As a child, I was lucky enough to have a father who loved to read bedtime stories to us.  Every everning we would clamber up onto Daddy's knee to hear the latest adventures of Toad or Rattie. Dad would give every one of Kenneth Grahame's characters a voice of his or her own. Those were days when I believed in magic; when every fairytale seemed possible.
This weekend, go through your bookshelf and find some of those special childhood memories and bring them to class. Your favorite books can be from any age or stage of childhood.

How to Eat a Guava

Today we read Santiago's description, "How to Eat a Guava."  Her images were so strong that we could almost taste every bite, feel the tang of the fruit as she bit into the flesh of the fruit, and savour her memories of childhood bliss. Santiago took us back to the past and then brought us lurching back to the present. As you write your personal descriptions, make sure that we can have that same sensory experience. Take us there with you and let us share the moment with you. Remember to bring your fruit or vegetable to class for Tuesday. Please post your writing for comments this weekend. We will be going to the library on Monday to work on editing our blogs for part of the class.

Have fun with your writing! I look forward to sharing with you.

Jodi Picoult

Many of you like to read Jodi Picoult's novels. Now you have a chance to hear her read from her new novel. Go to the Writers Festival link for more information about tickets. She will be reading in Vancouver on Sunday, March 13th at 7:30 pm at St. Andrews Wesley Church on Burrard Street. We could meet there!

Have a listen

It is the first anniversary of the 2010 Olympics. Remember the excitement of listening to Shane deliver this poem at the opening ceremonies? It was a magical moment! Have a listen to Shane's poem. What is your reaction to what he has to say? What does it mean to you to be a Canadian? Are we different this year as a result of the Olympic Games? Have you changed?

A thought

I was listening to the news as I was driving to work on Friday and the news came on that Mubareck had stepped down as the leader of Egypt. I could hear the roar of the crowd in the background as the reporter recounted the sequence of events that lead up to this moment in time. The elation of the people was palpable. For a brief moment I felt like an Egyptian citizen who could taste the hope that freedom from oppression can bring. I have been witness to many moments of history throughout my lifetime; some I have appreciated more than others. Over time I have come to appreciate that historical events change all of us whether they affect us directly or not. Our world has been altered forever by the events of September 11, 2001. As Canadians, we have been changed by the Olympics of 2010. Each day, each minute, each second is filled with so much history and most of the time we don't even realize it.
I want you to think about a moment in time that has changed the way that you look at your world. It might be a historical moment such as this one, or it might be something smaller; something less definable. Write about it.

Let's begin

Welcome to our writing blog!
You can keep up to date with our assignments and the weekly blog assignments. Post once a week and comment on at least 2 blogposts as well. I hope that you enjoy this experience and you have fun sharing with each of the members of our class.