Who is Canada’s Children’s Laureate?

Answer: Nobody. We don’t have one. But I’ll get to that in a moment.
A couple weeks ago, I was in London, England and saw the rather stunning stage production of Michael Morpurgo’s The War Horse (formerly at the National and now at the New London Theatre). There was a wonderful moment when the titular horse [...]

ZMZ on rob mclennan’s blog, by way of Susan Olding

Zorgamazoo shows up in the strangest places. A couple weeks ago, Ottawa poet rob mclennan did an interview with my good friend, Susan Olding. Susan is the author of the beautiful collection of personal essays, Pathologies.
Now then, late in the interview (question number 9, to be precise), Susan is asked if she’s recently heard any [...]

On Rewriting

Yesterday afternoon my editor sent me the substantive changes for my second novel. It was a twelve page document, thoroughly detailed and requesting I return the manuscript in a little over one month’s time. Much to my surprise, I think I can do it. I think.
What I’ve come to realize is that a good [...]

Interview on Just One More Book

Last week, I did an interview with Mark from Just One More Book. It’s now available as a podcast on their site.
If you don’t know what Just One More Book is, allow me fill you in…
Andrea Ross and Mark Blevis are Ottawa natives who, each weekday morning, head to a local cafe and talk about their [...]

Top 10 Writers (you don’t expect to meet in a high school gym)

Last week, I attended the L3 Conference in Barrie. It’s an annual event organized by Brian Badduono at Barrie North Collegiate.
I was invited to do a couple youth workshops on literature, language and literacy (hence, “L3″).
What struck me most was the caliber of writers presenting at two nights of gala readings (keep in mind: this [...]

Zorgamazoo is on the E.B. White Shortlist!

Unbelievable. My little black book simply won’t stop slapping me in the face with the most pleasant of surprises.
GET THIS: Zorgamazoo is on the shortlist for the 2009 E.B. White Read Aloud Award. And here’s what I have to say about it:
EEEEEEEEEEGAD!
(ahem. )
Now then. What this means: E.B. White, as I’m certain you already [...]

Thanks to the JET Alumni Assoc. of NY

A hearty otsukaresama deshita to the JET Alumni Association of NY, Steven Horowitz, Amber Liang, Chau Lam, JETWIT and the Japanese Consulate-General in NYC for hosting the JET Alumni Author Showcase.
I had a blast in New York and it was wonderful to meet all of you, as well as my fellow authors, Roland Kelts, James [...]

Visual Thesaurus

Good news for word nerds. If you haven’t already seen it, you ought to check out the Visual Thesaurus.
It claims to “work like the human mind” (debatable), but the interface is a very cool thing indeed. It’s almost an intersection between art and language…which is understandably appealing to a writer.
Admittedly, you can only do a [...]

All About Limericks

British poet, John Hegley, has produced a BBC 4 radio program on the strange and wondrous world of the limerick.
Hegley “…delves into the history of this versatile form of comic verse, encountering nursery rhymes, Shakespearian songs, nonsense poems and some smut along the way.”
Topical, humorous and interesting. Three of my favourite things. Hopefully one [...]

Skellig by David Almond

Let me confess: I’m not the sort of children’s writer who reads very many children’s books. But I’m trying. Honest.
Not sure why, but when I sit down to write — having just put down something rather heavy by Ian McEwan — what comes out is all silliness and whimsy. Oftentimes it even rhymes. I’ve been [...]