In the breathtaking novel, Pax, by Sarah Pennypacker, a woman named Vola tells young Peter: “I am exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing. That is peace.”
I read that line today to three groups of Sec. 1 students at College Reine-Marie in St. Michel. I told the students I hoped they could take that line with them as they grow up, and that maybe it will help them find where they should be, and what they should be doing.
It’s my first day of an eight day writer-in-residency project at the school. And though I had to trudge through the snow and just just miss a bus on my way here, I do feel like I’m exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing – in my case talking about books and writing with bright young people.
I’ve done hundreds (maybe more!) of writing workshops, but this is the first time I’ve been asked to focus on both reading and writing. The idea came from Reine-Marie teacher Mr. Crooks, who asked me to choose ten books for the students to choose from (full disclosure – I ended up choosing eleven, and two are mine!). This week, I’m meeting the Sec. 1’s, and speaking about each of the eleven books; next month I’ll be back to do writing workshops. Besides Mr. Crooks’s students, I’m also working with Ms. Mooney’s and Ms. Mollas’s Sec. 1’s. (That's Ms. Mooney with me in today's picture, together with a student named Dali, whom I'll tell you about later.)
So – because I know you’re curious, here’s my list of recommendations, broken down by category.
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Weird Rules to Follow by Kim Spencer
For the Record by MOI
Outta Here by Lea Beddia
FANTASY & DYSTOPIAN
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Pax by Sarah Pennypacker
NOVEL IN VERSE
The Crazy Man by Pamela Porter
HISTORICAL
Plague Thieves by Caroline Fernandez
The Ribbon Leaf by Lori Weber
What World Is Left, also by MOI
CLASSICS
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Besides talking about the books, I also talked about what reading means to me, and how to choose the right book. I told the students I felt like a server at a fancy restaurant, telling customers what was on the menu!
I told the students how reading has saved and continues to save my life. That’s because when I am feeling distressed (it happens to all of us sometimes) I can take solace in a book. In a weird way, I feel a similar sense of solace when I am writing, except that I find writing is a lot harder work than reading!
As for choosing books, I talked about getting recommendations from people we admire and trust. It was Westmount Library’s children’s librarian Wendy Wayling who told me about Impossible Creature, which I am nearly finished reading and which I ADORE!
I just realize something I forgot to tell the students – but maybe they’ll read it here in this blog entry. It’s good to read outside of our usual genres. For instance, I love contemporary and historical fiction, but I seldom read fantasy – and how glad am I that I was open to reading Impossible Creatures.
I also read, I told the kids, so that I continue to develop as a writer. When I read something wonderful, I ask myself, “How can I do that in my own work?” And when I read something I don’t like so much, I wonder, “Have I ever done that in my own writing? I hope not!”
Research shows that reading fiction builds EMPATHY – which means we can forget about ourselves and really step into another person (or character)’s life.
Something I haven’t told you about today is that I have a BLACK EYE. (It’s awfully ugly! You can only see a bit of it in today's pic.) It happened when I was shoveling snow on Saturday morning and the shovel flew out of my hands and hit the side of my head. The reason I’m telling you is so you’ll understand why I was touched when I told Ms. Mooney’s students about what happened and a student named Allyson said, “I was worried about you.” See! Allyson, that’s proof of your powers of empathy!
I’ll end today’s blog entry with another lovely example of empathy. When I was telling the students about the tragic story that starts Pamela Porter’s verse novel, The Crazy Man, Dali (see her pic at the top of this entry) looked visibly upset. Afterwards, Dali told me, “I even feel sorry for people I don’t know.” Ahh, I thought to myself, that sounds like a writer-in-the-making!
Here’s to reading and writing, both activities that “grow” our hearts. Thanks to my friends at Reine-Marie for the invite, and to the kids for being so attentive and open. I’ll do another blog about Reine-Marie when I finish up my writer-in-residency towards the end of March.