shuffle so everyone could hear.

During Bill’s talk, Robin’s workshop finished. Robin knew what was happening right outside her door, so she had the kids pack up their stuff and get ready to leave with the door firmly shut. Once they were all ready, the door silently swung open and the kids tiptoed out. The only noise was the shwooshing of one pair of flip-flops.

Brantford Book Camps took place from August 21 to 25, but I am just now sufficiently dug out from under to be able to report back about them.

It was quite the juggling act, holding a writing week for 50+ kids between the ages of 10 and 12 while simultaneously holding one for 16 adults, but we did it — and did it well! In fact, I think this was Brantford’s best Book Camp week ever!

Book Camp could never happen if it wasn’t for all of our fabulous volunteers. This year we were fortunate to have four manager volunteers who came in every day of the camps —

Fleur-Ange Lamothe, for the 3rd year in a row, was our kids’ camp Manager and also Book Camp’s official photographer.
Melissa Poremba helped out Fleur-Ange this year. She looked after a myriad of minutiae — everything from nightly phone calls to Book Camp families who had no email, to keeping track of our colour coordinated buffs (this is how we code our four groups of kids) and dealing with moment by moment crises.

Sharon Brooks of Kids Can Fly also came in every day and floated as needed. Kids Can Fly is Brantford Book Camp’s sponsor. None of this would be possible without Sharon.

I managed the Adult Book Camp and Bobbie Henley was my assistant extraordinaire.

For me, Monday was the most challenging day. I opened the kids’ camp with the first keynote in the morning. The Monday morning keynote is the hardest gig because the kids are still in the throes of getting used to the writing camp experience. Many of the adult camp participants audited this first keynote, and of course, they were also just getting their feet wet. In the first hour, I talked about my own reading challenges as a kid and how Charles Dickens made me a reader and writer. During the second hour, I conducted a writing workshop. It is tough to do a hands-on writing workshop with 50+ kids plus a handful of adults, but it went over really well. The writing samples that were read aloud were spectacular.

At just the right moment, Vincent Ball from the Brantford Expositor tiptoed in. I think he was wowed by what our kids could write. He was especially wowed that they could do it in about 10 minutes flat!

In the afternoon on Monday, the Adult Book Camp participants all gathered together for the first time. I was impressed with the breadth of experience in the group. We did quick intros and a query letter exercise and then we all marched down to the reception area where we listened to a speaker phone presentation by Bill Hanna, principal literary agent with Acacia House. Immediately after that session, we trooped back upstairs for a session with Valerie Sherrard. A packed day for sure!!

After camp was over for the day, Valerie and I got together for a lovely dinner at Ged’s. We had a lovely evening with lots of laughter and good food. Too bad Valerie doesn’t live closer!

As soon as I got home, I sent out a nightly newletter to all of the children’s Book Camp families. I had made an “announce only” listserv of all the Book Camp families who had email, which comprised all but about three families. We have found that these nightly newsletters are the most efficient way of letting parents know what is happening the next day at Book Camp. We have different authors/illustrators each day and there is often an opportunity to children to get autographed copies of books. Also, some days the schedule is a bit different. The listserv is a quick and easy way to let everyone know what’s up. From the feedback we got, this service was greatly appreciated.