Bio

As a former foster mom to almost 70 youths, writing for young people seemed a natural choice when I decided to pursue that seriously. I am now the author of 30 books for children and teens. My work ranges from picture books to young adult novels and consists of both prose and poetry (rhyme and meter as well as free verse.) I have won or been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Governor General’s Award in Children’s Literature, The Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children/Teens, The TD Children’s Lit, Geoffrey Bilson, Ann Connor Brimer, many reader’s choice awards, and others.

Residency Project

Arts Project: A Story’s Voice. This workshop is designed to help young people develop distinctive voices in their writing by examining the way character, setting, perspective, dialogue, tense, etc. impact in telling a story. Writing exercises will demonstrate how each of these supports a story in different ways, as well as how they can recognize the components that serve best for their stories. A final focus on revision will assist them in strengthening and polishing their work. Guidelines for respectful response and feedback will be reviewed at the start of each session.

Teaching Experience

I have been privileged to lead workshops with both young people and adults since I was first published in 2002. While a few of these were intensive and ongoing, others were limited to half a day and did not allow for the time to really delve into the writing process in a truly meaningful way. I am excited at the opportunity to apply things I have learned in the course of my own work, in order to foster creative understanding and growth in young people.