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March 09, 2022
"Our Stories Will Still Be There" Kathy Friedman on Processing Complex Personal & Political History in Her Debut Short Story Collection
A life drawing model, a former political prisoner, a man unpacking his father's complex legacy—the fascinating characters in Kathy Friedman's debut short fiction collection, All the Shining People ...
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February 16, 2020
Blogpost #4: START TO FINISH, The Story Behind the Story 2- A Likkle Miss Lou
In this second instalment of my START TO FINISH, The Story Behind the Story series, I focus on my latest picture book A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found ...
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February 10, 2020
Blogpost #3: START TO FINISH, The Story Behind the Story 1- Harriet Tubman Freedom Fighter
(All photo credits: Nadia L. Hohn) I think my journey to becoming a published author is the combination of five things— luck, need, hustle, talent, and grit. I have traditionally published ...
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June 11, 2018
Tweet Tweet: A City’s Past & Present: Remapping Vancouver
@poetchelene: After reading and researching about the setting in my novel I felt compelled to recognize the city as a character. #hogansalleyfactorfiction “Junie stood on her balcony overlooking the ...
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March 18, 2021
The Chaos of Creation and Why I Chase the Rupture Point
When I write, it feels like I am on the inside of a spinning wheel that never stops. The wheel lets itself loose from the chassis and throws itself, willingly, down the hillside. The after effects of ...
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October 29, 2020
On Listening to Your Gut Instinct When Editing Your Work
First, there’s that twisty churny feeling that crawls across your skin when something doesn't feel right. It’s similar to the feeling that can arise when you are walking home late at night and you ...
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May 06, 2020
"Love and Happiness Live in Freedom" Geraldo Valério on Liberty, the Creative Process, and His Stunning New Book
True friendship and selfless love are examined in critically-acclaimed storyteller and illustrator Geraldo Valério's newest picture book, At the Pond (Groundwood).On a gloomy day, a boy puts his dog ...
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December 01, 2015
Eighty Feet Without a Net - Conversations with John Irving
About a year ago I got an email that I had to read about twelve times over before it really settled in. That email was from Janet Turnbull Irving, the wife and agent of one of the most famous literary ...
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June 22, 2018
Mentors & Allies 1: Jen Sookfong Lee
Jen Sookfong Lee told me to write a novel. No, wait. I tried to pass off a book-in-progress as a book of short stories and she said it felt more like a novel. I think that was a nice way of saying, Chelene, ...
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March 21, 2020
Trips Down Memory Lane: On Inhaling Old Notebooks
I’ve always envisioned Fall as the best season for fresh starts and rebirth, while Spring has always been a reflective season where I look back at previous months and years while documenting and acknowledging ...