Super OLA conference! — Forest of Stories launch

I am finally digging out from the OLA Superconference. What a wonderful three days I had!

Wednesday was the official launch of the Forest of Stories reading program. Thirteen hundred students were invited to this celebration and many of the nominated authors and illustrators attended.

As a Silver Birch Express nominee, I lined up with Nancy Belgue, Ken Roberts and Hazel Hutchins. As we walked in, the students were chanting and waving their arms. The town crier dressed in sumptuous red and gold announced each of us, and he even pronounced my name correctly.

As each of us walked off the stage and down the aisle to where we would be signing, kids stuck out their hands to touch us. It was so cute!

After everyone in each reading program was introduced and everyone was at their signing table, we all signed furiously for about an hour. Fitzhenry & Whiteside had made up about 500 small posters for Aram’s Choice for me. I went through those fairly quickly. I had also brought my own postcards and went through about 1000 of those. Some teachers asked for extras for other classes and I gladly signed them and gave those out too.

I was thrilled with the comments kids made about my book. Before everyone came out of the assembly room, one boy snuck out early and came up to my table. “I love your Aram book,” he said. “But I have a few questions.”

“Thanks!” I replied. “What would you like to know?”

“Why was it that the chaperone was being sent back but the kids got to stay?”

Very good question! I explained to him that Canada was not accepting any Armenian men as immigrants at the time. The reason the Armenian children were allowed in was because this was a relief effort — in fact it was the first time Canada ever saved “non-white” children from disaster. The irony of course is that Armenians are white. The other irony is that this first international relief effort (ie the rescuing of 50 Armenian orphaned boys from Corfu in 1923) was called “Canada’s Noble Experiment.”

Author: Marsha

I write historical fiction, mostly from the perspective of young people who are thrust in the midst of war. View all posts by Marsha