Sylvia reads from Counting on Hope at the Oliver Public Library

Myself (Tim), Fred and Sylvia enjoy the Osoyoos view after an excellent dinner at Passa Tempo restaurant, Nk’mip Winery.

Fred signs a copy of is a door for a fan at Cafe West Books in Rossland.

Wherever we go, the teachers, librarians, and book store owners all tell us the same thing, and with a genuineness and intensity that is palpable: they are so very grateful that the BC Book Prizes tour has brought an author to their community to visit with students and patrons. Time and again we’ve heard stories about how valuable an experience it is to have personal contact with a “real live author”,  how meaningful and inspiring it is to hear the stories of our writing processes and writing life, the successes, the challenges, effort and perseverance it takes to create the works we do. As Mari at the Courtenay Library said, “The impact is huge.” And yet, I was the first author many of the kids I talked to had ever seen. Hearing our hosts talk about the importance of these personal connections, I am extremely humbled and grateful to be part of the BC Book Prizes tour this year.

Fifteen hours is a long time to spend on the road even if you are with wonderful men like Tim and Fred. Great conversation. The girls at A.R.E.S. (above) were disappointed that Tim was too old and too taken but they thought he looked “very Vancouver” and that was exciting for Creston. The schools have filled the house with two or three classes of grades 5-7. I am having a good time telling stories and talking about books. The kids and teachers at Adam Robertson Elementary in Creston and Steeples Elementary in Cranbrook want to say “thanks” to the Book Prizes for sending an author to the Kootenays. On Monday I was able to visit Sono Nis’, my publisher, awesome location in Winlaw (just out of Nelson) for the first time—no wonder Diane loves the Slocan Valley.

Fiona and Bryan are such great company that it made the whole first day’s itinerary flow seamlessly. The epicurean highlight was a delicious early meal of perogies with wild boar proscuitto and Nichols pinot gris at the Heritage House in Naramata where a very forthcoming host by name of Quentin Cane regaled us with stories of the halcyon days of the grand old manor in the Edwardian era of garden parties and regattas. Highly recommended if you are in the area.

Today was a challenge as I was presenting to grade eights and nines in Princeton but kept them listening by drawing parallels between Ted Hughes’s cold blooded raptors who “in sleep, rehearse perfect kills and eat” (I pointed out how that poem fragment in seven words can be a complete bio or characterization) and human predators who through sensitive disposition and early trauma and most of all isolation from positive paternal influences become obsessed with killing humans. The little ghouls loved it, many, to my surprise having seen Psycho and the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, etc, inspired by the most horrendous cases. I emphasized how important it was to reach out if someone seemed especially isolated or if they themselves, were. Then we cruised downhill and ferried to Nanaimo with no duties but to track down a pub, The Old Station, and watch Steve Nash and the Suns pummel the Blazers, and to bed to sleep, perchance to dream - not of axe murderers or even hawks who begin to eat their prey without bothering to kill them, but of idyllic rivers teeming with steelhead.   

While Ehor headed off to the high school on Monday, my first official BC Book Prizes tour day began with me visiting 100 K-3 students at Dorothea Walker Elementary School in Kelowna. What a welcome!  The classes arrived at the library with otters and frogs and whales and fish—-artwork from Bubble Homes and Fish Farts! 

Each class had made something different with illustrator Carolyn Conahan’s line drawings. The kids grinned from ear-to-ear as they showed off their masks, medallions, and two styles of animal hats. Too cool.  I grinned right back.

A quick trip along the highway—-and a few heart palpitations on Bryan’s part as we were delayed for 15 minutes at a dead stop due to construction—-found us at Penticton schools for the afternoon. A big shoutout to Wiltse Elementary! 

Since we had plenty of time before our public gig at Hooked on Books, a lovely little book store on Main Street, Penticton right next door to Fibonacci’s, home of the biggest latte cups I’d ever seen, we thought we’d stop en route for a

official visit to the Red Rooster Winery, one of the adopt-a-library sponsors. 

After

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Kudos to Hooked on Books for hosting our evening event even though they’ve been open for only a few months.  A terrific first touring day.  Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

(Thanks to Bryan for the photos!)

Yesterday we did Nelson high school, Trail schools, and Rossland reading in the evening. I had a great time in the high schools as both Trail and Nelson are “home” cities for me. Lots of memories, meeting former students, touching down on familiar geography. Tim and I did a Collander spaghetti dinner in Trail and then we read to a small crowd in Rossland before driving back to Nelson. Today will be another long day since we have to drive back to Nelson after an evening reading in Cranbrook. But, once again, the Koots is a great place to be and the weather has been warm summer temperatures. Interesting how high school students have discovered the word “cool!”.

Adopt-A-Library cheque presentation with Margaret Olmstead of Bulkley Valley Credit Union. This year, Bulkley Valley Credit Union has adopted Lake Kathlyn Elementary School in Smithers.

Kari-Lynn and Kristin at Riverview Elementary (Quesnel) with students Sheldon Cameron, Kyle Cheng, Alexis MacDonald, Keyanna Hawkridge, Corey Roberts and Shaylin Carifelle.

Kristin and Tracy from the Quesnel Public Library. Showing off a lovely in-flight magazine from Hawkair (a tour sponsor).

• Chats with Cathleen With on the flight to Terrace: As some of you know, Cathleen and I went to school together in the creative writing department at UBC (in Alison Acheson’s class). It was wonderful to re-connect. And Hawk Air is the best airline—they still feed you lunch!
• Being taken care of in Terrace and then later in Prince George: Special thanks to the Coast Hotels.
• Returning to the Terrace Art Gallery: Cheers to the knowledgeable librarians (including Jess), to local zinester, Erika and to Anne from Misty River Books.  I wrote about this gallery space in my dissertation, Authorship as Assemblage (available online at http://kariwinters.com/academic) so it was intriguing to return.
• An afternoon with Sammy Robinson: Hearing about his creative process and seeing his incredible and secret work space are memories that I hope I never forget.
• Eating at Sea Masters while watching the sea lions play.
• Van rides: Cathleen, Michael, Kristin, Bryan, you guys ARE a rowdy group.  I laughed until my stomach ached.  I loved our joyrides.  Thanks to National Car rental for making this possible. While traveling, we saw wildlife too (though we never stopped)—eagles, a coyote, and even a spirit bear!
• The Skeena Bakery and Rob’s Restaurant in Hazelton. Yummy!
• Discovering that many schools are being closed in BC—incredible, well run schools:  I had heard about these closures, but thought that they were old schools that needed a lot of work (e.g., new roofs, more modern interiors, etc.), boy was I wrong!  Modern and well-run chools like South Hazelton are being closed all over the province.
• Chats with Melanie and the others at the Learning Shop: I love how you are working to better the community, working with the youth of Hazelton and helping them to make a difference.
• Reading our books in special (and sometimes even magical spaces) like the Kitimat Library,  The Museum of Northern BC, Books and Company, and in many of the northern schools and libraries.
• Meeting Susan Juby’s mom in Smithers: Susan Juby was one of my writing teachers.  It was great to meet her mom.
• Walking around Quesnel:  What a quaint and incredible community you have!
• Discovering that people all over the province just want to have fun: Thanks to all of you who wore a hat and joined the performance.
• Meeting life-long pals: It is wonderful to know that,  all the mountains and rivers in the world cannot separate my new friends—whose hearts, for a moment in time, beat together as one.

Thanks to everyone involved, who helped make this tour happen.  My world is newly widened.

You are gorgeous and so welcoming.
I hear your children playing at Lake Kathlyn and Harwin.
I see how you connect with the nature around you.
You make me want to be a Northerner.
You are gorgeous and so welcoming.

I wish that my current city had a bookstore as great as Books & Company.
I feel so at home there.
I touch the pages of these gorgeous picture books and
I worry that I won’t see you again for some time.
You make me smile—you and your supporters (e.g., Mary, Barb, Michelle).
I grin from ear to ear.
You are gorgeous and so welcoming.

I heard that Java’s is the yummiest place to eat in the Northwest.
I say, “yum” as I think of my avocado salad with pine nuts and feta.
I try to save room for dessert—for some homemade pie, but
you fill me up.
I feel I am the luckiest person in the world.  I love this tour!

Smithers and Prince George, you are both gorgeous and so welcoming.  Thank-you.

Kari-Lynn at the Museum of Northern BC in Prince Rupert

New Friends: Kari-Lynn, Cathleen and Michael in Port Edward

Thank you National Car Rental

Cheering for Misty River Books in Terrace (at the Terrace Public Library)

Lots of fun hats at The Learning Shop in Hazelton

Being silly in Prince Rupert

The gang at the Kitimat Public Library

For more photos, please visit our Northern Tour set on Flickr.

Thanks to the BC Book Prizes—their staff and judges, to Mike and Carol and everyone at Tradewind Books, to the generous sponsors, and to Christina Leist…without you I would not have had the opportunity to:

Play with puppets in Hazelton…explore Ksan Heritage Park…share giggles and stories with cherished new friends—Kristin Butcher, Michael Turner, Cathleen With, and Bryan Pike…travel though brilliant and breathtaking landscapes…dine on fine food… be recognized by students as the “author who came before”…frolic and merry-make in Prince Rupert…acknowledge and answer well prepared and thoughtful questions from young people at Westview…tread the pier of the Prince Edward cannery…and delight with book lovers at the Museum of Northern BC.

For all these moments,  I thank you—with resounding and endless gratitude.