Don Calame's Blog, page 6
May 18, 2011
UK Tour Days Two, Three, and Four
I'm going to make this fairly brief because, number one, I'm knackered (slowly, I'm turning British), and two, I have no pictures because I have been a terrible photographer lately. I've been promised photographs from my various escorts (all insanely lovely people, by the way) and I will post them when I receive them.
And so, in short order:
Sunday: Had lunch with my step-son and some friends then tubed it back to the hotel and went for dinner with Helen Boyle, fiction publisher for Templar, and Damian Kelleher, journalist and YA novelist. We had Mexican. In London. Which you wouldn't expect to be good. But we went to a restaurant called Wahaca and it was wonderful. Tapas, tacos, taquitos. Tasty! Helen and Damian are both lovely people and I had an amazing time talking with them. They felt like old friends by the end of the evening and I was so glad we got to spend some time together. Damian will be interviewing me at the book launch on the 25th so it was really good to get to know him in advance.
Monday: Met Phillipa Perry, publicist extraordinaire, who trotted me off to the Tiffin Boys School in Kingston for the Kingston Festival. There we met Vanessa Howe, an incredibly enthusiastic and sweet librarian. I did a reading and talk for a great group of boys who laughed at all the right moments and then asked some great questions. Then, it was off to Paddington Station to catch a train to Bristol. Fell asleep on the train and woke with a start thinking I'd missed my stop. Thankfully, I hadn't, but I'd drooled, which was embarrassing. That evening I met Jayne Roscoe, another of Templar's impossibly kind employees, and had a fantastic meal and chat.
Tuesday: Burned off several layers of skin fumbling with the fifteen different strange shower knobs in the bathtub. Hurriedly got dressed, ran downstairs, and then mistakenly tried to get into the driver's side of Jayne's car (they drive on the other side of the road here, you know… I'd of course forgotten). Jayne drove me to Backwell School in Bristol where librarian Anne Gibson had organized a visit. Once again the students were very enthusiastic and attentive. This was followed by a second school visit at Broadoak Community College in North Somerset. Librarian Frances Trout was super-accomodating as I had a radio interview scheduled just at the beginning of my talk. Frances allowed me to do my ten minute interview (on why boys aren't reading anymore) in her office as she settled the students down and got them prepared. The interview went well as did the student talk. Lots of laughs and good discussion. Then, it was back to Bristol for a curry house dinner, a much-appreciated debriefing Skype with my smiling wife, and bed.
Wednesday: A light drizzle sprinkling down, Jayne drove me to QEH Bristol, a fabulously old school that serves the most incredible school lunches I've ever seen in my life. Roast chicken, quiche, pies, salads, jello, cakes… simply amazing. All students should eat this well. Actually, EVERYONE should always eat this well. Librarian Annette Robbins was very warm and welcoming and the reading and talk went off quite well. Jayne and I were invited to lunch (which we gladly accepted) and then it was off in the drizzle to Nailsea School. I must say that librarian Alex Jones had the students and staff at the school wonderfully prepared and it made for an absolutely amazing experience. Even though there was a technical glitch with showing my book trailer it didn't matter one bit. The students were amazing. Full of spirit and laughter and some of the best questions I think I have ever had in a session. Following the session I signed many books and then Jayne ushered me off to Bristol Airport to catch my flight to Edinburgh.
Where I sit at the moment. Having been taxied here by the nicest taxi driver (with the coolest Scottish brogue) I have ever been driven by and having just had a grand meal with tremendously energetic and entertaining Emma O'Donovan.
The hotel I am staying in is top notch and I am incredibly grateful for everyone at Templar for all they have been doing for me. I feel much too well looked after and I just hope I am able to repay the favor with book sales.
Wow. That was a much longer and adverb-filled blog than I had anticipated writing. But there you go.
If your too impatient to wait until these blogs are written and you'd like to find out things "as they happen" then you can follow me on Twitter.
And so, in short order:
Sunday: Had lunch with my step-son and some friends then tubed it back to the hotel and went for dinner with Helen Boyle, fiction publisher for Templar, and Damian Kelleher, journalist and YA novelist. We had Mexican. In London. Which you wouldn't expect to be good. But we went to a restaurant called Wahaca and it was wonderful. Tapas, tacos, taquitos. Tasty! Helen and Damian are both lovely people and I had an amazing time talking with them. They felt like old friends by the end of the evening and I was so glad we got to spend some time together. Damian will be interviewing me at the book launch on the 25th so it was really good to get to know him in advance.
Monday: Met Phillipa Perry, publicist extraordinaire, who trotted me off to the Tiffin Boys School in Kingston for the Kingston Festival. There we met Vanessa Howe, an incredibly enthusiastic and sweet librarian. I did a reading and talk for a great group of boys who laughed at all the right moments and then asked some great questions. Then, it was off to Paddington Station to catch a train to Bristol. Fell asleep on the train and woke with a start thinking I'd missed my stop. Thankfully, I hadn't, but I'd drooled, which was embarrassing. That evening I met Jayne Roscoe, another of Templar's impossibly kind employees, and had a fantastic meal and chat.
Tuesday: Burned off several layers of skin fumbling with the fifteen different strange shower knobs in the bathtub. Hurriedly got dressed, ran downstairs, and then mistakenly tried to get into the driver's side of Jayne's car (they drive on the other side of the road here, you know… I'd of course forgotten). Jayne drove me to Backwell School in Bristol where librarian Anne Gibson had organized a visit. Once again the students were very enthusiastic and attentive. This was followed by a second school visit at Broadoak Community College in North Somerset. Librarian Frances Trout was super-accomodating as I had a radio interview scheduled just at the beginning of my talk. Frances allowed me to do my ten minute interview (on why boys aren't reading anymore) in her office as she settled the students down and got them prepared. The interview went well as did the student talk. Lots of laughs and good discussion. Then, it was back to Bristol for a curry house dinner, a much-appreciated debriefing Skype with my smiling wife, and bed.
Wednesday: A light drizzle sprinkling down, Jayne drove me to QEH Bristol, a fabulously old school that serves the most incredible school lunches I've ever seen in my life. Roast chicken, quiche, pies, salads, jello, cakes… simply amazing. All students should eat this well. Actually, EVERYONE should always eat this well. Librarian Annette Robbins was very warm and welcoming and the reading and talk went off quite well. Jayne and I were invited to lunch (which we gladly accepted) and then it was off in the drizzle to Nailsea School. I must say that librarian Alex Jones had the students and staff at the school wonderfully prepared and it made for an absolutely amazing experience. Even though there was a technical glitch with showing my book trailer it didn't matter one bit. The students were amazing. Full of spirit and laughter and some of the best questions I think I have ever had in a session. Following the session I signed many books and then Jayne ushered me off to Bristol Airport to catch my flight to Edinburgh.
Where I sit at the moment. Having been taxied here by the nicest taxi driver (with the coolest Scottish brogue) I have ever been driven by and having just had a grand meal with tremendously energetic and entertaining Emma O'Donovan.
The hotel I am staying in is top notch and I am incredibly grateful for everyone at Templar for all they have been doing for me. I feel much too well looked after and I just hope I am able to repay the favor with book sales.
Wow. That was a much longer and adverb-filled blog than I had anticipated writing. But there you go.
If your too impatient to wait until these blogs are written and you'd like to find out things "as they happen" then you can follow me on Twitter.
May 15, 2011
UK Tour Day One
Got in on a Saturday and was dead tired. Should have slept more on the plane but there was food to be eaten and there were movies that had to be watched.
Well, one movie. Barney's Version. Which I enjoyed quite a bit. I am a huge Paul Giamatti fan. "Funny and touching" are extremely cliched terms but they apply to the film and I'm much too woozy-headed at the moment to come up with something better.
I floated off the plane in a jetlagged fog, passed through customs mumbling something about being an author on tour, got picked up by a driver (I hope he was mine, he was holding a sign with a name on it but my vision was fuzzy. I saw a D and a C and went with it).
Got to my hotel and checked in. Signed up for the internet (I have my priorities) and then tried to take a nap. It proved difficult. So I got up and stumbled around The National Gallery for a while. See my Twitter feed for what happened there. Oops.
Had an amazing meal with my step-son and his friends at Mr. Chow (I highly recommend the walnut glazed shrimp). Then tubed it back to my hotel, Skyped with my wife, and promptly passed out.
I still don't know who won last night's hockey game. I should go check that now.
Having dinner with Helen Boyle, Templar's fiction publisher, and reporter Damian Kellher this evening. Very excited about that.
Tomorrow I do the first of my readings at Tiffin Boys School. Can't wait!
More later…
Well, one movie. Barney's Version. Which I enjoyed quite a bit. I am a huge Paul Giamatti fan. "Funny and touching" are extremely cliched terms but they apply to the film and I'm much too woozy-headed at the moment to come up with something better.
I floated off the plane in a jetlagged fog, passed through customs mumbling something about being an author on tour, got picked up by a driver (I hope he was mine, he was holding a sign with a name on it but my vision was fuzzy. I saw a D and a C and went with it).
Got to my hotel and checked in. Signed up for the internet (I have my priorities) and then tried to take a nap. It proved difficult. So I got up and stumbled around The National Gallery for a while. See my Twitter feed for what happened there. Oops.
Had an amazing meal with my step-son and his friends at Mr. Chow (I highly recommend the walnut glazed shrimp). Then tubed it back to my hotel, Skyped with my wife, and promptly passed out.
I still don't know who won last night's hockey game. I should go check that now.
Having dinner with Helen Boyle, Templar's fiction publisher, and reporter Damian Kellher this evening. Very excited about that.
Tomorrow I do the first of my readings at Tiffin Boys School. Can't wait!
More later…
May 13, 2011
From Belleville to UK
Had an absolute blast in Belleville yesterday at the Voices from the Forest Event. A big thanks has to go out to Curriculum Coordinator Pearl Hucul who was the heroine hostess of the day. Also want to thank all of the teachers who brought their amazing student-readers out to hear from us authors (Allan Stratton, Courtney Summers, Rosemarie Boll, and me, of course.)
Now, I'm off to the UK for my incredible tour organized by the fabulous people at Templar. I seriously can't believe all they are doing for me. I am absolutely flabbergasted (don't you just love that word) at all of the events they have set up.
I'm not only going on a physical tour, which includes stops at the Kingston and Hay Festivals, but I am also going on a whirlwind virtual tour. Check out my UK guest blogging schedule below. So very cool!!!
Now, I'm off to the UK for my incredible tour organized by the fabulous people at Templar. I seriously can't believe all they are doing for me. I am absolutely flabbergasted (don't you just love that word) at all of the events they have set up.
I'm not only going on a physical tour, which includes stops at the Kingston and Hay Festivals, but I am also going on a whirlwind virtual tour. Check out my UK guest blogging schedule below. So very cool!!!
May 11, 2011
White Pine and Festival of Trees!
Just a fantastic day at OLA Forest of Reading Festival of Trees. What an amazing job everyone involved does in putting this celebration of literacy on!
For up to the minute (well, up to the minute at the time) updates, check out my Twitter feed.
I was very excited to be selected a White Pine Honour Book and be in such great company with all the other fantastic authors. Richard Scarsbrook took top honours with The Monekyface Chronicles. Kudos to Richard. It was really great meeting him and all the other authors. Thanks in particular to Natale Ghent author of Gravity Brings Me Down, who kept me entertained and informed throughout the entire White Pine proceedings.
Here are some quick snaps my wife and I took. It doesn't even come close to capturing how special the day was. Just loved spending time with all these readers. It was something I will never forget. If you look closely at the pictures of the stage you can see me, third from the left. Afterwards, I was swarmed by autograph seekers which was super fun. So glad so many people enjoyed the book!
For up to the minute (well, up to the minute at the time) updates, check out my Twitter feed.
I was very excited to be selected a White Pine Honour Book and be in such great company with all the other fantastic authors. Richard Scarsbrook took top honours with The Monekyface Chronicles. Kudos to Richard. It was really great meeting him and all the other authors. Thanks in particular to Natale Ghent author of Gravity Brings Me Down, who kept me entertained and informed throughout the entire White Pine proceedings.
Here are some quick snaps my wife and I took. It doesn't even come close to capturing how special the day was. Just loved spending time with all these readers. It was something I will never forget. If you look closely at the pictures of the stage you can see me, third from the left. Afterwards, I was swarmed by autograph seekers which was super fun. So glad so many people enjoyed the book!
May 10, 2011
Live From The Festival of Trees
I'll be TWEETING like a madman tomorrow (May 11th) live from the Festival of Trees in Toronto.
Want to know if I make it there in time?
Want to know if my lost sunglasses get returned to me?
Want to know if SWIM THE FLY wins The White Pine Award?
If you can't make it down for whatever reason, follow me and you can find out all this and more!
Want to know if I make it there in time?
Want to know if my lost sunglasses get returned to me?
Want to know if SWIM THE FLY wins The White Pine Award?
If you can't make it down for whatever reason, follow me and you can find out all this and more!
May 8, 2011
The World Needs More Ontario!
Before I forget, I'm on Twitter now, so you can follow me and my merry adventures. I promise to have a Twitter button soon but until then I'm just going to remind everyone on my blogs.
And now, onto the good stuff….
I've been having such an amazing time visiting schools and bookstores here in Ontario this past week. Regular readers of this blog have already been treated to my Ontario-stravaganza. But that was only part one of the story. Part two began on Thursday with visits to three incredible schools in Brantford.
Yes, THAT Brantford. Childhood home of Wayne Gretzky. To say they're proud of that fact would be an understatement.
And it's just the kind of sweet town you'd expect a person like The Great One to come from. Of course, I didn't have time to stop in and visit Walter (Wayne's dad for those of you living under a log) so that he could show me all the famed trophies and jerseys. I had more important business to attend to.
Like visiting Brantford Collegiate Institute and Bobbie Henley's White Pine Club kids. Bobbie, the unbelievably kind Head of Library, was responsible for arranging my visits to Brantford Collegiate as well as organizing my visits to Pauline Johnson Collegiate (in conjunction with the wonderful and wonderfully boisterous Theona Tice) and North Park Collegiate (with the incredibly dedicated teacher-librarian Pam Wilson-McCormick).
I can't say enough about the students and faculty that I met at these schools. Sometimes you just get a run of inspiring school visits where everything just goes well. With a lot of laughter, and great questions, and real interest from everyone. I seem to be getting a lot of these lately and I count myself incredibly lucky.
There were tons of highlights which included: being presented with a golden "Oscar" bunny at Brantford Collegiate for winning the White Pine "Oscar" at the school, the gifts of mugs and pens and coffee travel cups, the well-thought out student introductions at each of the presentations, the pizza and cheesecake cups, the autograph sessions which included requests to sign books, papers, napkins, shirts, cellphone cases, and a few Nintendo DS game systems.
Here are some pictures of me and the students.
Brantford Collegiate White Pine Club! (This group has great taste in books, I must say).
More students from Brantford Collegiate.
Here are some of the fab students at Pauline Johnson Collegiate.
And finally, my two biggest fans from North Park.
On Friday I was whisked around to a ton of great Indigo/Chapters stores as well as Mabel's Fables, one of the very coolest children's bookstores I have ever been to. If you are ever in Toronto be sure to visit Eleanor LeFave, Melissa Bourdon-King and Natalie Kertes (as well as Mabel, the sweetest cat I think I have ever seen). I was asked to sign their Wall of Authors which, I have to say, was a huge honor if a bit intimidating. You'd think, as a writer, I'd have marvelous phrases flowing from my fingertips, but no, I had to really think about what to write on their wall.
Last but not least, don't forget to come on down to Festival of Trees at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto on May 11th. I will be doing an autograph session from 10am to 11am at the Market Tents and then I will be doing a reading and talk with author Alyxandra Harvey at 11:30 at the Studio Theatre. Hope to see you there!
And now, onto the good stuff….
I've been having such an amazing time visiting schools and bookstores here in Ontario this past week. Regular readers of this blog have already been treated to my Ontario-stravaganza. But that was only part one of the story. Part two began on Thursday with visits to three incredible schools in Brantford.
Yes, THAT Brantford. Childhood home of Wayne Gretzky. To say they're proud of that fact would be an understatement.
And it's just the kind of sweet town you'd expect a person like The Great One to come from. Of course, I didn't have time to stop in and visit Walter (Wayne's dad for those of you living under a log) so that he could show me all the famed trophies and jerseys. I had more important business to attend to.
Like visiting Brantford Collegiate Institute and Bobbie Henley's White Pine Club kids. Bobbie, the unbelievably kind Head of Library, was responsible for arranging my visits to Brantford Collegiate as well as organizing my visits to Pauline Johnson Collegiate (in conjunction with the wonderful and wonderfully boisterous Theona Tice) and North Park Collegiate (with the incredibly dedicated teacher-librarian Pam Wilson-McCormick).
I can't say enough about the students and faculty that I met at these schools. Sometimes you just get a run of inspiring school visits where everything just goes well. With a lot of laughter, and great questions, and real interest from everyone. I seem to be getting a lot of these lately and I count myself incredibly lucky.
There were tons of highlights which included: being presented with a golden "Oscar" bunny at Brantford Collegiate for winning the White Pine "Oscar" at the school, the gifts of mugs and pens and coffee travel cups, the well-thought out student introductions at each of the presentations, the pizza and cheesecake cups, the autograph sessions which included requests to sign books, papers, napkins, shirts, cellphone cases, and a few Nintendo DS game systems.
Here are some pictures of me and the students.
Brantford Collegiate White Pine Club! (This group has great taste in books, I must say).
More students from Brantford Collegiate.
Here are some of the fab students at Pauline Johnson Collegiate.
And finally, my two biggest fans from North Park.
On Friday I was whisked around to a ton of great Indigo/Chapters stores as well as Mabel's Fables, one of the very coolest children's bookstores I have ever been to. If you are ever in Toronto be sure to visit Eleanor LeFave, Melissa Bourdon-King and Natalie Kertes (as well as Mabel, the sweetest cat I think I have ever seen). I was asked to sign their Wall of Authors which, I have to say, was a huge honor if a bit intimidating. You'd think, as a writer, I'd have marvelous phrases flowing from my fingertips, but no, I had to really think about what to write on their wall.
Last but not least, don't forget to come on down to Festival of Trees at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto on May 11th. I will be doing an autograph session from 10am to 11am at the Market Tents and then I will be doing a reading and talk with author Alyxandra Harvey at 11:30 at the Studio Theatre. Hope to see you there!
May 6, 2011
The Inside Scoop
Kelly Miller, the wonder-teacher from Platte City Middle School, writes about her students' reaction to SWIM THE FLY on the School Library Journal E-Newsletter.
Give it a read if you have a moment. It made me feel warm and fuzzy all over again!
Out and about signing books at a bunch of stores in the Toronto area today with Nicola, Jennifer, and Anne from Random House Canada. Had a great lunch with some super-fun booksellers from Indigo/Chapters and Kobo as well. Thanks, Melanie, Jennifer, Brenda, Anne, and Eva for a wonderful time!
Lots of school and book store visits to write about, which I will get to this weekend, I promise. Many pictures will be posted.
Also, thanks to the encouragement of my new Indigo/Chapters/Kobo friends I've started Tweeting. You can follow me @doncalame
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Give it a read if you have a moment. It made me feel warm and fuzzy all over again!
Out and about signing books at a bunch of stores in the Toronto area today with Nicola, Jennifer, and Anne from Random House Canada. Had a great lunch with some super-fun booksellers from Indigo/Chapters and Kobo as well. Thanks, Melanie, Jennifer, Brenda, Anne, and Eva for a wonderful time!
Lots of school and book store visits to write about, which I will get to this weekend, I promise. Many pictures will be posted.
Also, thanks to the encouragement of my new Indigo/Chapters/Kobo friends I've started Tweeting. You can follow me @doncalame
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
May 3, 2011
Ontario-stravaganza!
Add "-stravaganza" and an exclamation point to anything and you can give that "anything" a real sense of spectacle.
Or, maybe not.
I guess a lot of times people just use the "-stravaganza" suffix indiscriminately. Slapping it on willy-nilly. Pizza-stravaganza! Music-stravaganza! Ham-stravaganza!
Still, in this particular case, I think it fits the bill because my travels across the province of Ontario have been full of adventure and excitement. I've been tooling all over the last few days visiting some really great schools and meeting some wonderful students.
We're staying in downtown Toronto and I've rented a car to drive myself to all the readings. Some are close while others are hours away. If you've never driven in Toronto (which I never had until now) it can be an interesting experience. Especially when you have the UFC in town and sixty-thousand people milling about who want to attend. I don't think I've experienced traffic like that since my days in New York.
On Monday I got to drive out to Oshawa where I met Tiffany Pahman, a super-nice Teen Services Librarian from the Oshawa Public Libraries. Tiffany organized two readings for the day. One at Eastdale and the other at O'Neill. Both sessions went well with some great writerly questions from the teens. I talked myself hoarse—which I tend to do at these things—discussing everything from first drafts, to screenplays, to book covers.
Today - Tuesday - I got to speak with three more sets of students. Two at East York and one at Marc Garneau. Jane Waters, the librarian at East York, arranged for two readings at her school along with a raffle for a copy of SWIM THE FLY and BEAT THE BAND. She was incredibly sweet and kind and wouldn't let me leave until she was sure I had perfect directions to the next school I was attending.
At Marc Garneau, Sara-Jane Figliano, had a pizza lunch all ready for me because she knew I was running around from school to school today. She invited several classes of students including her White Pine Book Club. It was a great group who laughed quite a bit with a few keen writers who had some intriguing authorly questions.
Speaking of the White Pine Award, guess what's just around the corner? If you guessed the announcement of the White Pine Award at the Festival of Trees right here in Toronto on May 11th, well, then, you were paying attention to the beginning of this paragraph. I've got all my fingers and toes crossed - which can prove painful at times and inconvenient at others - that I win the award. I'd like to say that I'm just happy to be nominated - and I AM just happy to be nominated, of course - but let's not kid ourselves here. I'd love to win even more.
But the votes are already in, so I can't sway anyone at this point. Most of the nominees will be at the ceremony so it should be a fun time. It's an eclectic mix of books on the list and so, it's anyone's guess who the teens voted for. But the reason I'm most grateful for having been nominated is that it's given me the opportunity to come out to Ontario and to visit all these great schools and to participate in the Festival of Trees.
Tomorrow is a rare day off and then it's more readings on Thursday, which I will report back to you on over the weekend.
And now, it's time to get ready for the Canucks/Predators Playoff game. These damn Canucks seem to want to give me a heart attack or something. I sincerely hope we're not headed to another game seven situation here again. I don't know if I could take it.
Oh, and hey, it looks like the THOR movie has gotten some great reviews. I wasn't so sure I wanted to see this one (though I am a sucker for superhero movies). Now, though, it looks like I'll have to get out to the theatres this weekend. Let me know if you get to see it and what you thought.
And last but not least, here are the promised pictures from my readings from Gretna, Nebraska. Kari Bulgrin sent them to me (TWICE! - the first set having gotten lost somewhere in cyberspace), so thank you, Kari.
Or, maybe not.
I guess a lot of times people just use the "-stravaganza" suffix indiscriminately. Slapping it on willy-nilly. Pizza-stravaganza! Music-stravaganza! Ham-stravaganza!
Still, in this particular case, I think it fits the bill because my travels across the province of Ontario have been full of adventure and excitement. I've been tooling all over the last few days visiting some really great schools and meeting some wonderful students.
We're staying in downtown Toronto and I've rented a car to drive myself to all the readings. Some are close while others are hours away. If you've never driven in Toronto (which I never had until now) it can be an interesting experience. Especially when you have the UFC in town and sixty-thousand people milling about who want to attend. I don't think I've experienced traffic like that since my days in New York.
On Monday I got to drive out to Oshawa where I met Tiffany Pahman, a super-nice Teen Services Librarian from the Oshawa Public Libraries. Tiffany organized two readings for the day. One at Eastdale and the other at O'Neill. Both sessions went well with some great writerly questions from the teens. I talked myself hoarse—which I tend to do at these things—discussing everything from first drafts, to screenplays, to book covers.
Today - Tuesday - I got to speak with three more sets of students. Two at East York and one at Marc Garneau. Jane Waters, the librarian at East York, arranged for two readings at her school along with a raffle for a copy of SWIM THE FLY and BEAT THE BAND. She was incredibly sweet and kind and wouldn't let me leave until she was sure I had perfect directions to the next school I was attending.
At Marc Garneau, Sara-Jane Figliano, had a pizza lunch all ready for me because she knew I was running around from school to school today. She invited several classes of students including her White Pine Book Club. It was a great group who laughed quite a bit with a few keen writers who had some intriguing authorly questions.
Speaking of the White Pine Award, guess what's just around the corner? If you guessed the announcement of the White Pine Award at the Festival of Trees right here in Toronto on May 11th, well, then, you were paying attention to the beginning of this paragraph. I've got all my fingers and toes crossed - which can prove painful at times and inconvenient at others - that I win the award. I'd like to say that I'm just happy to be nominated - and I AM just happy to be nominated, of course - but let's not kid ourselves here. I'd love to win even more.
But the votes are already in, so I can't sway anyone at this point. Most of the nominees will be at the ceremony so it should be a fun time. It's an eclectic mix of books on the list and so, it's anyone's guess who the teens voted for. But the reason I'm most grateful for having been nominated is that it's given me the opportunity to come out to Ontario and to visit all these great schools and to participate in the Festival of Trees.
Tomorrow is a rare day off and then it's more readings on Thursday, which I will report back to you on over the weekend.
And now, it's time to get ready for the Canucks/Predators Playoff game. These damn Canucks seem to want to give me a heart attack or something. I sincerely hope we're not headed to another game seven situation here again. I don't know if I could take it.
Oh, and hey, it looks like the THOR movie has gotten some great reviews. I wasn't so sure I wanted to see this one (though I am a sucker for superhero movies). Now, though, it looks like I'll have to get out to the theatres this weekend. Let me know if you get to see it and what you thought.
And last but not least, here are the promised pictures from my readings from Gretna, Nebraska. Kari Bulgrin sent them to me (TWICE! - the first set having gotten lost somewhere in cyberspace), so thank you, Kari.
April 24, 2011
Midwest Mania!!!! (Part Two)
My original plan was to write just one blog about my awesome visit to the Midwest but as I was writing and writing and writing I found there was just too much to pack into a single blog. Unfortunately for you I was a little lax in getting many photographs for this section of the story (well, except for my attempts at capturing springtime in KC, which I will slap on to the end of this blog).
And so, here we commence with Part Two! Got your popcorn? Your comfy chair? A beverage of some sort? All right then. Let's get started…
One of the great things about going out and visiting schools and libraries (besides reading and speaking with the kids, of course) is meeting amazing teachers and librarians like Kari Bulgrin and Kelly Miller, who are so passionate about getting kids to read. It really charges me up to go back and write more books. It gives me hope that there are people out in the world who really care about what they are doing.
Another such person is Crystal Faris, Librarian Extraordinaire for the Kansas City Library. Not only is Crystal out there on the front lines trying to get good books into kids' hands, she also has a very high tolerance for fart jokes. Crystal spent the entire day driving me around from school to school to school to library (to a tasty barbecue restaurant as a grand finale), listening to me read on and on about "noxious boomers" and "thundering buttquakes." All the while smiling and laughing as we went.
Crystal picked me up at 8:00 am from my very lovely hotel (thanks for the recommendation, Mrs. Miller):
Don't let the scaffolding fool you. This is a beautiful place to stay if you're ever in Kansas City. I was lucky enough to get a really good rate (maybe due to the construction) and so even though they are doing some renovations, I wasn't bothered in the least.
We then proceeded to drive (well, Crystal drove and I just blabbed on about stuff) about forty five minutes outside KC to the town of Bonner Springs. When we arrived at Bonner Springs High School I was ushered into the auditorium where I was told there might be twenty students or two hundred students, depending out who showed up. Well, by the time my scheduled talk began, the entire auditorium was packed. I couldn't believe it. I shifted the microphone from the floor to the stage so that I could see everyone and then proceeded to gross everyone out by reading a lovely piece about Cooper using "the pungency of the flatus" to try and scare Helen Harriwick away.
It was a really fun time. The students were laughing out loud during the reading and had a ton of great questions to follow. The time just flew by and I was so glad we had made the trip out to Bonner Springs for this visit. Crystal said she loved listening to the kids comments as they left the auditorium. She heard one boy say, "I thought that was going to be boring but it was really fun."
After Bonner Springs, Crystal drove us back to Kansas City and gave me the grand tour of the downtown Kansas City Library. I really wish I had taken pictures of it because it has to be one of the most beautiful libraries I have ever been in. It used to be an old bank building and old bank buildings are generally gorgeous. At least, in my experience. Well, my experience really only extends to The Hockey Hall of Fame and now the Kansas City Library. But take my word for it. If ever you find yourself in Kansas City, take a trip to the library. And make sure you go downstairs to see their little screening room which is a converted bank vault. Super cool!!!
After a visit to the library we made stops at two inner city schools. East and Central. The librarians there each have organized a book club (with the help of Mary, another amazing youth services librarian for Kansas City) set up for their kids. These students give up their lunch time to come to book club, which is awesome. I read to each group of kids and we had some great discussions about the writing process and movies and screenwriting. Once again I have to apologize for not having my camera at the ready. I used to be so good at taking snapshots but ever since I bought my fancy new camera I generally take it out to try and shoot "artistic" photos. Sometimes I do miss my little point-and-shoot camera.
Anyway, I did manage to get one shot of the students at East High School. This is the "straight" shot. We did one where we were all holding our noses (to block out Coop's zesty odor) but I did not get that one on film.
Following these two school readings, Crystal took me by THE READING REPTILE bookshop where I met Pete Cowdin, one of the owners. Pete was instrumental in helping organize my school visits. He has a reputation for being a bit of a curmudgeon but I found him quite nice. He's also written a very cool children's book called FORTUNE COOKIES under the pen name Albert Bitterman. The store is warm and inviting. Decorated with beautiful and colorful paper mache sculptures done by Pete's wife, Debbie.
Crystal and I grabbed a quick bite and then she dropped me off for a little down time at my hotel. I'll spare you the details of my email writing, hockey score checking, and teeth brushing. Suffice it to say, I had about an hour to recover my voice before heading off to the Kansas City Library, Plaza Branch:
With evening library visits you're never sure who (or if anyone) is going to show up. I was happy just to chat with Crystal and April Roy (the Children's Services Librarian). We made plans to go out for barbecue after the reading as we waited to see if anyone would arrive.
Luckily for me, two families came by with their teenage boys (a mom with her son and daughter, a super-cool grandma with her grandson who was visiting from Massachusetts, and a very sweet gentleman who hung out just outside our circle). And so we spent an hour hanging out, reading and talking books and writing. It was a really nice time and I enjoyed the more intimate setting. It was a perfect cap to my day.
Following the reading I had the pleasure of devouring some amazing barbecue in the company of some of Kansas City's funniest and sweet librarians.
I could have spent the entire evening eating and drinking and talking with them but I had to get up at forty-thirty the next morning to catch my plane home.
There are a ton of details and people I'm sure I've left out (and certainly not on purpose) but I think you get the gist of how special this trip was. At least, I hope you do. If I've left things out or forgotten names here and there it is entirely the fault of my sieve-like brain and I do apologize for that. There wasn't a person I met on this journey who wasn't incredibly gracious and kind to me. (Well, okay, there was this one lady on one of my flights who was fairly rude and entitled, but other than that, I have only wonderful memories of the people I met in Nebraska and Missouri).
And now, for all your patience and persistence in reading about my adventures, I give you my photo essay on springtime (and other random stuff) in Kansas City:
And so, here we commence with Part Two! Got your popcorn? Your comfy chair? A beverage of some sort? All right then. Let's get started…
One of the great things about going out and visiting schools and libraries (besides reading and speaking with the kids, of course) is meeting amazing teachers and librarians like Kari Bulgrin and Kelly Miller, who are so passionate about getting kids to read. It really charges me up to go back and write more books. It gives me hope that there are people out in the world who really care about what they are doing.
Another such person is Crystal Faris, Librarian Extraordinaire for the Kansas City Library. Not only is Crystal out there on the front lines trying to get good books into kids' hands, she also has a very high tolerance for fart jokes. Crystal spent the entire day driving me around from school to school to school to library (to a tasty barbecue restaurant as a grand finale), listening to me read on and on about "noxious boomers" and "thundering buttquakes." All the while smiling and laughing as we went.
Crystal picked me up at 8:00 am from my very lovely hotel (thanks for the recommendation, Mrs. Miller):
Don't let the scaffolding fool you. This is a beautiful place to stay if you're ever in Kansas City. I was lucky enough to get a really good rate (maybe due to the construction) and so even though they are doing some renovations, I wasn't bothered in the least.
We then proceeded to drive (well, Crystal drove and I just blabbed on about stuff) about forty five minutes outside KC to the town of Bonner Springs. When we arrived at Bonner Springs High School I was ushered into the auditorium where I was told there might be twenty students or two hundred students, depending out who showed up. Well, by the time my scheduled talk began, the entire auditorium was packed. I couldn't believe it. I shifted the microphone from the floor to the stage so that I could see everyone and then proceeded to gross everyone out by reading a lovely piece about Cooper using "the pungency of the flatus" to try and scare Helen Harriwick away.
It was a really fun time. The students were laughing out loud during the reading and had a ton of great questions to follow. The time just flew by and I was so glad we had made the trip out to Bonner Springs for this visit. Crystal said she loved listening to the kids comments as they left the auditorium. She heard one boy say, "I thought that was going to be boring but it was really fun."
After Bonner Springs, Crystal drove us back to Kansas City and gave me the grand tour of the downtown Kansas City Library. I really wish I had taken pictures of it because it has to be one of the most beautiful libraries I have ever been in. It used to be an old bank building and old bank buildings are generally gorgeous. At least, in my experience. Well, my experience really only extends to The Hockey Hall of Fame and now the Kansas City Library. But take my word for it. If ever you find yourself in Kansas City, take a trip to the library. And make sure you go downstairs to see their little screening room which is a converted bank vault. Super cool!!!
After a visit to the library we made stops at two inner city schools. East and Central. The librarians there each have organized a book club (with the help of Mary, another amazing youth services librarian for Kansas City) set up for their kids. These students give up their lunch time to come to book club, which is awesome. I read to each group of kids and we had some great discussions about the writing process and movies and screenwriting. Once again I have to apologize for not having my camera at the ready. I used to be so good at taking snapshots but ever since I bought my fancy new camera I generally take it out to try and shoot "artistic" photos. Sometimes I do miss my little point-and-shoot camera.
Anyway, I did manage to get one shot of the students at East High School. This is the "straight" shot. We did one where we were all holding our noses (to block out Coop's zesty odor) but I did not get that one on film.
Following these two school readings, Crystal took me by THE READING REPTILE bookshop where I met Pete Cowdin, one of the owners. Pete was instrumental in helping organize my school visits. He has a reputation for being a bit of a curmudgeon but I found him quite nice. He's also written a very cool children's book called FORTUNE COOKIES under the pen name Albert Bitterman. The store is warm and inviting. Decorated with beautiful and colorful paper mache sculptures done by Pete's wife, Debbie.
Crystal and I grabbed a quick bite and then she dropped me off for a little down time at my hotel. I'll spare you the details of my email writing, hockey score checking, and teeth brushing. Suffice it to say, I had about an hour to recover my voice before heading off to the Kansas City Library, Plaza Branch:
With evening library visits you're never sure who (or if anyone) is going to show up. I was happy just to chat with Crystal and April Roy (the Children's Services Librarian). We made plans to go out for barbecue after the reading as we waited to see if anyone would arrive.
Luckily for me, two families came by with their teenage boys (a mom with her son and daughter, a super-cool grandma with her grandson who was visiting from Massachusetts, and a very sweet gentleman who hung out just outside our circle). And so we spent an hour hanging out, reading and talking books and writing. It was a really nice time and I enjoyed the more intimate setting. It was a perfect cap to my day.
Following the reading I had the pleasure of devouring some amazing barbecue in the company of some of Kansas City's funniest and sweet librarians.
I could have spent the entire evening eating and drinking and talking with them but I had to get up at forty-thirty the next morning to catch my plane home.
There are a ton of details and people I'm sure I've left out (and certainly not on purpose) but I think you get the gist of how special this trip was. At least, I hope you do. If I've left things out or forgotten names here and there it is entirely the fault of my sieve-like brain and I do apologize for that. There wasn't a person I met on this journey who wasn't incredibly gracious and kind to me. (Well, okay, there was this one lady on one of my flights who was fairly rude and entitled, but other than that, I have only wonderful memories of the people I met in Nebraska and Missouri).
And now, for all your patience and persistence in reading about my adventures, I give you my photo essay on springtime (and other random stuff) in Kansas City:
April 23, 2011
Midwest Mania!!!! (Part One)
Sit back. Relax. Make a cup of tea. Maybe a little popcorn. This is going to be a long blog entry. I will try not to go on too, too long, but I am so filled with the excitement of this past week's visit to the Midwest that I'm not sure I will be able to contain myself. Plus, there will be a few pictures here and there to keep you entertained.
And so, here we go:
I am a coastal guy. I grew up on the east coast of the United States, spent quite a few years on the west coast and now make my home on the west coast of Canada. I love the ocean, and the mountains, and the trees. I've driven through the midwest twice (from New York to California and back again) but I'd be hard pressed to tell you what states I actually drove through. I don't think it was Missouri or Omaha (but I could be wrong, in which case I apologize for lying and saying to the students that I'd never been to either state).
What I do remember from the drive were long stretches of flat lands and open fields and big skies. People from the middle provinces of Canada often say they can't spend too much time on the west coast because of all the mountains and big tall trees. They're beautiful, they say, but they can't get over the feeling of claustrophobia and being closed in.
And I can understand that, especially if you've grown up being able to see a storm rolling in from three hours away over the plains.
I got to experience some of those crazy midwestern storms firsthand on my whirlwind tour this past week. Thunder, and lightning, and tornado warnings, and powerful sheets of torrential rain.
But what I got to experience alongside all that fun weather were several groups of amazing and inspiring students, as well as quite a few warm, kind, open-hearted, and passionate teachers and librarians.
The tour started off in Gretna, Nebraska (a city of about four thousand and just a stone's throw from Omaha). Kari Bulgrin, the librarian at Gretna High School, got in touch with me when she saw on my blog that I was planning on visiting Platte City Middle School in Missouri. She asked if I wouldn't mind popping down to the Omaha area to visit her school since I was already going to be in the Midwest. And am I ever glad that I did. Kari is an incredible librarian (and an incredibly nice person, to boot) who is obviously well-loved by the students at the school. I had a chance to read and speak with three groups of fun and bright students as well as meeting and talking to many of the wonderful staff at the school over a lunch of tasty pizza.
It was a fantastic and energizing day in which I got to read aloud from BEAT THE BAND for the very first time. I read three separate pieces from the two books but I think the explosive flatulence section went over the best!
I've asked Mrs. Bulgrin to send along some photos because I was so wrapped up in doing my presentations that I completely forgot to snap some myself. I am hoping she will email me a few so that I can post them here on my blog.
Next up was my scary and bumpy flights to St. Louis and onto Kansas City. Luckily, my connecting flight was delayed because my first flight had to circle the airport for nearly an hour until the thunderstorm had passed. I had visions of having to rent a car and drive the four hours from St. Louis to Kansas City. And I would have because there was no way I could miss my visit to Platte City, Missouri - which was the whole reason I planned this trip in the first place.
The short version of the story for this visit is that Kelly Miller, a Communication Arts Teacher from Platte City, Missouri wrote me an impassioned email last July about how my book, SWIM THE FLY, had changed her students reading lives. How many of them did not enjoy reading and how now, after having been exposed to my book, these same students (particularly the boys) started actually enjoying to read. Her letter really moved me (this had been my dream for SWIM THE FLY from the very start) and so I sent it on to my publisher. Well, my amazing publisher (Candlewick Press) sent along an advanced reading copy of my (at that time) not-yet-published book BEAT THE BAND, while I wrote (at Mrs. Miller's request) a letter explaining why I thought reading was so important.
I thought things would end there. A few emails back and forth and that's it.
Well, thirty emails later and a suggestion from my editor to sponsor a contest for Mrs. Miller's class (where the boy and girl who read the most books for the year would get a character in the new book named after them), I found myself booking a flight down to Kansas City where I would visit Platte City Middle School along with several other Kansas City high schools, as well as doing a presentation for the GUYS READ series at the (incredibly beautiful) Kansas City Library.
When I finally arrived in KC I stayed at an airport hotel for the first evening and then was picked up by Mrs. Miller in the morning. She was spot on time and I knew that the day was going to be exciting when she handed me her detailed agenda (plotted out in ten minute increments, I think).
As soon as we arrived at Platte City Middle School:
I saw the first of the surprises:
And here is Mrs. Miller and I posing in front of the first surprise:
The day just took off from there. I met the principal from Platte City Middle School, Chris Miller, as well as a reporter from the Kansas City Star, Joe Robertson.
I then met the super cool librarian:
I met one of Mrs. Miller's class where a couple of the students were showing their BEAT THE BAND spirit:
Mrs. Miller's class had me take their class test on SWIM THE FLY and BEAT THE BAND (I got a hundred percent on both, thank you very much. Truth be told, I was a little scared I might not do so well, not having read the entire books for quite some time).
I was then ushered into a press conference where I was interviewed by Terra Hall from Fox 4 News (the story can be seen in my last blog entry).
This was followed by a very short lunch break and then the real festivities began.
So many exciting things happened during the assembly that I'm afraid I might not be able to remember them all but I will try.
There was a rock band:
There was a reading and some questions and answers.
There was a student dressed up like Matt when he tries to sneak into the girls' locker room.
There was a fan letter written and read by one of the students:
There was a presentation of gifts by a group of Mrs. Miller's girls—night vision goggles and a laser pen—that Cooper might like.
There was a framed pair of Matt's (pre-soiled) boxer shorts:
The band presented me with my very own BEAT THE BAND T-shirt.
I read a little more and then I signed a ton of the students' books.
It was AMAZING! Something I will never forget as long as I live. It's impossible to put into words what an incredible experience this was. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever get this kind of reception from a group of students. I am SO glad I wrote back to Mrs. Miller and that we arranged for me to visit.
And this was only day two of my trip. There was so much more to come.
TO BE CONTINUED…..
And so, here we go:
I am a coastal guy. I grew up on the east coast of the United States, spent quite a few years on the west coast and now make my home on the west coast of Canada. I love the ocean, and the mountains, and the trees. I've driven through the midwest twice (from New York to California and back again) but I'd be hard pressed to tell you what states I actually drove through. I don't think it was Missouri or Omaha (but I could be wrong, in which case I apologize for lying and saying to the students that I'd never been to either state).
What I do remember from the drive were long stretches of flat lands and open fields and big skies. People from the middle provinces of Canada often say they can't spend too much time on the west coast because of all the mountains and big tall trees. They're beautiful, they say, but they can't get over the feeling of claustrophobia and being closed in.
And I can understand that, especially if you've grown up being able to see a storm rolling in from three hours away over the plains.
I got to experience some of those crazy midwestern storms firsthand on my whirlwind tour this past week. Thunder, and lightning, and tornado warnings, and powerful sheets of torrential rain.
But what I got to experience alongside all that fun weather were several groups of amazing and inspiring students, as well as quite a few warm, kind, open-hearted, and passionate teachers and librarians.
The tour started off in Gretna, Nebraska (a city of about four thousand and just a stone's throw from Omaha). Kari Bulgrin, the librarian at Gretna High School, got in touch with me when she saw on my blog that I was planning on visiting Platte City Middle School in Missouri. She asked if I wouldn't mind popping down to the Omaha area to visit her school since I was already going to be in the Midwest. And am I ever glad that I did. Kari is an incredible librarian (and an incredibly nice person, to boot) who is obviously well-loved by the students at the school. I had a chance to read and speak with three groups of fun and bright students as well as meeting and talking to many of the wonderful staff at the school over a lunch of tasty pizza.
It was a fantastic and energizing day in which I got to read aloud from BEAT THE BAND for the very first time. I read three separate pieces from the two books but I think the explosive flatulence section went over the best!
I've asked Mrs. Bulgrin to send along some photos because I was so wrapped up in doing my presentations that I completely forgot to snap some myself. I am hoping she will email me a few so that I can post them here on my blog.
Next up was my scary and bumpy flights to St. Louis and onto Kansas City. Luckily, my connecting flight was delayed because my first flight had to circle the airport for nearly an hour until the thunderstorm had passed. I had visions of having to rent a car and drive the four hours from St. Louis to Kansas City. And I would have because there was no way I could miss my visit to Platte City, Missouri - which was the whole reason I planned this trip in the first place.
The short version of the story for this visit is that Kelly Miller, a Communication Arts Teacher from Platte City, Missouri wrote me an impassioned email last July about how my book, SWIM THE FLY, had changed her students reading lives. How many of them did not enjoy reading and how now, after having been exposed to my book, these same students (particularly the boys) started actually enjoying to read. Her letter really moved me (this had been my dream for SWIM THE FLY from the very start) and so I sent it on to my publisher. Well, my amazing publisher (Candlewick Press) sent along an advanced reading copy of my (at that time) not-yet-published book BEAT THE BAND, while I wrote (at Mrs. Miller's request) a letter explaining why I thought reading was so important.
I thought things would end there. A few emails back and forth and that's it.
Well, thirty emails later and a suggestion from my editor to sponsor a contest for Mrs. Miller's class (where the boy and girl who read the most books for the year would get a character in the new book named after them), I found myself booking a flight down to Kansas City where I would visit Platte City Middle School along with several other Kansas City high schools, as well as doing a presentation for the GUYS READ series at the (incredibly beautiful) Kansas City Library.
When I finally arrived in KC I stayed at an airport hotel for the first evening and then was picked up by Mrs. Miller in the morning. She was spot on time and I knew that the day was going to be exciting when she handed me her detailed agenda (plotted out in ten minute increments, I think).
As soon as we arrived at Platte City Middle School:
I saw the first of the surprises:
And here is Mrs. Miller and I posing in front of the first surprise:
The day just took off from there. I met the principal from Platte City Middle School, Chris Miller, as well as a reporter from the Kansas City Star, Joe Robertson.
I then met the super cool librarian:
I met one of Mrs. Miller's class where a couple of the students were showing their BEAT THE BAND spirit:
Mrs. Miller's class had me take their class test on SWIM THE FLY and BEAT THE BAND (I got a hundred percent on both, thank you very much. Truth be told, I was a little scared I might not do so well, not having read the entire books for quite some time).
I was then ushered into a press conference where I was interviewed by Terra Hall from Fox 4 News (the story can be seen in my last blog entry).
This was followed by a very short lunch break and then the real festivities began.
So many exciting things happened during the assembly that I'm afraid I might not be able to remember them all but I will try.
There was a rock band:
There was a reading and some questions and answers.
There was a student dressed up like Matt when he tries to sneak into the girls' locker room.
There was a fan letter written and read by one of the students:
There was a presentation of gifts by a group of Mrs. Miller's girls—night vision goggles and a laser pen—that Cooper might like.
There was a framed pair of Matt's (pre-soiled) boxer shorts:
The band presented me with my very own BEAT THE BAND T-shirt.
I read a little more and then I signed a ton of the students' books.
It was AMAZING! Something I will never forget as long as I live. It's impossible to put into words what an incredible experience this was. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever get this kind of reception from a group of students. I am SO glad I wrote back to Mrs. Miller and that we arranged for me to visit.
And this was only day two of my trip. There was so much more to come.
TO BE CONTINUED…..
