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As we flew into Lethbridge from Calgary on a 19 seater Dash-18, the view was stunning. Down below were the “coolies” which are like mountains that go down instead of up. And the nice thing about travelling by Dash-18 is you don’t have to worry about whether you get an aisle or a window seat, because all are both.

When we got to the Lethbridge Lodge, there was a walking path right from the hotel to the coolies, so after I did my keynote on Monday, I got into my trekking clothes and headed out. Just as I had my hand on the door, one of the organizers called and said, “Marsha, don’t forget that you have a TV interview in about 5 minutes.” I had totally forgotten. I whipped out of my exercise clothing and dressed back up in keynote clothing and went for the interview, then went back upstairs and changed. I did get a short forty-five minute walk through the coolies. They were stunning!

I just got back from a super-interesting trip to Lethbridge, Alberta. The main reason I was there was for the Weaving Words conference. Here’s a link to WW:

http://people.uleth.ca/~sapdc/WW2006/ww_welcome.html

This was a fantastic conference! Very well organized and jam-packed with lots of stuff.

I was the keynote speaker. I have never been a keynote speaker before. It was fun!

One of the many highlights of the conference was getting the opportunity to meet and socialize with some fabulous Canadian authors and illustrators. Tim Wynne Jones, the winner of this year’s Rocky Mountain Book Award, was one of the presenters:

http://rmba.lethsd.ab.ca/

It was neat for me to have Tim there because I happen to have a book of his — Zoom at Sea — by my bedside. In fact, it has been by my bedside since 1983. It was the first children’s book I ever bought for myself. I brought the book with me and talked about it during my keynote.

Sarah Ellis:

http://collections.ic.gc.ca/ggawards/sellis.htm

was another stellar presenter. I have admired her writing for a long time, and it was wonderful to meet her in person.

Jacqueline Guest:

http://www.jacquelineguest.com

was also a presenter, as was Anita Horrocks:

http://www.canscaip.org/bios/horrocksa.html

It was awesome having the opportunity to meet these two fabulous authors! There were also two artists extraordinare. Carolyn Fisher:

http://www.yabs.ab.ca/artists/artistinfo.asp?ID=26

and Murray Kimber:

http://www.murraykimber.com/

Carolyn very kindly gave me some drawing tips. Now to try them out …..

More later …

Anonymous wrote:

>>I have read your book NoBody’s Child and i found it very wonderful and exciting .I know this doesn’t relate to this conversation i am wondering if you may post that if you are making a sequel to your book NoBody’s Child and when that book may come out in. Thank you<< Hi! I'm delighted that you enjoyed Nobody's Child. I am writing the sequel right now. I am halfway through the first draft and hope to be finished by the end of April. The title is Daughter of War.

This is good news:

http://www.azg.am/?lang=EN&num=2006032402

Media Release

Ukrainian Canadian Delegation Meets with Minister of Canadian Heritage To Discuss Redress

For Immediate Release (24 March 2006 – Toronto)

Eight months after signing an Agreement in Principle with the Government of Canada providing for the funding of various educational and commemorative projects having to do with Canada’s first national internment operations, representatives of the Ukrainian Canadian community met with the new Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Bev Oda, in Ottawa yesterday. Dr Lubomyr Luciuk, Mr Andrew Hladyshevsky, and Mr Ostap Skrypnyk represented the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress respectively.

Commenting on the results of this first meeting between the community and the Minister, Dr Luciuk said:

” We are very pleased that the Minister reconfirmed this government’s commitment to honouring the Agreement in Principle we signed in Regina, 24 August 2005. We can now report that, once the government has determined the appropriate Terms and Conditions. no less than $2.5 million will be made available to the National Redress Council of the Ukrainian Canadian community. Those funds will then be used for commemorative initiatives that we believe will hallow the memory of all those who were subjected to various state sanctioned censures during Canada’s first national internment operations and so help ensure that no other community ever has to endure what Ukrainians and other Europeans once did, in some future period of domestic or international crisis. We anticipate meeting again with the Minister, after Easter , to discuss the Terms & Conditions that will apply to this funding and to begin negotiations towards securing a second, larger sum to be managed as an endowment dedicated to long-term educational, research, cultural and memorial efforts.”

_________________________________

For More Information Please Contact:

Dr L Luciuk, UCCLA, Director of Research, (613) 546-8364 or by email at luciuk@uccla.ca

My husband and webmaster has just posted the pdf files for Brantford Book Camp on my website. Go here:

http://www.calla.com

and click on Brantford Book Camps!

We are running two camps this August —

one for kids aged 10 to 12

and also, due to popular demand, one for adults

Our adult camp has a very limited registration, only 12 people, so if you’re interested in attending, I urge you to apply now.

Marsha Skrypuch
Brantford Book Camps originator