Article in the ALAN Review

I have just found out that my article "Writing Bridges: How Writers Scaffold Mature Content in YA Literature" will be published in the Winter (2013) issue of The ALAN Review. I wrote the article in part as a response to Meghan Cox Gurdon's much publicized discussion in The Wall Street Journal, where she determined recent YA literature to be too dark and too mature for young adult readers. Writers, librarians, readers, and other lovers of YA literature responded to the article, taking Cox Gurdon to task for her generalization and assumption that dark and mature material is too much for contemporary teen readers to handle. One of my favorite responses was written by Sherman Alexie, who said:

"When I think of the poverty-stricken, sexually and physically abused, self-loathing Native American teenager that I was, I can only wish, immodestly, that I’d been given the opportunity to read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Or Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak. Or Chris Lynch’s Inexusable. Or any of the books that Ms. Gurdon believes to be irredeemable. I can’t speak for other writers, but I think I wrote my YA novel as a way of speaking to my younger, irredeemable self."

My article looks at the way new novels for teens - particularly, Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan, Going Bovine by Libba Bray, and The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith - use mature content that is consistent with the complexity of language, style, and form. These new novels present content that may challenge readers, but that content is paired with a sophisticated form that mirrors many literary and canonical articles. 

"Private Transit" in Here Be Monsters Issue Seven

My short story, "Private Transit," was just published in the seventh issue of Here Be Monsters, a Canadian anthology.

You can purchase the collection on Amazon, or through the Here Be Monsters website!

Literature Fair and Chinook High School

I have two upcoming events in Lethbridge, AB! On Thursday September 27, I will be at Chinook High School presenting to grades 9-11 English classes. As well, I will be presenting at the University of Lethbridge Literature Fair on Friday September 28th, in the University of Lethbridge Curriculum Laboratory. My presentation will be on experimental novels for young adults. Other presenters include professors from the U of L Education department, librarians, and teachers.

Before We Go will be available at both events!

Word on the Street - Lethbridge, Alberta

I am so excited to share that I will be presenting at Word on the Street in Lethbridge, Alberta. You can find me speaking and reading from my book, Before We Go, from 3:00-3:25 on Sunday September 23, 2012. Word on the Street will take place at the Lethbridge Public Library (Main Branch) from 11:00-5:00. For more information, including a list of presenting authors (including Kit Pearson, Drew Hayden Taylor, Shane Peacock, and Arthur Slade) and other events, visit the Word on the Street website. Additional information and interviews, additional content, and extras can be found here.

Alberta Literary Awards

On Saturday night, the Alberta Literary Awards were held at Hotel Arts in Downtown Calgary. My short story, "Look at it This Way," won the Howard O'Hagan Award. The story is available through Character I Press. 

"Curious, if True": The Fantastic in Literature

My incredibly talented friend Betty Liang designed the cover for "Curious, if True": The Fantastic in Literature, a collection of articles by English graduate students on fantasy, science fiction, and magic realism. I edited and contributed an article to the book, and it is forthcoming from Cambridge Scholars Publishers. Contributors include Luke R. J. Maynard, Gaelan Gilbert, Mary Eileen Wennekers, Elisa Bursten, Amy Bright, Max F. R. Olesen, Laura van Dyke, Erin Dunbar, Tessa Mellas, Shannon M. Minifie, Thomas Stuart, with a foreword written by Dr. Robert Runte, a professor at the University of Lethbridge.

Interview - Global TV

Here is my interview with Mark Campbell from Global TV that ran tonight if you missed it! I start at around 5:20 (but, you know, if you are interested in the symphony, feel free to watch the entire thing). My book launch is tomorrow night, and this is one last opportunity to plug the event! (you don't have to look far for the location - it's just in the background of this interview!)

Alberta Literary Awards Shortlist Readings and Pub Night (Calgary)

I will be at the Alberta Literary Awards Shortlist Readings and Pub Night in Calgary on Wednesday May 16 7:00-10:00 pm at the Rose & Crown Pub in the upstairs private room. 

The Rose and Crown Pub is located at 1503 4 Street SW Calgary. Shelf Life Books will be selling nominated titles and many of the authors will be on hand for signings and one-on-one questions. Confirmed readers include Suzette Mayr, Rosemary Nixon, Michael Penny, Lynn Coady, Barb Howard, Cathy Ostlere, Betty Jane Hegearat, Rosemary Griebel, and Amy Bright. 

There is a possibility that my first book, Before We Go, will be for sale at this event. I hope you can make it!

More Information about the Book Launch!

You can find more information about my book launch at the University of Lethbridge Bookstore!

Book Launch Invitation

Interview: Motivate to Create

Toronto author Nate Hendley, author of Motivate to Create and a number of novels in the true crime genre, recently posted an interview with me on his website. You can find the interview here, where I talk about where my motivation comes for writing!

Alberta Literary Awards

My short story "Look At It This Way" has been shortlisted for the Howard O'Hagan Award as part of the Alberta Literary Awards. Winners will be announced and awards presented at the Alberta Book Awards Gala on Saturday June 9, 2012. More information and the 2012 Alberta Literary Awards Short List can be found here.

"Look At It This Way" can be found in the Fall 2011 issue of Character I, available online. 

Before We Go

In two months from today my first novel, Before We Go, will be released by Red Deer Press.

Before We Go is about three teenagers – Emily, Lucy, and Alex – one New Year’s Eve, a couple of beat up copies of Lord of the Rings, a taxidermy army, and a forgotten family secret that is found along the way.

I started writing this book in New Brunswick. It was accepted for publication in Victoria, rewritten in Boston, and proofed in Alberta. You can read an excerpt and synopsis of the novel on the Books page of this website.

Take a minute to look around, stay a while, send an email, leave a comment. I’ll be writing here until the book is released, and after, and will keep updating with news and events. Thanks for stopping by.