Saturday, March 26, 2011

A literary bonanza with Crash & Mars

Illustrator James Grasdal signs copies of Fields of Home.

When I picked Crash & Mars up from the 102.3 Now Radio station Monday morning, I warned them I'd planned a full slate of activities. They didn't say too much about it then, but I can feel them dragging their feet with each day.

Especially at Story Avenue, a two-day event that pairs local celebrity literary artists with school kids who might otherwise not have an opportunity to fall in love with reading and writing. 

Although several of the kids were fascinated by the (usually) dynamic duo, the focus of the day was all about the kids and the importance of literacy.


More than 300 Grade 5, 6 and 7 students gathered in the atrium of the education building before heading off to their individual sessions. Crash and Mars seemed to fit right in. 


Although a few kids were eager to pose with the celebrity radio morning show hosts, the students were mesmerized by the authors.


Even Crash and Mars were captivated by the beautiful storytelling of Edmonton literary artist Tololwa Mollel.

The event seemed to perk up my coroplast buddies, because at the end of it all, the two spent time with the authors, bonding over reading and writing. I think they even got to go home with a few books signed by the celebrities themselves!


- Dawn

Hey Alberta young writers! Want to win a trip to WordsWorth, the camp for youth who believe in the power of words? Why not enter the Martyn Godfrey Young Writers Award? Better hurry - the deadline is May 6, 2011.

Pssst. Want a leg up on the competition? Check out www.fieldsofhome.blogspot.com where Chase Duffy shares his writing tips and how to include the colour yellow. 




1 comment:

  1. Holy cow, you really are taking them everywhere. Are you going to miss them when the time is up?

    ReplyDelete