Most of the programs I’m running at Fairview Library take place in the program room. With two walls of glass it’s basically a glass ‘box’ on the first floor. Everyone coming in and out of the library passes the program room. It’s a favorite for people to use for quiet study. The glass walls muffle […]

So yesterday I did the baby storytelling again at the library and I relied on poems and stories that I had grown up with. It was interesting because most of the audience of babies and toddlers were immigrants/Asian/and South Asian and to them these poems and pieces were completely new! I did an old favorite, […]

There is nothing as intimidating to a storyteller as an audience of babies! Little boys, little girls, Asian, South Asian, white, sitting on their mommies’ and daddies’ staring at you with their big brown and black and blue eyes, and a blank look on their faces that basically says, “Okay, go ahead. Try and entertain […]

Breathe now, heh, heh, heh. Deeper. Expand your diaphram! Heh, heh, heh. There now, that’s better. Too too busy! Good news! King for a Day has been chosen by Kirkus as one of the best books of 2014!!! Yay!!! So now lesse, my little book King for a Day has been nominated for the Irma […]

Yesterday I went to Milton to present at the Celebrating Stories Festival. It was a pleasure because I got to meet a number of fellow Canadian authors including Lana Button . She wrote these books about a little shy girl named Willow and one of the things that impressed me so much about these books […]

Been being interviewed a lot these days! Here’s me on Radio Islam out of Chicago: https://soundcloud.com/radioislam1450/sat-oct-11-2014-topic-shaping-the-next-generation-islamic-resources-for-children And here’s the mayor of Edmonton reading Big Red Lollipop! http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/city_organization/mayor/video-the-mayor-reads-eps2-big-red-lollipop.aspx?doAutoPlay=true  

Just got off the phone with another artist, and there’s something about collaborative works that’s completely energizing. Much better than working alone, slogging away after the initial euphoria of the concept washes over you and you have to get down to putting  your vision down on paper! I might be wrong but I think George […]

I just told a good friend of mine that when the writing is going well, the blog isn’t, and vice versa, so please have patience with me. Sometimes there are just other priorities. I really do feel like a juggler with too many balls in the air, and the blog ball is important, but at […]

I feel like a teacher with lesson plans! Last Friday I began the teen writing workshop. Now I’ve done hundreds of writing workshops so this was easy peasy. Hardly even planned for it because I have writing exercises ingrained in my head! I could do them in my sleep. And then I got nervous. What […]

with all the new stuff I’ve been learning! But of course it’s been a very *uncomfortable* process. You know that feeling when you’re in the midst of the learning curve,  you’re not proficient yet, you’re still struggling… Well that’s where I am right now. And it’s funny but with this artist residency, I’m dealing with […]