Find out more about my memoir No Letter in Your Pocket
I’m delighted to present new literary material, inspired by a painting by Gibsons artist Paula O’Brien, at the inaugural Arts & Words event in Davis Bay on Aug. 12 and 13. My Aug. 12 reading, in the 10:30 to noon time slot, is generously sponsored by Canada Council through the Writers’ Union of Canada. The…
I’m happy to be back as an in-person instructor at the City of Port Moody, BC, facilitating creative writing classes again. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, it’s great to see some of our regular students again and to meet new faces. It’s a joy to workshop high-quality content in multi-genres from poetry and…
I’ll be facilitating the March 27 session of the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society. We’ll meet at Mission Point Lodge by Davis Bay, BC from 4 to 6 pm. Participants are asked to bring a donation to go towards the facilities rental. Thank you. Writers of all levels and genres are welcome.
I am teaching an 8-week, online creative nonfiction class Writing From Pain to Power in the spring of 2022 through the University of King’s College in Halifax. My students are from across the country, writing about real-life traumas in their lives. Most are hoping to publish a memoir or essays. Using a trauma-informed approach, we…
I profiled and photographed Candace Campo, co-founder of Talaysay Tours and a shishalh Nation member, for the winter 2022 issue of Sunshine Coast Life Magazine. Each year, her First Nations ecotour company hosts visitors from around the globe, introducing them to Pacific Northwest Indigenous culture, history, ancestors, local flora and fauna, and the spiritual significance…
It was a joy to be back in person teaching at Powell River Digital Film School in early February. Spent two days with the grade 12 students analyzing and discussing short documentaries and learning how to write and conceptualize them. Also did a day of hands-on SoulCollage(R) exercises and learning. Thoroughly enjoyed the students’ level…
Rocket launchers blast through a night sky as clashing rebel groups exchange fire in India’s contentious Kashmir region. My then-partner and I huddle on the bow of a cozy houseboat on Dal Lake. Find out what it was like to be there under curfew in my travel essay Two Realities. It appears in the debut…
It was a delight to profile Jessica Silvey, who’s shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) with the ancestral name Kwahama Kwatleematt, and has been weaving cedar baskets, hats, and décor for more than 30 years. I profiled her, the owner of Red Cedar Woman studio, as the cover story for the winter 2021 issue of…
Guess what? Kids can interact and learn in a fun, new way with my picture book Six Stinky Feet and a Sasquatch. By using the Simbi web platform, they can see and hear me read the book and follow along, page by page. Then, they can record themselves reading aloud, at their own pace, and…
I’ll be at the Roberts Creek Legion Dec. 1, selling my popular picture book Six Stinky Feet and a Sasquatch, anthologies, and my nonfiction Vancouver’s Glory Years, which is now out of print. Only limited copies left. Will also have kermode bear photo cards, postcards, and fun sasquatch Christmas tree ornaments. Come and support local…
Once again, I had a great time signing and selling Six Stinky Feet and a Sasquatch and my other books Nov. 20-21 at Sunnycrest Mall in Gibsons, BC. Bought a crocheted crown from Ruby, the vendor beside me, and wore it both days. For people who prefer to buy online, Six Stinky Feet is available…
Had a great time selling and signing books in Madeira Park, BC at their Christmas craft fair in the community hall. Made my best one-day sales ever. Thank you to everyone who supported local authors and artisans. I love sharing Six Stinky Feet and a Sasquatch with new buyers looking for something fun for nieces,…
I am delighted to have worked as an editor on a new series of interpretive signs for the Community Health Trail on Mt. Elphinstone on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. As part of an initiative by Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF), the signs highlight the importance of old-growth forests and their flora and fauna. With himus (Calvin…
In case you missed my Sept. 19 Spoken INK reading on Zoom, you can watch it here on the Burnaby Writers’ Society YouTube channel. About 20 minutes long, it features excerpts from three sources: my essay “A Slow Goodbye,” about love and loss; my romantic visit to the Taj Mahal, from my memoir No Letter…
Want to join a supportive group of committed writers in a class that focuses on content feedback? Still spaces left in my Mon. night program at Kyle Centre, Port Moody. Sept. 27-Dec. 6, 5:30 to 8 pm. Many students have published books and/or contribute regularly to publications. All genres and levels welcome. Participants find in-class…
Hello Everyone, The Burnaby Writers’ Society is sponsoring me as a featured writer on Zoom, Sunday, Sept. 19, starting at noon. I’ll be reading short excerpts from three sources: my essay “A Slow Good-bye,” a visit to the Taj Mahal from my memoir No Letter in Your Pocket (Guernica Editions 2023), and my picture book…
I’m offering a two-hour online workshop Wild Mind: Freeing the Writer Within on April 10 from 1 to 3 pm. Designed to cure writer’s block and access your deepest writing self. For all skill levels. Contact the Royal City Literary Arts Society to register.
I’ll be one of six writers reading live on Zoom on March 16, as part of Port Moody Public Library’s Writers in Our Midst program. The theme is love stories. I’m reading “Lost at Sea,” a love poem. Many thanks to my student Eric D’Souza for putting this together. See @WritersinourMidst for details.
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT: SUNSHINE COAST — I’ll be one of six authors reading a 10-minute selection on Zoom on Feb. 11, sponsored by the Federation of BC Writers. My excerpt is from the chapter “Assault” in my memoir No Letter in Your Pocket, to be published in 2023 by Guernica Editions. Free event runs from 7…
Want a signed copy of a fun story for kids? I’ll be selling and signing copies of my new picture book Six Stinky Feet and a Sasquatch on Saturday, March 21 at the Chapters bookstore in Coquitlam, BC. Watch for me from 1 to 3 pm at the Chapters store in the Pinetree Village on…
I’m one of five authors who will be doing a reading and presentation to kindergarten and grade one students at Gibsons Elementary School in Gibsons, BC on Wednesday, Feb. 26. I’ll be sharing my new picture book Six Stinky Feet and a Sasquatch and talking about “Picture Books: Fact and Fiction.” I look forward to…
It was fun presenting my new picture book, Six Stinky Feet and a Sasquatch, to an audience of young and old Dec. 7 at Sechelt Public Library. Andy Johnson, storyteller for the shishalh Nation, shared a sasquatch song he composed and told a sasquatch story. I’m honoured to know that he plans to read my…
Did you know that some residents of Churchill, Manitoba consider Thanadelthur, an early 1700s Chipewyan guide and peace negotiator, the founder of their town? That is one of the many fascinating historical facts I learned while writing profiles of accomplished Métis, Indigenous, and Inuit people for Canadian Encyclopedia. I discovered the many achievements of politicians…
As my late husband Frank McElroy was dying at home through 2018-19, it was tough to write about my challenges as a caregiver. Although I couldn’t distance myself from the ongoing experience, I wanted to describe both my conflicting emotions and the overwhelming support and generosity of my local community. The result became the essay…
Some people could never imagine offering comfort as a bedside companion to a stranger who is dying. Or sitting in an all-night vigil for someone’s final hours. In hospice training, we learn that compassion, deep listening, acceptance, and non-judgment are core traits needed to remain truly present with those who are dying or grieving a…
Want to know what hospice has done on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast for the past 30 years? Come to an Oct. 5 event in Sechelt and see the video that I wrote, produced, and directed called “Legacy of Love: 30 Years of Compassionate Care on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, 1987 – 2017.” The seven-minute documentary…
Tugboats with tiny propellers. Sailboats with miniature rigging. Two-foot ships yachts with teensy bar stools, sinks and other features. I was fascinated to see the intricate, painstaking work of Brian Klassen, who custom-makes replicas of yachts and commercial ships for clients around the world. I visited his small shop in Halfmoon Bay, on British Columbia’s…
Want to hear compelling personal stories and learn more about what literary nonfiction is? Come out to Sechelt Public Library on Thursday, March 30 and hear three Sunshine Coast, BC authors, including Heather Conn, read from their book manuscripts. Heather, Sheila Cameron, and Claire Finlayson will each present excerpts from their respective works-in-progress. Sheila will present heartwarming…
I’ll be teaching “Writing Short Documentaries” and helping students brainstorm a group documentary project from Feb. 27 to March 2 in Powell River. This is an annual appearance I make as an instructor at Powell River Digital Film School. Every year, the content varies, depending on the wishes of school founder and director Tony Papa….
I enjoyed introducing SoulCollage® Jan. 27 to a group of job placement students at M. Magas and Associates, an employment agency in Sechelt, BC. We did a guided visualization, identified their respective dream job, and discussed accountability, victimhood and what archetypal influences might resonate with them. I appreciated their openness and willingness to share what…