Come on out to McNally Robinson Booksellers for the official Winnipeg launch of Frostbite Hotel by Karin Adams!
The event takes place on Sunday, January 18, 2015 at 2pm in the Atrium. What a perfect way to spend a frosty January afternoon! There will be a lively reading by the author (that’s me!), a Q & A, and a book signing and chance to mingle. It’s open to all – so please come and join me!
I’m already counting the days. Hope to see you there!
Yes – a blizzard is the best image I can think of – a swirling storm of terrific thoughts, questions and ideas! I was invited to R.F. Morrison school for a visit with the Grade5/6 class. After reading a chapter from my new book Frostbite Hotel , the flurry of ideas, questions and comments began! From amazing connections you made between yourselves and the story, to phenomenal predictions about what might happen next (always keeping ‘conflict’ in mind, like all good writers should!), to insightful questions and comments about the writing process itself, we had an awesome whirlwind of a time together. (Whew – have I used enough ‘wind’ and ‘snow’ imagery?)
It was truly a delight to spend some of the afternoon with you all (I felt I could have stayed all day, but I’m sure you had other tasks to do! 🙂 ). I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces from classes I had worked with a few years ago during an Artist Residency (I remember your folktale and creative character projects very well…). Others I was meeting for the first time yesterday but felt we got along right away. I hope you’ll agree with me that no matter what our ‘backstory’ together was, the time was comfortable and lots of fun!
I was quite honoured when you asked me to read another scene and then another chapter from Frostbite Hotel. As an author, it is such a wonderful feeling when you discover that your story captures the imaginations of your readers. I read and write because I enjoy imagining and living in other ‘worlds’ (even if they look like our own) – the fact that you wanted to spend time in Kirby, Marvin, Jeannie (and even The Bear’s) world means a lot to me. If you go on to read Frostbite Hotel yourselves, please let me know what you think!
Last but certainly not least, I was so impressed and excited by all the independent reading and writing that seems to be going on in this group. A few of you told me about (and even showed me!) the writing you are doing on your own time. That is so exciting – enjoy the process, enjoy creating, and keep going with it!
Thank you for the invitation to your classroom. Till we meet again!
Last week, I was so excited to be invited to visit the Grade 5s at Constable Finney School! They had read No TV? No Fair! and had worked hard on projects inspired by the story. They tracked their screen time, and challenged themselves to reduce it, too – to see what it felt like (just like the Lamberts from the book!). Not always easy, but I’m so proud of all the effort (and how cool that a story can affect real life!).
I was telling some of the students that when I wrote No TV? (not all that long ago), smartphones hadn’t become quite as big of a deal they are today. I wonder how the parents and Mark would do with the challenge if it was also focused phones? (I don’t think Chloe in Grade Four would have a phone yet…do you? Maybe I’m wrong!).
Here is a screenshot (taken with my smartphone – ha ha!) of the wonderful charts the students prepared tracking their screen time:
Another pic:
And yet another shot highlighting story-inspired art work. Check out the great character faces and character ‘coat-of-arms’. Isn’t it all awesome? YEAH!:
Speaking of art, students went on to perform a drama based on Chapter Seven of No TV?…”BUSTED”. The acting and narrating was so inspired and delighted us all (I had tears in my eyes from laughter!). There were some great props, too and of course…THE CHICKEN DANCE 😉 I know you worked hard rehearsing, and it was terrific!
Our visit ended with a discussion about the writing process (great questions!) and a reading from Frostbite Hotel (hope you let me know what you think when you read it!). Thank you for inviting me to spend time with you. Keep reading, writing, and…till we meet again!
My first Artist Residency of the year was at a school in the lovely town of St.Eustache, MB just west of my home in Winnipeg. What a beautiful place to visit in the fall (and at any time of year, I’m sure!). But what really made my week special was the people I met – the creative, enthusiastic students and the friendly, encouraging staff of Ecole St. Eustache.
This is week one of a two-week residency (the second week will be in May – already counting the days! 🙂 ). Together with the teachers, we decided that week one would be about ‘getting started’ on the writing process, or as I like to call it creating ‘great beginnings’. I brought my process along with me to demonstrate and inspire. We talked about ‘brainsparking’, and I showed you some of my notes, story boards, character webs and drafts and had you, the students, try out some of my ‘getting started’ writing techniques. However, we also discussed how no two writers are the same. As you do more and more writing, you might discover a process of your own. Over the years, I’ve tried different writing techniques and have been inspired by other writers, taking bits and pieces of their wisdom and then weaved them together into a process that works for me. I hope that our time together inspired you, and that you will take ‘bits and pieces’ into your own writing process!
I worked with five groups in total, from Grade 1 to Grade 5/6. Each classroom was a pleasure to work with and did a phenomenal job with each step. Every group also had its standout qualities as a group: The Grade 1s were superb brainsparkers and came up with amazing story world descriptions; the Grade 2s combined their real life experiences with their imaginations in spectacular ways; the Grade 3s brought up incredible questions about writing and inspired me to think about new steps for my process; Grade 4/5s bubbled over with creative plot ideas and poetic descriptions that made my jaw drop; and the Grade 5/6s had profound insights into story structure and character development (ideas that I have heard expressed by high school students and adults). Go ahead – say WOW! – I certainly did a few times throughout that week! 🙂
I’m so excited that your teachers will be encouraging you to keep writing throughout the year. I guess you can tell how much I’m looking forward to returning in May when we will come full circle from talking about ‘Great Beginnings’ to ‘Making Our Writing Shine’. I’m looking forward to seeing where you went on your writing adventure, and continuing the journey with you!
All the best throughout the school year – till we meet again (soon!).
Last week when I was Ecole St. Eustache, the wildly creative Grade One class took me deep, deep into the jungle…with their imaginations!
Using our Five Senses – Seeing, Hearing, Touching, Tasting and Smelling – we created a whole jungle out of words on a special 5 Senses Web. Here is a picture:
In the jungle
The Grade Ones included very imaginative ideas that made all of our senses tingle. The imaginary jungle included rosey flowers, golden coconut, blue parrots, birds flapping, and wet grass. (WOW! I feel like I’m there right now!)
There were many other ideas shared in class for this jungle – so many that I couldn’t even write them all down on the whiteboard! Afterward, the Grade Ones went to their desks and made their own 5 Senses Webs for the stories they were planning. They made webs for farms, around the house, the Arctic, the ocean, and more. It was amazing!
Keep going with your writing and your creative ideas! (And look for another blog post about our time together and the time spent with other classes at Ecole St. Eustache coming soon!)
I just received my copies of Frostbite Hotel today…they look AMAZING! The cover art is soooooo fun and there are all sorts of winter doodles inside. Plus, there’s a soft cover, hard cover and kindle version available – woo hoo!
Please check it out and join Grade 5er Kirby Katz as he tries to make winter recess all about the hotel business (remember snow forts at school? Serious business, right? Right!):
Frostbite Hotel is available at Chapters, McNally Robinson, amazon.ca…grab your copy today!
Check back for details about launches, readings and events. Thanks for stopping by!
This past January and February in Winnipeg was COLD. (Fiction editors will tell you not to overuse ALL CAPS, but I simply can’t write about January/February in any other way than…COLD!). Indoor recess was the name of the game and I think we were all starting to forget what fresh air felt like. Thankfully, at J.B. Mitchell school, we had our creativity to keep us warm, right? Or should I say… “WRITE”?
I had the pleasure of working with the grades 3-6 students and teachers of J.B. Mitchell for four weeks this COLD winter – two weeks at the beginning of January, and two weeks at the end of February. There were nine classes in total and a dizzying array of creative projects going on. In fact, here they are (take a deep breath!):Animal Fables (Grade 3s), Animal Diaries (Grade 3s), Arctic Animal Fables (Grade 4s), Short Stories (Grade 4s), Legends (Grades 4s and 5s), Pourquoi Tales (Grade 5s), Miraculous Memories Stories (Grade 5s), Fractured Fairy Tales (Grade 6). Whew!
In every class, we journeyed along in the writing process together. I showed you how I do it for my novels, and by watching you work, planning with teachers, and immersing ourselves in the forms you were writing the process twisted, turned and meandered according to your particular project. Of course, one of the most important steps in the process of writing a particular kind of story is reading as many stories in that genre as you can – that’s why your teachers and I encouraged you to read and study the art of fables, fairy tales, fractures fairy tales, memoirs, diaries, pourquoi tales, and legends. Reading and writing are like best friends – they go everywhere together and they help each other out. 🙂
Over the course of those first two weeks
, we got started on our stories. There was lots of planning, plotting, reading, dreaming, and brainsparking to do. It was fun to watch your stories begin to come to life even in those first few days. Then, I went off for a few weeks to visit some other schools and do some writing and re
vising of my own. That’s when you and your teachers rolled up your sleeves even further and plunged your hands into your drafts. I don’t have to tell you or your teachers that this was a lot of work,do I? I will tell you that when I came back in February, I was very impressed with what you had accomplished! But, the process wasn’t over, was it?
For our final two weeks, we explored all sorts of techniques to make our writing shine: choosing juicy words; shaping our writing so that we were “showing” more often than we were “telling”; planning the perfect opening hook for our stories, and more. Learning how to revise your own writing and be your own constructive critic is a very important skill, and I was pleased to watch you practice and grow. And of course, through it all we were giving one another positive and constructive feedback.
Your teachers helped you continue the journey toward creating a published piece. This meant MORE hard work by students and teachers alike. (You told me about the technical hurdles to overcome which often happens when so many people are working at once and when technology, designed to make things easier, doesn’t always cooperate Grrr!.) However, you persisted. With patience and dedication, you kept going and – wow! The results spoke of all this effort and truly let the creative aspects of your stories shine!
I was honoured to be able to attend an event at the end of May celebrating all of your creativity and effort. This is what I saw: multimedia, narrated ‘photobook slideshows’ complete with great artwork; bound, printed storybooks complete with original artwork; 3-D clay dioramas in vibrant colours, gorgeous anthologies with photos you collected from relatives and friends; colorful, stunning one-page story posters, and fables accompanied by a key image from your story or a small photo book of story events.
Thank you to the students and teachers of J.B.Mitchell for inviting me along on your creative writing journey, and to celebrate with you at the journey’s end. Of course, it isn’t really an end to your creative writing – I’m hoping it feels more like a ‘hook’ that will keep urging you forward.
Ecole LaVerendrye was where I had my final residency for the 2013-2014 school year – but it felt just as exciting as the first!
I was immediately welcomed into this warm, friendly school by enthusiastic students and teachers. The first thing that struck me was your questions – about the writing process, about my books, about me (blush!). You were so curious and eager to learn. I couldn’t get over how many of you had stories to share about your own ongoing projects and explorations, whether they be in science, technology, sports or the arts. Many of you told me that your parents, family-members and friends are writers, musicians, dancers, visual artists, poets, and more. How exciting and wonderful to be in a place where the arts and all kinds of learning are so very much alive. I felt inspired each and every day at this sparkling school that crackled with character!
In Week 1 with the Grades 4s, 5, and 6s, we plunged into the process of writing short stories. I loved how everyone found a way to connect their writing to something personal to make the process meaningful. That’s the secret, isn’t it? We may not all feel drawn to write at first – but when you view creative writing as a chance to express something important to you (friendship, family, the challenge of sports, world events, the magic of a fantasy world) and a chance to use (or discover!) your own unique voice (funny, poignant, mysterious, dramatic…) – well, let’s just say you’re on to something special. ‘Way to go’ on finding your own original voices, and for collaborating so well when it came to giving and receiving feedback (some of you even collaborated on writing your stories – with impressive results!)
In Week 2 with the Grade 1s, 2s, and 3s we became ‘fabulous fabulists’, creating our own original fables. First, we had to learn what an animal fable was, and I loved how we were able to do this together; by reading, listening, and discussing fables. This is the way writers learn how to write particular kinds of stories, through lots and lots of reading, thinking and observing. In a very short time, you became experts on the different features commonly found in Animal Fables. Then, you applied your scientific knowledge of creatures and critters and lovely landscapes to shape original fables of your own. Some of you chose to put a spin on Aesop’s fables to bring them into the 21st century. I enjoyed how many of you decided to keep the fable’s lesson, but then added a moment where your two creatures – who may have been in conflict throughout the story – became friends (there were even some animals having lavish disco dance parties – love that! 😉 ).
Thank you to students, teachers and staff for making my final residency of the school year just as fresh and fun as the first. I enjoyed meeting all of you and the chance to get creative together. Have a wonderful rest of the year – till we meet again!
In some ways, when I spend time at Ecole Margaret-Underhill, I feel as though I am going back in time in my own life. I loved Grade 3 and 4 at my French Immersion school. The French milieu of EMU takes me back…and makes me determined to practice my francais!
This year at EMU, I was ‘going back in time’ in another sense by re-visiting the school where I had my first Artists in the Schools residency. I was immediately welcomed by the familiar faces of teachers, students, and staff. I knew instantly that my time here would be just as fun, creative and magical as last year.
I was really excited to pilot a new program at EMU – writing original animal fables! I knew that the creative, enthusiastic teachers would run with the idea (thank you!). I was so proud of all the Grade 3’s and 4’s for embracing this project: combining research and imagination in developing your animal characters, studying the genre by reading many fables both together and individually, and then coming up with wonderfully creative story lines or putting a clever twist on Aesop’s thousands-of-years-old plots. Your fables were funny, touching, smart, and sparkled with life! And that was just in our FIRST week together…
In Week 2, we tried something else that I’d never tried before – the FABLE NEWS NETWORK, otherwise known as THE FABLE FREE PRESS. You took your fable characters and stories and created hilarious ‘spoof’ news items: classified ads, movie reviews, ‘Dear Wise Old Owl’ (I am STILL laughing about those, you guys!), Animal-Lympics sports reports. Some of you even took it further with local news stories, fashions reports, and more – all set in the story world of fables. We even made original crossword puzzles – you wrote the clues, then had fun solving the puzzles by filling in the blanks with all of your classmates’ animals. This was a such a terrifically fun week for me, and hope it was for you, too!
My post wouldn’t be complete without listing a few more highlights, such as reading to the school in the gym during EMU’s I Love To Read week, along with the very funny radio D.J., Lloyd the Intern. There was also the fantastic brainstorming done in each and every class – your work on coming up with ‘animal movements’ verbs was out-of-this-world and must break some sort of record somewhere!
Some of you even continued brainstorming on your own! (There really is a whole world of words out there – or, shall I say – UNIVERSE of words!). Remember how many times I had to erase the board so that we had room for your NEXT set of words. WHEW!
Thank you all for another year of memories, and for the gorgeous gift you presented to me at the end of our time together – it means so much to me to have a keepsake from each one of you. I wish each and every one of you the best as you continue your journey of reading and writing, and all kinds of learning and adventures.
