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Youth Blog

Learning How to Colour Eggs

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There truly is no specific location for inspiration to strike the creative writer. It could come while riding the subway, when you’re about to fall asleep, or even while taking a shower. If it was as easy as walking to the local shrine and paying tribute to the God of Creativity and then you have your prizewinning story, then there would be many more bestsellers bludgeoning bookstore shelves.

I only bring this up because I find that many young writers can be set on how and where they write. Unfortunately, inspiration may come from the busiest street market, or under the heaviest rainfall, leaving writers isolated from the comfort of their common locale.

It’s easier to take a reminder from one of the most creative writer’s most interesting tales: Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham. If you haven’t read this magnificent story, then please do. Although spun in rhymes, and seemingly only to discuss the postulation of where is the best place to eat green food, I believe that it shows that there is not a specific setting for certain tasks.

The common writer should not try to press their brain into the ground to fertilize their thoughts, for if there isn’t anything there at the time, nothing is going to come out. Creativity is as natural a thing as a chicken laying an egg. Whether that egg is green or not, is another story, since we can always learn how to colour our food.

Descriptive Inspiration

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Booktalking: Kristyn Dunnion—Write it Like You Mean it

The extraordinarily talented Kristyn Dunnion offers a unique writing workshop that connects an author reading to an entertaining set of writing exercises. For all of you that don’t know Kristyn, she has broadcasted her talent over time as a writer, musician and performance artist. Currently having published three novels and a short story collection, she has much to offer to any aspiring young writers. Don’t miss this triple-threat opportunity!!!

When: December 4, 2012; from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm
Where: Kennedy/Eglinton TPL branch; 2380 Eglinton Avenue East

Author’s Spotlight: Boneshaker Reading Series

Poetry is everywhere. It’s in the damp asphalt we walk on; in the glimmers of light we see through the decaying boughs of trees. It’s even within the subtle undertones of your most recent dialogue. More importantly though, poetry is making its way to the St. Clair/Silverthorn library.

Sonia Di Placido and Guy Ewing will be reading from their own works, to show you that poetry can truly be found in the grandest of things, or maybe the most seemingly insignificant of places.

When: December11; from 7:00 pm-8:30 pm
Where: St. Clair/ Silverthorn TPL branch; 1748 St. Clair Avenue West

Word Love

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We all have a favourite word. There are the ones that we overuse, going to them in times of need when all other potentials for articulation are lost. Or there are those which are more sparingly applied and saved in our back pocket for the opportune moment. Whether it is the phonic sound of the word as it leaves our mouth or favouritism primarily based on meaning, there are always particular words that just stick.

Although rarely used, eunoia has been one of my most dearly adored words for the past few years. It is not found in all dictionaries, however the urban dictionary defines it as “beautiful thinking” or “beautiful mind.” The medical dictionary defines it as a sparingly used medical term for normal mental states and it is the shortest word in the English language containing all the vowels.

Eunoia has a Greek origin and is used in book eight of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics to describe the benevolence or feeling of goodwill that forms the ethical foundation for human life. In rhetoric, it is the goodwill formed between a speaker and his/her audience.

Christian Bök is a Toronto born experimental poet, who won the Griffin Poetry Prize for his book of poetry, Eunoia in 2001. Eunoia consists of univocalics, which is a type of constrained writing that uses only a single vowel in each of his chapters. Each of the five chapters consists of one of the vowels from the word eunoia. Bök believes that his book demonstrates the flexibility of the English language and the unique personality of each vowel, for him: “Enfettered, these few sentences repress free speech.”

An Ornate Observatory

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Booktalking: Red Maple Award and White Pine Award Reading Program @ OLA

If you haven’t heard me preach this principal before, I am sure you have been told from any writer you have ever known, that “constant reading is the writer’s most beneficial tool in his/her toolbox.” And is it not?

Bask in some of the most recent triumphs in young-adult fiction and non-fiction. Kenneth Oppel will be discussing his novel Half Brother, which won the Red Maple Award. Kelley Armstrong returns to the events blog yet again, with The Gathering, a recipient of the White Pine Award for fiction. And finally, Neil Pasricha will be discussing The Book of Awesome, a bestseller and recipient of the White Pine Award for non-fiction. So dive in for some new reads and insights by these authors.

When: November 22, 2012; from 5:00 pm-6:00 pm
Where: York Woods TPL branch: Teen Area; 36 Brentwood Road North
Register: Call 416 395-5980

Author’s Spotlight: Colonel Mustard in the Library: Author Sheila Dalton

Never have I seen so many fantastic opportunities to hear author’s discussions so close together. The Colonel Mustard in the Library series returns with author Sheila Dalton, who will be discussing her mystery novel, The Girl in the Box, the story of a Guatemalan girl who is suspected of murder after being traumatized by the violence all around her.

When: November 27; from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm
Where: Mount Pleasant TPL branch: Program Room; 599 Mt. Pleasant Road

Scholarly Discussions:Writing the East End: Authors Discuss their Works

And if you can’t make either of the two above events, don’t fret! Yet another slew of author’s thoughts will be coming your way during the beginning of December.

Jennefer Laidley and Gene Desfor will discuss the award winning book Reshaping Toronto’s Waterfront, a look at how the waterfront is poised as a crucial economical point.

Shawn Micallef presents Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto and Full Frontal T.O., an analysis of what Toronto’s modern “look” truly is.

And Mark Osbaldeston concludes with his Unbuilt Toronto: A History of the City That Might Have Been and Unbuilt Toronto 2: More of the City That Might Have Been. Both have been noted as revolutionary additions to the concepts of architectural analysis.

When: December 4; from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm
Where: Queen/Saulter TPL branch: Program Room—Ralph Thornton Centre; 578 Finch Avenue

Stepping Forward While Looking Back

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Groovy Groups: Canada: My New Home—Literature, Art, Culture and Traditions

Hopefully these explorative blogs have thus far reached out to a vast audience, because this week I bring a writing opportunity that targets writers that are fairly new to the country. Run by the YMCA Newcomer Information Center, all newcomers are invited to the library to discuss the culture of Canada, and even bring stories from their own culture. Help diversify Canadian literature with your own take on creative writing.

When: Every Monday; from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm
Where: Centennial TPL branch; 578 Finch Avenue

Author’s Spotlight: Author Reading. Grace O’Connell reads from Magnified World

Released earlier this year was a particularly inspirational story of a daughter recuperating after her mother committed suicide by walking into the Don River, pockets filled with zircon. The author, Grace O’Connell, will be reading and discussing her novel in more detail. Hopefully this story will inspire all attendees, as it draws from a seemingly raw pain that many other great novels contain.

Upcoming dates: November 6; from 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Where: Deer Park TPL branch: Program Room 2nd Floor; 40 St. Clair Avenue East

Inquisitions and Insights: The Curiosity of Schoolwith Author Zander Sherman

How have we been formed in our lives? Are there any particular moments that we can recall with which someone or some institution has tried to mould our future?

These are a few questions that Zander Sherman analyzes in his latest book. The educational institutions from the early-mid 19th century are analyzed, all the way to current standardized testing, and are brought together in a clever and rational light that will question the very idea of having an education. And just to be clear, he will not be saying that the education system is to warp our minds into stationary robots—no matter how bold and hilarious that would be. Hoping to one day become a teacher, I think that what Sherman has done is a great way to see how our society has viewed education over time, and how much the education process has actually developed over time.

When: November 13, 2012; from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm
Where: Brentwood TPL branch: Program Room; 36 Brentwood Road North

Gleeful Groups and Warming Words

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Groovy Groups: The Joy of Writing

The artistic word has always been—and hopefully will always be—made for the enjoyment and discussion of the general public. Join every Tuesday for a warm and welcoming group of fellow writers, and join in the amusement that is the written word. Read from your own work and critique others. This group is targeted towards the young adult audience.

When: Every Tuesday; from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm
Where: Queen/Saulter TPL branch: The Ralph Thornton Centre, Mezzanine Level; 765 Queen Street East
For more info: Call Lucille Barker (416) 392-6810

Personal Touches: Memoir Writing Group

Through my own growth in writing, I have learned that the most vital apparatus in a writer’s toolbox is his/her own life. Although creative non-fiction doesn’t appeal to everyone, it is quite difficult to string together the extraordinary if you cannot see the beauty of the extra special things in the most ordinary life. So come and practise with writing small or large excerpts from your life. Go deep into your memory and you will find a treasure trove of creativity. Now all you have to do is resuscitate it with an injection of fresh inky-blood.

Upcoming dates: October 22, October 29, November 5; from 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Where: Lillian H. Smith TPL branch; 239 College Street

Author’s Spotlight:The eh List Author Series: Jan Wong—Out of the Blue

Every journalist hopes to discuss the hard-pressed and motivational stories. Jan Wong, a well-known journalist, came to such a story before it came crashing down on her like a wave. Following writing about a school shooting, Ms. Wong was faced with the repercussion of violence and death threats, which pushed her into a tragic depression. Her book, Out of the Blue, expresses the troubles she faced and her rise back into an ever hopeful normality. Such a story makes a fine addition to the eh List series.

When: October 23, 2012; from 7:00 pm-8:15 pm
Where: Taylor Memorial TPL branch; 1440 Kingston Road

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