Willow Awards + Saskatoon's Literary Elite

So I flew to Saskatoon on Sunday for the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards ... but before I get to the awards, let me tell you about the coincidental run-ins I had with some of Saskatoon's literary elite.

First, I had dinner with Arthur Slade and Brenda Baker. This was not a coincidence, I confess. I have met Arthur at a number of YA events. He and his wife are the bee's knees. He has written many highly successful YA books, and guess what: She is an author, too (as well as being a musician and children's performer). They are a multi-talented family and lovely hosts!

Then, on Monday, I visited four Saskatoon schools. At the first one I saw a mom and dad come into the library. I thought, "That looks like Alice Kuipers, author of Life on the Refrigerator Door and The Worst Thing She Ever Did." How did I know this, you ask? Because I moderated a panel she was on at the Vancouver Writers' Festival in the fall. And, of course it was her - and her husband, Yann Martel, author of two little books called Beatrice and Virgil and Life of Pi. You may have heard of them. :-)

I thought this was rather amazing. Although now I'm beginning to suspect that Saskatoon is FULL of well-known and highly regarded authors ... they're lurking about everywhere!

Me, Alice Kuipers and Yann Martel

But on to the Willow Awards ...

This was one of the images awaiting me (and author Arthur Slade - we saw a lot of each other while I was in his province) when we arrived at John Diefenbaker School in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan on Tuesday, April 12. We were there for the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards. I'd been told it was quite a production, but even though I'm a writer with an active imagination, I couldn't believe it till I saw it!

The school put on an AMAZING afternoon. The ceremony itself was incredible. After a delicious catered lunch, we were brought in to the gym with bagpipes. The Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, Gordon L. Barnhardt, was there, and he gave an inspiring speech.

Then Florence Barton, one of the key organizers of SYRCA (and a lovely woman, who picked me up at the airport in Saskatoon, chauffeured me from school to school the next day, drove me to Prince Albert and back, and booked me into a wonderful B and B - oh, and took me out to dinner with the teacher-librarian and library technician from John Diefenbaker School) said a few words.

The kids then sang an incredible song called "Hooked on Books," written by their music teacher. What a great performance! Oh yeah, and the school band played, too! AND they had a red carpet for the books in each category (there are three categories - Shining, Diamond and Snow) - the kids marched each book (ten in each category) down the middle of the gym. It was like an Oscars for books.

Eventually they announced the winners: Melanie Watt for "Scaredy Squirrel" (she couldn't be there but sent a video), Arthur Slade for "Jolted," and Susin Nielsen for "Word Nerd."

That's me doing my acceptance speech, above.

And that's Naomi Kral and I, another of the organizers, at the tea afterward.

Tammy McHenry-Vick (Teacher-librarian at John Diefenbaker), Arthur Slade (Diamond winner for Jolted), me, and Linda Calder-Aydt (cohost with Tammy). I don't know how these two women managed to put on such a wonderful day!

Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store

I want to tell you about THE MOST AWESOME STORE EVER. My son and I visited it when we were in New York. I don't know how they'd feel about me writing about it - but since I suspect my 32 followers are superheroes, not villains, perhaps it is safe.

The place: Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.



If you click on the above link it will tell you it's temporarily closed, but it was very much open when we were there (I think the website might be a villain-diversion-tactic). I believe this is the second store opened under the guidance of writer Dave Eggers (whom I adore). The first is a store in San Francisco that sells pirate supplies.

At Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co (which is run entirely by an amazing team of volunteers) you can: Test out capes in their wind machine;

Get devillainized;



Purchase a secret identity kit, superhero capes, tights, belts, anti-bug-splatter visors, various not-very-harmful weaponry, night vision goggles, spying devices, plus cans of Doom, Gloom, Intelligence, Matter and Anti-Matter. There are also posters on stopping sidekick abuse.

When you make your purchases you must read the superhero vow out loud (no exceptions) in front of the entire store - and you must include your superhero name.



But best of all ... behind a secret door is a room filled with desks, chairs and books. This is the real purpose behind this delightful store. Well, let me explain it in their own words:

"826NYC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. With this in mind we provide drop-in tutoring, field trips, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications. All of our free programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student's power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual voice."

If I lived there, I would volunteer. Oh, how I would love to start a chapter in Vancouver. I believe you must have your own storefront idea, and I don't know if Canadian laws would allow something like this ... but it's worth investigating.

For the record, I bought a collection of students' writings at the Superhero Supply Store (along with a tin of Doom, and a symbiote for my son). It is some of the funniest, most poignant writing I have ever read.