My comics talk at Fairview Branch here in Toronto was a hit, or as one participant said: “totally awesome!” About 50 kids crammed into the library’s meeting room for a fun-filled hour of Max Finder Mystery crime-busting and comic making. Thanks to Susan and Iman for helping make my visit a success.
But that was Wednesday. I know you’re all dying to know what I did yesterday. Well, I met fellow kids writer Marty Chan for a bit of lunch and author-type conversation. Marty is a writer across many media and I admire that. In addition to writing a series of kids books, he also writes for radio, TV and the stage. That’s why he’s in Toronto and not his home in Edmonton. His new one-person show, God’s Eye, will be read at this weekend’s Dim Sum Festival happening at the Harbourfront Centre. Admission is free and it’s suitable for kids, so bring the whole family!
It was a lot of fun to meet Marty and another step in me shedding my old hermit habits, which I think is called growth.
Ok, back to work for me. Deadlines to meet.
Tomorrow might seem like an ordinary Wednesday to you, but did you know it’s the day the Max Finder Mystery Roadshow makes its triumphant return? It’s true!
If you’re in Toronto and got a hankering for see how comics are made, then come on out to the Fairview branch of the Toronto Public Library for 6:30 pm and all your comic dreams will come true! No word of a lie. (okay, maybe a few words but I’m not saying which ones.)
Thanks again to the TPL for inviting me to take part in their summer series of events. It promises to be a fun night.
The school year might be over, but that’s not stopping the Max Finder Mystery Roadshow from hitting the streets this summer. In the coming weeks, I’ll be showing kids how comics are created at these great locations:
July 18th – Fairview Public Library. If you’re in Toronto come out to the Fairview branch at 6:30 pm for a special presentation of Behind the Panels: How Comics are Made. Drawing on my work from Max Finder Mystery, young comic fans dive into the world of comics to learn how the writer and illustrator work together to shape a rough idea and turn it into a full colour comic.
August 16th – Burlington and Brantford Book Camps. I’m really excited about this one, because not only will I be showing young writers how comics are created, I’ll be running a workshop that will let them do some creating of their own. Campers had to apply to be accepted to the camp and, from what I’ve heard, we’ve got a great bunch of young writers this year. Get more info on the camps here [.pdf]
Thanks to both the Toronto Public Library and the Burlington/Brantford Book Camps for inviting me to take part in their summer fun.
The summer is really heating up, well maybe not for U-20 Canadian soccer team, but for me the writing deadlines are rushing forward at breakneck speed. The result? Not much time to blog around here. So, in advance, please forgive the impending silence.
But I did have a chance to get away from the soccer action and the computer long enough to have a coffee with Patricia Storms (aka the Queen of BookLust.) We met up because in a totally cool set of pleasant circumstances, she is illustrating my forthcoming book on democracy for Capstone Press. It’s rare that I even know, let alone live a few blocks away, from the illustrators I work with on my educational books. So, this was a great chance for me to get a sneak peak at her sketches for the vast amount of gag jokes I created for the book.
While I won’t comment on the quality of some of the jokes (you try coming up with 30 + jokes on democracy!), I will say that Patricia’s sketches look amazing. It was a real treat to see the little touches and flourishes a talented illustrator can add to your words to make them come alive.
If you want to get a glimpse at some of Patricia’s work buy her book 13 Ghosts of Halloween when it comes out in the fall or check out her illustration site. To get a close up look at the brain behind the pen, read subscribe to her fantastic blog, BookLust.
