If Toronto Wrote a Book, What Kind of Story Would It Tell?

(Originally posted on Toronto Public Library Teen blog)

If people were words, Toronto would be a book thicker than the large-print edition of War and Peace. But more importantly, if Toronto wrote a book, what kind of story would it tell? If a few blank pages were opened to the public, what would they become? We plan to find out through the Toronto Public Library’s Travelling Notebook!

The Travelling Notebook was created by the teens of TPL’s Editorial Youth Advisory Group.

It is a simple black notebook (no, really!) in which anyone will be able to pen anything from poems, prose, and profundities, to sketches, stick figures, and the next masterpiece to be hung in the Louvre.

Of course, there are some very strict guidelines:

• Write anything you want.
• Draw anything you want.
• Don’t be a page hog.
• Use the next available page and remember that other people’s work is NOT your canvas.
• No submissions with the word “grey.”
• No pressure.
• Ice cream and fries are awesome. Hot sauce and ice cream should not mix.
• This book is not intended for extraterrestrial contact.(Unless wrapped in foil, shhh . . . )

Starting at Barbara Frum branch, the Travelling Notebook will circulate between libraries every 2-3 weeks so that people from all over Toronto have a chance to showcase their inner creative genius.

When this great notebook has completed its adventures, it will be added to the Toronto Public Library’s collection of books. The Travelling Notebook will then be available for the world to see, and you will be able to borrow this work of greatness.

We know that the teens of Toronto possess immeasurable talent and creativity. Don’t keep it to yourself—share it with us and the rest of our fair city. It’s what the cool kids are doing.

~EYAG members Benjamin, Sam, Thamy, and Atara

For information about the Notebook’s current location, follow The Travelling Notebook on Facebook or call Ken at 416-397-5970.