It was a cool May morning, and I was already overbooked. I had a baby shower to attend that was close to 40 minutes away, and was hoping to get to two events at the FOLD (Festival of Literary Diversity) before leaving.
The "Get the Word Out" session was taking place in the Brampton City Hall Conservatory in front of the wall that looked like roses, chairs set up in rows. I chose a seat in the middle, one in from the aisle, a few from the front, with a nice buffer of empty seats around me. Of course those seats filled up after the talk started with people coming in late, but I still had a pretty good straight-shot view of the speakers.
Throughout the talk, I listened and took notes on a notebook, getting some good ideas about what problems the publishing industry is facing and how I might navigate around them as an aspiring writer myself. I studied creative writing at York University under some incredible teachers, including Shyam Selvadurai and Michael Helm, but I got swallowed up in building my career as a high school English teacher, and while my brain buzzes with ideas, by the time I get home and eat, look after my dog, do some marking and plan for the next lesson, squeaking some time with my husband in there too (all things I prioritise over my writing), there is nothing creative left in me. So, the FOLD was a way to jump-start those juices and re-immerse myself into that world.
As I'm sitting and listening to the talk, there is a moment when the topic turns to ways for Canadian authors to get the word out about their writing, and I learn that in the USA there is a large social media community of people talking about books- librarians, teachers, readers- and that in Canada we don't have nearly as much talk and buzz about our authors. That's when it happens. Naseem Hrab, the Marketing Director at Kids Can Press and one of the panelists for this discussion, turns and looks at the audience- no, not the audience- at ME. She looks me right in the eye and says:
"So if any of you out there are teachers-"
YES! I am a teacher!
"-and love reading-"
YES! YES! Totally me!
"-you could start a network like that here in Canada."
YES! I could do that! ME!
She was talking to me. She locked eyes on me and said this all directly to me, as if she could sense that I was looking for something that would help me engage in the world of books and reading again but that I could blend with my life and love of teaching. Or she just noticed that I was intensely staring at her, not blinking, and nodding frantically... one or the other.
And so that was it- I was hooked. I started thinking about all the things I could do to start this project, how I could spread the word, get other people involved, which books I could read and review. I gathered information on Canadian publishing houses in the next session, called the Writer's Hub, and just made it to the baby shower, high on a cloud of inspiration. I spoke with my principal the next day, getting his opinion on the politics of the project and my responsibilities as a representative of the school board. I spoke to a few other teachers about the idea to gauge their thoughts on the matter. Then it just came to actually starting... so of course, not knowing anything about blogging became a bit of an issue. Not to mention it was approaching final exam time and report cards and final projects...
So that brings me to now, the summer. I've had the time I needed to refill my soul and de-stress, and I am ready to dive into this project and see how it goes as a first time blogger and total newb to the reviewing scene.
The plan is one review minimum a month. I'm going to try and make them personal and detailed, but without giving too much away, just enough so that you can connect to them and want to read more. I'll use my teacher hat to talk about potential uses in high school curriculum, but also give you my honest and initial reactions. I'll also try to post in advance what I'm planning to read, so that you can read along with me if you want.
I'd love to hear from you as well. What are your opinions of these books? What Canadian novels are on your list, or that you love and want to see here?
For reviews in brief, follow me on instagram @Ms._CAN_Lit
And here we go...
📚 Ms. CAN Lit
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